Terry Pursifull doesn’t remember all the details about the games, but the bonds are unforgettable.

Pursifull, who was born in Mexico before graduating from Community R-6, was inducted along with his 1985-86 basketball teammates into the Westminster College Athletics Hall of Fame on June 20 during a ceremony at the college in Fulton. The Westminster team that season set a record for wins by going 23-7 that season and qualified for postseason play for the first time in 26 years.

Pursifull, who lives in Wisconsin, only heard about Westminster recognizing him and his teammates as a January basketball game for their 40th anniversary but then heard about hall of fame induction in June.

“You play wanting to win,” Pursifull said. “You don’t play thinking about being in the hall of fame someday. It was a total surprise.”

Most of the team was at the ceremony, Pursifull said. As the night went on, Pursifull realized he didn’t remember many details about the games and practices but the “friendly camaraderie and overall positiveness about being around each other” was fresh on his mind.

“Love” isn’t too strong of a word when describing the emotional connection, Pursifull said, as the Blue Jays came together well after being recruited by Andy Fischer and then playing for Jim McEwen.

“We had our statistical leaders, but they didn’t act like they were the statistical leaders,” Pursifull said. “Everyone on the team was important. We brought our authentic selves. We had a very jovial group. There was a lot of ribbing of each other like, even though we may have had a lot of success, someone might point out that so-and-so had five turnovers. We would laugh about it.”

Pursifull was a four-year letter winner in basketball and baseball at Community R-6, earning basketball all-conference and all-district honors as a Trojan while setting a school record 20-5 season as a senior in 1983-84. He thrived as Westminster’s sixth man during the 1985-86 season and earned Ozark Collegiate Conference academic all-conference honors in 1986-87. 

In Pursifull’s freshman season, Westminster set the program single-season record by finishing 19-9 and then topping that in his sophomore year. The Blue Jays didn’t lose a home game at Historic Gym during those two seasons and the streak was extended to 36 games during Pursifull’s junior season. 

“My recollection was that we had a good team,” Pursifull said. “I don’t recall sitting down and specifying specific goals. It was more that we wanted to win, and we had a winning culture.”

Pursifull said there were talented players, of course, starting with senior Brad Hilsabeck, who led the team in scoring and rebounding and still ranks top five at Westminster in each category. Cory Hohnbaum, who set the program single-season record for made field goals during 1985-86 and ranks second in single-season scoring, had “a deep shot” that would qualify as a long 3-pointer today even though there wasn’t a 3-point line during Pursifull’s first two years. Ken Theroff is “the most unselfish player I’ve ever met” and is the program’s all-time career and season assists leader.

As a unit, Pursifull said the Blue Jays were “fast and up tempo” because they were small for a college team. They used that to their advantage with their transition game. 

“When I went back in January, I looked at the current roster,” Pursifull said. “I was 6-foot-4, and all of their current 6-foot-4 guys are listed as guards. I played forward, and my skillset was more of a power forward, so I played inside a lot.”

Westminster took advantage of opponent mistakes when it had to win a conference tiebreaker contest at Historic Gym against School of the Ozarks, who split the first two meetings with the Blue Jays and had won or shared seven OCC titles in the conference’s first eight years. In the 80-75 overtime victory, the Blue Jays scored 21 points off 22 School of the Ozarks turnovers to earn the conference’s bid to the NAIA District 16 playoffs. Pursifull finished with 12 points to be one of five with double-digit scoring, scored tying and go-ahead layups in regulation, and had “a thundering dunk” in overtime “with time winding down,” according to the Fulton Sun.

“I felt like I had to come in and provide some energy to give our team a lift,” Pursifull said. “I did get a handful of dunks during the season, and I got some blocked shots. That sort of offense or defense can be inspiring to others and lift people’s spirits and get more energy and effort out of folks.”

Craig Spratt was the other senior on the 1985-86 team who had his best scoring season with a 9.2 average, and Pursifull said he was “the glue” player who consistently came through with key moments on offense and defense and was a strong leader. Spratt was “the most unheralded guy” and someone who has stayed in contact with Pursifull.

“Every so often, he has a business in the Hannibal area, I sometimes drop in and see him over the course of the 40 years,” Pursifull said. “I did meet with Craig in October 2025 at Teddy Joe’s in Martinsburg for a steak only because he heard of it and hadn’t been there. He liked it.”

At Teddy Joe’s, Pursifull recalls he and Spratt saying they hadn’t remained in contact with their teammates since people tend to “drift apart” unintentionally when they take their own paths in life. However, when they reunited, their bonds were intact.

Again, the events of the games are hazy to this team, including the School of the Ozarks overtime win, but the culture was indelible. That was the case for the three record-breaking teams that Pursifull has played for in his life.

“Basketball has taught me that it’s not always about the individual performers, individual stats or individual game outcomes,” Pursifull said. “Successful teams are more than that. There’s more of a camaraderie and caring for one another.”