(NOTE: One of the all-time great all-around athletes – perhaps the greatest ever – passed away yesterday. Marion Rushing, of Pinckneyville had a storied career at SIU and then played more than a decade in the NFL. I had the privilege to write a story about Rushing highlighting his career through the eyes of teammates and his biggest fan, his wife Bonnie. It’s a sports story and certainly a love story. Here’s the story that ran in SISC Magazine in September 2008.     JM)

The Greatest Ever?

Joe Yusko and Gordon Lambert grew up playing sports in the late 1940s in Southern Illinois – a time when coal mine tipples dotted the landscape and the baby-boom era was just beginning.

Yusko, who played at West Frankfort, and Lambert, who played at Marion, wouldn’t meet until they became football teammates at Southern Illinois University in the mid-1950s but both athletes learned a valuable lesson while honing their athletic talents in their respective community.

“Once a teammate always a teammate,” Yusko said.

“And you always pick a teammate up when he’s down,” Lambert added.

It was that reasoning that prompted Yusko and Lambert to contact SISC with a story idea about Marion Rushing – who in their assessment was ‘the greatest Southern Illinois athlete ever.’

Certainly, anytime the ‘greatest anything’ is mentioned, especially athletes, is mentioned there’s differing opinions.

Who’s the greatest Southern Illinois athlete of all time?

Pose that question to 10 people and there’s a good chance you’ll get 10 different answers. Certainly the era involved, size of the school and the overall success of the team the individual played on have to be factored in making a choice.

But, regardless of all those intangibles individual personal accomplishments have to weigh heavily when trying to determine the greatest athlete to ever lace up a pair of sneakers.

For decades, perhaps more than a century, there has been a single standard used in athletics – from grade school children through college stars who have an eye on professional sports – that has determined success for all athletes. That standard is a ‘letter,’ the letter representing a respective school (‘C’ for Carterville, ‘P’ for Pinckneyville), the letter that signifies being a significant member of a team.

Letters are unique because they’re not won, they’re not awarded, but instead they’re earned. And if the greatest athletes are being considered and the letters earned are the measuring stick then Marion Rushing, with 13 letters during his four years at SIU, really is in a class all by himself.

During a meeting at a local restaurant Yusko and Lambert – who were both outstanding high school and college athletes in their own right – laid out a solid argument to back up their claim about Rushing’s athletic prowess. But it wasn’t so much the argument presented, after all 13 letters speak volumes, as it was the reasoning behind the decision by Yusko and Lambert to volunteer to tell their former teammates’ story.

Rushing has battled Parkinson ’s disease for more than 20 years – a debilitating illness that has robbed him of his ability to walk or talk.

“Rush (Rushing) was so unassuming and humble that he probably wouldn’t have talked about his success if he could,” said Yusko. “But, he was a great teammate and we wanted to tell his story for him.”

And a great story it is.

________________________________________________

By Jim Muir

When discussing all-time great athletes in Illinois the name of Thomas Dwight “Dike” Eddleman is often mentioned.

Eddleman grew up and starred at Centralia High School and later at the University of Illinois where he was a three-sport standout. He earned 11 letters in football, basketball and track during his collegiate days with Illinois. Eddleman has had books written about him, a street named after him and is still revered in the Champaign-Urbana area.

Joe Yusko believes that everything Eddleman is to Fighting Illini fans Marion Rushing is and should be to Saluki fans.

“He was that good and in the same category with Dike Eddleman,” said Yusko when talking about Rushing’s career at SIU. “In fact, Eddleman earned 11 letters and Rushing earned 13.”

Rushing earned letters in football in 1954, 1955, 1956 and 1957 and in basketball in 1955, 1956 and 1957. He also lettered in track in 1955, 1956, 1957 and 1958 and in wrestling in 1958 and 1959. Following college Rushing made his professional debut in the NFL in 1959 with the Chicago Cardinals. He played in the NFL for 7 years, playing for the St. Louis Cardinals, Atlanta Falcons and Chicago Cardinals over the course of seven year NFL career. Rushing also played in the AFL for one year, playing for the Houston Oilers the entire time.

Yusko graduated from West Frankfort High School in 1952 and went to the University of Illinois on a football scholarship. He was injured during his first year and returned home, later transferring to SIU where he played football for four years. It was at SIU in 1954 that Yusko and Rushing became teammates.

“He was off the charts athletically,” said Yusko. “He could do anything … when you think about the fact that he was good enough to play professional football, he started several basketball games and he set records in track and as a wrestler.”

Yusko used the word ‘humble’ repeatedly when talking about Rushing’s demeanor.

“He was a quiet guy, didn’t say that much,” said Yusko. “If you met him without knowing just how great of an athlete he was you’d have never known. He wasn’t the kind of guy that would toot his own horn. He was just very unassuming and humble. He was just a farm boy who happened to be a great athlete.”

