LNT_Illinois Valley Sports Hall of Fame 2025

2025 Inductees Jaci Bice • Ken Bourquin • Roger Essmann Lonnie Hewitt • Glen Mudge • Bob Newell • Joe Perona Rita Placek • Tracy Stroyan-Maynard • Gary Vancil 1973-74 Marquette Boys Basketball Team 1997-98 Hall Boys Basketball Team Charlie Ellerbrock - Distinguished Media Award Fran Cahill - Legacy Award • George Meagher - Legacy Award John Cruz - Lanny Slevin Lifetime Achievement Award

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UNFORGETTABLE MOMENTS, UNMATCHED ACHIEVEMENTS

Congratulations to the Class of 2025

Here to take care of all your needs 24/7

Cody R Burroughs, Agent 313 S Spalding St., Spring Valley • 815-664-5302 362 Third St., La Salle • 815-223-1059 Our Team is Here to Help!

2 June 2025 | Illinois Valley Sports Hall of Fame | A Shaw Media Publication

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June 2025

Welcome to the Illinois Valley Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2025 Induction Ceremony

On behalf of Shaw Media and the Illinois Valley Sports Hall of Fame, it is our honor to welcome you to this year’s official induction. We are thrilled to celebrate and recognize the outstanding achievements of the Class of 2025 — true legends in Illinois Valley athletics.

This event and commemorative magazine represent months of thoughtful planning, collaboration and passion. Tonight is a celebration — an opportunity to reflect, honor and enjoy the incredible stories that have shaped our local sports history.

We extend our heartfelt thanks to the Hall of Fame Committee. Your dedication, insight and countless hours of effort made this event possible. To our generous sponsors — thank you for your incredible support and commitment to honoring excellence in local athletics.

A special thanks goes to our Shaw Media teams — advertising, marketing, design and editorial — for your talent and hard work in bringing this vision to life. Your creativity and dedication have been instrumental.

And finally, thank you to everyone who engages with the Hall of Fame. Whether you’re a sponsor, a reader, a social media follower or someone who simply shares the stories of our inductees with friends and family, your enthusiasm and participation make this Hall of Fame what it is.

Inside this magazine, you’ll find inspiring stories, timeless photos and reflections on the Class of 2025, alongside the businesses and communities who proudly support them. We hope you enjoy the celebration and look forward to honoring many more legends in the years to come.

Thank you,

Jeanette Smith General Manager/Advertising Director Shaw Media – Illinois Valley Sports Hall of Fame

A Shaw Media Publication | Illinois Valley Sports Hall of Fame | June 2025 3

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Contents Shaw Media’s Illinois Valley Sports Hall of Fame

Lanny Slevin.................................................................................................................6

426 Second Street La Salle, Illinois 61301 (815) 223-3200 (800) 892-6452 www.newstrib.com

Lanny Slevin Lifetime Achievement Award – John Cruz......................................... 11

Tracy Stroyan-Maynard, Mendota............................................................................8 Ken Bourquin, Walnut/Manlius/BV........................................................................13

General Manager/ Advertising Director

Jeanette Smith jmsmith@shawmedia.com

Glen Mudge, La Salle-Peru/IVCC..........................................................................15 Legacy Individual – Fran Cahill, La Salle-Peru.......................................................19 Roger Essmann, Earlville.......................................................................................... 22

Account Executives Jared Bell Shannon Eldridge Ashley Oliver

Legacy Individual – George Meagher, DePue...................................................... 24 1973-74 Marquette Boys Basketball Team............................................................ 26

Writers

Brandon LaChance Bobby Narang Andy Tavegia

Bob Newell, Henry-Senachwine............................................................................ 30 Lonnie Hewitt, Western............................................................................................ 32

Designer Liz Klein

Gary Vancil, Ottawa................................................................................................ 34

Cover Design Larry Kelsey

Distinguished Media Award – Charlie Ellerbrock, Shaw Media......................... 36 Rita Placek, Princeton............................................................................................... 38 Joe Perona, St. Bede................................................................................................. 40 Jaci Bice, Mendota/IVCC....................................................................................... 43

Published by: est. 1851

1997-98 Hall Boys Basketball Team...................................................................... 47

Thank you to the 2025 Sports Hall of Fame Committee Jared Bell, Kurt Bruno, Kevin Chlum, Bea Coates, Tom Dobrich, Dan Eilts, Kevin Hieronymus, Carol Pratt, Rick Sipovic, Lanny Slevin, Jeanette Smith, Ed Swingle and Ken Wilcoxen. They took on the task of choosing these inductees from hundreds of nominations. We currently have an extensive list of deserving athletes that will be used to select future

classes, but we are always looking for more.

IF YOU KNOW SOMEONE WHO YOU WOULD LIKE TO NOMINATE FOR THE SHAW MEDIA ILLINOIS VALLEY SPORTS HALL OF FAME: To be considered, the nominee must have lived locally during their sports accomplishment and/or graduated from IVCC or one of the

following high schools: La Salle-Peru, St. Bede, Hall, Putnam County, DePue, Mendota, Ottawa, Marquette, Streator, Princeton, Bureau Valley, LaMoille, Ohio, Earlville, Henry, Fieldcrest or their predecessors.

The athlete must be out of high school for at least five years.

Visit IllinoisValleySportsHOF.com and click on Nominate an Athlete.

4 June 2025 | Illinois Valley Sports Hall of Fame | A Shaw Media Publication

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It Is our honor to joIn you In celebratIng the IllInoIs Valley’s excellence In sports!

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE

2025 RECIPIENTS!

A Shaw Media Publication | Illinois Valley Sports Hall of Fame | June 2025 5

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Lanny Slevin

MASTER OF CEREMONIES Lifetime Achievement Award The Voice of the Valley for four decades, Slevin broadcasted numerous sporting events in the Illinois Valley and positively impacted the lives of many during his broadcast career. The true definition of dedication, Slevin has given so much of his time and passion to area athletics and has brought joy to many. For all he has given to our area — both on air and behind the scenes — the Lifetime Achievement Award is named in his honor.

2019 HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE CEREMONY - FILE PHOTO

Accomplishments

SUBMITTED PHOTOS

• A legendary broadcaster, Slevin enjoyed a 40-year career at WLPO where he broadcast games, provided sports updates and more • Estimated he broadcast somewhere between 3,5004,000 events in his career • Hosted the state-wide IHSA Sports Report for nearly six years and broadcast the IHSA boys basketball state tournaments for nearly 30 years starting in 1972 • Hosted Chalk Talk on WLPO every Saturday morning during the school year for nearly three decades • Member of the IBCA Hall of Fame, St. Bede Hall of Fame, IVCC Hall of Fame and National Junior College Association Hall of Fame; Inaugural recipient of the IHSA Distinguished Media Service Award

6 June 2025 | Illinois Valley Sports Hall of Fame | A Shaw Media Publication

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Shaw Media’s Illinois Valley Sports Hall of Fame Event Program Thursday, June 12, 2025 The Auditorium Ballroom, La Salle Emcee: Lanny Slevin Doors Open ������������������������������������������������������������������������� 5 p.m.

Dinner ����������������������������������������������������������������������������������� 6 p.m.

Induction Ceremony ���������������������������������������following Dinner Order of Inductees • Tracy Stroyan-Maynard, Mendota • Lanny Slevin Lifetime Achievement Award – John Cruz • Ken Bourquin, Walnut/Manlius/Bureau Valley • Glen Mudge, La Salle-Peru/IVCC • Legacy Individual – Fran Cahill, La Salle-Peru • Roger Essmann, Earlville • Legacy Individual – George Meagher, DePue • 1973-74 Marquette Boys Basketball Team • Bob Newell, Henry-Senachwine • Lonnie Hewitt, Western • Gary Vancil, Ottawa • Distinguished Media Award – Charlie Ellerbrock, Shaw Media • Rita Placek, Princeton • Joe Perona, St. Bede • Jaci Bice, Mendota/IVCC • 1997-98 Hall Boys Basketball Team

Conclusion & Thank You

A Shaw Media Publication | Illinois Valley Sports Hall of Fame | June 2025 7

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Tracy Stroyan-Maynard MENDOTA

ILLINOIS WESLEYAN UNIVERSITY PHOTO

By Bobby Narang

M

endota graduate Tracy Stroyan-Maynard encountered a pivotal challenge midway through her high school career.

After excelling in several sports during her first two years at Paw Paw High School, Stroyan-Maynard transferred to Mendota — a move that would prove life-changing in many ways.

“I wasn’t sure what to expect at Mendota,” she said. “I knew it had a very good volleyball program, and I was confident I could make an impact. The transfer opened up a lot of doors for me. I ended up playing club volleyball after my junior year for a really strong program. I got in on the ground level, and it helped me improve. I gained experience playing with elite athletes from the Chicagoland area who really pushed me and elevated my game that summer and into my senior year, which prepared me for college.”

As both an athlete and college coach, Stroyan-Maynard’s name is firmly etched into the sports legacy of Mendota and the surrounding communities. Inducted into the Illinois State University Hall of Fame for volleyball in 2000, she’s now adding another achievement to her impressive résumé: induction into the 2025 Shaw Media IV Sports Hall of Fame this summer.

“It’s an honor to be selected for the hall of fame,” she said.

“It’s crazy — it feels like it was so long ago. I’ve had so many life experiences since college and coaching, but it’s still a tremendous honor to be recognized.”

Now 61, Stroyan-Maynard was a pioneer in many respects.

MENDOTA HIGH SCHOOL PHOTO

Accomplishments • A three-sport standout athlete at MHS, helped volleyball team to state in 1980 and 1981; was twice named all-state in volleyball and helped 1981 team to a Class A state runner-up finish • Won the 1982 state Class A discus title, won three state medals total • Played volleyball at Illinois State University, held season records for kills, attack attempts and points; member of ISU Hall of Fame • Head volleyball coach at Illinois Wesleyan for eight seasons (1988-95) & had a record of 188-100

WHERE are they NOW

8 June 2025 | Illinois Valley Sports Hall of Fame | A Shaw Media Publication

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She was a standout not only in volleyball but also in the shot put and discus in track and field. Among her many accolades, she won the 1982 Class A state title in discus and finished fourth in the shot put. Notably, her former school, Paw Paw, didn’t even have a girls track program.

“I got started in track when I moved to Mendota,” she said. “I wanted to learn how to throw the discus, had a good coach and taught myself. I practiced on weekends with the shot and discus. I also did hurdles and the long jump — I tried a lot of events, but I really connected with the discus.”

True to form, Stroyan-Maynard combined elite athleticism with relentless work ethic and a drive to be the best.

