HR1143 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR1143 LRB094 20179 HSS 57990 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, On Saturday, April 22, 2006, Rick Bonn, James Lancaster, Ron Spears, George Zigman, Jack Fabri, Bob Dare, and the 1956 boys basketball team will be inducted into the Taylorville High School Sports Hall of Fame; and

WHEREAS, The Taylorville High School Sports Hall of Fame originated in 1995 to honor athletes, coaches, friends, and teams that represent the highest traditions of the rich history of Taylorville High School athletics; since that year, 29 players, 12 coaches, 12 friends, and 10 teams have been inducted into the Hall of Fame; and

WHEREAS, Rick Bonn was a three-year letter winner and starter on the Tornadoes basketball team from 1971 through 1974; he was the third leading scorer in Taylorville history, with a total of 1078 points and was an All-Midstate Conference selection in both his junior and senior years; and

WHEREAS, James Lancaster earned two varsity letters and was a two-year starter for the Taylorville Tornadoes Basketball Team; he holds the seventh highest single season scoring record in school history; he attended Aurora University, where he led the Spartans in scoring his senior year and was selected All Northern Illinois Intercollegiate Conference and Aurora University's male "Athlete of the Year" as well as selected team MVP; he also served as an assistant coach at Aurora and went on to first coach the university's women's basketball team and then the men's team; he is currently ranked 27th in wins among the NCAA men's active basketball coaches and has been selected NIIC "Coach of the Year" five times; he has led the Spartans to four Division III NCAA play off appearances; and

WHEREAS, Ron Spears graduated form Taylorville High School in 1969 and was an outstanding offensive lineman for the 7-1-1 Tornadoes; he played offensive guard and was an All-Mid State Conference selection as well as the Decatur Herald and Review Player of the year; and

WHEREAS, George Zigman graduated from Taylorville High School in 1950 and was a member of the Tornadoes basketball team from 1947 through 1950; he attended Illinois State University, where he lettered in basketball his junior and senior years; following college, he served as an assistant basketball coach at Taylorville, head coach at Delavan, sophomore coach at Glenbard East High School, and head coach at Hersey High School in Arlington Heights; during his coaching career, he never had a losing season; he is a member of the Illinois High School Coach Association Hall of Fame; he retired in 1990 and passed away in 1991; and

WHEREAS, Jack Fabri graduated from Taylorville High School in 1931 and won varsity letters in football, basketball, and track; he was a member of the undefeated 1928 Hall of Fame football team; he coached basketball at Cathedral High School in Springfield, served in the U.S. Navy, went on to coach at Collinsville and McBride High School in St. Louis, and coached at LaSalle High School, where he took his third team to the Sweet Sixteen in 1948; Mr. Fabri moved to Decatur Lakeview in 1952, where he had two 20-win seasons before he became the head coach at Palatine High School; he went on to coach at Niles West High School until his retirement in 1962; he was inducted into the Illinois High School Coaches Hall of Fame in 1985; and

WHEREAS, Bob Dare is being inducted into the Taylorville High School Sports Hall of Fame as a "Friend of Sports"; he moved to Taylorville in 1959 and immediately became involved in Taylorville athletics; he coached Little League Baseball and Biddy Basketball; he was a founding member and for ten years, president of the Taylorville Boys Junior Football League; he and Hall of Famer Emil Mayer used their own funds to purchase the first equipment for the program and even stored it in his garage until he could find storage at the high school; he was time keeper for the basketball program for ten years, and when the Sports Boosters were formed, he assisted in many of the services they provided, often funding them himself; and

WHEREAS, In 1956, the Taylorville High School boys basketball team, coached by Bob Lyons and assisted by Sam Morehead, had one of the most remarkable seasons in Taylorville High School history; four starters averaged double figures, but the Tornadoes had difficulty maintaining consistency during the regular season and finished the year with an 8-16 record; the team came together during the state tournament, as the Tornadoes ran off five straight victories winning the regional and sectional tournaments before being stopped by the Rantoul Eagles in the supersectional with a score of 79-74; members of that team were Bruce Meriwether, Bob Frisina, Howard Long, Larry Friedrich, Bill Crevits, Bob Edwards, Bill Tex, Mike Rightnowar, Darriel Mammen, and Mel Gessell; in winning the regional tournament, the team beat Blue Mound 100-67, Shelbyville 100-68, and Kincaid 73-63, for a school record 273 total points in a regional, a record that still stands today; the Tornadoes finished the season with a 13-17 record, but are one of only six Taylorville Basketball Teams to advance to the Sweet Sixteen; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we congratulate the 2006 inductees of the Taylorville High School Sports Hall of Fame; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to each inductee as an expression of our esteem.