Lambert, a retired Marion attorney, played basketball and baseball at SIU and was also a teammate of Rushing. Lambert echoed Yusko’s sentiments about Rushing’s quiet demeanor but added that the Pinckneyville native had a toughness about him that he had never seen in any other athlete.

“I remember during football season one year ‘Rush’ got his hand stepped on and it swelled up, I mean, twice its normal size, it was obviously broken,” said Lambert. “He would carry it kind of under his other arm so nobody could see how bad it was. We kept on telling him that he needed to go to see the trainer. He said emphatically, ‘I’m not going to do it, because if I do they’ll tell me it’s broken and they won’t let me play, and I’m going to play.’ He never did go to the trainer but he played the next game.”

Lambert said while other athletes would head to downtown Carbondale for the nightlife and perhaps a few beers, Rushing never was part of the group.

“He was just very dedicated,” said Lambert. “He was very religious, a good Baptist, just a very kind farm kid, but boy, what an athlete. While his athletic ability stands out he was as good a person as he was an athlete.”

When mentioning Rushing’s teammates, the one that has clearly been at his side longer than anybody is wife Bonnie. The couple has been married 44 years and has three children, Pam (Hall), of Herrin, Chad and Troy, who both live in Pinckneyville.

Bonnie now oversees her husband’s daily care. She said was first diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease more than 25 years ago and said his health has declined steadily during the past few years. Rushing can walk with assistance but can barely speak above a whisper.

“He won’t initiate any conversation, I think it’s just too difficult for him,” Bonnie said. “But, he understands when somebody talks to him.”

When asked how she first met her future husband Bonnie related a remarkable story – a story that would give proof that some romances are destined. Bonnie (Dodillet) grew up in Centralia and when she was a senior in high school visited her sister, Sue, who was a sophomore at SIU. The sisters attended a Saturday afternoon Salukis game and Bonnie took note of a picture in the program of the team captain, a strapping young man named Marion Rushing.

“I took one look at his picture and I thought, ‘oh man.’ I thought he was the cutest guy I had ever seen,” Bonnie recalled. “I cut the picture out of the program and I carried it in my wallet for three years before I ever met him.”

Even the circumstances surrounding the way Bonnie and Marion meant had a meant-to-be air about it.

“I had a friend named Bill Bush and we were driving from Centralia to Carbondale and he told me he wanted to stop in Pinckneyville and talk to a buddy,” Bonnie said. “I asked who his buddy was and he said ‘Marion Rushing.’ Well, needless to say I didn’t object to him stopping.”

Bonnie said she and Marion soon began dating but she waited several months to tell him about the picture she had carried all those years.

“He didn’t believe me until I pulled the shredded picture out of my wallet and showed him,” she said.

Following his career in professional football Rushing began a career as a farmer and also worked for more than 20 years as a coal miner.

“He liked hard work and he loved heavy equipment,” said Bonnie. “For leisure he loved to fish. I still get him on our four-wheeler and drive him around our property. We bought 360 acres in 1964, it’s just strip pits and hills and there are nice trails. He really enjoys that.”

Bonnie also used the word ‘unassuming’ when describing the way Marion looked at his athletic success.

“Certainly he was very competitive and he wanted to win badly but his ability was really no big deal to him, he just took it all in stride,” she said. “He didn’t care anything about applause or notoriety, he just did his very best and whatever happened, just happened. He always said there was more to life than sports. I always thought of him as a gentle giant.”

Bonnie said Marion has accepted his illness with the same attitude he had when he was excelling at four different sports at SIU.

“It has been a very tough road, very tough,” she said. “But, I have never heard him complain, not a single word. There’s no ‘poor, poor me’ he just takes things as they come and does the best he can.”

Sidebar story for Marion Rushing

Marion Rushing’s athletic career at SIU was one of a kind.  No one had ever accomplished what he did as a Saluki athlete in the mid-1950s and no one has come close since . . . nor will they.

Rushing is a native of Pinckneyville where as a prep athlete, he was a football standout, a solid basketball player on Merrill “Duster” Thomas’ outstanding teams and a consistent winner in track as a high jumper and shot putter.

At SIU where he enrolled in the fall of 1954 and graduated in the spring of 1959, Rushing earned four letters in football, four in track, three in basketball and two in wrestling. The total of 13 varsity awards is the coveted accomplishment that he alone owns.

Another is that he was the first Saluki athlete to win SIU’s “most outstanding athlete of the year” award twice. Since Rushing gained the honor in 1956 and 1958, gymnast Rusty Mitchell duplicated the feat in 1963 and 1964 and basketball/track standout Chuck Benson in 1968 and 1969.

Statistics in Rushing’s era were not as refined as they became in later years and as a result there are no defensive records in football throughout his career. It is noted in Saluki history that he played at three different positions – end, center and guard – offensively while he was a defensive power as an end. And, yes, players performed on both offense and defense in those years.