“Being able to go to state meant a lot to me, and then to become a state champion in track and field ...” she said. “I really put in the time on my own and was motivated to reach a goal I had

set for myself. I went there, did my best, and ended up winning the title. That was a very special moment to share with my coaches, my family and my teammates.”

A 1982 graduate of Mendota, Stroyan-Maynard found her greatest athletic success in volleyball. She was twice named to the allstate volleyball team and helped lead Mendota to a runner-up finish at the 1981 IHSA Class A state tournament.

“One of my greatest memories from high school was winning super-sectionals in volleyball and realizing we were going to state,” she said. “We played in the state championship — not everyone gets that opportunity.

We gave it our all but came up just short. It was a great experience, especially with the support and excitement from the community.”

Even then, Stroyan-Maynard had her sights set on competing at the collegiate level.

“I sharpened my skills in

volleyball, went to camps and had experiences that helped me earn a scholarship and reach my dream,” she said. “I think I started dreaming of playing in college back in fifth grade when my uncle took me to an Illinois State women’s basketball game. That stuck with me. I spent a lot of time practicing on my own, trying to improve. What really changed everything was transferring to Mendota and joining their volleyball program and my club team.

That’s when I truly fell in love with the game.”

By her senior year, she faced a tough decision: pursue basketball or volleyball in college.

“I always wanted to attend Illinois State. It was familiar to me, and I had dreamed of going there,” she said. “So I chose Illinois State and volleyball.”

At Illinois State, the 5-foot-9 outside hitter earned four varsity letters, competing against some of the best teams in the

country and even traveling internationally to Japan and China.

Just a few years after graduating, at the age of 24, she became the head women’s volleyball coach at Illinois Wesleyan University. She coached there for eight seasons, compiling a 188-100 record.

“What I mainly learned was it’s easier to be a player than a coach,” she said.

“But I thoroughly enjoyed coaching at Illinois Wesleyan. I had always wanted to coach at the college level, and it happened.”

Throughout her playing and coaching career, Stroyan-Maynard collected countless accolades, but she credits her family for being her foundation.

“My family was very supportive, especially my mom,” she said. “She went to my games, whether in high school or college. My mom and brother came to a lot of them. I had tremendous support from my family.”

CONGRATS FOREVER IN THE HALL e Jaci Bic & Tracy d r a n y a M n a y o Str

The greatest compliment you can give is a referral.

Kurt Bruno | Agent

, s n o i t a l u t a r Cong na y o r t S Tracy !

Maynard

Mendota Booster Club

1103 Main Street • Mendota • 815-539-3878

kurtbruno.com A Shaw Media Publication | Illinois Valley Sports Hall of Fame | June 2025 9

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Congrats Congratulations Tracy Stroyan-Maynard Tracy Stroyan-Maynard & Jaci Bice

& Jaci Bice

And All Class of s e e t c u d In 5 2 0 2

WHERE

LEGENDS LIVE FOREVER!

1501 1st Avenue Mendota

614 13TH AVENUE, MENDOTA, IL 61342 SM-LA2243641

815.539.9388

Congratulations

Jaci Bice & Tracy Stroyan-Maynard

On Your Amazing Careers and Hall of Fame Induction City of Mendota 815-539-7459 • 800 Washington St. www.mendota.il.us 10 June 2025 | Illinois Valley Sports Hall of Fame | A Shaw Media Publication

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John Cruz

LANNY SLEVIN LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD Accomplishments • 1969 DePue graduate was a baseball coach at youth, high school and collegiate levels for 51 years (1972-2023) • Coached Little League in Spring Valley for more than 40 years • Coached American Legion baseball from 1992-99; was assistant baseball coach for Bob Koopmann at three collegiate stops, including five years at IVCC • Princeton High School baseball coach from 2009-10 • Former assistant coach at Putnam County, Hall and L-P

SUBMITTED PHOTOS

By Brandon LaChance

B

aseball and John Cruz are synonymous.

Yet some of you – especially if you’re outside the baseball world – might not even know who he is.

From 1972 until 2023, Cruz could be found in dugouts across northern Illinois and beyond, offering wisdom, throwing batting practice, hitting fly balls to outfielders, bouncing grounders to infielders, writing lineups and making sure players had the gear they needed.

There are two remarkable details about his story – Cruz never applied for a coaching job and he never imagined his life would revolve around baseball.

“All of these coaching jobs I’ve had, I didn’t apply for any of them. Never did,” said Cruz, 75, a native of DePue. “I knew a lot of people, and they asked me to coach. That must say something about me. It says something about baseball in this area.

WHERE are they NOW

See CRUZ Page 12

A Shaw Media Publication | Illinois Valley Sports Hall of Fame | June 2025 11

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Cruz

FROM PAGE 11

And it says something about them, for giving me those opportunities.

“I can’t believe I’m being inducted into the Shaw Media Illinois Valley Sports Hall of Fame. I never imagined anything like this would happen. I didn’t expect to be coaching that long. It’s a dream come true.”

After graduating from DePue High School in 1969, Cruz was drafted into the U.S. Army during the Vietnam War. He served from 1970-72, spending over a year in Germany following basic training at Fort Polk in Louisiana and advanced individual training at Fort Lee (now Fort Gregg-Adams) in Virginia.

As soon as he returned home, he began serving on baseball fields.

It started in 1972 when he began helping Fred Kinkin with the Spring Valley Little League. As his sons, Craig (now 50) and Billy (45), advanced from T-ball to Little

League to Junior and Senior League, Cruz was always right beside them, wearing the same uniform.

“When my youngest son started playing, I was still coaching my oldest,” said Cruz, who celebrated 51 years of marriage with his wife, Christine “Chris,” in May. “There were times when I coached both of their teams. It was a lot of fun. We were always busy. We didn’t really talk about baseball because we were too busy playing and coaching it.”

In 1990, Cruz founded his own Little League team in Spring Valley, sponsored by the American Legion. At the time, he was coaching both the Legion team and his son Billy.

After Billy graduated in 1992, Cruz considered stepping away from coaching but, instead, he kept going.

He met Joel Gerdovich, a longtime area coach and umpire who led the Illinois Valley Royals. Cruz and Gerdovich rotated coaching duties between the younger and older Royals teams until Cruz stepped away in 1999.

Congratulations Coach John Cruz ON YOUR LANNY SLEVIN LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD!

Then he moved up a level, becoming the right-hand man to Illinois Valley Community College coach Bob Koopmann. The pair led the Eagles for five years.

“Bob and I had a lot of success. When we were at IVCC, we were one of the top teams in northern Illinois,” Cruz said. “It wasn’t unusual for us to win 42-45 games a year. I remember Bob telling me, ‘There’s so much talent in this area.’”

When Koopmann left IVCC for Clinton, Iowa, Cruz followed him, and later continued with him at Rockford College, now Rockford University.

Two years later, Cruz got an unexpected call that launched him into high school coaching.

“I got a call from a friend in Princeton who said, ‘You’re going to get another phone call in a few minutes,’” Cruz said. “I hung up, and the phone rang. It was the principal at Princeton High School. She said, ‘John, we’d like you to interview for our head coaching job.’ I had no idea where that came from.

“I asked the superintendent if he wanted Bob Koopmann to write a recommendation. He said, ‘No, we’re having the board meeting tonight – you’ll be hired tonight.’ I thought, ‘Something’s not right here.

You just don’t get jobs like this.’ That night in 2008, I was hired as the head baseball coach at Princeton High School.”

Cruz led the Tigers from 2009-10, guiding them to records of 21-9 and 25-6 – a

combined 46-15.

Still, he was let go, something he never quite understood.

It didn’t take long, however, for another opportunity to find him. Dave Garcia, then head coach at Putnam County, saw Cruz having dinner at Rip’s Tavern in Ladd and told him he’d love to have him join the staff.

Before Garcia left for Parkland College and Cruz considered retirement again, the Panthers reached the IHSA Class 1A state championship in 2013.

But retirement didn’t stick.

La Salle-Peru coach Matt Glupczynski called and invited Cruz to coach the Cavs’ freshman team. After two years at L-P, Cruz once again thought he was done, until Hall coach Tom Keegan called. That led to three more seasons with the Red Devils.

In 2023 – Cruz’s final season – he led Hall’s sophomore team to a 21-6 record.

“It was a nice way to go out. I’m officially retired,” Cruz said. “Now I can go watch my grandchildren play baseball and soccer. I’m still letting it sink in that all of this has happened. I played Pony League and Little League, but I never expected to spend most of my life in baseball.”

Things have come full circle. His son Craig served as president of the Naperville Little League, and Billy has coached his own sons.

They may not have spent much time talking about baseball, but they played it, coached it and lived the American pastime.

John Cruz

City of Spring Valley

and the Entire Class of 2025!

3017 5th St Peru , IL 61354 (815) 208-2417 clientservices@abacustaxsv.com

12 June 2025 | Illinois Valley Sports Hall of Fame | A Shaw Media Publication

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Ken Bourquin

WALNUT / MANLIUS / BUREAU VALLEY Accomplishments • A 1953 Walnut grad, was an All-State football player and led the state in scoring his senior year with 175 points • Played college football at Illinois & Western Illinois • IHSA coaching legend of 38 years at Manlius, Toulon and Bureau Valley (first Storm coach), won 189 career games • His Manlius Red Devils went 34-1-1 from 1969-72 SUBMITTED PHOTOS

By Brandon LaChance

I

n the 1950s, there were many phenomenal football players in the Illinois Valley.

But in 1952, before he graduated in 1953, Walnut’s Ken Bourquin stood near the top of the list.

If you saw him run over defensive lines and linebackers, or looked at the stats – leading the entire state of Illinois in points as a senior – Bourquin’s play on the field spoke for itself.

“I just love football – I always have,” said Bourquin, now 91, living at Greenfield Retirement Home in Princeton. “When I was a kid, we’d go to varsity games at night, and a lot of people would come watch us kids play in our street clothes at halftime.

Walnut was a football town. It’s all people thought or talked about back in those days. It made everybody excited.

“They didn’t have a lot of bleachers, but every varsity game was packed.”

Walnut came to see him when he was in high school. As a 5-foot-8, 190-pound tailback and linebacker, Bourquin took little time off the field.

Not only were his teammates, opponents, coaches and the entire Illinois Valley watching him, so were scouts, as he committed to the University of Illinois.

WHERE are they NOW

See BOURQUIN Page 14

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Bourquin FROM PAGE 13

However, since the Big Ten didn’t allow freshmen to play in games, he transferred to Western Illinois University, where he was given five years of eligibility.

“As a freshman at the University of Illinois, we knew we were going to get hit every play because we were running against the varsity,” Bourquin said. “At Illinois, under Coach Ray Elliott, we won the Big Ten and won the Rose Bowl in 1954. In high school, our coach played under him in college, so it was about the same style of play.”

