Today’s Streaks Alumni Profile features Dennis Jacobs from the Galesburg HS’s Class of 1970.
Dennis match anyone for most Silver Streaks boys and girls basketball games seen thru the years. He is not a critic, he is a fan supporting the coaches and players. As a sophomore, he was a manager for John Thiel and the Streaks ‘68 basketball team. There are not a lot of games that he has missed in the last 50+ years.
Anyone who knows Dennis knows he is a really good guy. I am so glad that he was willing to share some of his memories!
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| Dennis sweeping the floor at Streaks game In 1968. |
Favorite Teachers/Classes
Mrs. Dunn, Algebra. Mr. Fish, PE.
Sports/Activities at GHS
Served as a Student Manager my Sophomore year for the 9-1 Illini Conference Champion Football Team and earned my Varsity "G" Letter serving as a Student Manager for the 1967-68 IHSA State Runner-up 27-3 Basketball Team. Also followed the GHS Track team my Senior year all the way to Champaign when Mike Doyle won the IHSA State Long Jump championship.
I participated all 3 years at GHS in everyone of the Intramural program sports led by Mr Fish with my Senior year’s basketball team along with good friends Steve Hawkinson and Chat Stansbury winning the All-School Intramural Championship.
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| Dennis- Row 2, third from left G-Club as a junior in 1969. |
Best Memories from Growing Up in Galesburg/GHS
My best memories of growing up in Galesburg include playing Little League Baseball, Junior League Baseball, YMCA youth basketball, Junior League Basketball and High School Church League Basketball.
I remember fondly walking home from Rose Hoben Welch Grade School to my home on Bridge Avenue and cutting through the halls of GHS and listening to Coach Thiel talk to his basketball teams including my next door neighbor John Pratt, and then attending every game on Friday and Saturday nights I could.
I remember football and basketball games and track meets at George Churchill Junior High I worked as a Student Manager for Coach Bill and Coach Bob.
I remember every single football and basketball game my Sophomore year at GHS and attending every game I could as a fan my Junior and Senior years.
I remember the Summer between my Junior / Senior year working in the bookroom for Pansy Mendez stamping new books as they came in and being the one assigning student lockers. I set up all my 1970 Senior Class friends with lockers in the Band Hallway adjacent to the lunchroom. This gave us a perfect place to drop our books during lunch and also a place to stash our coats during basketball games. Everyone else in the whole school was assigned their locker by alphabetical order... which was what was traditionally done.
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| Patch from Streaks travel blazer 1968 Regional ticket stub, managers in row 2 1968 State Tourney floor pass |
After GHS
After GHS I attended Carl Sandburg College where I participated as a member of the Varsity Mens Basketball team with GHS friends Bobby Joe Mason and Larry Carr. At Sandburg I met my best friend and life partner, and in 1972 married my wife of 54 years, Jean.
Career
In 1973 I began my railroad career. First as a Yard Clerk with Burlington Northern and then transferring to the Operating Department as a switchman / brakeman. In 1987 I took a leave of absence from BN and began a 25 year as a Passenger Train Conductor with Amtrak. I retired from Amtrak in 2012, concluding a total of 39 years of railroad service.
Today
Since retirement I have had the extreme pleasure to follow my Grandsons and their journey through youth and High School sports. My youngest Grandson, Mekhai Richardson was a starter for the basketball team at Davenport North this past season and this year is attending Mount Mercy University and participates in basketball.
I have followed the baseball teams of GHS and American Legion Post 285 through the past 55 years since graduating from GHS. I have maintained my GHS Silver Streaks Basketball season tickets for over 45 years and attend every girls and boys Silver Streak game I can.
I am a proud member and Past Exhalted Ruler of the Galesburg Elks and take pride in our donating over $80,000 to local Veterans, local children projects and Galesburg area Non-Profits.
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| Jean and Dennis |
As a Lifetime Streaks Fan, What Are Some of Your All-Time Favorite Games
Some of my favorite games I attended over the years include the Rock Island game in 1966 where Dale Kelley scored 52 points, the 44-40 win over Proviso East led by Ruben Tripplet, Jim Reinebach, Mike Doyle and Zack Thiel in 1969, the 1990 Silver Streaks 66-62 overtime win led by Elmer Dickerson, Jason Shay and Sean Kane over Rock Island, the 2000 Silver Streaks girls overtime 69-59 win led by Meagan and Sarah Pacheco over Moline at Streator and the most memorable of all, the 1998 Silver Streaks Super Sectional 68-63 win led by Joey Range, Rod Thompson, Stevie Glasgow, Mike Tapper and Taylor Thiel over Rockford Boylan in Rockford. This was especially memorable because of sitting during the game with Zack Thiel and both of us crying remembering the 1968 Super Sectional win over Quincy allowing our team to go to State....
You may notice the games I have mentioned are not games when I was a manager for the 1967-68 Silver Streaks basketball team. That is because we expected to win every game we played in those years. We may have not been the favored team, but we didn't care.... we expected to win regardless of the opponent, regardless of expectations.
Watching history being made in the Dale Kelley game as a junior high student was special.
Every other game Silver Streak players and the team faced emotional and physical challenges and overcame what some thought was defeat during the game. Overcoming adversity, pushing defeat to the curb, exceeding expectations and never quitting is a trait and historical fact of being a Galesburg Silver Streak. A trait I am proud of.
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| Dennis, Emily, Jean, James |
Advice to Today’s Students/Athletes
My advice to students is to participate in all of the extra activities you can. Meet new classmates and expand your friendship networks. Reach out and befriend the student at GVAC, join the choir, join a service club. Attend all the football, basketball and baseball games you can. Catch Silver Streak Fever, it's contagious and lasts a lifetime. I know. My blood may be red, but I bleed Silver and Gold.
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