As a senior in football in 1957, Rushing was team captain, received SIU’s most valuable player award and was a first-team all-conference choice after having been named to the second team the two previous seasons.

He likewise earned four letters in track where he excelled throwing the javelin.  In fact, he established a new SIU record in the event in his final season when he threw the spear 195 feet, 11 1/2 inches breaking a 26-year-old mark.

Football assistant coach Bob Franz filled in as SIU’s wrestling coach in 1958 when Jim Wilkinson took a sabbatical leave of absence, talked Rushing into competing in the one-on-one sport rather than basketball and it proved to be a good decision for the one-time Panther prep star.

At 6-2, perhaps 6-3 depending on which SIU roster one prefers to accept, and 190 pounds, Rushing competed at the heavyweight class in wrestling and has the distinction of being a member of the only two undefeated (in duals) teams in school history. The Salukis earned the honor in both 1958 and 1959 with Marion claiming the conference heavyweight title in the latter year.

Perhaps the finest of all SIU honors Rushing owns, however, is that he was included on the charter class of the university’s sports hall of fame when it was formed in 1978.

Just 10 athletes from the post-World War II era were so honored when Rushing was included with the likes of Walt Frazier, Jim Hart, Chico Vaughn and Larry Kistoff. And, Rushing’s athletic career did not end when he left SIU’s campus as he enjoyed almost a dozen years in the NFL.

Unquestionably Marion Rushing is one of the finest all-around athletes ever produced in Southern Illinois.

– Fred Huff –

What is Parkinson’s disease?

Parkinson’s disease is a movement disorder that is chronic and progressive, meaning that symptoms continue and worsen over time.  As many as one million Americans suffer from Parkinson’s disease, which is more than the combined number of people diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy and Lou Gehrig’s disease.  Incidence of Parkinson’s increases with age, but an estimated 4 percent of people with PD are diagnosed before the age of 50.  The cause is unknown, and although there is presently no cure, there are many treatment options such as medication and surgery to manage the symptoms.

Parkinson’s disease occurs when a group of cells in an area of the brain called the substantia nigra begin to malfunction and die. These cells in the substantia nigra produce a chemical called dopamine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter, or chemical messenger, that sends information to the parts of the brain that control movement and coordination.   When a person has Parkinson’s disease, their dopamine-producing cells begin to die and the amount of dopamine produced in the brain decreases. Messages from the brain telling the body how and when to move are therefore delivered more slowly, leaving a person incapable of initiating and controlling movements in a normal way.

Parkinson’s disease can also cause several different symptoms.  The specific group of symptoms that an individual experiences varies from person to person. Some of the most common symptoms of Parkinson’s disease are:

* tremor of the hands, arms, legs, jaw and face

* rigidity or stiffness of the limbs and trunk

* bradykinesia or slowness of movement

* postural instability or impaired balance and coordination

Source: Parkinson’s Disease Foundation (www.pdf.org)

By Bruce A. Fasol

The recent cutbacks in art and music instruction in West Frankfort schools, is prompting local residents to form a support group. A meeting will be held Wednesday May 1st to discuss how volunteers could replace the loss of some in-school instruction with private instruction.

The meeting will be held at GranDo Arts Studio, which is ironically located in a former Frankfort elementary school in West Franfort . The meeting begins at 6:30pm, and is open to anyone wishing to help by offering ideas. A number of key decisions are expected to be made at this meeting according to organizers.

Budget cuts were made by the District 168 School Board to music programs and art programs in the district. This was done, in part, due to efforts to trim the budget due to the shortfall of money from the state. Cuts were made to class offerings in all aspects of music including vocal and instrumental instruction. However, arts were not totally eliminated from the curriculum entirely.

Even though this organizational meeting is being held in a business providing private instruction, organizers stress that this is not a profit venture, and instruction would come from volunteers on a free basis to students,eventually if the program can be organized.

Franklin County has the dubious distinction of having the second highest unemployment rate of Illinois’ 102 counties.  Franklin County had an unemployment rate of 14.1 percent – six percentage points ahead of the national average of 8.1 percent and trailed only Boone County that had an unemployment rate of 14.7 percent.

The speed limit on interstate highways and tollways would increase to 70 mph under a bill approved by the Senate Tuesday.

Here’s the link to the story written by Doug Finke, that appeared in the Springfield State Journal Register.

www.sj-r.com/breaking/x1973693077/Senate-votes-to-increase-speed-limit-on-interstates

Despite closing the super max prison at Tamms and other facilities around the state the Illinois Department of Corrections will spend more than $100 million more in the upcoming year.  Here’s the link to the story written by Kurt Erickson, in the Southern Illinoisan.

thesouthern.com/news/local/despite-prison-closures-little-savings-seen-corrections-to-still-spend/article_c3344ca4-aa3d-11e2-a411-0019bb2963f4.html

With a court-mandated June 9 deadline looming the Illinois House on Thursday defeated a concealed weapons proposal favored by gun rights advocates, a setback that could spur negotiations toward finding common ground with lawmakers who back gun control.

