Sports Reporters- Memorable Games- Part I

(Originally published in December 2024)

High school sports in western Illinois has some great stories. Communities have loved their sports teams and supported them. A big part of HS sports over the years has been the tremendous coverage of local media. Sadly, many local papers no longer exist so some great stories today go untold.  

I asked some of my favorite sports reporters to share one of the many great games they covered. They have shared some really wonderful stories. I hope you enjoy reading them as much as I did. Thanks for sharing!!

I have gotten such a good response, I have divided it into two post. I will post the second part tomorrow.

Don O’Brien- Quincy

I covered a lot of things during my more than two decades as a sports writer - World Series, the Masters, U.S. Open, NFL playoff games. But nothing beats the 1998 Class AA boys basketball state tournament, held in Peoria.

The state tournament was still new to Peoria back in 1998, the town having swiped it from Champaign a few years prior. After what was arguably the best Western Big Six Conference boys basketball season ever, two teams - Galesburg and Quincy - made it to the Elite Eight and Carver Arena in Peoria. (And the only reason Moline wasn’t the third WB6 team there is because Galesburg bounced the Maroons in the sectional final.)

Indiana Fever- 10 Questions That Must Be Answered

The Indiana Fever have been an exciting team the last three years. They are loaded with three WNBA All-Stars. They have two players who were selected as #1 picks in the draft. Yet the Fever have been a fixture in 6th place and have won only one play-off series in three years. The Fever organization has under-performed. As the Indiana Fever start the off-season, here are 10 questions that will need to be answered by the Fever organization and/or the Fever players. 

1956 Galesburg HS Reflector

 

HOF Insights: Choosing a System & Then How Much Do You Change It Over Time?

(Originally published in September, 2025)

This Week’s Question-  Why did you choose the offensive or defensive systems that you used? Players change from year to year, how did changes in players impact your system? Did you stick with your system or did you make changes to your system? And finally, in the years you coached, how much did your system change thru the years? 

1956 Illinois Boys Basketball State Tourney- Official Program

Streaks Alumni Profile- Curt Wilcox 1979

Today’s Streaks Alumni Profile features Curt Wilcox from the Galesburg HS’s Class of 1979. 

Curt has gone onto to have a wonderful teaching and coaching career in Texas. There is no doubt that he has impacted many, many students. 

To be a successful football coach is not easy. Texas HS football is very serious stuff. 

I appreciate that Curt took the time to share his GHS memories and his life after GHS!

What Is Freedom of Movement?

I am all for the basketball concept of “freedom of movement.” 

Since the beginning of this WNBA season, everyone says the emphasis for officials is to allow freedom of movement. 

1983 Illinois Girls Basketball Class AA State Tourney

 

State Champion- Peoria Richwoods

2nd- Chicago Maria

3rd- Chicago Marshall

4th- Sterling

Don’t Have Rules You Would Not Enforce with Your Starting Quarterback

The other night watching the Fever vs. the Aces, I was reminded of some coaching wisdom that was shared with me. 

HOF Insights- Basketball Coaches October Checklists

In the “HOF Insights”, I ask a group of successful, veteran coaches to share their thoughts on a variety of topics. Each week, I ask a different question. The questions can be focused on helping coaches, parents or athletes to have a more successful athletic experience.  

October is a busy month for basketball coaches. Coaches are trying to finalize plans for the upcoming season. It involves everything from organizing equipment to organizing the staff. Coaches want to hit the ground running when practices start in November. This group of coaches share their October checklist. 

Massey Quiz #65- Dog Breeds

I am going to show you a picture of a dog, your job is to identify what the dog’s breed is. 

Coaching 101- Daily Dozen

Years and years ago, I attended a clinic where Sam Alford (Steve Alford’s father) of New Castle, Ind gave a talk on developing a program. One of the concepts he talked about was giving his JH coaches a set of 5 drills to do each day in practice. The idea was that the first 30-45 minutes of each JH practice “belonged” to him as the Varsity coach. 

I thought it seemed like a great concept. The person who we hired to coach any of our lower level programs (JH thru FS), they were often inexperienced in coaching and often limited in their basketball knowledge. 

1983 Illinois Boys Basketball Class AA State Tourney

State Champions- Springfield Lanphier

2nd- Peoria Central

3rd- Harvey Thornton

4th- Chicago Marshall

Galesburg’s Role in Stopping Al Capone

Prohibition & Al Capone

Prohibition in the United States began in 1920 with the passage of the 18th Amendment. It ended in 1933 with the passage of the 21st Amendment. 

During this period of time, Al Capone in Chicago built a huge financial empire selling alcohol. By the late 1920’s, Capone was pulling in an estimated $100 million selling illegal alcohol. That would be equivalent to over $1 billion in today’s dollars. The center of his empire was on the southside of Chicago, but it is estimated that the Capone mob controlled over 6,000 speakeasies in Illinois.

Streaks Alumni Profile- Curt Morgan 1978

Today’s “Streaks Alumni Profile” features Curt Morgan from Galesburg HS’s class of 1978. 

Curt has been highly successful in the business world. He has had a positive impact in every area that he has worked because of his strong leadership skills. 

His success is no surprise to any of us who knew Curt while he was at Galesburg High School. Curt was a focused student at GHS, and he showed tremendous social skills. He was leader through his humility and respect for others. 

I am so glad that Curt was willing to share his memories and his journey after  GHS.