Of halls of fame and a beloved coach

Here’s some potpourri from the email bag …

There’s always fame somewhere

It seems there’s a hall of fame induction going on somewhere at any given time. Here are a couple …

On Thursday, Glenbard South holds its ceremony. In addition to retired coach Dave Lohrke’s 2000 boys basketball team, inductees are Ashley Raymond, Matt Reimer, Shannon Roney, Mike Savini, girls track coach Mark Tacchi, and, with the 2026 Service Award, the late assistant coach John Smith.

Friday, Wheaton Warrenville South inducts its Class of 2026. The distinguished recipients are Tim Janeway, Dick Kee, McKenna (Kiple) Freund, the late Gary Luckey and Mark Savenok.

(Incidentally, in what is a huge honor, I will be introducing three-sport star Janeway, a 1980 classmate at Wheaton Central High School.)

The mailbag also holds news of Northern Illinois University’s Athletics Hall of Fame class, to be inducted in DeKalb on Oct. 23. That six-person class includes baseball player Matt German of Marmion and tennis player Nelle (Youel) Link of Crystal Lake Central.

R.I.P. Jim Koller

“He stayed with me when most others gave up.”

A great measure of a high school mentor, that is how one of Jim Koller’s players recalled the former Palatine High School baseball coach.

Koller, who died Aug. 31 at 82 years old, coached the Pirates from 1977-2002, a 26-year reign that stands as the longest tenure in Palatine baseball.

Koller taught business at Fremd and at Palatine, his alma mater, a 1962 graduate and himself a Pirates ballplayer.

Barrington baseball coach Paul Belo directly succeeded Koller at the Palatine program in 2003 after serving as an assistant coach from 1991-97.

“Jim was an upstanding individual,” Belo said. “Jim took great pride in being a husband, father, educator and coach. To a young educator he was a mentor; to a student, he was a favorite.”

Belo recalled that Koller was the first recipient of the Illinois High School Baseball Coaches Association’s distinguished service award.

“Jim’s athletes always competed with class and dignity, it was a non-negotiable,” Belo said. “As a coach, Jim captured the balance between lightheartedness, focus and intensity. It is why he was considered a players’ coach.”

Ruby anniversary

Aurora University will observe its 40th year of football this Saturday.

The game against Mount St. Joseph starts at 1 p.m. at Spartan Athletic Park, 1000 S. Edgelawn Drive, Aurora, but the celebration begins with refreshments at 11 a.m.

Starting at 11:45, people can hobnob with Aurora coach Don Beebe until he has to get his team ready. Even a minute spent with Beebe is worth it.

Captains from the 1986 Aurora team will perform the coin toss, and Spartans football alumni will be recognized at halftime.

Aurora did play football as early as 1899 but suspended its program between 1953-85.

Congrats

On Sept. 1 USA Swimming announced its 2026-27 men’s and women’s national teams.

Out of Hinsdale Central, Indiana University sophomore Josh Bey was named to the team in one of his specialties, the 200-meter breast stroke. In 2026, Bey was both the Big Ten Freshman of the Year and the conference Swimmer of the Year.

SwimSwam.com reported that on July 29 at the U.S. National Championships in Irvine, California, Bey swam the 200 breaststroke in 2 minutes, 7.58 seconds, the sixth-fastest time by an American. The list includes former Neuqua Valley swimmer and Olympian Kevin Cordes, third all-time at 2:07.41.

Bey holds Illinois High School Association records in the 100-yard breast, the 200 individual medley relay, and as part of Hinsdale Central’s 200 medley relay in 2025.

Kaneland High School’s Leah Hayes, a junior at Virginia, made the women’s national team in the 400-meter individual medley.

A five-time All-American for the Cavaliers, Hayes has been on U.S. national teams since 2022. She earned a bronze medal in the 200 individual medley at the 2022 World Championships in Hungary.

Hayes twice has participated in U.S. Olympic Trials, in 2020 and again in 2024, when she finished fifth in both the 200 and 400 individual medley.

Virginia stated that Hayes also was Sports Illustrated magazine’s “Sports Kid of the Year” in 2018 after she broke five national age-group records.

doberhelman@dailyherald.com