Here are two stories from different parts of the state.  The first is a link to the Chicago Tribune coverage of the conceal carry legislation.

www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/clout/chi-illinois-house-defeats-less-restrictive-concealed-carry-bill-20130418,0,465210.story

Here’s a link to a story in the Springfield State Journal-Register.

www.sj-r.com/breaking/x1545202888/Concealed-carry-fails-in-Illinois-House

Lt. Gov. Shelia Simon issued a press release the concealed carry law.

Simon: Comprehensive background checks a “must” for concealed carry law

SPRINGFIELD – April 18, 2013. Lt. Governor Sheila Simon issued the following statement regarding House Bill 997 sponsored by Rep. Brandon Phelps (D-Harrisburg). Earlier this month, Simon’s Firearms Working Group released a 10-point legislative checklist to help guide debate on pending legislation.

“I appreciate Rep. Phelps’ tireless work on crafting a constitutional law, and I thank him for talking with our Firearms Working Group as we worked to gather information from the many stakeholders involved in the concealed carry discussion. However, House Bill 997 as written today does not go far enough to guarantee public safety.

“HB 997, as currently written, relies too heavily on the FOID process to screen for an individual’s criminal history, history of domestic violence, and mental health background to determine whether that individual could pose a danger. We know that the FOID screening is underfunded, understaffed, and unable to provide for safety within a short 30 day timeframe. We must include comprehensive background checks in a concealed carry law in Illinois.

“The working group also learned that most teachers and administrators at grade schools, high schools and colleges agree that we should keep guns out of our schools. This is consistent with the gut reaction of horror that parents feel at each school shooting. Concealed carry firearms should be prohibited from school grounds.

“This legislation is a good start, but there is still work to do. I oppose HB997 in its current form and encourage legislators to continue negotiations. I am optimistic that we can reach a timely compromise.”

Both gun rights and violence prevention advocates urged the freshmen senators and representatives who comprised the Firearms Working Group to pass reasonable restrictions that balance the constitutional right to keep and bear arms with the responsibility to prevent violence.

Currently Illinois is the only state in the nation with a law that completely bans carrying concealed firearms. The law was declared unconstitutional in December by a three-member panel of the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, and Illinois now has until June to pass a law that permits people to carry concealed guns in public spaces.

Please visit www.ltgov.il.gov/guns for additional information about the Firearms Working Group and the legislative checklist.

Plan Will Improve 2,142 Miles of Highway, Replace or Rehabilitate 517 Bridges and Make Major Investments in Public Transit

SPRINGFIELD – Governor Pat Quinn today was joined by Illinois Transportation Secretary Ann L. Schneider to unveil a six-year, $12.62 billion construction program that will improve roads and bridges throughout Illinois while making major investments in public transportation. The projects, including a number in southern Illinois, are part of Governor Quinn’s agenda to create jobs and drive Illinois’ economy forward, while updating the state’s transportation system. The upcoming highway, public transit, rail and airport projects will address critical infrastructure needs while making major transportation improvements throughout the state.

“Illinois is the transportation hub of the nation, and this program will ensure we have the modern infrastructure needed to compete with the world,” Governor Quinn said. “This major investment in roads, bridges and public transportation will drive economic growth in every part of Illinois, and create tens of thousands of jobs.”

The fiscal years 2014-2019 highway improvement program will improve 2,142 miles of highway, and replace or rehabilitate 517 bridges across Illinois. The plan includes $475 million to reconstruct the Circle Interchange in Chicago; $56 million to repair and upgrade I-74 in eastern Illinois; $83 million to resurface and replace bridges on I-57 in Marion, Pulaski, Union, Johnson and Williamson Counties; $76.2 million for a new Mississippi River bridge in Moline (in cooperation with the State of Iowa); and $40.4 million to resurface and repair bridges along Interstate 55 in Logan County.

“These projects will make our entire transportation system safer, easier, more efficient, and ready to accommodate our current and future needs,” Secretary Schneider said. “But they come with another benefit – the fact that we will employ thousands of Illinois men and women, and support numerous Illinois businesses, while construction is underway.”

For fiscal year 2014, the program has allocated $2.24 billion for road projects, $128 million for public transportation, $224 million for rail and $68 million for airport improvements. The total allocations for the multi-year program are $9.53 billion for roads, $1.81 billion for public transportation, $1.121 billion for rail and $159 million for airports.

The plan includes $7.2 billion in anticipated federal funds, $1.9 billion in state funds and the remainder from local and other sources. Additional bond authorization will be required to continue funding these transportation projects. The $580 million remaining for road and bridge projects from Governor Quinn’s Illinois Jobs Now! capital construction program is also included in this multi-year program.

