High schools: Stauner, Forsberg-Waddington join Palatine's Hall of Fame

Athletes Jim Stauner and Jodi Forsberg-Waddington will be inducted into the Palatine High School Athletic Hall of Fame before Friday's varsity football game against Fremd.

The induction will take place at approximately 7 p.m. on the north end of Chic Anderson Stadium at Palatine High School prior to the Homecoming varsity football game.

The inductees will be honored during a presentation before the national anthem.

There will be a varsity soccer game at 4:45 p.m. prior to the varsity football game slated to begin at 7:30 p.m.

Jim Stauner: While at Palatine, he was a varsity basketball player and state qualifier in track and field.

But very few athletes have a more impressive football resume.

Stauner was named all-conference, all-area and all-state his senior year.

In a coaches' poll that came out in the late 1970s, his talents were recognized in the Daily Herald as one of the top 30 Mid-Suburban League players of all time.

Stauner followed his high school career with an even better college career at the University of Illinois.

An All-Big Ten selection in 1976, he was selected to play in the prestigious Blue-Gray All-Star Game as well as the all-American Bowl All-Star Game.

His talents and accomplishments stood the test of time, as he was selected in 2008 as one of the top 30 defensive backs for the University of Illinois all-time football team.

Stauner finished his prestigious collegiate career by landing a contract with the Green Bay Packers in 1977.

After his playing days ended, he focused his efforts on giving back to youth sports.

He was a mainstay in the Lake Zurich youth sports scene, coaching football, basketball and baseball, as well as serving as president of the Lake Zurich Quarterback Club.

Jodi Forsberg-Waddington: She was a gifted athlete who excelled in three sports while at Palatine High School.

Even though Forsberg did not pick up the sport of diving until her junior year, she still managed to earn all-state honors her junior and senior years.

In track, she was a member of three state-qualifying relay teams. However, it was gymnastics that made her a household name across the state.

After competing at the highest level of club gymnastics her freshman year, Forsberg joined the gymnastics team her sophomore year and made an immediate impact.

In the 1988 season, she placed third in uneven parallel bars and fourth in the all-around while leading her team to a state championship.

Her junior and senior years produced similar results - two second- place finishes, two third-place finishes and a sixth-place finish in individual events. She led her teams to another state championship and a second-place trophy.

After setting numerous school records in high school, as well as qualifying for nationals, Forsberg competed collegiately at Eastern Michigan University.

A three-time captain, she was named the Mid-American Conference 'Gymnast of the Year' her senior year.

As her competitive career came to an end, she stayed involved with the sport by coaching at Palatine as well as other youth clubs.

She is widely renowned as one of the most respected gymnastics coaches in the state among her athletes and fellow coaches.