His daughter, Judy Moore, grew up surrounded by stories of her father’s accomplishments.

But they didn’t come from the main source.

“Growing up, I heard all kinds of stories about my father, but I didn’t hear many of them from him,” Moore said. “When he was inducted

into the Illinois High School Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1990, he didn’t even tell us. He went down there all by himself. We were like, ‘Well, geez, Dad – thanks.’ He doesn’t make a big deal of anything.”

After college, Bourquin gave up playing football and moved on to teaching and coaching. He taught industrial arts, biology, physical science and driver’s education.

“Playing comes to an end, so you go into coaching. My dad loved both,” Moore said.

“When he was coaching, his players would always say he’d tell them what to do or where to be during certain plays, but if they didn’t do what he wanted, he’d take the ball to show them. The kids would then say, ‘Oh no,’ because they had to play against him.

None of them wanted to do that.”

Bourquin coached football for 38 years and racked up 189 career wins. No one in Manlius forgets the 34-1-1 stretch from 1969-72.

Throughout the years, Bourquin maintained solid relationships with his assistant coaches, including one who became his son-in-law when Dave Moore married Judy in 1999.

But Dave started coaching with Ken in the mid-1980s.

“I’ve known Ken since 1984 or ’85. I graduated from Eureka College, and my first job out of college was under Ken at Manlius,” said Dave Moore, who has been coaching ever since with Bureau Valley and Princeton. “There was another guy who was supposed to be Ken’s assistant coach with the football team, but he was a basketball coach and didn’t really want to do it. I played college football and was going to volunteer to help him.

“Ken said, ‘The other guy doesn’t want to, so I’ll get you on.’ I ended up being his assistant for 7-8 years when we were just Manlius. Then we co-oped with Tampico, and then we were together for the first three years of Bureau Valley.

CONGRATULATIONS

to Ken Bourquin!

Bureau Valley is Proud of you!

SM-LA2243664

Bureau Valley CUSD #340

“I owe a lot to him. He knew how to treat kids and get the most out of them. He always had a demeanor to teach players how to play. It was toughness – it wasn’t any thing other than toughness."

When you ask Bourquin about his coaching career, he doesn’t talk X’s and O’s, blueprints, strategy, stats, records, or offer how-tos. It’s all about the kids.

“I loved to work with kids.

I got along with them. That’s part of the business – you have to get along with your players,” Bourquin said. “I liked forming those relationships and bonds with them.

When I coached, I tried to do the same thing as when I played: get the best out of everyone around me. Hopefully, it worked. As a coach, you need their respect, and you have to respect them.

“If a kid was good at something other than football, praise them for what they’re doing or what they’re good at. Every kid isn’t made to be a football player.”

Congratulations to all the Hall of Fame Inductees!

3100 US 6, Spring Valley (815) 664-1700

Look for the man in the Orange & White Van! 107 East Harrison St. • Granville, IL www.kettmanheating.com • 815-339-6124

14 June 2025 | Illinois Valley Sports Hall of Fame | A Shaw Media Publication

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Glen Mudge

LA SALLE - PERU / IVCC Accomplishments • A 1977 L-P grad, starred in basketball and was named All-State by the Associated Press his senior year • Finished with 1,392 career points; was Cavs all-time leading scorer when he graduated, now third in school history • Nicknamed the “Farmer,” he starred for two years at IVCC • Inducted into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1988

SUBMITTED PHOTO

LASALLE-PERU HIGH SCHOOL PHOTO

By Bobby Narang

G

len Mudge has always loved playing sports.

Mudge, also known as “The Farmer” because he grew up on a farm, fully embraced his passion for sports and competition. In the end, he became one of the most esteemed athletes to ever wear a uniform in La Salle-Peru High School history.

For Mudge, athletics was an easy choice.

“All I wanted to do was play sports,” Mudge said. “I wanted to keep busy. Growing up, we all played sports, but I loved competition and playing against big schools and other players. It was fun. I played basketball and ran track all four years in high school.”

Even after all these decades, the 66-year-old Mudge is grateful for the recognition of his toughness and gritty play on the basketball court.

“It’s fantastic that people still think about you as a player,” Mudge said of his hall of fame induction. “It’s a great honor. I think it’s been almost 50 years. That’s amazing. There are so many good players around here who are equally deserving. It’s a really cool honor.”

Standing 6-foot-2, Mudge played forward and certainly earned his place among the all-time greats in the Illinois Valley. He

WHERE are they NOW

See MUDGE Page 16

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Mudge

for helping him reach the next level.

“Coach Goers just let me FROM PAGE 15 play my game, which was really nice,” Mudge said. “He wrapped up his impressive never tried to change me. I was basketball career with 1,392 an inside guy. The game was points, becoming L-P’s all-time leading scorer in 1977. He cur- different back then. It was up and down the floor. We averrently ranks third in program history. Mudge went on to play aged 75 points a game. There wasn’t a lot of ball movement two seasons at Illinois Valley — just a couple of passes and Community College before deciding to step away from sports. then a shot.”

Mudge relished battling taller He was inducted into the Illinois Basketball Coaches As- and stronger opponents, often sociation Hall of Fame in 1988. muscling for rebounds and second-chance points.

Though he wanted to play “I played with a chip on my football, Mudge said his shoulder,” he said. “I was only mother had other ideas.

“Growing up, basketball was 175-185 pounds, and so many players thought they were the sport we played around better. I tried to prove them here,” he said. “I wasn’t very wrong. I grew up on a farm, so good at baseball. My mom the hard work made me strong said I wasn’t big enough for and helped me stay in shape.” football. My brother played His senior season took a diffootball and hurt his knee, so ficult turn when he injured his she didn’t think I should play.

All my buddies played football ankle late in the year. Before the injury, he was averaging and tried to get me to join. I nearly 25 points per game. The was halfway decent at basketball and had fun playing it with injury severely limited his mobility, but he continued to play, the guys.” scoring 55 points down the A three-year varsity starter, Mudge credited legendary stretch to become the school’s coach Steve Goers — Rockford all-time leading scorer.

Boylan’s winningest coach — “I rolled my ankle bad,”

Mudge recalled. “It was not the ideal time. I had trouble scoring and played hurt the rest of the year, including in the playoffs. We lost to Ottawa in a close game. I’ll always remember that injury. I got spun around, came down, and my ankle went sideways. It was pretty devastating.”

At the time, Mudge was considered one of the best players in the region, and the injury significantly impacted L-P’s playoff hopes. He continued his career at IVCC, where he became a standout thanks to his toughness and leaping ability.

“IVCC was great and a really enjoyable experience,” he said. “I played with a lot of guys from Hall and Ottawa.

My sophomore year was a lot better. Everything was pretty good until we got beat at the end. We played some fantastic teams and players who went on to big colleges.”

Interestingly, Mudge chose not to pursue basketball beyond IVCC. Despite encouragement from his parents, especially his father, and scholarship offers — including one from Western Illinois — he

decided to end his career.

“My mom really tried to push me, but I was stupid,” Mudge admitted. “She loved basketball and wanted me to keep playing and get an education. She never missed a game.

She was right. I should’ve gone to school, had fun and gotten an education.”

Mudge eventually turned his deep basketball knowledge into a youth coaching career, dedicating time to mentoring young athletes in the area.

He praised his wife, Karen, for always supporting him, both in sports and in life. His two sons, David and Ronnie, also played sports at St. Bede Academy.

For Mudge, sports will always hold a special place in his heart.

“I never would’ve been the player I was without the unselfishness of the rest of the kids on my team,” he said. “It was different back then. Nobody cared who scored as long as we won and gave it our all. I was a hard-nosed player, and it’s been a great honor. I appreciate everything sports has brought into my life.”

16 June 2025 | Illinois Valley Sports Hall of Fame | A Shaw Media Publication

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Greatness Isn’t Just Remembered - It’s Honored

Congratulations to the class of 2025

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18 June 2025 | Illinois Valley Sports Hall of Fame | A Shaw Media Publication

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Fran Cahill

LEGACY INDIVIDUAL - LA SALLE - PERU Accomplishments •A two-sport star in high school, the 1944 grad was a World Word II vet; After he served, he starred in football & baseball at Northern Illinois University • Led NCAA in receiving yards (876) & TD catches (11) as a senior in 1951 • Selected by the New York Giants in 19th round of 1952 NFL Draft; signed free-agent contract with CFL Hamilton Tiger-Cats • Three-time inductee into the NIU Hall of Fame (individual, two teams), named to the NIU football All-Century Team in 1999 LASALLE-PERU HIGH SCHOOL PHOTOS

By Brandon LaChance

S

ports were everything in the Cahill house as Fran and Mary Lou raised their six children.

It makes sense – Fran was a legendary athlete at both La Salle-Peru High School and Northern Illinois University.

But if you ask his children, they didn’t really know about their dad’s accomplishments from their dad.

“It’s funny because, growing up, my dad was so humble,” said his daughter, Jane Barth. “We grew up in DeKalb, and people would approach me and say, ‘I used to go see your dad play at NIU. He was amazing.’ He talked about sports all the time because he loved them and was involved with his kids, but he wouldn’t talk about his accomplishments. It wasn’t like he

WHERE are they NOW

See CAHILL Page 20

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Cahill

ally good about keeping in touch with them and organizing gatherings. The base“He was a legend in DeKalb, but we FROM PAGE 19 ball team he was on at NIU really didn’t think of him that way. He would travel together once was keeping it a secret – he a year to a new location – was just so humble. was just Dad to us because he didn’t wherever they wanted to “He was a legend in go – right up until the year DeKalb, but we really didn’t make a big deal about that stuff.” he died. think of him that way. He “The NIU football team was just dad to us because Jane Barth - Fran Cahill's daughter he played on did the same he didn’t make a big deal thing. A lot of them stayed about that stuff.” close, and several lived in After successful careers in DeKalb. They would get toboth football and baseball gether once a week to grab Cahill graduated from L-P a sandwich. They really enin 1944. After helping with joyed each other.” the World War II efforts, he After his children grew up returned to his two sports watch our practices. He just and finished playing sports, CFL. After his athletic caat NIU. reer ended, he moved on watched and never really Fran joined the coaching In an era when football to what he considered a got involved in coaching ranks, helping at Ottawa teams focused on running higher priority. teams, just us at home.