Projects that are part of the fiscal years 2014-2019 program will begin after July 1 this year. Governor Quinn and Secretary Schneider last month announced $486 million in road and bridge projects that will begin this spring is one of the largest early-season construction programs in the state’s history.

Many of the projects announced today are funded through legislation Governor Quinn championed in his State of the State address earlier this year. Of those projects, IDOT is offering contractors a reimbursement rate of $10 an hour for hiring graduates of the Highway Construction Careers Training Program, an IDOT-sponsored initiative to encourage women and minorities to pursue careers in the transportation construction industry.

The multi-year transportation program builds upon the success of Governor Quinn’s $31 billion Illinois Jobs Now! program, which is supporting more than 439,000 jobs over six years. It is the largest capital construction program in Illinois history, and is one of the largest capital construction programs in the nation. Prior to its passage by the Illinois General Assembly in 2009, Illinois had gone nearly a decade without a major program to address its critical infrastructure needs.

More information on the construction program may be found at http://www.dot.il.gov/opp/hip1419/hwyimprov.htm.

Projects of interest in Franklin, Hardin, Jackson, Jefferson, Johnson, Pope, Pulaski, Saline, Union, Wayne, White and Williamson Counties include:

Rubblization and resurfacing 31.9 miles on Interstate 57, from Perks Road 1.2 miles south of the Union County line to south of Old Illinois 13 in Marion in Pulaski, Union, Johnson and Williamson Counties; bridge replacements at Township Road 277, Big Creek, the Illinois 146 interchange and Westminister Drive; and culvert replacements at 1.9 miles and 1.7 miles south of the Johnson County line are programmed during FY 2015-2019 at a cost of $83.4 million.

Resurfacing 2.4 miles on the Interstate 57/64 tri-level interchange, north of Mount Vernon in Jefferson County, is programmed in FY 2014 at a cost of $8.8 million.

Interstate 57 from 2 miles south of Dix to Marion County line in Jefferson County. Resurfacing on 5.1 miles is programmed during FY 2015‑2019 at a cost of $8.1 million.

Resurfacing 4.4 miles and bridge replacement on the eastbound Illinois 37 interchange on Interstate 64, from Interstate 57 to Illinois 142 east of Mt. Vernon in Jefferson County, are programmed during FY 2015-2019 at a cost of $10.3 million.

Resurfacing 6.5 miles and bridge deck overlay on Interstate 64, from 6.5 miles east of the Wayne County line to 0.4 mile west of Illinois 1 in White County, are programmed in FY 2014 at a cost of $12 million.

Bridge replacement, engineering for contract plans and construction engineering on Interstate 64 at Wabash River in White County are programmed during FY 2015-2019 at a cost of $71 million. Indiana and Illinois will share the cost equally, with Illinois being the lead agency.

Reconstruction and additional lanes for 4.3 miles, land acquisition and construction engineering on US 45, from 3 miles south of Illinois 141 at Texas City to Illinois 142 in Eldorado, are programmed in FY 2014 at a cost of $28.5 million, funded through the Illinois Jobs Now! capital plan.

Resurfacing 13.2 miles, bridge replacements and culvert replacements on Illinois 1/14, from Grayville to Carmi, are programmed during FY 2014-2019 at a cost of $5.2 million. Of this total, bridge replacement over Crooked Creek is programmed in FY 2014 at a cost of $1.1 million.

Resurfacing 11.4 miles on Illinois 14, from Hamilton County line to Illinois 1 in Carmi, is programmed in FY 2014 at a cost of $3.2 million.

Resurfacing 5.3 miles, land acquisition and utility adjustments on Illinois 37, from the south corporate limits of Benton to Yellow Banks Road north of West Frankfort, are programmed during FY 2015‑2019 at a cost of $6.5 million.

Resurfacing 9.3 miles on Illinois 37, from Illinois 146 to the Pulaski County line in Johnson County, is programmed during FY 2015-2019 at a cost of $2 million.

A bridge replacement on Illinois 127 over Beaucoup Creek, 2 miles south of Illinois 4 in Jackson County is programmed during FY 2015‑2019 at a cost of $6.8 million.

A bridge replacement on Illinois 127 (Bridge Street) over Big Muddy River at the south corporate limits of Murphysboro is programmed during FY 2015‑2019 at a cost of $3 million.

Grading, culvert extension and slope stabilization on Illinois 141, from New Haven to 2 miles east of New Haven in White County, are programmed during FY 2015-2019 at a cost of $3 million.

Resurfacing on 22.5 miles on Illinois 146, from the Johnson County line to Illinois 34 in Hardin and Pope Counties, and bridge replacement over Flat Lick Branch are programmed during FY 2014‑2019 at a cost of $5.8 million. Of this total, bridge replacement over Flat Lick Branch is programmed in FY 2014 at a cost of $1.2 million.

