John Radtke joined the Daily Herald as a freelance sports reporter in the fall of 1995 and was named Assistant Sports Editor/Fox Valley Sports coordinator in October of 1997. He added the title of Online Prep Sports Manager to his duties in the fall of 2008.
Radtke has been a high school sports reporter since 1975 when he worked for the DeKalb Daily Chronicle through a co-op work program during his senior year at Burlington Central High School. He joined the staff of the Elgin Courier-News in the fall of 1975 and was with the Courier in two different stints between 1975 and 1992.
He received his education from Elgin Community College and Judson University. He has also worked in sports marketing and in private business.
An award-winning sports writer, Radtke earned a James S. Copley Ring of Truth Award in 1989 for his work covering the Elgin Area School District U-46 teachers strike, work that also earned him a Northern Illinois Newspaper Association award.
Radtke was inducted into the media wing of the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2003 and in 2006 was named the Illinois High School Soccer Coaches Association Media Person of the Year.
Radtke also won the 2010 Northern Illinois Newspaper Association award for sports reporting and the Daily Herald's 2010 Editorial Excellence award.
He was among a team of reporters honored with a Peter Lisagor Award in 2012 for best education reporting.
In 2014, Radtke was honored with the Illinois High School Association's Distinguished Media Service Award.
Radtke also serves on the board of directors for the Elgin Sports Hall of Fame Foundation, as well as on the Hall of Fame selection committee for Burlington Central High School and Judson University.
He was inducted into the Burlington Central Athletic Hall of Fame in 2014.
A lifelong resident of the Fox Valley, Radtke is also the founder, president and general manager of the Northern Illinois Lightning Fastpitch Softball program, a nonprofit organization that provides recreational and educational opportunities for area youth.