A member of the famed Whiz Kids basketball teams in the 1940s, Gene Vance was First-Team All-Big Ten in 1942 and ’43 before earning Second-Team recognition in 1947 after returning to campus from active duty in WW II. He was named honorable mention All-American in 1942, ’43 and ’47. Illinois won back-to-back Big Ten titles in 1942 and 1943 and was widely considered the nation’s best team in 1943 before the team was broken up as all five members of the Whiz Kids left to serve in the armed services, with Vance earning two Bronze Stars while fighting in Europe. Vance played professional basketball five seasons for the Chicago Stags and Tri-Cities Blackhawks / Milwaukee Hawks. In 2005, he was named to the 25-player Illinois All-Century Basketball Team. He also served Illinois as its Director of Athletics from 1967-72 and as senior development officer at the University of Illinois Foundation until his retirement in 2000. Vance died in 2012 at the age of 88.