High School and training the ball, Cahill led the col“He was such a family Sports were everything at boxers. lege ranks in both receiving man,” Barth said. “His our house. He never presOutside of sports, he yards and touchdowns as a priority list was God, then sured us at all, but both of worked in real estate and senior. He has since been family, patriotism for the our parents loved that we sold insurance in DeKalb. honored and recognized United States of America played sports because it’s a Fran Cahill’s induction by the Huskie programs and sports. His family was healthy thing. They loved to into the Shaw Media Ilnumerous times, including so important to him. He watch us play. They never linois Valley Sports Hall was a good husband to my multiple Hall of Fame inmissed anything.” of Fame isn’t just about mom and such a good dad. ductions and a spot on the Fran and Mary Lou, who athletic excellence – it’s He was a fun guy.

NIU Football All-Century were married just under about a man who was many “He coached us, but I Team in 1999.

50 years, had six children: things, including a fantastic don’t remember him coach- Anne, Sue, Patrick, Joseph, Cahill was drafted into sportsman. ing our teams. He was at the NFL but chose to sign Jane and John.

“I was so happy when I all of our games and would a contract to play in the In 1964, the Cahills was notified that he was moved to DeKalb, where being inducted into this Fran lived until he passed hall of fame,” Barth said. away on Nov. 5, 2002. Mary “I wish he was here so we Lou passed in 2019. could all celebrate it with “My dad was known him. It would have been around DeKalb as a gentle- fun. He wouldn’t have man,” Barth said. “He had made a big deal about it, so many friends. He was re- but we would have.”

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Photos from the 2024 IV Sports Hall of Fame Banquet

Rick Sipovic, Rhonda Morel and Lanny Slevin pose for a photo during the Illinois Valley Sports Hall of Fame awards banquet on Thursday, June 6, 2024 at the Auditorium Ballroom in La Salle.

Tony Causa speaks with emcee Lanny Slevin after receiving Lanny Slevin Lifetime Achievement Award during the Illinois Valley Sports Hall of Fame awards banquet on Thursday, June 6, 2024 at the Auditorium Ballroom in La Salle.

SHAW MEDIA FILE PHOTOS

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Roger Essmann EARLVILLE

Accomplishments

SHAW MEDIA FILE PHOTOS

• Legendary boys soccer coach who guided the Red Raiders for 28 seasons from 1982-2010 • He went 433-171 (.708 winning percentage) at Earlville, won five regionals, two sectionals and coached 2006 & 2007 teams to IHSA Class 1A state tournament • Also coached boys and girls basketball at Earlville and boys soccer at Paw Paw • Between Earlville and Paw Paw, went 465-263-28; 465 wins are third in boys soccer state history • In all, he was varsity coach for 54 sports seasons at Earlville (soccer 28, girls basketball 16, boys basketball 9, golf 1) • Inaugural member of the Earlville Hall of Fame

By Andy Tavegia

W

hen Roger Essmann first had an opportunity to purchase soccer jerseys for the Earlville boys soccer team, it’s no surprise they looked a little like football jerseys — that being American football.

After all, that’s how Essmann grew up, with coaches carrying a similarly hard-nosed approach.

But much like his team’s jerseys evolved through the years, Essmann evolved, too, — and the results couldn’t have been better.

Essmann became a staple in the Illinois Valley area, coaching several sports for 34 years — 28 at Earlville and six at Paw Paw. He coached boys soccer and girls basketball, but also had two stints as the boys basketball coach. He also spent a few seasons as the golf coach and even some time as a junior high track coach.

Most notably, he was the face of a perennial Little Ten Conference boys soccer power in Earlville that won 10 regular season LTC titles and 11 LTC Tournament crowns.

His tenure included two trips to the Class A state soccer tournament, five regional titles, and 465 boys soccer victories

WHERE are they NOW

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— a total that ranks third in state history.

“I think I mellowed as the years went on,” Essmann joked. “When I first came in, I came in with a football mentality — that being American football. We would show up at games and go through our warm-ups the same way we would for football.

“I was pretty young back then. For some of these kids, I was maybe six or seven years older than them. I was pretty hard-nosed, I think, because of the coaches I had in school.

You had to toe the line, or you just didn’t play. I was pretty strict with my training rules and such because I felt that was the way I was brought up. But as the years went on, I think I loosened up a little bit more and gave a little more latitude to some things.”

His players delivered often, which Essmann said was the key. And it didn’t take long.

In only his third year as the boys soccer coach, Earlville won the first regional title in school history, beginning a

“I was blessed with the kids I had through soccer and girls basketball and boys basketball and all the sports.

Without those kids, there wouldn’t be any honors coming.”

Roger Essmann

stretch of three regional titles in five years. This was back in the days of a one-class system for the sport.

Earlville won 15 or more matches in a season 17 times, including five seasons with at least 20 wins.

“I was blessed with the kids I had through soccer and girls basketball and boys basketball and all the sports,” Essmann said.

“Without those kids, there wouldn’t be any honors

Congrats Roger Essmann

coming. I’ve been talking to a few of my earlier players, and it’s nice to sit and reminisce about the old days.”

The climax in soccer came late in his tenure at Earlville.

With the program under a co-op with Leland, Essmann had some of the best smallschool talent around, led by the likes of Seth and Spencer Stockley, goalkeeper Brad Miller and outstanding role players like Luke Anderson.

In 2006 and 2007,

Earlville-Leland went a combined 45-3 with two trips to the Class A state quarterfinals.

Earlville-Leland also won two more regional championships in 2008 and 2009 before Essmann moved on to Paw Paw — a program with a much different history and very different challenges. He battled through small numbers and a lack of experience but still found a way to make Paw Paw proud of its program again. And just as he did with Earlville, he gave the credit to his players.

“They were excited, and I was excited because it was a new challenge, especially with numbers,” Essmann said. “I never had a problem with numbers at Earlville. At Paw Paw, we were dealing with that problem. Sometimes we would show up with no subs on the bench.

“When I came there and we went through some drills, they were looking at me like, ‘What’s that?’ But they were willing to try. We had some good runs at Paw Paw.”

Congrats

COACH ESSMANN On Being Inducted into the

On Being a Hall of HALL OF FAME! Fame Inductee!

CITY OF EARLVILLE

Earlville CUSD 9 415 W Union St. Earlville 815-246-8361

Congrats Roger Essmann!

602 Railroad St. • Earlville, IL · 815-246-8461 A Shaw Media Publication | Illinois Valley Sports Hall of Fame | June 2025 23

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George Meagher

LEGACY INDIVIDUAL - DEPUE Accomplishments

UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME PHOTOS

• The 1932 grad was a three-sport star in football, basketball and track and field • Won the long jump at the 1932 IHSA State Meet, won three total state medals in his prep career • Claimed 42 first-place medals & led Little Giants to four Bureau County track championships • Won national long jump title in 1932 with a jump of 23-10 • Competed in track and field at Notre Dame, where he captained the team and broke the Notre Dame school long jump record in his very first meet; competed against Jesse Owens during college career

By Brandon LaChance

J

im Meagher had no idea.

The now 78-year-old son of DePue native George Meagher didn’t know the significant role his father played in Illinois Valley sports, at the University of Notre Dame or even on the world stage during World War II — at least not until he finally opened a scrapbook compiled by his grandmother, Hazel Meagher.

“To be honest, I never realized what a great athlete he was until after he died because he never talked about sports,” Jim Meagher said. “It was always education, education, education. In his mind, you had to study to do this and study to do that because he came from a poor family in DePue. If he hadn’t had athletic skills, he wouldn’t have gotten an education. I was never pushed in sports, and I never heard about any of his accomplishments when I was growing up.”

“He lived quite a life. It only took me my entire life to find out, because I never paid attention to the scrapbook my grandma kept.

After he passed away, I got it out and started going through it. That’s when the lightbulb screwed down tight, and I realized he really was good.”

WHERE are they NOW

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Born in 1914, George Meagher was one of the first athletic stars in DePue and the Illinois Valley. Before his death in 1996 at the age of 82, he truly lived quite an amazing life, just as Jim said.

At DePue High School – back when the school still had a football team – George played football, basketball and competed in track and field.

In 1932, the year he graduated, he won the IHSA long jump state championship, then went on to win a national long jump title (23 feet, 11 inches) in California.

“All I’ve heard was there was a wealthy uncle in Chicago who sponsored him to compete at nationals,” Jim said. “My dad won all the county and state competitions – 42 first-place medals – through high school. When they held a national competition in 1932, everyone thought he needed to compete in it.”

Later that year, George took his athletic prowess to Notre Dame, where he played football and ran track for the Fighting Irish.

Although he loved both sports, he discovered that track – and particularly the long jump – was where he truly excelled.

“When he went to Notre Dame, it was originally on a football scholarship,” Jim said. “He told me that in high school whenever he broke into the secondary, it was pretty much a touchdown.

But in practice as a freshman at Notre Dame, he broke through the secondary and all he heard were these big thumps coming up behind him. He got crushed. When he got up, he said he knew his football days were numbered.”

While in college, George became friends with his only real rival in the long jump, Jesse Owens, who would go on to win four gold medals at the 1936 Summer Olympics.

“When my dad was at Notre Dame, Jesse Owens was at Ohio State. They were No. 1 and No. 2 in the broad jump all four years they were in college,” Jim said. “They competed against each other multiple times, but my dad told me he could never beat

Jesse. What I find interesting is, they both competed at the Drake Relays. My dad broke the meet record in the long jump, but Jesse was having a career day. He only had time for one jump, and he beat my dad’s new meet record by six inches, jumping 26-3.

“In 1936, Jesse Owens went to the Olympics in Germany.

If my dad had been healthy, he might have gone, too. But he ended up with kidney stones and missed the trials.

Back then, kidney stones meant a major operation and a months-long recovery. It happened in April of his senior year at Notre Dame, and it knocked him out of Olympic contention.”

Jim also remembers a moment from his childhood when he met the legend himself.

“When I was 10 or 11 years old, we were living in DePue, and my dad was the town doctor. He told me, ‘I’m going to take you down to Bureau.

There’s going to be a gentleman getting off the train. You won’t know who he is until you’re much older.’ It was Jesse. I met him. He was im-

peccably dressed. Jesse got off the train and talked with my dad. After college, they kept in touch by writing letters.”

After his Olympic hopes were dashed, George turned his focus to medicine. He earned his Doctor of Medicine degree from Notre Dame and soon after joined the U.S. Army during World War II. He was deployed to a bomber base in South America.

“He was shipped out right after medical school,” Jim said. “From what he told me, they must have been Boeing B-29 Superfortresses, because they were bombing Erwin Rommel’s forces in Africa.”

After his time in the military, George returned to DePue and settled into family life with his wife, Helen, and their two children, Jim and Sharon (who passed away in 2018).

George served as DePue’s town doctor until 1959, when he returned to school to specialize in dermatology. The family moved to Peoria in 1960, where he practiced medicine until his death in 1996.

