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Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College (NEO) will induct nine members into the NEO Athletic Hall of Fame at a ceremony on Saturday, September 15, 2018. Included among the honorees is Mr. Bennie Crossland.
Crossland began his association with NEO as a young boy, when his father, Ivan, loaded the family in their station wagon and brought them to NEO Football games on Saturday nights at Red Robertson Field. Crossland later attended NEO and Missouri Southern State University before serving our country in the Marine Corps from 1975-78. Crossland returned home to work in his father’s new construction company, where he worked his way up, becoming President of Crossland Construction in 2002 and assuming the role of Chairman of the Board in 2016. Crossland Construction has grown to be one of the Top 100 Construction Companies in the USA.
Crossland and Crossland Construction have donated over $500,000 to athletic facilities on the NEO campus, including the Ivan Crossland Football Complex, the Multi-Purpose Wrestling Facility and Red Robertson Field renovations. NEO Athletics would not be a national leader in two-year college athletics without the generosity of Bennie and Crossland Construction. Crossland has never been too busy to give back to the community. He has several philanthropic affiliations and has served on several boards and foundations. He lives in Columbus, Kansas, with his wife Shonda.
The induction ceremony for Crossland and the other honorees will take place in the Calcagno Family Ballroom in the Bruce G. Carter Student Union before the evening’s football game. Following the ceremony, the NEO Golden Norsemen football team will play against rivals Trinity Valley. Kickoff will be at 6 p.m. Tickets for the event are on sale now. “The Hall of Fame is a legacy that we are very proud of at NEO and to have it in conjunction with the NEO vs. Trinity Valley game will make for a great day of NEO Athletics,” said Joe Renfro, interim athletic director. “We hope everyone will come out and support the event and the Norsemen.” For more information about the NEO Athletic Hall of Fame, contact Nancy Roberts at nancy.roberts@neo.edu or call (918) 540-6327.
