Elgin Sports Hall of Fame announces five new inductees
The Elgin Sports Hall of Fame Foundation's board of directors has announced five new inductees to the Hall of Fame. They will be inducted on Sunday, Nov. 7 when the Hall holds its annual banquet and induction ceremony at Villa Olivia in Bartlett.
The five new inductees are:
Gary Bohlin: Bohlin, a Larkin graduate, is being inducted for his achievements in rowing while attending Oregon State University. In his freshman year, he was named outstanding freshman oarsman. During the 1976-77 season, he was the only sophomore rowing on the Varsity 8 team. In Preseason Nationals 2,000 meter competition in San Diego, his team finished third. In the Varsity 8 Intercollegiate Rowing Championships Premier Race, Bohlin's team finished fifth. While a member of the 4-man varsity crew in his junior season, Bohlin's crew won the Intercollegiate Rowing Association National Championship in Syracuse. During the summer of 1978, he tried out with the best rowers in the country and made the lightweight Vespers Team in Philadelphia. This team won the United States Trials and the 2,000 Meter Amateur National Rowing Championship. After training in Oslo, Norway, Bohlin represented the United States in the World Championships in Copenhagen, Denmark. As a senior, he was named Outstanding Senior Oarsman, became a member of the Order of the Orange Oar (three-time lettermen), and was named to the Pac-10 All Rowing Team. Bohlin has a boat named in his honor at OSU, one of four individuals to have such an honor.
Jeff Brown: Nominated for golf, this Larkin graduate won five straight city golf titles from 1977 to 1981. He then came back to win again in 1983 by shooting a final round 6-under par 66, the lowest final-round score in city tournament play in recent history, if not ever. A 1976 Larkin graduate, Brown won the Skyway Conference title and finished third in the state junior college tournament in his sophomore year at Elgin Community College. He went on to become an NCAA Division II All-American his senior year at Florida International University in Miami, where he had been awarded a scholarship. He posted the low qualifying round for an Illinois golfer when he earned a berth in the 1982 US Public Linx championship in Indianapolis. He then made the cut for match play, but lost his first match. He also qualified for the Illinois Open six times through 1991 and made the cut in all but one of those tournaments and was an Illinois State Amateur qualifier three times.
Ryan McKenna: McKenna was an All-State athlete in soccer and baseball. He attended St. Edward High School for two years, then transferred to Larkin High where he graduated in 2000. McKenna was an All-State soccer player in 1998 and 1999. During his soccer career, he scored 105 goals (tied for 14th place in IHSA records at that time). In addition, he was All-Area four times, set the record for most goals scored at Larkin, and once scored 5 goals in one game (1999). In baseball, McKenna was named to the Chicago Tribune All-State Team in 2000. In addition, he was selected to the IBCA All-Chicagoland Team in both his junior and senior years. As a sophomore, he hit .516 with a .779 slugging percentage and did not strike out once all season. In his junior year, he batted .500 with six home runs, 30 runs batted in, and 64 runs scored (4th in state). McKenna hit 14 home runs and had 48 RBI in his senior season, with a .462 average and a 26 game hitting streak. He attended Arizona State University and played three years for the Sun Devils baseball team. He had a career average of .286 and tied the record for fielding with a 1.000 average, having made no errors in his ASU baseball career.
Fred Rhoades: Nominated for football, Rhoades graduated from Elgin High School in 1958. He played center and linebacker for the 1956 and 1957 Maroons and was a first team All-Big 8 Conference selection his senior year. In addition, Rhoades was named an All Chicago Area Prep and Chicago Daily News All-State selection, as well as being picked to the All-State second team, Chicago Tribune 1957 All-Star Squad, Chicago American All-Chicago Area Team, and All-Northern Illinois first team. He also received national recognition, as he was named to the National High School All-America All-Stars 1957 Team and was nominated by the Sporting News to the 1957 National All-America Prep Football Team. Rhoades attended Arizona State University, where he played football four years. He was a member of the Freshman All-America Team in 1958, All-Conference (Border Conference) first team in 1960 and 1961, and ASU co-captain in 1961. He also received national honors by making the Stanley Woodward's All-Sectional Team for the southwest as center. Following his college career, he was drafted by the NFL Buffalo Bills as a free agent.
Blaine Royer: Nominated for basketball, Royer graduated from Larkin in 1965, where he earned All-Upstate Eight Conference and All-Area honors from the Daily Courier News and Chicago Tribune as a senior. While at Illinois State University, Royer was a three-time letterman in basketball and set several scoring records in his senior year, when he was named a Division II All-American after averaging 20.1 points per game. Upon graduation from ISU in 1969, he was drafted by the NBA's San Diego Rockets, only the second ISU player to be drafted by the NBA. He has been inducted into the Illinois State University Hall of Fame both as an individual and member of a conference winning team. Royer presently ranks 10th on the all-time single-season scoring list for ISU.
For more information on the Hall of Fame, log on to www.eshof.org.
Hall of Fame golf outing: The Elgin Sports Hall of Fame is accepting walk-up registrations for its annual golf outing today at The Highlands of Elgin. Cost is $125 per player and includes lunch and dinner as well as raffles and a silent auction. Registration is from 9:30-10:30 a.m. and there will be a shotgun start at 11 a.m.