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1973-74 Boys Basketball Team MARQUETTE

Accomplishments • Finished 29-4 under coach Bob Strickland • Placed second at the Class A IHSA State Tournament • Defeated defending state champion Ridgway in state quarterfinal & Quincy Catholic in state semifinal • Lost to Lawrenceville 54-53 in Class A state title game after game-winning shot missed at the buzzer

MARQUETTE ACADEMY PHOTOS

By Andy Tavegia

W

hen Marquette showed up to the 1973 Morris Holiday Boys Basketball Tournament, it felt on top of the world.

With a 5-0 start accomplished and the knowledge it had won the same tournament the previous year, the Crusaders no doubt were flying high.

Maybe too high.

A few days later after a second straight loss, this one to Morris in the third-place game, the Crusaders were in the locker room preparing to get on the bus to head home when coach Bob Strickland walked in.

His instructions were clear – leave on your uniform, put your street clothes over them, and get on the bus.

After what undoubtedly was a quiet bus ride home, Strickland ordered his players to take off those street clothes, put on those gym shoes and line up.

After a good 30 minutes of running, Strickland had delivered his message.

“He sat us down and he said, ‘If you would have given half the effort that you have just given in the last half hour, you would have beaten both of those teams by 20 points,’” said Marty Brown, a senior on that team.

WHERE are they NOW

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Needless to say, that message was received.

Marquette rarely had a problem with intensity the rest of what became the greatest season in school history. The Crusaders lost just one more regular season game – a double-overtime thriller to Pontiac – and then marched impressively through the postseason all the way to the Class A state title game in Champaign.

“We all still talk about that,” Brown said of the running session. “We had no idea that was coming, but (Strickland) just had a way, and it worked.”

Of course, it was more than just one impromptu running session that had Marquette in the state title hunt. It was experience, height – Marquette had four players at 6-3 or taller – and talent as well. With five returning lettermen back from a team that went 28-2 in 1972-73 before falling in the super-sectionals to Kaneland, Marquette was extremely motivated and expected to impress.

MARQUETTE ACADEMY PHOTO

But Keith Renkosik, a senior on that team, said the team never felt pressure.

He said the team’s confidence never wavered, likely because it was a tight-knit group.

“It was great coaching, but in high school we just jelled,” Renkosik said. “Nobody wanted to be the star.

Everybody played hard and wanted to win. That’s how it was the year before, too.

“It was just fun. Every game we played we just had

Marquette’s Own 1973-74 MARQUETTE BOYS BASKETBALL TEAM

Congratulations on being Inducted into the

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IllInoIs Valley Hall of fame

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so much fun. There were some teams that would try to get under our skin … and we would beat the crap out of them. After every game there was a meal that someone would have. Families are hosting us at their house. The whole town got behind us.”

That helped them climb even higher than the previous season.

After waltzing past Somonauk 102-80 and Timothy Christian 45-41 for regional and sectional championships, Marquette destroyed South Beloit, 78-39, for the DeKalb Super-Sectional crown, giving the Cru a spot in the Elite 8. That win was a milestone moment in a way, said Nick Tabor, another senior on that squad.

“For me anyway, and a lot of the returning players from the team that got in the super-sectional, that was a matter of we don’t

want that to happen again,” Tabor said of the performance that night. “We really kind of boned up for that game and didn’t want anything to happen to make that get out of our reach.

Because we should have been downstate the year before as well. Luck didn’t have it.”

The fun didn’t stop there.

Marquette beat Ridgway (50-47) and Quincy Catholic (65-52) to reach the state final.

Sadly, Marty Brown’s game-winning shot at the buzzer didn’t fall in that title game, giving Lawrenceville a 54-53 win.

Despite the loss, the Cru had many more memories on the way home.

The Marquette bus received applause while heading through Streator before being greeted by the Ottawa High School band and thousands of fans back home in Bader Gymnasium.

Congratulations

...to the 1973-74 Marquette Boys Basketball Team, Gary Vancil, Ottawa High School and all the 2025 Illinois Valley Sports Hall of Fame Inductees.

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Congratulations To the 1973-74 Marquette Boys Basketball Team on your induction into the Illinois Valley Sports Hall of Fame!

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Bob Newell

HENRY-SENACHWINE Accomplishments • Legendary baseball coach for more than four decades at Chenoa, Sparland & HenrySenachwine • Won 704 career games, including 568 games during 35 seasons at HenrySenachwine from 1966-2000 • 21st most wins by a baseball coach in IHSA history • Coached the 1979 and 1993 Mallard teams to state • Member of Illinois High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame, Greater Peoria Baseball Association Hall of Fame & Bradley University Hall of Fame

HENRY-SENACHWINE HIGH SCHOOL PHOTOS

By Bobby Narang

N

early two decades ago, legendary high school baseball coach Bob Newell passed away.

To this day, his impact on several schools and hundreds of athletes is still felt throughout the state.

Newell, who died in February 2003, left behind a long list of accomplishments, including induction into four different Halls of Fame. He was honored by the Illinois High School Baseball Coaches Association, the Greater Peoria Baseball Association and the Bradley University Hall of Fame, among others.

His daughter, LeeAnn Meinhold, said her father influenced countless young athletes throughout his career.

“My dad was one of the most honorable men ever,” Meinhold said. “He coached for 46 years and was also a teacher. Just living with him and seeing how much he cared about those players was something special. People came from all over to pay their respects at his visitation.”

Meinhold recalled that many of her father’s former players honored him by signing a baseball. Newell certainly deserved every accolade he received. His coaching career

WHERE are they NOW

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spanned over four decades and included numerous achievements — and victories.

He won 704 total games, including 568 at Henry-Senachwine High School. He led the Mallards to the state tournament in both 1979 and 1993, and also coached at Chenoa and Sparland early in his career.

“My dad was firm but fair, consistent and able to control his temper,” Meinhold said.

“He set high expectations, but he was also realistic. All of his players knew he genuinely cared about them.”

Meinhold said she cherished the time spent with her father, who coached year-round — fall, spring and winter sports but always took summers off.

“It was hard being a coach’s daughter,” she said. “We either ate supper at 6:30 or 7 p.m. after practice, or at 4 p.m. because Dad had to catch a bus to an away game. He coached a lot, including spring and fall baseball, and even worked as an assistant.”

Ironically, Meinhold said her father missed just one game in his career — the night

“My dad was firm but fair, consistent, and able to control his temper. He set high expectations, but he was also realistic. All of his players knew he genuinely cared about them.”

LeeAnn Meinhold, Bob Newell's daughter

she was born.

“I was born the night of the very first basketball game he was supposed to coach at Chenoa,” she said. “I was nicknamed ‘The Interrupter’ by one of his assistant coaches.”

In an article for the Peoria Journal Star, Newell reflected on earning his 600th career victory during his 39th season coaching at Henry.

“A lot of hard work, a lot of years, and a lot of great kids — that’s what it takes,” Newell said. “It takes good kids to put up with my yelling and grouch-

ing to still come back. But they know in the end, they’ll get a pat on the back.”

Newell, a graduate of Lacon High School and Bradley University, was known for his tough-love coaching style, according to his daughter.

He was always serious and intense, but he knew when to draw the line so he wouldn’t lose his temper,” she said.

“Once you lose your temper, you lost control of the situation and the momentum. He was very strategic and had a lot of experience from his own playing days.

“I think he just loved baseball, loved working with kids and had a lot of knowledge from playing at Bradley. He wanted to share and grow that love of the game with his players.”

A member of the Peoria Sunday Morning League top 50 players of all time, Newell sent numerous athletes to play in college and even in the professional ranks.

“He had a lot of players he was proud of, including 2-3 who made it to the major leagues,” Meinhold said. “He coached so many good teams.”

Still, Meinhold said her father’s greatest achievement wasn’t on the field but at home as he married the love of his life, Gloria.

“I know a lot of people are very fortunate to have parents who are truly devoted to each other,” she said. “My mom and dad grew up a block apart, knew each other since childhood, and built a life together.

They had a real Romeo and Juliet marriage. We lost my mom 10 years after my dad, in 2013.

She was in the stands for so many games. They were truly a team.”

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BOB NEWELL On being a 2025

Hall of Fame Inductee!

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Lonnie Hewitt WESTERN

Accomplishments • Track and field star who was a three-time Class A state high jump champion, five total state track medals • One of only two athletes to ever win three state high jump titles • Jumped at Augustana College where he was a twotime All-American & finished second at nationals as a sophomore • All-time career height cleared was 6 feet, 10 ¾ inches • An IHSA girls basketball official for 20 years, capped by three assignments to the IHSA state finals

SHAW MEDIA FILE PHOTOS

By Andy Tavegia

L

onnie Hewitt will never forget the moment everything changed.

Heading into his freshman year at Buda Western High School, Hewitt was already an accomplished high jumper. All he needed was something to bring it all together.

That something turned out to be a dose of disappointment.

In his very first meet, Hewitt finished sixth. At the time, only the top five received medals.

“I was obviously so disappointed,” Hewitt said. “I vowed that wouldn’t happen again. It was one of the few times I had lost.”

After a year of frustration, mostly due to injury, Hewitt made a major comeback at the Tampico meet. There, he dominated the competition with a jump so high — 6 feet, 10 ¼ inches, to be exact — it literally exceeded the meet’s equipment limits.

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“After 6-9, we went to 6-10, but the high jump standard didn’t go that high,” Hewitt said. “They had to go get the pole vault standards. But while they were rolling them over to the high jump area, the tractor tires ran into them because it had rained the night before.

Mud got all over the runway.

So we had to wait like 20 minutes for me to jump 6-10. That was a little nerve-wracking, but it worked out, and it makes for a funny story now.”

From that moment on, Hewitt didn’t just become one of the Illinois Valley’s elite track athletes — he became one of the best in the state.

His journey is a testament to how hard work pays off.

After his freshman year, Hewitt attended the Milwaukee Bucks basketball camp at Knox College. While there, he picked up their jumping drills. That summer, he dedicated himself to those exercises, practicing jumps over everything from boxes to chairs in his front yard.

SUBMITTED PHOTO

“And during indoors, I went 6-6 and knew it was going to be a pretty good season,” Hewitt said.

The key to his success was simple: don’t let outside distractions affect what you need to do.

The best example of that came during his senior year.

After winning back-to-back state titles by clearing 6-8, he spent much of his final season focusing on sprints and relays — strengths of a loaded Western track team.

But it came at a cost to his high jumping. In fact, he barely qualified to defend his state title, finally clearing the

6-3 standard on his final attempt at sectionals.

After a week of film study, Hewitt felt ready to defend his title. But heavy rains hit on meet day. Still, he pushed the weather aside, cleared 6-6, and became only the second athlete in state history to win three high jump titles, joining the legendary Dwight “Dike” Eddleman of Centralia.

