2010 HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES

BOB GREELEY
Graduate of Springfield High School (1948) who competed in track as a hurdler and high jumper but was best known for his prowess in basketball. He played two seasons for the Senators and was an all-city selection and the city's leading scorer as a senior center in 1948. He received a scholarship from the University of Wisconsin to play basketball. He was a forward for the Badgers during the 1949-50 season but left school to work in the family's outdoor advertising business. When his basketball days were over, he became a successful sailor on Lake Springfield. Greeley died Sept. 28, 2009, in Atlanta at the age of 79.

KENT HAMMOND
The 1970 Southeast High School graduate played football and basketball, earning second-team all-city honors in basketball as a sophomore and junior and first team as a senior. In football he was all-city and all-conference as a junior and senior, and he was Southeast's MVP as a senior. Later he took up slow-pitch softball. He began to officiate basketball in 1971 and football in 1972, and he became one of he best officials in city history. He officiated the Class A State Basketball Tournament in 1996, 1997 and 2000. In 2003 and 2005, his crew worked state football title games in Champaign. He's a member of the Springfield Area Officials Association and an IHSA basketball rules interpreter.

DAVID REED
The 1968 Griffin High School graduate earned all-city honors in football and baseball and started center on the basketball team as a senior. He was first-team all-city in football during the 1967-68 school year, when he led the city in receptions. He was first-team all-city in baseball in 1967-68 and was the Connie Mack League batting champion in 1969. He attended Southern Illinois-Carbondale from 1968-71 on a football scholarship and was SIU's leading receiver as a junior and senior. He won the team's Most Valuable Receiver Award, was a two-year starter and a three-year letter-winner, won numerous individual game football awards and was honorary co-captain for 1970-71 season. He is an attorney in Springfield.

 

MCKAY SMITH
When he graduated from Southeast High School in 1977, he was the school's all-time leading basketball scorer with 1,107 points and held the school record for points in a game with 40. He was four-year letterman in basketball and a three-year letterman in track. He was a two-time unanimous first-team all-city pick and twice led the City Tournament in scoring. As a senior he was the Capital Conference Player of the Year, an all-state selection by the Champaign News Gazette, Chicago Tribune and Illinois Basketball Coaches Association. He received a basketball scholarship from Illinois State University and earned four letters for the Redbirds. He was a two-year starter and two-year co-captain, was the teams's assist leader and won the Defensive Player of the Year Award in 1981.

MIKE STEELE
The 1974 Griffin High School graduate, played football for two years and played basketball and golf for four years. He led the city in scoring as a senior, when he was a unanimous first-team all-city selection, All-Capitol Conference and special mention all-state by the Chicago Daily News. He was a four-year starter on the golf team and the teams's No. 1 player as a sophomore, junior and senior. In 1974, he placed sixth in the 36-hole Illinois Insurance Classic. He received a golf scholarship to Purdue and played on the varsity from 1974-78. He earned three letters in golf at Purdue. He played in five Illinois State Amateur Tournaments, three Illinois Opens and four Missouri Opens and tied for fifth place at the Missouri Open in 1981. He once shot a 65 at Auburn's Edgewood Golf Course. He was diagnosed with acute lymphatic leukemia in 1978 and died in 1986 just before he would have turned 30.

TEAM

1979 KELLEY CONSTRUCTION BASEBALL
The team of all-star players ages 17-21 competed in the 1979 Catfish Hunter Thorobred World Series in Norfolk, Va. The team was coached by John Schaive and Don Robinson, and players included Dan Callahan, Tim Hulett, Bill Lamkey, Scott Lovekamp, John Schaive, Jack Stroud, Chris Collins, Mark Erickson, Tom Feiden, John Fox, Brad Gibbs, Paul Kramer, Ron Lamkey, Bob Meckes, Clyde Oliver and Jay Suits. The team advanced to the World Series with a .417 team batting average.

FRIENDS OF SPORT

SANDRA DEHNER WHEELER
The Lincoln High School graduate became involved with the Rail Charity Classic as a volunteer in 1978 and 1979, and later in 1979 she was hired as executive director of the Rail Charity Classic with responsibilities to raise needed funds, operations, volunteer management and publicity. From 1980 until 1992, the tournament succeeded without benefit of a title sponsor but purses continued to increase and notable dollars were given to charity. In the winter of 1992, State Farm became the title sponsor in an agreement that continues today. During her 27 years as executive director, purses increased from $100,000 to $1.3 million and charitable contributions rose from $6,000 to $2 million by 2005, when Dehner-Wheeler left the tournament. She also served on the national LPGA Sponsor Association for five years as both secretary and vice president.

 

JIM SMITH
Youth sports volunteer for all seasons, he became involved with Little League Baseball in 1974 as a manager in the Dale Teubner Little League and has been a part of the program since. He has been league president and served six three-year terms as district administrator. In 1984 he became a coach for the Northeast Cowboys in the Springfield Junior Football League, and by 1996 he was president and chairman of the board (he served nine terms in that capacity). He coached basketball at Wilcox and Owen Marsh, was a youth softball coach and since 1998 served as an assistant football coach at Rochester. He also served as an assistant football coach at Sacred Heart-Griffin and Lanphier. He's also been a part of the Memorial Stadium chain gang and has coached baseball at Rochester, Ursuline and Lutheran high schools.