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Welcome to the Greater Peoria Sports Hall of Fame website. We are a 501(C)(3) not for profit Illinois corporation. We have inducted numerous individuals and teams. Their plaques are located in the Peoria Civic Center. As you browse through our site, you will learn that the Peoria area is rich in talent. Many individuals, teams and organizations have contributed to our sports history. If you have any comments or requests, please feel free to contact us at any time.
32nd Annual Induction Banquet
The 32nd Annual Induction Banquet was held Sunday, April 14, 2013
at the Peoria Civic Center.
View Banquet Pics
These individuals and teams where inducted.
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2012, 32nd Individual Inductees
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Jenelle Deatherage
Arguably the most-accomplished female runner in Tri-County history, Deatherage won a pair of high school state championships for East Peoria, before going on to an All-America career at the University of Wisconsin and enjoying a lengthy international running career.
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Heather Cassady
Now the varsity girls basketball head coach at Richwoods High School, Cassady was a fierce competitor on the hardwood at Dunlap High School and Indiana University. A three-time
all-state selection for the Eagles, Cassady was the 1998 Illinois Class A Player of the Year and was runner-up for Illinois Miss Basketball. She went on to star at Indiana, where she was
a two-time team captain for the Hoosiers and was a three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection in 2000, 2001 and 2002.
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Frank Williams
A four-year starter at Manual High School, Williams led the Rams to three consecutive state championships from 1996-98 and was named Illinois Mr. Basketball as a senior when he averaged 24 points, eight rebounds and six assists per game. The 1998 Mc-Donald’s High School All-American also excelled at Illinois, where he led the Illini in scoring in 2001 and 2002 and finished 14th on the school’s all-time scoring list with 1,440 career points. |
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2012, 32nd Team Inductees
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Bradley University
Men's Basketball Team 1985-86
Coached by Dick Versace and led by the dynamic backcourt of Jim Les and Hersey Hawkins, the 1985-86 Braves enjoyed one of the best seasons in Bradley Basketball history. The Braves tied the program record for victories, finishing 32-3 overall, and remain the last unbeaten Missouri Valley Conference regular-season champion (16-0). |
Tremot High School
Boy's Cross Country Team 1990
Coached by Mike Lynn and led by Brad Kaufmann and Ty Petro, the Turks won the Illinois High School Association Class Boys Cross Country state championship. Kaufmann finished 11th and was followed just three seconds later by Petro in 15th place, pacing the Turks to 94 team points, 20 better than second-place West Frankfort High School. |
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Richwoods High School
Boy's Basketball Team
1973-74, 1974-75, 1975-76
The Knights dominated the Mid-State 9 Conference during the mid-1970s, reeling off 46 consecutive league victories during a 3-year period. In the three seasons from 1973-76, Richwoods amassed the best record in the state during that period, 83-6, while going 47-1 in the Mid-State to claim three straight conference crowns.
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Limestone High School
Girl's Basketball Team 1991-92
Coached by John Gross and led by Greater Peoria Sports Hall of Fame inductee Tammy Van Oppen, the Rockets took a perfect, 32-0 record into the 1992 Illinois High School Association Girls Basketball Class AA state championship game. Limestone advanced to the title game by downing Bloomington (68-54) in the super-sectional, Buffalo Grove (73-47) in the state tournament quarterfinals and LaGrange Lyons (52-50) in overtime in the semifinals, but dropped a 48-46 heartbreaker to Chicago Marshall, which would go on to repeat as state champion in 1993. |
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2012 Neve Harms Award
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 Dana Davis (posthumous)
Bradley University, Memphis Grizzlies. Davis was long a popular figure in the Peoria community and the former Bradley Basketball team manager's professional career landed him with the NBA's Memphis Grizzlies. Affectionately known as "Double D," Davis steadily advanced up the Grizzlies front office during his 13 years with the organization and was Vice President of Basketball Operations and Team Programs at the time of his death in October at the age of 56. Involved in numerous community service activities in both Memphis and Peoria, Davis had recently become a member of the National Civil Rights Museum board of directors. Even more notable, he was the founding organizer of the Mitchell "J.J." Anderson All-Star Basketball Camp in Peoria. Through Davis' work, not only have thousands of area at-risk kids received basketball instruction from numerous NBA players, he brought many celebrities to Peoria to talk to the campers about life skills and arranged for the campers to receive free physical exams.
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2012 Old Timer Award
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 Jim Lewis
Jim Lewis served as the athletics director and coached four sports at Pekin High School from 1933 through 1955. His basketball, baseball and football teams combined for a 341-163-8 (.674) record. In his seven years as the boys basketball coach at Pekin, Lewis led his teams to six regional championships and Pekin captured state tournament hardware in 1947 (fourth place) and 1948 (third place).
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2012 Tri-County Awards of the Year
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 Sam Durley
- Male Athlete
Eureka College. The starting quarterback at Eureka College, Durley passed for 2,803 yards during the 2012 season and gained national attention by throwing for a NCAA, all-division, single-game record 736 yards Sept. 1 in a win against Knox College. A second-team all-conference pick for the second consecutive year, Durley was named the Manning Award Player of the Week and landed a spot on the D3Football.com Team of the Week for his performance against Knox.
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 Mike Bolhius
- Male Coach
Girl's volleyball coach, Dee-Mack High School. Though still a student at Illinois State University who would not graduate until December, Bolhuis led the Deer Creek-Mackinaw High School girls volleyball team to a 38-1 record and the 2012 Illinois High School Association Class A state championship.
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 Brennan Detra
- Female Athlete
Richardwoods High School. A three-sport star, Detra earned All-Mid-State 6 Conference honors in volleyball, basketball and track and field during her junior season at Richwoods High School. On the track, Detra qualified for the Illinois High School Association Class 3A state meet in the 200-meters, 400-meters, 100-meter hurdles and long jump with area-wide best performances in each event. During the Rock Island Invitational, Detra set area records in both the long jump (18' 7") and the 200-meter dash (24.43 seconds).
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 Taren Martin
- Female Coach
Woman's basketball coach, Eureka College. In her second season as the Eureka College women's basketball head coach, Martin was named the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Coach of the Year after leading the Red Devils to just the fourth 20-win season in program history. Eureka's 21-5 record last season represented a 12-win improve ment over the 2010-11 campaign and the squad's 13 SLIAC wins were the most conference victories for the program since Eureka College began conference-affiliated competition at the Division III level in 1996-97.
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THE GPSHOF SOCIAL NETWORK IS NOW OPEN!! The Greater Peoria Sports Hall of Fame social network, where YOU can help us appreciate all these fine individuals and organizations, is now open.
To participate in the GPSHOF group...
1) click here (you will be linked to the new GPSHOF social site)
2) register as a user of peoria.citislicker.com
3) join the GPSHOF group and share your comments, pictures, blogs and a whole lot more. Take appreciation of Peoria area sports to a whole new level.
CLICK HERE TO JOIN US AND SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCES.
Register and join the GPSHOF group, today!
Special gifts available for individual and team inductees
 Former individual and team members may order duplicates of their 12 x 16 inch plaques that are displayed at the Peoria Civic Center. You may order them by contacting Don Gustin, Joan's Trophy at sales@awardsnow.com or call 309-674.6500 or visit www.gpshof.awardsnow.com and order online. The cost is $135.00.
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