Elgin Sports Hall of Fame to induct five
The Elgin Sports Hall of Fame has announced its induction class for 2015.
The inductees will be honored at the ESHOF's annual banquet on Saturday, Nov. 7 at The Centre of Elgin.
Also honored that evening will be the first Team Recognition Award winners, which includes the 1924 and 1925 Elgin High state basketball champions, the 1955 Elgin High basketball team that finished second at the state finals, and the 1981 St. Edward boys golf state championship team.
And, Robert Todd will be presented the Vic Masi Award for community service.
Additionally, the ESHOF Foundation will recognize over 20 student-athletes who reach received $1,300 scholarships, as well as recognizing many Outstanding Achievement Award winners.
The ESHOF inductees for 2015 are:
Michael Bondi, St. Edward Class of 1996: Bondi was a four-year varsity wrestler and two time state champion. As a freshman, Bondi won the state championship at 103 pounds and set the school single-season record for victories. In his sophomore season, he was 22-6 and finished third in the regional at 112 pounds, then had a 31-2 record the next year in the 130-pound weight class. Bondi won his second state championship as a senior when he wrestled as a 140-pounder. He had a 20-1 record.
Teddy Johnson, Larkin Class of 1997: Johnson was a three-year varsity receiver in football. He was a three time all-conference selection in the Upstate Eight and a three time Daily Herald All-Area player. Johnson set school records for most catches (144), most receiving yards (2,300), and touchdowns by a receiver (24). Following his senior year, Johnson was a SuperPrep All-Midwest selection, and played in the North-South All-Star game. At Northwestern University, he played wide receiver and kick returner. In four years with NU, Johnson had 58 receptions for 1,006 yards and 44 kickoff returns for 1,010 yards. His 22.9 yard kickoff return average ranks sixth in NU football history. As a senior, he served as co-captain of NU's Big Ten championship team and was named All-Big 10 honorable mention. He signed with the Buffalo Bills in 2001, but was cut in training camp. After signing with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League, Johnson suffered a career-ending injury.
Rick Short, Larkin Class of 1991: Short played shortstop for the Larkin varsity for two years. Short batted .437 his junior year and .398 his senior season when Larkin won the sectional championship. He was a unanimous All-Upstate Eight Conference selection both seasons. He played three seasons at Western Illinois University, where he had a career batting average of .344. He set a school record for hits in a season (60), was the team captain, and a first team All-Midwest Continent Conference selection. Short was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in 1994 and played in the Baltimore, Chicago Cubs, Los Angeles Angels, Kansas City Royals, and Washington Nationals minor league organizations. During his minor league career, he had a career average of .319 with 265 doubles, 90 home runs, and 1,318 hits. In addition, he had two batting championships, including a .383 in the Pacific Coast League for the New Orleans Zephyrs. He was the MLB. Com AAA Offensive Player of the Year in 2005. That fall, Short played in 11 games for the Washington Nationals, batting .400, including home runs off Dontrelle Willis and Hall of Famer John Smoltz. Short finished his career playing four seasons in the Japanese Pacific League for the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles, where he won two batting titles while hitting over .300 in three seasons. He was elected to the Western Illinois University Hall of Fame in 2011.
Sherick Simpson, Larkin Class of 1993: Simpson was an All-State honorable mention forward and conference player of the year as a senior when he averaged 20.9 points per game. He played two years at Elgin Community College where he was a first team All-Skyway Conference selection both years and conference MVP as a freshman and JUCO all-American as a sophomore. As a member of the national champion Fort Hays State University (34-0) NCAA Division II team, Simpson was its second leading scorer at 14.6 ppg, named to the all-region team and was selected the Elite 8 most valuable player of the NCAA Division II Tournament as well as an NCAA Division II all-American. He played professionally for over 10 years in various professional leagues in the United States and Europe including for the Elgin Racers.
Mark Michelson, Elgin High Class of 1961: Michelson is being inducted for his achievements in swimming. He was the Most Valuable Swimmer as both a junior and senior. In 1961, Michelson set the EHS record in the 100-yard butterfly, a record that still stands, He was all-conference and conference champion in the butterfly and finished sixth at the state meet. He continued his swimming career at North Central College, where he set school records in the 100 and 200-yard butterfly and was the Most Valuable Swimmer for the 1965-66 season. Michelson won the College Conference of Illinois title in the 200 butterfly in 1963 and the 100 and 200 butterfly events in 1964 and 1966. He took national honors by winning the national championship in both events and was a member of the first place 400-yard medley relay team at the NAIA Championships in 1963, when North Central won the NAIA national title. The following year, he took second place in the 200 butterfly, third place in the 100 butterfly, and first place as a member of the 400 medley relay team at the NAIA Championships as North Central finished third in the nation. For his outstanding performances, Michelson was named all-American in 1963, 1964, and 1966. He went on to a career as a swimming coach, leading Longmeadow High in Massachusetts to three state championships and coaching 57 state champions. North Central College inducted him into its Hall of Fame in 2008.
For more information on the Elgin Sports Hall of Fame, visit www.eshof.org.