Construct new rail infrastructure leading from the Union Pacific Railroad to Continental Tire N.A. in Jefferson County to allow for inbound car loads of oil, synthetic rubber and carbon black. The project is estimated to cost $1.2 million.

Improvements to the Shawnee Mass Transit District Facility at an estimated cost of $1.45 million, funded through the Illinois Jobs Now! capital plan.

4 35-foot diesel buses, 3 super medium duty diesel buses, 8 medium duty diesel buses and 1 minivan for replacement at the Rides Mass Transit District Rolling Stock. The project’s estimated cost is $2.452 million and is funded through the Illinois Jobs Now! capital plan.

Rehabilitate and remark two taxiways at the Mt. Vernon Airport at an estimated cost of $438,000.

By Bob Kelley

Retired RLC Sports Information Director

INA, Ill.  Any Hall of Fame is meant to give recognition to the best of the best.

The Rend Lake College Sports Hall of Fame must be doing something right. Consider the Class of 2013, comprised of three individuals and one team:

The deserving 14th Class of RLC Sports Hall of Fame Inductees will be honored Saturday, April 27, on the Ina campus. Festivities get under way at 5:30 p.m., in the Student Center Pat Kern Private Dining Room. The public is invited to attend. Reservations are required and can be made by contacting the RLC Athletic Department at (618) 437-5321, Ext. 1250, or by email to oxford@rlc.edu.

• Rebecca Harris (Mascoutah) was one of the top two scorers in Women’s Basketball history when she played for the Lady Warriors from 2004-06.  She ranked No. 3 in the country by scoring 707 points and averaging 23.6 points-per-game as a sophomore, earning All-America Honorable Mention status before becoming the first Juco recruit in six years at the University of Illinois.

• Craig Sands (Highland) established Warrior Baseball records for most single-season and career pitching victories (16 and 31, respectively), complete games (16 and 28) and innings pitched (144 and 258). They erased standards that were established 11 years prior to his arrival, and they remain on a pedestal alone to this day . . . especially impressive since he played from 1987-89.

• Brad Weathers (hometown, Benton) was a reliable contributor to winning RLC Basketball Teams, including 20-6 Southern Illinois College Conference frontrunners, who went on to play for McKendree College (now McKendree University). But it is as an Alumni Coach that he gained entry into the McKendree Hall of Fame in 1999, the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2005 and now the RLC Hall of Fame. He was “Coach of the Year” following a 32-3 Carlyle Indian Class A State Championship season in 1988-89 and his teams have won 477 games in 23 seasons at Carlyle and the last four at Nashville Community High School.

• Ho-hum, another NJCAA National Championship Cross-Country Team – more specifically, Fall 2006 – from RLC. Not so fast. Do not dismiss a fourth title – following those of past RLC Sports Hall of Fame Inductees representing Fall 2001, Fall 2002 and Fall 2003 – as mere formality. This one came as a Division I competitor, just three years after the top two NJCAA divisions were combined; i.e., the challenge was even more demanding for the three-time D-II champs, who settled for third the next two years following consolidation before the D-I breakthrough.

Rebecca Harris (Women’s Basketball 2004-2006)

Hall of Fame Charter Member Susie Woodward (Class of 2000) is the Lady Warrior record-holder in basketball after scoring 849 points her second year and 1,368 points from 1981-83.
Statistics for seven games her freshman campaign are not available for “Bec” Harris. But she netted 498 points in 22 documented games. Even without those seven “missing” outings, her 1,205 points surpass the 1,110-point total of 2003 Hall of Fame inductee Cheryl Weis (1987-89) to rank No. 2 behind Woodward. And the 22.6-point freshman average for Harris projected over seven more games would put her very close to Woodward’s total.
She formed a potent 1-2 punch with 3-point specialist Courtney Magness. Harris scored 30 points or more at least 10 times. Included were 33 (with four treys), 33 and 30 in a four-game span early in 2004-05 and back-to-back-to-back outbursts of 35 (23-24 FT) versus GRAC champ Southeastern Illinois, 35 in a home win over Vincennes (IN) and 30 (three 3s) versus Olney Central late.
She recorded games of 32, 33 (four treys) and 30 (13-15 FT in her swan song) down the stretch as a sophomore, when she also averaged 5.8 rebounds, 5.8 assists and 2.0 steals under first-year Head Coach Glenn Box. The Lady Warriors were 18-13 and 19-12 with Harris earning All-GRAC and All-Region XXIV honors, behind “Player of the Year” and All-American Amber Holt of SIC.
Her 23.6-ppg average trailed only Naelonda Zamudio (28.2) of Kennedy-King College in Chicago and Alberta Auguste (23.7) of Central Florida C.C. in D-I. Her 707 points in 30 games ranked behind Aisha Mohammed (729 / 33) of Central Arizona and Rita Kollo (711 / 34) of Colby C.C. (Kan.). Harris hit 47.4 percent FG (249-525), 39.0 percent 3FG (41-105) and 75.0 percent FT (168-224) as a sophomore.
For the Fighting Illini, she played in 30 games as a junior before starting 25 of 35 games at point guard as a senior. She averaged 10.1 ppg en route to Academic All-Big Ten and an All-Big Ten Tournament berth sparked by a double-double (19 points, 10 rebounds) in an opening win over Wisconsin, 22 points in a quarterfinal upset of No. 22 Ohio State and 15.3 ppg as her team reached the finals. U of I career statistics – 8.3 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 2.0 apg, 36.9 percent 3FG (third-best all-time) and 79.3 percent FT (sixth all-time).
Harris spent the past season as a Women’s Basketball Assistant Coach for Chipola College (Fla.).

