Alumni Sports Hall of Fame

Tom Heafey arrived at Boys Town in 1967 from Ralston, Nebraska, along with his brothers Richard and Edward. Another brother, William, came to Boys Town in 1969.

Heafey establishing himself as an outstanding individual and athlete. He was a class officer his junior and senior years and was elected Class President his senior year. He was a Cottage Commissioner his senior year and a member of the National Honor society his sophomore, junior and senior years. He received both the John Lawrence and Carlton Treat Awards his senior year and was a member of the French Club his sophomore, junior and senior years.

It was in athletics where Heafey shined, earning seven varsity letters: three in baseball and two each in football and basketball. He was a member of the B Club his sophomore, junior and senior years and was selected as the “B” Club Scholar Athlete of the year in 1972. Heafey was recognized as Honorable Mention on the All-Metro baseball team his senior year and was selected as Honorable Mention on the All-Metro football team his junior year. He was selected as Outstanding Back and Athlete of the Year his senior year and selected by the Omaha Jaycees as the Outstanding Senior and received the Glen Hepburn Award in 1972. He was the recipient of the John Moffit Athletic Award his senior year.

Heafey’s professional career consisted of various Information Technology positions. He worked at 3M for 18 years, before accepting a position with Cargill Industries where he worked in systems administration and management for an additional 10 years. After Cargill, he worked at United Health Care for 5 years and then U.S. Bank for 4 years, developing data base programs prior to retiring.

Heafey purchased a cabin in Minnesota 30 years ago and it has been his primary residence since 2018. He still fishes and hunts, exercises daily, and plays pickleball at least once a week.

Barney D. Hill came to Boys Town from Omaha, Nebraska, on December 15, 1966. An athlete of unparalleled skill and tenacity, Hill set standards of excellence and achieved records in competition that have stood for decades in Nebraska.

Academically, Hill studied the sheet metal trade during his high school years, a skill that would eventually translate to success in the workplace. He was a Commissioner in Boys Town’s self-government program his senior year and Class Vice President in his junior and senior years. He was a B Club member his sophomore, junior and senior years.

But it was in athletics that Hill excelled. He earned a total of nine varsity letters in basketball, cross-country and track. Boys Town won the District basketball championship his senior year. The Cowboys were also Metro Conference champions that year and Hill was selected to the Black All-Metro Conference basketball team. He became Nebraska’s first back-to-back Class A cross-country champion in 1971 and 1972. In 1973, he accomplished a rare triple victory in the state track meet, winning gold medals in the 880-yard run, the mile run and the two-mile run which he had won the two previous years. Track records established by Hill stood for decades.

After graduation, Hill attended Butler County Junior College in Eldorado, Kansas, on a track scholarship and after one semester transferred to the University of Nebraska-Omaha (UNO). He was on three different relay teams that won gold at the Texas Relays, Kansas Relays and the Drake Relays. His leg time at the Drake Relays remains one of the best ever run in that event. Hill was inducted into the Nebraska High School Sports Hall of Fame in 1999 where he was cited as “…still very high on the all-time lists for both the half-mile and the mile.”

He studied Criminal Justice at UNO, but working with his hands brought him back to the trades. He decided on a career in welding and pipefitting and completed his apprenticeship with Omaha’s Steamfitters Local Union 464. In 1987, he was employed by the Omaha Public Power District (OPPD) as a pipefitter and welder. It is with OPPD he found his niche, rising through the ranks to become the Supervisor of Pressure Equipment/General Maintenance. Part of that growth was to learn and understand the workings of the Fort Calhoun Nuclear Power Plant. After six years as a supervisor and 25 years of service with OPPD, Hill retired. His retirement was short-lived as he soon opened his own home inspection service and was licensed in the both Nebraska and Iowa. In 2014, he dusted off his welding and pipefitter tools and skills to become a worker and, subsequently, a foreman on the project to build a new 1 million square foot replacement facility for the Strategic Command Headquarters at Offutt Air Force Base. 

