2015 ISU athletics Hall of Fame class announced

ISU 2015 Athletics Hall of Fame class
ISU’s 2015 athletics Hall of Fame class includes (left to right) Brian Anderson, Kristi Cirone, Neal Cotts, Laurént Robinson, and Liina Suurvarik. (Photo courtesy goredbirds.com)

By ISU Sports Information

NORMAL – The 2015 Illinois State Athletics Percy Family Hall of Fame class was officially announced Monday, as Brian Anderson (men’s golf), 2004 Missouri Valley Conference medalist and four-time All-MVC selection; Kristi Cirone (women’s basketball), Illinois State’s all-time leading scorer and three-time MVC Player of the Year; Neal Cotts (baseball), a First-Team All-MVC pitcher and 2005 World Series champion; Laurént Robinson (football), All-American wide receiver and NFL standout; and Liina Suurvarik (women’s tennis), four-time MVC No. 1 singles champion and four-time All-MVC selection, will each become members of the Redbird Hall of Fame.

In addition to the 2015 Hall of Fame class, Rudy Klokkenga, who supported Illinois State Athletics in various volunteer roles for over a decade, will be honored with the Campbell “Stretch” Miller Award. The award is named for Campbell Miller, a former Redbird student-athlete who went on to broadcast Illinois State games in the 1940s before joining the St. Louis Cardinals broadcasting team. The award celebrates the contributions of those whose main services were not playing or coaching, but were important to the program’s success.

The honorees will be officially introduced during the Hall of Fame banquet at 8 a.m., Oct. 24, in the Brown Ballroom at the Bone Student Center on the Illinois State University campus. The class will also be recognized during halftime of the Illinois State-Western Illinois football game later that day. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m.

Reservations for the Hall of Fame ceremony are $25 per person and can be purchased through the ISU Athletics Department. To order tickets for the event or for more information, please call Melanie Piekos at (309) 438-3639.

Blogs

Labor Day – Expanding voting rights for all

By Mike Matejka Because of COVID, there is no Labor Day Parade this year.  It’s always a great event for our everyday workers to march proudly down the street and enjoys the festive crowd. If there had been a parade, this year’s Labor Day theme was to be “150 years of struggle: your right to vote.” …

Is federal mobilization the answer?

By Mike Matejka As President Donald Trump threatens to send federal marshals into Chicago, over the objections of Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, recall another Illinois Governor who protested the incursion of armed federal personnel into the city.   Those federal troops, rather than calming, escalated the situation, leading to deaths and violence. Illinois poet Vachel Lindsay…

In these troubled times, to my fellow white Americans

By Mike Matejka Our nation is at a unique watershed in human relations. African-Americans have been killed too many times in the past before George Floyd, but the response to this man’s death is international and all-encompassing. I was a grade-schooler during the Civil Rights 1960s. I watched Birmingham demonstrators hosed and the Selma – Montgomery…

Workers’ Memorial Day – Remember those whose job took their life

Looking around our community, when we say employer, most will respond to State Farm, Country, or Illinois State University.   We too often forget those who are building our roads, serving our food, or our public employees. COVID-19 has made us more aware of the risk.  Going to work every day for some people means…