CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- The Varsity "I" Association is excited to recognize its 2016 honorees tonight and tomorrow during Homecoming Weekend. The honorees are:
Male Achievement Award: Bob Bucklin (Football '72)
First-Ever Female Achievement Award: Dr. Sheila Crump Johnson (Cheerleading '70)
Merit Award: Tony Clements (Football/Basketball '70)
Honorary "I" Inductee: Mark Johnson
In line with tradition, the Varsity "I" Association will present its Achievement Award, the highest honor bestowed upon a past student-athlete for post-graduate accomplishments to Bob Bucklin and Dr. Sheila Crump Johnson.
Bob Bucklin graduated from the University of Illinois in 1972 with a degree in finance, while being one of the distinguished Bronze Tablet recipients. At Illinois, he also was a part of the football team earning three letters as a starter. As a member of the football team, he was selected a two-time Academic All American honoree in 1970 and 1971 and was awarded the Big Ten Medal of Honor in 1971. He went on to earn a master's degree in business at Harvard Business School in 1974. Since graduating, he has held several high ranking positions in the banking industry. In 1974, Bob joined First National Bank of Chicago (Canada) as the President and CEO until 1989. From there, he became the President and Chief Operating Officer for the First City Texas-Dallas Bank from 1989 to 1993. Continuing his success, Bob joined Rabobank in 1993 as the Vice Chairman. After a successful career in the banking industry, Bob still continues to make an impact on several different organizations. He serves as a board member for Fresh Del Monte Produce, OSI Inc., Bay State Milling Co., Jacob Stern & Sons, Agrivida Inc., Cultivian Sandbox, and Frequentz Inc. Furthering his reach, Bob has a hand in several charitable organizations. In 1998, he was named the Director of Global Green USA. In addition, he also serves as the Chairman of the Board being appointed in 2013. He is also actively involved with Animal Rescue in South Florida.
Bob and his wife Lucia reside in Boca Raton, Florida, and have five children – Alex, Stephanie, Taylor, Alina, and Robert. Bob and Lucia have been major financial supporters of Fighting Illini student-athletes. They have established a scholarship endowment for the soccer program and have also made a campaign gift to the State Farm Center renovation.
Dr. Sheila Crump Johnson was admitted to the University of Illinois on a full music scholarship and earned her bachelor's degree in music education in 1970. She was a member of the cheerleading squad in 1969 and 1970 and was the first-ever female African- American cheerleader at the University of Illinois. After her time at Illinois, Dr. Crump Johnson began a successful teaching career. In 1979, she co-founded the ground-breaking Black Entertainment Television (BET) network. She is also the Vice Chairman of Monumental Sports and Entertainment and the only African-American woman to hold a stake in three professional sports teams – the NBA's Washington Wizards, WNBA's Washington Mystics, and NHL's Washington Capitals. As Founder and CEO of Salamander Hotels & Resorts, Dr. Crump Johnson oversees a growing portfolio of luxury properties including the equestrian-inspired Salamander Resort & Spa located in Middleburg, Virginia. She has also served as Executive Producer of four documentary films. Other significant achievements include being appointed to the President's Committee on the Arts and the Humanities by President Barack Obama. All of Sheila's remarkable accomplishments have made her a prominent figure and a leader in the business world.
Dr. Crump Johnson has two children, Paige and Brett. She is married to the Honorable William T. Newman Jr. of the Arlington County Judicial Center. By receiving this award, Dr. Sheila Crump Johnson becomes the first-ever female recipient of the Varsity "I" Achievement Award.
Varsity "I" also will present the Merit Award to Tony Clements for his loyalty and service to Fighting Illini athletics as a former letterwinner who also served as a staff member for the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics. Tony Clements was a graduate from the University of Illinois in 1970 and 1972 with a Bachelor's and Master's Degree in Recreation and Park Administration. He earned letters in football and was a member of the basketball team during his time at Illinois. Following his time as a student-athlete, Tony served as an Assistant Director and Associate Director of the Division of Campus Recreation at the University of Illinois and was later promoted to the Director of Campus Recreation in 1979. Before retiring from Campus Recreation in 2009, one of his biggest accomplishments during his tenure as the Director was the renovation and expansion of Campus Recreation Center East and the IMPE renovation, which is now called the Activities and Recreation Center (ARC). Tony has also been the University of Illinois men's basketball official scorer for more than 30 years. In 2012, he was called upon to serve as the interim CEO of the United Way of Champaign County, while also being appointed as a board member. One of Tony's past times is performing standup comedy. From 1990 to 2014, he produced his own annual comedy show, The Clements Comedy Café. Through his comedy shows, Tony was able to support several social service organizations including the Eastern Central Illinois Food Bank, the C-U Schools Foundation and the Champaign Parks Foundation.
A native of Raleigh, North Carolina, Tony currently lives in Champaign. He is heavily involved in the local community and has been a long-time football and basketball season ticket holder, while also supporting Illini student-athletes through the I FUND.
Along with the Achievement and Merit Awards, the Varsity "I" Association also will induct Mark Johnson as an honorary member for his long-standing loyalty, service and contributions to Illinois athletics. Mark is a native of Rock Island, Illinois, and wrestled at the University of Michigan, where he was twice an NCAA finalist and All-American. He was a U.S. champion and qualified for the 1980 Olympic Greco-Roman team. Mark started a highly successful coaching career in 1978 and had stints at Iowa and Oregon State before becoming the head wrestling coach at the University of Illinois in 1993. Mark then proceeded to transform the Illinois program. He retired in 2009 as the most successful wrestling coach in Illini history and one of the best nationally. During his 17-year Illinois tenure, Coach Johnson developed seven individual national champions and 45 All-Americans, won the 2005 Big Ten team championship, and guided Illini teams to 10 top-10 finishes at the NCAA championships. Mark is currently CEO of the Stephens Family YMCA in Champaign, Illinois, where he lives with his wife, Linda. They have two daughters, Tricia and Mackey.
