Elgin Sports Hall of Fame announces 2019 class
After membership cast more than 1,000 votes, five individuals have been selected for the 2019 Elgin Sports Hall of Fame induction.
The annual induction and recognition banquet will be held at The Centre of Elgin, 100 Symphony Way, on Sunday, Nov. 3.
The honorees are former Elgin basketball players Dave Becker and Rich Hopkins, Larkin softball player Anne Vogt and two individuals chosen as a "Friend of Sports," Dave St. John and the late Dave Covey.
"I think people really appreciated their passion for high schools sports, and the athletes themselves," said Elgin Sports Hall of Fame Board President Ron Lange. "Their love and passion for high school sports, I think, are certainly qualities that people like."
In addition to those five, two teams will be inducted: Larkin's 1979 Class 5A semifinal football team and the 1943-44 Elgin boys basketball team that finished second in the state tournament.
The Vic Masi Service Award will go to Ron Meyers, a 24-year volunteer at the Elgin National Little League. The Elgin Sports Hall of Fame annually presents 30 scholarships to student-athletes who attend high schools in Elgin or live in town, and also highlights numerous outstanding achievement recipients.
Lange noted that hall of fame members averaged 6 votes per ballot this year, making it a very tight contest.
"Many people have said this year was very difficult to make final decisions on votes because it was a diverse but highly qualified group of candidates. That bodes well for the future," Lange said.
More information on the Elgin Sports Hall of Fame is available at www.eshof.org.