MASTER OF CEREMONIES JIM RUPPERT

Jim Ruppert is serving as master of ceremonies of the Springfield Sports Hall of Fame Banquet and Induction Ceremonies for the 24th year. Ruppert retired in 2016 after serving on the sports staff of The State Journal-Register for 40 years, the final 25 as sports editor. He remains involved in Springfield media, both as a columnist for Channel1450.com and as a talk show host and game analyst for WFMB 92.3 FM and  SportsRadio 1450 AM.

 

Ruppert is involved in several Springfield-area organizations. He serves on both the Board of Directors and Selection Committee for the Springfield Sports Hall of Fame. He’s a member of the Capital Area Sports Commission Board of Directors, the United States Basketball Writers Association and the National Collegiate Baseball Association. In 2014 he served a stint as an  adjunct professor at Benedictine University Springfield. He was inducted into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2005 and the Springfield Sports Hall of Fame in 2023.

 

Ruppert, a 1971 graduate of Lemont High School and a 1975 graduate of Bradley University, has two children, 38-year-old Brad and 35-year-old Chrissy as well as 7-year-old granddaughter Sophia.

 

 

HOW THE HALL OF FAME ALL STARTED

For the longest time, a sports Hall of Fame for Springfield was a great topic of conversation.
Guys like Robin Roberts, Al Barlick and Ray Ramsey had been honored nationally, but there was nothing in their hometown to pay tribute to their athletic accomplishments.

Then in the summer of 1990, the wheels were put in motion to put together what we now know as the Springfield Sports Hall of Fame. Through the efforts of two of Springfield's former Major League Baseball players, John Schaive and Dick Schofield, and two representatives from The State Journal-Register, sports editor Mike Chamness and sportswriter Jim Ruppert, a committee was formed to map out a plan for the establishment of the Hall of Fame.

Thanks to their tireless work and sports connections in the community,  Schaive and Schofield were able to put together a selection committee and a board of directors. The selection committee was formed to determine deserving Hall of Fame candidates, and the board of directors was formed to establish a foundation for the organization as well as a banquet to honor the Hall of Famers.

When Jack Howard, president of E.L. Schafer & Sons Inc. (later House of Brews Inc.) came on board, the Hall had a corporate sponsor and solid backing.

The first banquet, featuring 24 inductees, eight Friends of Sport and Baseball Hall of Famer Brooks Robinson as the featured speaker, was held Feb. 5, 1991, before a sellout crowd. Since then, the annual Hall of Fame banquet has become the largest sports gathering in Springfield with over 800 attendees each year. 

After a two year hiatus due to Covid-19 restrictions, we convened for the 30th Springfield Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremonies in 2022,  We will never forget the efforts of those who were there from the very beginning, especially the patriarchs of the Springfield Sports Hall of Fame, John Schaive and Dick Schofield.  They wouldn't let a good idea fall by the wayside, and the community has benefited greatly.