 Finally, after completing the Offutt job, Hill retired for good.  It was during this time that he met and married his bride, Michelle. They divide their time between homes in Florida and at Lake Okoboji in Iowa, and enjoy traveling the world. They recently completed a photo safari in Africa. Hill is a Lifetime Member of the Boys Town National Alumni Association.

Fredrick “Fred” Anzures arrived at Boys Town from Albuquerque, New Mexico, with his two brothers in 1969. He performed well academically and was viewed by many as a role model.

Anzures was very active in campus activities. He was Class Vice-President his junior year and served as Secretary-Treasurer his junior and senior years. He was elected City Clerk his senior year and was in the National Honor Society his junior and senior years. He was on the Pylon staff his junior year and a member of the Boys Town B Club his sophomore, junior and senior years.

It was in athletics where Anzures made an indelible mark. He earned 10 varsity letters in three sports. He earned three varsity letters in basketball and was one of the best players in the state. Anzures led the Cowboys to the 1973 Metro Conference basketball championship and the district championship in 1974. The Cowboys won the Holiday tournament championship his senior year. He was elected team captain for the Metro Conference in 1974. A great shooter, Anzures averaged 21 points a game his junior year and 27.4 points a game his senior year. He was chosen as the Metro Player of the Year in 1973 and was selected First Team All-State by the Omaha World-Herald, Lincoln Journal-Star and Scottsbluff Star-Herald. At the time of his graduation, he was Boys Town’s all-time leading scorer. He also earned three varsity letters in cross country and four in baseball, playing first base and pitcher. He threw a no-hitter his senior year against Ryan High School.

Anzures received many athletic scholarship offers and selected and played four years at Colorado State University. In 1977, he was Second Team All-American. Upon graduation, he was recruited to play in the semi-pro leagues in Mexico. After excelling in the league two years, he was selected to play on the 1980 Mexico Olympic team in the Moscow Games. Unfortunately, Mexico and many other countries decided to boycott the Olympics that year.

Anzures returned to the United States and attended the National Basketball Association (NBA) referee school. He was one of 23 officials selected to work games in the CBA, the only professional league for NBA players trying to make the NBA. For personal reasons, he opted out and took a job at the U.S. Postal Service in Denver, Colorado, where he worked for 35 years until his retirement.

Fred was married for 46 years until his wife’s unfortunate illness and death. He has one son. In his spare time he has pursued several hobbies. He is a professional fly fisherman and has participated in tournaments around the world. He has refereed basketball for 48 years and remains very active in the Pentecostal Church.

Rufus Bragg came to Boys Town in 1969 from Washington, D.C. He studied the culinary arts curriculum and soon became known as a role model, citizen and athlete.

He was a Commissioner and Student Judge in Boys Town’s self-government system his senior year. He served as Class President his senior year and was a member of the B-Club his sophomore, junior and senior years.

But it was his athletic achievements that gained him local and state notoriety. He earned six varsity letters while at Boys Town, three in football and three in wrestling. Bragg was District wrestling champion his senior year and won State champion wrestling titles his junior and senior years. He was captain of the wrestling team and was voted a High School All-American his senior year. In football, Bragg earned three varsity letters and his outstanding play resulted in his being voted Athlete of the Year in 1976. 

Bragg maintained his reputation as a model citizen and community advocate after leaving Boys Town. In an effort to pay back for what he received from the home, he worked as a youth counselor at the Timber Lake Job Corp site in Oregon until his retirement in 2010. He was active in his local church and coached middle school wrestling and high school football between 1986 and 2018. He was well known in the community for his community service and efforts in establishing the Ranger Room, a recreational center for students. His 2018 funeral was attended by many, many former staff and students and a eulogy given by one who summarized his contribution: “It’s unfathomable all the lives of both young and old he has affected, including mine.”