Dodge City Community College Athletic Department welcomed three new members into the DC3 Athletics Hall of Fame on Saturday night at the Depot Theater in Dodge City. 
 
The Class of 2026 included: Nathan Leeper (Track & Field – 1997), Benny Moore (Men's Basketball -1982-1984), and Merle Kaufman (Contributor). 
 
Nathan Leeper (Track & Field – 1997) – The Protection, Kansas native is a two-time NJCAA National Champion in the high jump as a Conquistador. Leeper, in 1997, won both the indoor and outdoor national titles in the high jump and holds the school record at 7'03.75" indoors and 7'03" outdoors. His national titles earned him NJCAA first-team All-American honors, and his indoor performance was the NJCAA record at the time. 
 
He went on to compete at Kansas State University, where he was a two-time NCAA All-American and won the 1998 NCAA DI Outdoor Track & Field National title in the high jump (7'05.75"). He went on to compete across the world, including in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia, where he placed 11th (7'04.5"). He also won the 2002 US National Track and Field Championship and placed fourth at the 2001 World Indoor Championships in the high jump. 
 
Benny Moore (Men's Basketball – 1982-84) – The Fort Wayne, Indiana native suited up for Dodge City men's basketball for two seasons, helping the team go 48-10 during that time. Moore was a two-time All-KJCCC first-team selection, a two-time first-team All-Region VI selection, and a second-team NJCAA All-American in 1984. He averaged 15.6 points per game in his freshman season (1982-83) and 19.5 points per game in his sophomore season (1983-84), helping the team win the KJCCC West Division title. He went on to finish his college basketball career at Marquette University (1984-86), where he played for the famed Rick Majerus and played in 58 games over two seasons, averaging 9.8 points per game. 
 
Moore went on to play basketball again in Dodge City for the Dodge City Legend as part of the United States Basketball League (USBL), helping the team win the 2000 USBL championship and finish as runner-up in 2001. He got into coaching as he was an assistant at DC3 for one season, then went on to be an assistant at Dodge City High School before being the head coach for the girls. He also coached at Center High School and is currently an assistant coach at Grandview High School in Missouri. 
 
Merle Kaufman (Contributor) – A lifelong Dodge City resident and former owner of Lee's TV, Kaufman was instrumental in merging the Dodge City Community College Alumni Association and the Dodge City Community College Athletic Booster Club into the Dodge City Alumni-Athletic Booster Association. He helped oversee the Booster Association for several years, including helping start an annual scholarship auction, raising money for student and athletic scholarships. Kaufman has dedicated over 25 years of helping Dodge City Community College raise money and more for athletics and the student-athletes. He has been heavily involved in the AMBUCS organization in Dodge City for several years, including serving as president for multiple years. 
 
View all the DC3 Athletics Hall of Fame members – click here. To nominate someone for future induction into the Hall of Fame – click here.