“There were lots of guys way better than me, but I didn’t let the pouring rain bother me on Saturday, and a lot of the other jumpers were affected by it,” Hewitt said. “I kind of feel a little bit fortunate to win that third year. I think it’s about not letting the elements – or anything else – get to you. High jump is very psychological.”

After his standout high school career, Hewitt continued to excel at Augustana College, where he became a two-time All-American. He finished second at nationals with a personal best jump of 6 feet, 10 ¾ inches.

Photos from the 2024 IV Sports Hall of Fame Banquet

Members of the 2005 Bureau Valley High School football team pose for a photo during the Illinois Valley Sports Hall of Fame awards banquet on Thursday, June 6, 2024 at the Auditorium Ballroom in La Salle.

Dale Pienta, a Hall High School graduate, Tiskilwa track coach and Illinois Valley Community College basketball coach poses with his award with emcee Lanny Slevin during the Illinois Valley Sports Hall of Fame awards banquet on Thursday, June 6, 2024 at the Auditorium Ballroom in La Salle.

SHAW MEDIA FILE PHOTOS

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Gary Vancil OTTAWA

Accomplishments • Longtime head coach & assistant coach in football, basketball & baseball spanning 30 years • During 13 years as head basketball coach, his teams won seven regionals, two sectionals & went to state in 1985; oversaw a 45-game home winning streak • Head football coach for two seasons in 1979 & 1980 • Member of the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame, Ottawa High School Hall of Fame & Kewanee High School Hall of Fame

OTTAWA HIGH SCHOOL PHOTOS

By Andy Tavegia

F

rom the time he arrived as a freshman coach in the mid-1960s to the day he hung up his whistle in 1994, Gary Vancil and Ottawa were virtually synonymous.

And with Vancil came something else that became synonymous with OHS in those days — winning.

Whether it was as an assistant coach under Bill Novak in football or under Dean Riley and Gil Love in basketball, Vancil helped turn OHS athletics into one of the premier programs in northern Illinois.

The pinnacle of his coaching career came during a remarkable 13-year run from 1981-94 as the varsity boys basketball coach. During that span, Ottawa won 69 percent of its games, captured seven regional titles and claimed two sectional crowns. Those two sectional championship teams — 1982-83 and 1984-85 — are considered among the best in school history and were part of an incredible 45-game home court winning streak.

The key to that success, Vancil said, was something he also emphasized to his players: live and learn. He credited

WHERE are they NOW

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much of his development to mentors like Gil Love, who was still involved with the program when Vancil took over.

“I would go have lunch with him whenever I could,” Vancil said. “I’d listen to the stories he’d tell about his coaching days. Things just worked out for me in a good way.”

Through those relationships, Vancil developed a coaching style that his players easily understood. One of his former players, Daryl Deckard, even contacted him years later to ask for the minute-by-minute practice schedule Vancil used to post daily outside the locker room.

“It was down to the water break, scheduled for a minute,” Vancil laughed.

Vancil and Deckard joke about it now, but at the time, it showed just how committed Vancil was to being the best he could be.

“He was a great influence on me not only on the basketball court but also as a person,” said Deckard, who

you’re organized. I was pretty demanding for high “I’d probably be described as a school players, but if you’re fair, young athletes will acdisciplinarian but fair. Players know cept coaching.”

Vancil remains a familiar when you’re organized. I was pretty presence around the Pirates’ programs. Current Ottawa demanding for high school players, but boys basketball coach Mark Cooper regularly invites him if you’re fair, young athletes will to speak with his players.

As a former Mendota player accept coaching.” who faced Vancil-coached Gary Vancil teams in the 1980s, Cooper understands Vancil’s legacy better than most.

“I’ve known Gary for probably about 40 years,” Vancil’s teams were parwent on to play Division Cooper said. “One thing ticularly known for their I basketball at Tulsa. “His I’ve always believed is that defensive prowess. attention to detail, his dedit doesn’t matter what sport “Man, you talk about ication, his work ethic. He he’s coaching — if he’s in clinics — especially defenworked us hard in the sumcharge, his team is going sively — he had a great mind to succeed. Whether it’s mer, and we worked hard for the game,” Deckard every day in practice. But basketball, badminton or said. “When I got to Tulsa, as you get older and reflect, anything in between, he’s there wasn’t anything new I an extremely hard worker, you realize he was working learned on defense that he just as hard — if not harder. highly motivated and very He scouted, created detailed hadn’t already taught me. intelligent. He worked repractice schedules, attended That’s how good he was.” lentlessly at his craft to give Vancil credited that defen- his teams the best chance coaching clinics. He did evsive success to discipline. erything he could to make to win. I’ve always admired “I’d probably be described that. He’s been nothing but sure he was prepared and ready to give us the best op- as a disciplinarian but fair,” good to me in all my years he said. “Players know when at Ottawa.” portunity to win.”

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Charlie Ellerbrock

DISTINGUISHED MEDIA AWARD - SHAW MEDIA Accomplishments • Legendary local sports writer who covered area athletics for 46 years from 1976-2025 • Worked for the La Salle NewsTribune newspaper from 1976-87, the Ottawa Times newspaper from 1988-89, the Princeton BCR newspaper from 1990-2004, and Ottawa Times again from 2004-25 • Won multiple Illinois Press Association awards throughout his career for writing, photography and best sports section • Inducted into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in May 2024

SHAW MEDIA FILE PHOTOS

By Andy Tavegia

T

ake a look back and picture some of the greatest moments and faces in Illinois Valley sports history.

There’s Bureau Valley boys basketball from 19992002: Brad Bickett, Reuben Slock, Justin Yepsen, Phil Endress.

There’s Hall boys basketball and football in the ‘90s: Shawn Jeppson, Gary Vicini, Jason Bland, Eric Bryant.

More recently, there’s the 2019 and 2024 Marquette baseball teams: Logan Komater, Sam Mitre, Alec Novotney, Jack Snook, Bryce Jones, John Thompson.

Great moments. Memorable names. But there’s one face you won’t see — one just as integral as any of those names — and it’s a face you might not even think about.

It’s Charlie Ellerbrock.

That’s because this sportswriter, whose career spanned nearly 50 years and three different news organizations across the Illinois Valley, never made it about himself. He made it about Slock, Jeppson, Snook — and all the others.

He did it by caring, most of all. Caring about his work, caring about the athletes he covered, and caring about the families who supported them.

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To Charlie, it was about more than Hall’s miracle finish in the final minute of the 1995 state championship football game, or Kailey Klein’s incredible 58point performance against Rochelle. It was about the people.

It wasn’t unusual to see Charlie high-five a player who scored the game-winning run or console a senior who had just played her last game. That ability to connect made him stand out among sportswriters.

“When he covered you, he didn’t just show up and write about your games — he got personal with you,” said Kevin Hieronymus, who worked with Charlie at the Bureau County Republican from 1990-2004.

“He had close relationships with kids. I’m sure the kids smiled when they knew Charlie would be there.

They knew they had a friend.

“We used to joke about it.

They say there’s no cheer-

ing in the press box, but Charlie would say, ‘Baloney!

I’m going to cheer for my team.’”

And that’s what made him beloved by so many.

The assignment didn’t matter — whether it was a state championship, a feature story or an accomplished local boxer winning a tournament. He made time to meet you, talk to you and enjoy your company.

Maybe that’s what makes his induction into the Shaw Media IV Sports Hall of Fame as the Distinguished Media recipient so fitting.

He’s written about many of the athletes and personalities who have since been inducted themselves.

“Charlie and I had a very special relationship that grew over time,” Marquette athletics director and coach Todd Hopkins, a longtime colleague of Charlie’s, told the Ottawa Times following Charlie’s passing in early February 2025. “He covered teams I coached for many

Congratulations

to one of our own!

Charlie Ellerbrock

Distinguished Media Award Recipient

A Lasting Legacy!

years — he witnessed many heartbreaking losses and a few historic wins by our teams.

“He was a great reporter and writer. He knew how and when to ask the tough questions, with style and grace. But his most memorable and best quality was how he connected with kids.

They appreciated and admired him.

“Simply put, Charlie was the best and will be missed by all, not just as a reporter and writer, but as a friend.”

Charlie began his journalism career at the La Salle NewsTribune in 1976, eventually joining Hieronymus at the BCR, where the two made it a perennial winner of the Illinois Press Association’s award for best sports section in its class from 1990-2004. Later, he moved on to The Times in Ottawa.

Individually, Charlie earned numerous writing honors and was inducted into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of

Fame in May 2024.

“Another thing about Charlie — he was an outstanding photographer,” Hieronymus added. “When he left the BCR, he wasn’t asked to do that as much, but he had a great eye for action shots. His specialty was capturing the moment at the end of a ballgame. He always got the right angle — you’d see one team celebrating and, from another angle, the heartbreak of the losing team.”

So now, when you picture those iconic Illinois Valley sports moments, don’t forget the guy with the white hair and goatee behind the clipboard and camera. Because Charlie did everything he could to help make those moments special, too.

“Charlie is definitely most deserving of this honor — and any honor he gets,” Hieronymus said. “He was the utmost professional: passionate, dedicated and always striving to write the best story possible.”

CONGRATS to the Class of 2025 Including Charlie Ellerbrock, John Cruz & George Meagher

DEPUE MEN’S CLUB

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Rita Placek PRINCETON

Accomplishments

SHAW MEDIA FILE PHOTOS

• A 1970 LaMoille grad, was a legendary volleyball coach who led the Tigresses for 25 seasons from 1974-98 • Guided three teams to IHSA State Tournament in 1980, 1990 & 1994 • Led the 1990 team to Class A state title, remains only team state title in school history & one of three female team state titles in area history • Went 495-178-14 (.731 winning percentage) during her career, won 15 regional/ district titles and nine sectional titles

By Brandon LaChance

W

hen Rita Placek got into coaching, everything was new.

Title IX – which granted female athletes the same rights as their male counterparts – hadn’t yet taken effect, and the only way for girls to be involved in sports was through the Girls Athletic Association (GAA).

Placek graduated from LaMoille High School in 1970 and earned her degree from the University of Illinois in 1974. She chose to study physical education with the goal of becoming a teacher and cheerleading sponsor.

Title IX was enacted in 1973, and by 1974, basketball, volleyball and track and field became accessible to girls across Illinois.

Placek jumped right in – coaching all three sports, teaching physical education and, eventually, raising three boys (Brian, Justin and Brandon) with her husband, Bruce.

When it comes to coaching, she is most remembered for her work in volleyball. Under Placek’s leadership, the Tigresses won the IHSA Class 1A state championship in 1990, made two other state tournament appearances and racked up 495 wins during her tenure from 1974-98.

