We welcome the opportunity to highlight the accomplishments of our letterwinners and happily celebrate in their (your!) successes.  If you have a personal recognition you would like to share with us, please send us an email and tell us about it.  Join us as we congratulate these letterwinners on their noteworthy accomplishments.

Nelson Haggerty- Basketball (1992-95)

Former Baylor guard, Nelson Haggerty, was recently honored with a posthumous induction into the Midwestern State Athletic Hall of Honor at halftime of MSU’s Homecoming football game against Western Oregon on October 27th.

Haggerty was hired at MSU as the top assistant for Grant McCasland prior to the 2009-10 season as an already proven assistant coach after helping Central Missouri to back-to-back NCAA Division II Elite Eight appearances.

The former NCAA national assists leader and second-team All-Southwest Conference performer’s return to Texas united him with McCasland, also a former Baylor guard (1996-99) who often referred to Haggerty as the best point guard in Baylor history.  This dynamic duo led the Mustangs to a 30-3 record while reaching the NCAA Division II Elite Eight for the first time in program history during the 2009-10 season, then returned to the national quarterfinals a season later with a 25-9 mark.

After McCasland departed to serve as an assistant coach for Baylor’s Scott Drew, Haggerty took over the reins at MSU in 2011-12 and the success continued, returning to the Elite Eight for a third consecutive season with a 29-4 record.  It was the first of five consecutive 20-win seasons for the Haggerty-led Mustangs, which claimed four Lone Star Conference titles in his first five seasons as head coach. Haggerty played a vital role during an incredible run as the Mustangs advanced to seven consecutive NCAA Division II postseason tournaments during his time at MSU.

He departed Midwestern with the fourth most coaching wins (155) and was third in winning percentage (.640). He was twice named Lone Star Conference Coach of the Year (2012, 2016). Haggerty was the National Association of Basketball Coaches South Central Region Coach of the Year in 2012, and Texas Association of Basketball Coaches’ Small College coach of the year in 2016.

Haggerty rejoined McCasland serving as Director of Basketball Strategy and Operations at the University of North Texas in 2019 and was on the bench for the Mean Green’s win over Purdue in the opening round of the 2021 NCAA tournament.  Tragically, Haggerty died in a single-car accident while returning to Denton on April 16, 2021.

The Midwestern State Hall of Honor represents the highest honor bestowed upon an individual by the MSU Department of Athletics. The accomplishments of those enshrined exemplify the character, spirit, commitment, high level of achievement and reflect the honor, excellence, and traditions of the university.