A Hall of Famer in Every Way

When John Cosker took the stage a week ago at the Stables at Cannon Smoked Saloon in Gravois Mills, Mo., to accept his well-cemented place in the Lake of the Ozarks Shootout Bob Morgan Memorial Hall of Fame, everyone in attendance understood the role Cosker has played in taking the Shootout to national and even international fame. Many people, including Cosker, also realized the Shootout’s significance in driving much of the advancements the boat designer/builder has made over the past two decades.

A few days after being inducted into the event’s Hall of Fame, Mystic Powerboats founder John Cosker (left) and Slug Hefner ran Don Onken’s American Ethanol Mystic 217 mph to win the overall Top Gun at the 2016 Lake of the Ozarks Shootout. Photo by Jason Johnson

Last Tuesday, Cosker, who owns Mystic Powerboats in DeLand, Fla., was one of four people inducted into the fourth annual Hall of Fame, which is named after the legendary founder of Big Thunder Marine who died in a boating accident five years ago. Cosker joined the owners of PlayCraft Boats in Richland, Mo., Jim and Carolyn Dorris, who have a combined 40 years participating in the Shootout, and retired Osage Beach firefighter and volunteer for the Shootout for 19 years, Rick Smith. For many years, Smith was the man in charge of the course.

Read more: A Hall of Famer in Every Way

Related stories
Complete Coverage of the 2016 Lake of the Ozarks Shootout