“When I was in high school, the GAA was the closest girls could get to participating in sports, unless they were cheerleaders,” Placek said. “When I got out of high school and started teaching and coaching at Princeton in the first year

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of Title IX, I was very busy.

But it was the beginning of girls’ sports, so there weren’t as many games, matches or meets.

“It’s pretty interesting to go back and study how things have changed since then. In 1974, we had just 11 regular season volleyball matches before the district tournament. Then there were rule changes as we went along.”

Placek adapted to the evolving nature of volleyball and juggling schedules in the North Central Illinois Conference, where some away games required 1 hour and 15 minutes of travel.

Match formats changed, too, from 15-point games to 21, and eventually to 25.

There was even a year when best-of-five-set matches became standard.

Placek vividly remembers not leaving one gym until 11 p.m.

After long school days, exhausting volleyball matches and the demands of being both a mother and a wife, Placek sometimes

craved a break.

But she never lost her passion for her work.

“I loved teaching at Princeton High School. I was very proud of our school, our teaching staff and our coaching staff. My husband was a teacher as well. I was back in Bureau County, the area where I grew up. I had no desire to move anywhere else,” said Placek, who met Bruce on a blind date. “He was from upstate New York, and we met in college. We

to finally be able to play against other teams. They were happy to no longer be stuck on the sidelines cheering for others.

“A lot of our success goes back to those first girls who came out for sports. They wanted to prove they could play. They were eager to have the opportunity. And when you have that much excitement, it naturally leads to a drive to excel.”

That excitement and determination were matched by the coach herself.

Placek made it a priority SHAW MEDIA FILE PHOTO to give volleyball – and her said wherever we could both team – everything she had. find teaching jobs, that’s “I took a lot of pride in where we’d go. We were for- being a coach and wanting tunate to land in the same to do my best. Since I knew area.” nothing about coaching, Placek added, “I am exI read a lot of books and tremely proud and lucky.

I was able to attend one Looking back, all I knew major volleyball conference about volleyball was how a year,” she said. “I took to teach it in a P.E. setting. notes like crazy. That was I had no experience as a before we had cell phones coach. I had never even to record everything. I tried played on a team. I didn’t to emulate what college know how it all worked. coaches were doing and imWhen girls sports started, plement the techniques they the girls were just so excited recommended.”

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Joe Perona ST. BEDE

Accomplishments

SUBMITTED PHOTOS

• A 1987 grad, was a threesport star in football, basketball & baseball; was team MVP, captain and allstate his senior year in all three sports • Recruited in all three sports, opted to play baseball at Northwestern University, where he was a two-time AllBig Ten selection and team MVP • Selected in the 8th round of the 1991 MLB Draft by the Detroit Tigers, played five minor league seasons, reaching Triple-A • Well-known youth, travel and summer baseball coach for more than two decades; founder of the Chicago Warriors youth baseball program • Member of the St. Bede Hall of Fame

By Bobby Narang

J

oe Perona has a long list of accomplishments in his storied athletic career.

The 1987 St. Bede graduate was a three-sport standout in football, basketball and baseball.

At St. Bede, he played the glamour positions in each sport – quarterback, shooting guard and shortstop.

Perona was the all-time leading scorer in St. Bede basketball history for several decades.

He was recruited for three sports by several colleges and universities.

He was a two-time All-Big Ten Conference selection and a team MVP for one season for Northwestern’s baseball team.

And he was selected in the eighth round of the 1991 Major League Baseball Draft by the Detroit Tigers. He played nearly five years in the minor leagues, earning the chance to be teammates with several superstars, namely Barry Bonds in an offseason tournament.

But Perona proudly holds one particular honor close to his heart. He was named St. Bede Most Valuable Player and a captain for all three sports in his senior season. In this age of sports specialization, Perona’s three MVP awards within one season is especially noteworthy.

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“Of all three sports and achievements, during my senior year I’m proud of being an MVP for three sports,” Perona said. “You’re obviously a leader of those teammates and friends when you’re a captain and an MVP. That’s special to me looking back.”

Perona is set to add another prestigious honor to his lengthy list of awards. Perona is among a group of inductees into the 2025 Shaw Media IV Sports Hall of Fame.

Special is a good way to define Perona’s athletic career.

“I’m honored to be a recipient into the Hall of Fame,” he said. “Growing up in Spring Valley, sports were a big part of my upbringing, not only through my family, but in the Illinois Valley area sports is an important part of people’s lives. The area has produced and developed so many good athletes. It’s an honor to be included in the hall of fame.”

Perona’s name is certainly among those athletes. Unlike some superstar athletes, Perona wasn’t a physically imposing player. At 6-foot

and 185 pounds in his senior season at St. Bede, Perona wrapped up an illustrious career by relying on his athleticism, toughness and will to win.

“I wasn’t some monster in football or basketball, although many times I was probably the strongest player on the field in baseball,” Perona said. “I was a strong competitor. People would often be surprised when the game ended that I was one of the best players on the field, but I was the guy the other team was trying to stop in all three sports.”

One of six kids, Perona formed a formidable duo with his younger brother, Jim, for part of his prep career.

The Perona brothers caused headaches for several area coaches.

Despite all his success on the gridiron, hardwood and diamond, Perona said his parents, Louis and Joan, pushed him.

“I had fantastic support from my parents,” Perona said. “My dad was a sports fan, but not a hard-guy type of coach. He let me develop

and let me go in the direction I was motivated to go just by experiencing some success in sports. Without their support, this never happens or takes place. That’s a good lesson for parents because they can get so caught up in some success at any level that it takes a life of its own.”

Perona, a member of the St. Bede Hall of Fame, cherishes his success playing quarterback for the Bruins.

He credited his coaches for instilling in him the importance of toughness and dedication. Perona led the Bruins to the conference title and the playoffs in his final season.

“When I think about football, I learned so much from the sport,” he said. “The coaches can be so intense, in a good way. They demanded focus and commitment and it got me in the weight room.

I got stronger and built my body up just to keep up physically.”

In basketball, Perona said one of his highlights was teaming up with his younger brother. Perona, a four-year varsity player, helped lead the

Bruins to a magical run in the playoffs in his sophomore season.

But the spring season was where Perona really shined.

Unlike his other sports, Perona said he was able to develop and work on his game more in baseball because of the spring and summer seasons.

He batted a robust .520 with a state-record 81 RBI in his junior season, attracting interest from several colleges. A four-year starter in basketball and baseball and an all-state selection in all three sports for his senior season, Perona had a number of options for college.

Faced with several options across three sports, Perona eventually settled on playing baseball at Northwestern.

“I always knew baseball was my favorite, and thought it was my best sport,” he said. “I knew I wanted to play baseball.

I was done with football.

I loved basketball as well See PERONA Page 42

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Perona FROM PAGE 41

but at 6-foot, I was not the prototype (player) for bigger schools. I was excelling in baseball, plus praying every night that I'd be a major league baseball player.

Clearly, it was a dream for a long time.”

After a storied career that included a position switch to catcher at Northwestern, Perona started his journey

toward making “The Show.”

He reached Triple-A level in the Detroit Tigers’ organization, but he decided to hang up his cleats after nearly five seasons.

“I had a good opportunity in my first spring training and first year in pro ball,” Perona said. “I played some of the best baseball I’ve played and opened up some eyes. In my third year, I got some serious looks. I played in Hawaii and was teammates with Bobby Bonds Jr. and Bill Mueller.”

Perona, the director and owner of Chicago Warriors Baseball, and his wife, Julie, are now watching their three kids – Anna, Louis and Joseph – compete in sports in college.

Perona, a 1981 Northwestern graduate, said sports has brought him so much joy in his life, plus taught him many life lessons.

“From my perspective, the value of sports is in the journey,” Perona said. “Individual challenges to compete

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JOE PERONA

Congratulates St Bede Alum, Joe Perona, and all of the other inductees for their induction into the

On Being a Hall of Famer!

2025 Illinois Valley Sports Hall of Fame.

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We congratulate all inductees on their amazing accomplishments!

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mentally and physically, creating an environment to push yourself to be great. Team sports is the best. Teams win games, not individual players.

Many opportunities to lead and to build leadership skills and also simply to be a good teammate.

“Overall, for me looking back, learning responsibility, ability to overcome obstacles and learn leadership skills were the most valuable and continue to help me to this day.”

You’ve had amazing careers and we are proud to call you Hall of Famers!

J.A. Happ Family Foundation

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Jaci Bice

MENDOTA HIGH SCHOOL PHOTO

MENDOTA / IVCC Accomplishments • Star basketball player at MHS, was four-time NewsTribune Girls Basketball Player of the Year • Led Trojans to state in 199798 & 1998-99 (fourth place), finished with 2,111 career points which is second most in area history • Played collegiately at IVCC where she was a two-time NJCAA All-American • Enlisted in the U.S. Army where she played on the All-Army Team for two years & was a two-time All-Army choice, playing on two gold medal championship teams • Inducted into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2022

MENDOTA HIGH SCHOOL PHOTO

SHAW MEDIA FILE PHOTO

By Brandon LaChance

W

hen a Facebook post announced Jaci Bice’s induction into this year’s class of the Shaw Media Illinois Valley Sports Hall of Fame, word spread fast.

The legendary Mendota basketball player quickly received more than 20 text messages from family, friends and even people she hadn’t spoken to in decades, celebrating her career and the enduring impact of the sport.

Bice’s basketball legacy is still very much alive in Mendota and across the Illinois Valley.

A 1999 graduate of Mendota High School, Bice led the Trojans to their only state basketball trophy that year, earning a fourth-place finish. She also scored 2,111 points during her high school career – still the most in Mendota history and second-most in the Illinois Valley.

“When I think about myself as a basketball player, it was never just about scoring,” Bice said. “We had a team dynamic where each of us brought something to the table. As a two-guard, I had the chance to shoot from the outside or drive to the basket. I’d try to rebound and make assists, too. But I never

WHERE are they NOW

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Bice

FROM PAGE 43

focused on setting or reaching records.

“Even to this day, I don’t think much about it. I just loved playing basketball.

I loved the game, and I loved the people I played with. We had a great group of girls, and we’re all still friends. It was just a game.

The people meant more.”

Bice remembers each of her teammates and, of course, her coaches.

She played her first three years of Trojan basketball under Randy Weibel, and her senior season under Mike Kilmartin, who was inducted into the Shaw Media Illinois Valley Hall of Fame last year.

“It was pretty awesome, especially going straight to varsity from grade school,” Bice said. “It was a huge jump for me to be playing varsity as a freshman.