Craig Sands (Baseball 1987-1989)

Sands, a 6-foot-5, 220-pound hard-throwing righthander, completed all seven starts with a 6-1 record as a freshman in Fall 1987 and never let up during a sterling career, capped by All-GRAC and All-Region XXIV recognition.
He set combined Fall-Spring single-season records as a newcomer with 16 wins (16-6, including two fall losses in relief and 10-3 in the spring) and 16 complete games in 19 starts and the 144 IP. He departed with career marks in the same categories – a 31-11 record, 28 CG in 37 starts and the workmanlike 258 innings.
Coach Paul Evans & Co., captured a GRAC title – 23-8 overall in the fall – thanks to freshman Sands and his 2.83 earned run average. His decisions included a 10-0 blanking of Kaskaskia and a pair of 4-1 verdicts over John A. Logan. Evans called his four-hit, 3-1 win in 10 innings over Lincoln Land that spring (unearned run) “probably the best pitched game I’ve seen here” in his two years as a Pitching Coach and third year as the Head Coach.
An effective breaking pitch and the ability to throw strikes helped Sands to a 3.13 ERA for a squad that finished 69-31-1 overall that first year. His batterymate was sophomore Chad Stombaugh, a Kansas City Royals draft pick named to the RLC Sports Hall of Fame in 2010.
As a sophomore, he was 9-2 in the fall for a 24-8 team, 15-5 overall (62-29 team) for Head Coach Jim McGuire. Career stats – 45 appearances, seven shutouts, 3.66 ERA and 200:122 strikeout-to-walk ratio.
Sands continued his RLC connection at Southwest Missouri State University (now Missouri State U.), where he played for Coach Keith Guttin, a Warrior Assistant in 1982, and Pitching Coach Evans. His three shutouts in Spring 1990 tied a Bears record he still shares. A 1.60 ERA, also as a junior, ranks third all-time.
Before hanging up his baseball uniform, Sands returned to RLC as an Assistant Coach one season under McGuire (1991-92) and two seasons with Rich Campbell (1992-94).

Weathers emerges from two classes of former Warriors (1971-72 and 1972-73) which produced at least eight future coaches. His playing credentials were steady-but-less-than-spectacular (4.5 points and 4.8 rebounds as a freshman, 6.4 and 5.5, respectively, as a sophomore) but were more than enough to qualify him as an Alumni Coach, the first to be inducted in that niche of the RLC Sports Hall of Fame.
In addition to the 1989 Class A State crown, Weathers guided five other Carlyle teams to 20-win seasons; the school’s first Regional title in 1985-86 and two others besides the championship season (1987-88 and 1999-2000), and overall mark of 391-288 (.576) between 1981-2004.
Led by University of Illinois signees Phil Kunz and Tom Michael, the Indians were 132-23 during five seasons capped by the Class A crown. All-State Tournament pick Jason Peters played two seasons for RLC and was an Academic All-American.
Weathers left the bench after 2003-04 to become Nashville Community High School Principal. He would return as a Volunteer Assistant for RLC product Darin Lee, then retired as an administrator after 35 years in education to succeed Lee as NCHS Head Coach in 2009. He has led the Hornets to a record of 86-36 (.705) and the 2013 Regional title.
His record as a Head Coach is 477-324 (.596), with 10 league titles.
When he was welcomed into the McKendree Sports Hall of Fame, he was deemed “an outstanding credit to McKendree College and his community. Not only has he led winning teams, but his teams always exhibit respect for opponents, dignity in victory or defeat and good sportsmanship. His influence on his players extends beyond their high school years.”
Weathers was District 19 Class A “Coach of the Year” in 1988 and both IBCA and Southern Illinois Coaches Association Class A “Coach of the Year” in 1989. He is a Past President of the SICA and serves on the IBCA Board of Directors and the IHSA Basketball Advisory Committee.
James Bradley Weathers and wife Cindi are the parents of three adult children – Lindsay Fark, who has worked at Carlyle Jr. High five years; Patrick, who has been NCHS Sophomore Coach four seasons, and Holly, a senior at McKendree who coaches the high school Dance Team.
As a player, he learned from three of the best – Hall-of-Famers Rich Herrin (BCHS), Jim Waugh (RLC) and Harry Statham (McKendree). The Warriors were 18-11 his first season, 20-6 (7-1 Southern Illinois College Conference champs) the second year.
Among teammates – 2011 RLCF “Alumnus of the Year” Ron Smith, SIUC Associate Head Coach at the time and a former Ranger as well, and GRAC Basketball Official Steve Morris, MVTHS Softball Coach.
Other coaching alums/Weathers teammates include John Kretz, who returned to RLC early in his coaching career and is now a member of the Hall of Fame Selection Committee; Greg Hale, Executive Director of the Southern Illinois Jr. High School Athletic Association after retiring as Pinckneyville Community H.S. Softball Coach; David Loucks; Don Smith; Mike Guthrie, and Mike Hayes.

