Parsons to be inducted into college hall of fame

MOUNT PLEASANT ? Former Iowa Wesleyan College athletes Fred Parsons (class of 1957) and Fred Jacobeit (class of 1950) will be inducted into the IWC Athletic Hall of Fame Oct. 5 as part of homecoming weekend.

Parsons was a basketball and baseball player at Iowa Wesleyan and has been a longtime Van Buren boys? basketball coach.

A catcher and an outfielder, he started for three straight seasons on IWC?s baseball team.

Parsons continued to participate in baseball after leaving IWC, and he also played fastpitch softball at the amateur level. He played in 16 state tournaments in Iowa, Illinois and Missouri. In 1961, he was chosen to represent Iowa on a fast pitch team that played a series against the defending national champions.

Parsons returned to his hometown of Keosauqua in 1962 to start his career at Van Buren Community School District, where he continued coaching basketball. Currently, Parsons? teams have won 688 games, a number that ranks him second in all-time wins among active basketball coaches in Iowa. Along with numerous conference championships, his basketball teams have appeared in 10 substate games and placed fourth in the 1980 state tournament.

This season, the Van Buren team, led by Parsons, went on a late 10-1 run to end the season with a 17-7 record overall. After an overtime win against Pekin in the district tournament, they ended their season with a loss to Mediapolis, just one win shy of another substate game.

In his career, Parsons has been selected as Coach of the Year by the Iowa Basketball Coaches Association and was elected to the Iowa Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame in 2008.

Parsons also coached baseball for 23 seasons, finishing with a career record of 379-170.

To make reservations for the hall of fame induction luncheon, contact the IWC alumni office at 319-385-6215 or email alumni@iwc.edu.