Hall of Fame
Vessell was a standout in two sports at UMR, winning all-conference honors in basketball and golf. He was a co-winner of most valuable player honors on the Miners’ first MIAA championship team in the 1975-76 season and ended his career ranked among the top scorers in school history with 836 points. In addition, he played on two teams that appeared in the NCAA Division II Tournament in the mid-1970s. Vessell also won two letters in golf and was an all-conference player in that sport in 1976.