2006 Cross Country Team

Marked improvement in Fall 2006 did not seem likely for the Winged Warriors when individual champion Tyson David (Kenya) burst through the finish line first for Central Arizona C.C. Close behind were CACC teammates in fifth- and sixth-place.
But fellow African Elkanah Kibet (Eldoret, Kenya), despite a tactical error during the race, managed to finish third as RLC’s expected frontrunner. Freshman Kibet, who paced himself initially with a frontrunner who was unable to maintain the speed, was timed in 22:44, behind the 22:36 of David and the 22:41 of runner-up Daniel Maina of Cowley County (Kan.) over the flat, 8K El Paso, Texas, course.
Don’t jump to conclusions. First-Team All-American Kibet had some friends of his own not too far behind. Teammates Steeve Gabart (Miami Shores, FL) and Cory Currie (Ontario, Canada) were Second-Team All-America and All-America Honorable Mention, respectively. Gabart was ninth in 24:07 and Currie was 11th in 24:24.
And Kibet had more of them. More friends, that is. Fast friends forever. Better balance from Kyle Cash (Greenup), 19th in 24:55, and Ahmed Mohamed (Carol Stream), 26th in 25:16. The latter two were acknowledged as NJCAA Cross-Country Coaches Association All-America for being in the Top 15 American-born participants.
Every Rend Lake College entrant set his season PR (personal record).
Discounting any placements of top runners competing as individuals rather than members of a team, Coach Brent McLain’s five-man Warrior contingent racked up a low total of 64 points – 3-9-11-19-26, minus four independent runners – to 74 for second-place Central Arizona, whose last two runners could do no better than a combined 62 points. Let’s hear it for Cash and Mohamed. Butler County (KS) C.C. was a distant third with 107 points. There were 26 teams vying for honors.
Also competing for Team RLC were Jeremy Whitaker (Granite City) in 67th-place (26:12) and Trevor Popravak (Ft. Myers, FL), 77th in 26:26.
McLain indicated this victory “was the sweetest of all four” earned by his program. No doubt, in part, because it had Division I distinction.
“Regarding his team’s reaction,” Rend Lake College Sports Information Director Narthan Wheeler reported, “McLain said it was the most exciting running achievement for (the Warriors) to date. However, the pride runs deeper than the seven runners who brought home a championship.
“ ‘This isn’t just for the team or the Athletics program,’ ” Wheeler quoted McLain. “ ‘This one is for the entire Rend Lake College family. It’s for everyone who has supported us.’ ”
The expanded 2006-07 Cross-Country Team also counted Assistant Coach Mark McCall, Phil Mevert (Steeleville), Robert Kapsoiyo (Eldoret, Kenya), Chris Rengifo (Woodbridge, Ontario, Canada), Alphonso Shepherd (Dayton, OH), Stephen Williams (Marion), Andrew Acuna (Indianapolis, IN), John Kennedy (Pittsboro, IN) and Ty Williams (Panama City, FL) among its ranks.
Kibet was back in Fall 2007, repeating as a First-Team All-American in fifth. The Warriors were fourth as a team. Team members also included Whitaker and Kapsoiyo.

CHAMPS – The 2006 national championship cross country team is greeted upon their return from Texas to the Rend Lake College campus. L-R, Kyle Cash (Greenup, Ill.), Jeremy Whitaker (Granite City, Ill.), Trevor Popravak (Fort Myers, Fla.) , Cory Currie (Ontario, Can.), Steeve Gabart (Miami Shores, Fla.), Ahmed Mohamed (Carol Stream, Ill.), Head Coach Brent McLain, Elkanah Kibet (Eldoret, Ken.), Assistant Coach Mark McCall. (Photo by Nathan Wheeler/RLC Sports Information)