Short, team recognitions highlight Elgin Sports Hall of Fame gala

Larkin graduate Rick Short experienced athletics both at the local and professional levels.

But youth sports still hold a special place in his heart.

"The biggest memories for me are the teammates and friendships," he said. "Playing professional sports is fun, but it's nothing like playing with your buddies when you were younger. You were playing with the same group of kids growing up and you got to know your buddies real well."

Short's athletic career was honored at last Saturday's Elgin Sports Hall of Fame Foundation banquet held at The Centre of Elgin. Short was part of a Class of 2015 that also included fellow Larkin athletic greats Sherrick Simpson (basketball, Class of 1993) and Teddy Johnson (football, Class of 1997), Elgin High swimming sensation Mark Michelson (Class of 1961 who still holds the school record in the butterfly) and St. Edward two-time state wrestling champion Mike Bondi (Class of 1996).

Short, who played baseball and football at Larkin (he recalled his time as a strong safety on the 1990 Larkin football team that advanced to the state quarterfinals, losing a memorable 49-42 game to East St. Louis), went on to enjoy a 16-year professional baseball career (including more than 4,600 minor league at-bats) that eventually took him to the major leagues at age 32 with the Washington Nationals (he played in 11 games in 2005) and across the world where he spent four seasons with the Rakuten Golden Eagles of the Japanese Pacific League.

"You know, it was always a dream of mine to play professionally," he said. "I guess I maybe was naïve or I didn't know any better but I set my sights on it and was pretty lucky to be able to do what I did."

Short, 42, has fond memories from his youth baseball days in Elgin. "The biggest thing was the winning tradition," he said. "When I played in the Babe Ruth league they were annually competing for state championships. I played for Post 57 (American Legion) in the summer and we had some great talent."

These days, Short, who now resides in Peoria with his wife and three children, still is very much involved in professional baseball. He's been a scout the last six years with the Arizona Diamondbacks. He covers seven states in the upper Midwest, including the Chicagoland and northern Illinois areas.

The significance of earning entry into the Elgin Sports Hall of Fame was not lost on Short. "It's an incredible honor to just be recognized," he said. "It's the culmination of all the years of hard work. I played professionally for 16 years and had a heck of a ride. It brought things full circle, that's exactly what it did. To come back to where it all began, it's kind of like the finish line for everything. It's a perfect ending."

A new addition to this year's Hall of Fame proceedings was the recognition of Elgin-based teams for their accomplishments. Elgin High's 1924 and 1925 state-championship boys basketball teams joined the 1955 Elgin High boys basketball state runner-up team and the 1981 St. Edward boys golf state-championship team in enjoying well-deserved accolades.

Past ESHOF President Ron Lange was blown away by the dominance of the '24 team in particular, citing regional tournament victories of 62-4 (Marengo), 45-9 (Crystal Lake) and 65-11 (Hebron). "Beating people like that in the playoffs is unbelievable," said Lange.

Lange noted a big thrill at the banquet was the presence of Linda Temmerman, the granddaughter of Chappie Wells, a player on those state-championship teams. As a young reporter starting out in the early 1990s I can recall Wells calling into the sports desk on Friday and Saturday nights during basketball season with his trademark question, "How did Elgin do tonight?"

Three members of the 1955 team - Earl Lamp, Sam Werner and Tom Aley (an individual Elgin HOF inductee) - were present at the banquet. The story on the Maroons' tough loss in the '55 title game to Rockford West (a game in which Elgin led most of the way) was recited. Four players from the 1981 St. Edward golf team were introduced by coach Jim Perkins.

"It was so wonderful to see the reaction these teams received," Lange said. "Everybody saw how meaningful it was to the members, to the people who came to the banquet and to the players on these teams."

Lange said going forward each hall of fame class will honor two Elgin-based teams, which must satisfy a list of criteria in order to be considered for recognition. "We're educating people on the sports history in Elgin," he said. "It was a great moment and a great part of the banquet. We are bringing back the city's history with these teams."

Longtime former Larkin gymnastics coach and youth baseball coach Bob Todd was the recipient of the Vic Masi award, given to those who have contributed to the hall of fame, to athletics and sports in Elgin and/or to an Elgin school or schools.

Todd, who still teaches driver's education part-time at Larkin and coaches in the boys golf program, is the general manager of the Post 57 American Legion baseball team, which set a program high-water mark this past summer by winning the Illinois state title. Todd, a coach always on the cutting edge with technology and using it to publicize team and player accomplishments over the years, noted he's coached a total of 147 sports seasons between gymnastics, baseball and golf.

"My wife asks me why I still do it?" Todd said. "It's a lot of giving back to the community for what the community has given me over the years as a teacher and coach. What's rewarding is giving these kids the opportunity to do something they love and many of them continuing on with that same philosophy I have. It's my life. I enjoy coaching and being involved in youth athletics."

Lange noted the hall of fame's scholarship arm has never been stronger. This year, he said, the foundation awarded 27 scholarships worth $1,300 each to deserving Elgin-based student-athletes. Lange added the scholarship fund's success is made possible through the contributions of members and donors, as well as the group's annual golf outing.

"The support for the scholarship program has been tremendous," said Lange. "Our golf outing raised an all-time high amount and the donations and support we've received is at an all-time high."

Sports are huge components of any town, city or municipality. And it's great to see the Elgin Sports Hall of Fame, something few communities can say they have to properly honor local athletic history, continue to flourish. Lange predicts an even stronger hall in the coming years.

"The addition of the team recognition gives us another new impetus," he said. "Our scholarship program is strong. There is a lot of forward momentum. We will be able to do even better in the future."

And that's great news for one of the city's true gems.

Mike Miazga has been writing about sports in the Fox Valley for more than two decades. Email him at mjm890@gmail.com.