Cheek-Willis selected to NSU Hall of Fame

Bud Sullins/Special to the Herald-Leader Longtime Siloam Springs volleyball coach Rose Cheek-Willis will be inducted into the Northeastern (Okla.) State Athletics Hall of Fame on Feb. 28.
Bud Sullins/Special to the Herald-Leader Longtime Siloam Springs volleyball coach Rose Cheek-Willis will be inducted into the Northeastern (Okla.) State Athletics Hall of Fame on Feb. 28.

The Northeastern State University Athletics Department in Tahlequah, Okla., recently announced longtime Siloam Springs volleyball coach Rose Cheek-Willis will be inducted into the 2015 NSU Athletics Hall of Fame.

Cheek-Willis, who has been selected as the first "Spirit of Excellence" member, joins Mike Adams, Jim Bittle, Eric Moore, Keith Miller and the 1994 football team as inductees.

"The Northeastern State University Department of Athletics welcomes its newest members into our prestigious Hall of Fame," said NSU athletics director Tony Duckworth. "The caliber of the 2015 class ranks among the best ever, given the number of All-Americans inducted."

The class will be enshrined at the annual Hall of Fame Banquet at 11 a.m. Feb. 28 in the community room of the NSU Event Center. The banquet will precede the Northeastern State basketball team's contest against Fort Hays State University.

Cheek-Willis competed in field hockey and basketball during her time at Northeastern State. She graduated from NSU in 1979 with a bachelor's degree in health and physical education, with a minor in business.

Cheek-Willis has spent time since leaving NSU coaching athletics and teaching health classes at the elementary school and high school levels. She has coached a plethora of sports, including basketball, softball, track, football, volleyball, and cheerleading.

Cheek-Willis has coached at Siloam Springs since 1981 and led the Lady Panthers to seven volleyball state championships, winning the first in 2001 and then a remarkable six straight titles from 2004 to 2009.

Siloam Springs also had state runner-up finishes in 2003 and 2010.

Cheek-Willis has also served on the coaching staff of the annual Arkansas State All-Star game five times. She has been named the NFHS Regional Coach of the Year and has been honored four times as the NFHS Arkansas State Coach of the Year.

She is married to former NSU graduate Bill Willis.

Sports on 01/28/2015