Several former Eastern Illinois athletes were inducted into the newly created Greater Illiana Sports Hall of Fame to Danville which will be housed in the David Palmer Arena.
The inaugural class was announced in the late Spring with the induction originally schedule for June. The event postponed to 2022 and will allow plaques of each inductee to be displayed at the Arena.
"The Greater Illiana Sports Hall of Fame is designed to honor outstanding athletic achievement by athletes, coaches, teams, and others from 50 high schools and Danville Area Community College in eastern Illinois and western Indiana.
Included in the inaugural class are several names familiar from the area with eight of them having ties to Eastern Illinois Athletics.
1) Kristin McBride (EIU Swimming).
2) Kyle O'Brien (EIU CC and Track & Field).
3) Roger Beals (EIU Basketball / being inducted as a HS basketball and CC Coach from Chrisman HS...coached both boys and girls IHSA Championship CC teams).
4) Virgil Sweet (EIU Basketball / being inducted as a player and as a HS basketball coach in Indiana...the Indiana High School Association Annual Basketball Distinguished Service Award is named after him).
5) Jim Richards (EIU Gymnastics / being inducted as a HS wrestling coach and referee from Hoopeston).
6) Gabe Spezia (EIU Track & Field).
7) Mike Hatfield (EIU CC and Track & Field).
8) Clayton Miller (EIU Head Football Coach 1942 and EIU Head Basketball Coach 1942-43 / being inducted as a HS football and basketball coach in Westville IL...credited with coaching the first HS night football game in US history/1928).
Five of the EIU connections are currently in the EIU Athletic Hall of Fame – O'Brien, Beals, Sweet, Spezia and Hatfield.