“It was a blessing to be part of such a great team. I was lucky to play alongside some amazing seniors. And

when I became a senior, the underclassmen included great players like Sammy Kromm. We had strong team chemistry and structure throughout my four years at Mendota.”

Weibel and Kilmartin, she said, had very different coaching styles, but she learned a lot from both.

“They were two very different people,” Bice said.

“I’ll always be thankful to Coach Weibel for moving me up to varsity. He came to see me play in eighth grade and saw something in me. And Coach Mike Kilmartin was a great coach, too.”

After high school, Bice became a two-time All-American at Illinois Valley Community College, then continued her career with the All-Army team, helping it win two gold medals.

“I had a large shoebox full of college envelopes my senior year, and I started going through them,” Bice said. “I had letters from the Navy, the Army… I remember asking my family, ‘You can play sports in the mili-

tary?’ I had never thought about it before.

“I went to IVCC first, then looked into it more. That’s what I wanted – to fight for my country and play basketball. Two things I was very proud to do.”

Her time playing for the Army took her game to a new level.

“Those years were unlike anything else,” Bice said. “It was a level of competition I’d never experienced before – great athletes, intense coaching. We lived basket-

ball. That’s what we did.”

Bice retired as an engineer in the Army in January 2025, after 21 years of service.

She now lives in East Peoria with her dog, Scout, and is still figuring out what’s next.

“I don’t know yet,” Bice said. “It’s been a few months of freedom without conference calls three times a week. I’m slowly adjusting.

“I just plan on spending more time with my family and friends.”

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1997-98 Boys Basketball Team HALL

Accomplishments • Placed second at the IHSA Class A State Tournament under coach Eric Bryant • Finished 32-1, ranked No. 1 all season in the Class A AP Poll • Defeated Teutopolis 52-44 in state quarterfinal & Chicago Leo 56-46 in state semifinal • Lost 45-39 to Nauvoo-Colusa in state title game for only defeat of the season

HALL HIGH SCHOOL PHOTOS

By Brandon LaChance

W

hat a time the mid-1990s was to be a Hall Red Devil.

Yes, it’s always fantastic to wear your red and black gear, but during this period, Hall’s sports programs were among the best in the state.

We all know about the success of the football program, but right after the long postseason runs on the gridiron, the girls’ and boys’ basketball teams packed Red Devil Gymnasium.

On the boys’ side, Hall finished as the Class A runner-up for two straight seasons.

In the 1997-98 season — under the direction of legendary coach Eric Bryant — the team of Ryan Anderes, Derek Baird, Jason Burkiewicz, Adam Curran, Shawn Jeppson, Craig Olson, Tony Orlandi, Matt Peterson, Chris Piontek, Dan Prokup, Joey Reed, Jason Samolinski, Nick Sterling, Joe Strait and Kevin Wilson finished 32-1 with the only loss coming in the championship game against Nauvoo-Colusa, 45-39.

WHERE are they NOW

See HALL Page 48

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Hall

game. We were ranked No. 1 in the state, so there was a heavy presence and FROM PAGE 47 demand, knowing we were one of the best teams.

“We expected to get to When you look back, we the state championship,” Anderes said. “When we got didn’t have travel ball, and there, there was some relief, there were only two classes instead of four like there especially being there the are now. It makes our run a year before and having allittle more special because most our entire team back. we weren’t doing anything It would have been a huge disappointment if we didn’t extra — just normal summer camps and regular pracmake it back to state. tices.”

“The second time, the Jeppson averaged 23.9 expectations were, ‘We points, 5 rebounds and 4.5 have to win this.’ Where assists his senior year and we probably enjoyed the remains Hall boys’ basketfirst run a little more, the ball’s all-time leading scorer second run was quite a bit with 1,829 points. He was more business than pleaalso named All-State and sure.”

Class A Player of the Year Anderes, Olson, Reed, by the Chicago Sun-Times.

Sterling and Jeppson were Regarding the 1998 chamsenior starters, while the pionship game, it’s long first two off the bench were been debated whether Hall seniors Baird and Curran. would have won if Jeppson Prokup, Samolinski and hadn’t injured his shooting Burkiewicz contributed as hand by hitting a camera juniors. during warm-ups.

“It was fun,” remembers “It’s hard to say if that Sterling, who was recently doesn’t happen whether we hired as the new Hall footwin. You always have to ball coach. “I remember give the other team credit, the gym being full for every and Nauvoo was better that

particular day,” Anderes said. “I do think if Shawn is fully healthy and doesn’t have four or five stitches in his shooting hand, it’s a different story. When we look back and talk about it, we didn’t understand what was going on at the time.

It was, ‘Shawn was in the game, then he was out.’ He would come back in, and we’d assume our roles that had become so familiar over four years of playing together — hundreds of basketball games.

“All of a sudden, in the very last game we were going to play together, everything was different. He wasn’t 100 percent. Sometimes there was blood, and he had to get new tape.

Sometimes the tape wasn’t comfortable for him to dribble or shoot. Then there was a different tape job to find comfort. At halftime, he had to get stitches, and his hand was numbed.”

When the Red Devils reunite, they don’t talk about that game. It’s not worth their time together.

“Me, personally, I don’t

CONGRATS 97-98 Hall Boys Basketball Team

waste a second thinking about it. Shawn and I are still extremely close to this day,” Reed said. “We were just together — a group of us — in San Antonio watching the NCAA Final Four.

We don’t ever talk about it.

We’re just thankful we got to play with each other.”

It just underscores the closeness the team had — and still has — to this day.

“I’m grateful I grew up where I did and that I got to go to school and play basketball with the guys I did,” Reed said. “That’s the most special part.

“I can’t believe we’re already over 25 years removed from that year. It’s crazy to think about. Looking back, the special part is how close we still are today. It was a special time.

We had the privilege to play for the best fan base a high school player could ask for.

They showed up night after night to support us.

“We were all coachable, and no one really cared about their stats. We all knew Shawn was going to get 25 points a game just by

IT'S A GREAT

DAY TO BE A

RED DEVIL!

ON YOUR HALL OF FAME INDUCTION! WE ARE SO PROUD OF YOU!

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 1997-1998 HALL BOYS BASKETBALL

TEAM & JOHN CRUZ

FOR THE LIFETIME

ACHIEVEMENT

City of Spring Valley

HALL HIGH SCHOOL

AWARD!

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showing up and stepping on the court. All we cared about was winning. I’d like to think — and I don’t want to speak for Coach

Eric Bryant — it made us an easy group to coach. It was a brotherhood, and we wanted to see each other succeed.”

Congrats

Tony Orlandi, Jason Samolinski, Joey Strait, & all the 1997-98 Hall Boys Basketball Team!

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Photos from the 2024 IV Sports Hall of Fame Banquet

Ted Schmitz poses for a photo with emcee Lanny Slevin during the Illinois Valley Sports Hall of Fame awards banquet on Thursday, June 6, 2024 at the Auditorium Ballroom in La Salle.

Mike Kilmartin smiles as he is interviewed by Rick Sipovic during the Illinois Valley Sports Hall of Fame awards banquet on Thursday, June 6, 2024 at the Auditorium Ballroom in La Salle.

SHAW MEDIA FILE PHOTOS

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Shaw Media’s Illinois Valley Sports Hall of Fame Inductees CLASS OF 2019 Joe Rutgens, La Salle-Peru Eric Siebert, La Salle-Peru J.A. Happ, St. Bede Shawn Jeppson, Hall Kailey Klein, Hall Steve Safranski, Putnam County Bill Brown, Mendota Nicole (Coates) Schaefbauer, Princeton Gil Love, Ottawa Bill Novak, Ottawa Bob Guyette, Marquette Doug Dieken, Streator Chuck Rolinski, Toluca 1979 IVCC Football Team 1995 Hall Football Team Louis Rios, Lanny Slevin Lifetime Achievement Award 1925 La Salle-Peru Football Team, Legacy Team

CLASS OF 2022 Leo Cahill, La Salle-Peru John Skibinski, La Salle-Peru Jim Mini, St. Bede Gary Vicini, Hall Carol Pratt, Fieldcrest/Putnam County Willie Hanson, Mendota Donald “Rusty” Wells, Ottawa Lew Flinn, Princeton Vince McMahon, IVCC Gerald “Chips” Giovanine, Bureau, Western, La Salle-Peru 1988 St. Bede Baseball Team 1983 Streator Softball Team Robert “Bo” Windy, Lanny Slevin Lifetime Achievement Award Howard Fellows, La Salle-Peru, Legacy Award - Individual Richard Nesti, Hall, Legacy Award Individual

CLASS OF 2020-2021 Mike Goff, La Salle-Peru Gary Novak, La Salle-Peru Ken Gorgal, St. Bede D.J. Glynn, Hall Jerry Zielinski, Putnam County Ron Zagar, DePue Ray Jauch, Mendota Joe Ruklick, Princeton Dean Riley, Ottawa/IVCC Zami (Mogill) Hay, Streator 1985-86 Ohio Boys Basketball Team Mary Dagraedt, Lanny Slevin Lifetime Achievement Award Art Kimball, Distinguished Media Award Lowell “Pops” Dale, Legacy Award Individual 1945 Walnut Football Team, Legacy Award - Team

CLASS OF 2023 Legacy Award, Team: 1953 Hall Football Team Bob Prusator, Tiskilwa Legacy Award, Team: 1951-52 DePue Boys Basketball Team Torie (Bunzell) Kueker, La Salle-Peru Brad Bickett, Ohio/Bureau Valley Legacy Award, Individual: Bron Bacevich, St. Bede/Marquette Larry Corrigan, Mendota 1966 Ottawa Football Team Distinguished Media Award: Kevin Hieronymus, Shaw Media Carlton Fay, Putnam County Tom Henderson, Ottawa Don Hamel, Mendota Mark Haberkorn, La Salle-Peru Lanny Slevin Lifetime Achievement Award: John Pocivasek, Marquette 1990 Princeton Volleyball Team Eric Bryant, DePue/IVCC/Hall

CLASS OF 2024 Dale Pienta, Hall Lanny Slevin Lifetime Achievement Award: Tony Causa Ted Schmitz, Streator Legacy Individual: Russ Meyer, L-P/IVCC Amy Johnson DeVerteuil, Ottawa Distinguished Media Award: Tom McGinnis, St. Bede Mike Kilmartin, Mendota Legacy Team: 1954-55 Princeton Boys Basketball Rhonda Morel, La Salle-Peru/IVCC Ken Jenkins, Putnam County 1987-88 IVCC Men’s Basketball Team Guy Hoffman, Marquette Hollis Vickery, La Salle-Peru/IVCC Craig McCormick, Ottawa Bob Beals, Mendota/IVCC 2005 Bureau Valley Football Team

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