Illinois Athletics Announces 2019 Varsity I Association Honorees
September 24, 2019 | General, Varsity I
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The annual winners of the Illinois Athletics Varsity I Awards have been announced, and the eight honorees will be the guests of honor during Varsity I Weekend at the annual Orange Affair event. The Orange Affair is set for Friday, Oct. 18 prior to the Illinois Football homecoming game vs. Wisconsin.
Former Illinois football letterwinner and assistant coach Bill Tate will be awarded the Varsity I Merit Award. Track and field stars Tonja Buford-Bailey and Mark Avery are being honored with the Varsity I Achievement Awards. This year's Honorary I selections are UI graduates and donors Tom and Julie Scott, along with the trio of long-time Athletics support staffers Andy Dixon, Mike Hatfield and Al Martindale.
Each year, the Varsity I Association honors individuals how have impacted the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics with the Merit Award, the Achievement Award and the Honorary I. The Merit Award is given in recognition of loyalty and service to Illini student-athletes by a letter winner who was also an athletic staff member. The Achievement Award is the highest honor bestowed upon a member of the Varsity I Family for postgraduate achievement. The Honorary I is given to those who have made significant contributions to Illinois Athletics.
VARSITY I MERIT AWARD
BILL TATE: Bill Tate served the Fighting Illini Football program as a player and assistant coach during the 1950s and 1960s. In 1951, Tate earned All-Big Ten Honors as he helped lead the Fighting Illini to the No. 1 overall ranking and a National Championship. In 1952, Tate was named the MVP of the Rose Bowl for his efforts in the Illini's 40-7 win over Stanford. Tate graduated from the University of Illinois in 1953 and entered the United States Marine Corps. In 1956, Tate returned to Champaign to join the Fighting Illini Football coaching staff as an assistant coach and helped the 1963 Illini Football team to another Rose Bowl win. In 1964, Tate left Illinois to become the Head Coach of the Wake Forest program and was named the ACC Coach of the Year in his first season. After Wake Forest, Tate worked as the Vice President of Holly Farms, an Assistant Athletic Director for San Diego State University, and Levi Strauss. Tate is a member of the Mattoon High School Hall of Fame and the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame.
VARSITY I ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
TONJA BUFORD-BAILEY: Tonja Buford-Bailey is a three-time Olympic hurdler in 1992, 1996 and 2000, earning Bronze in '96 in the 400-meter hurdles. She won an incredible 25 individual Big Ten titles, had 10 All-America performances and was four-time Big Ten Athlete of the Year in women's track and field. Buford-Bailey won the 1992 NCAA title in the 400-meter hurdles. Her best result came in the 1995 World Championships in Sweden where she won the silver medal in the 400-meter hurdles, losing the race by 0.01 seconds, which was under the previous world record. As Illini women's track coach, she led the team to one Big Ten championship in 2013. Buford-Bailey most recently served as an assistant coach at the University of Texas. During her time coaching at Texas, her athletes have won 11 NCAA titles in four seasons. In international competition, athletes coached by Buford-Bailey won four medals at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.
MARK AVERY: Mark Avery is a 1978 graduate of the University of Illinois and former cross country and track athlete for the Illini. Avery walked-on for both the track and cross country teams and received a scholarship after his freshman year. During his time at Illinois from 1974-1978, Avery earned seven letters between the two sports. After graduation, Avery worked as editor and then sales manager for the Grain Journal before becoming a publisher in 1986. Under his guidance, the organization has grown to annual revenues between $2.5-$5 million and engages the industry through multiple different periodicals, online formats, and conventions.
HONORARY I
TOM & JULIE SCOTT: Tom and Julie Scott are both graduates of the Gies College of Business in 1983 and 1985, respectively. Tom is an Urbana native and the founder and CEO of CA Ventures, a Chicago-based real estate investment holding company. Julie is the President of CTS Impact, a hands-on business consulting firm she founded in 2002. Through CTS, Julie and her team advise Fortune 1000 clients. Together they have advanced their passion for scholastic achievement and founded the Scott Family Foundation in 2010. They are both very involved in the Gies College of Business, the University of Illinois Foundation, and several Alumni Associations.
ANDY DIXON: Andy Dixon spent nearly 30 years with the Division of Intercollegiate Athletics in the role of equipment manager. The Champaign native was a national speedskating champion and all-state football player at Central High School before earning a scholarship to the University of Wyoming at running back, where he led the Cowboys in rushing in 1973 and scoring in 1975. Dixon was hired as assistant equipment manager in 1981 and four later was promoted to head equipment manager. He held that position for 25 years before retiring from the U of I in 2010. Dixon was honored in 2002 as the Athletic Equipment Manager Association's National Equipment Manager of the Year Award. He and his wife, Cheryl, have two daughters, Whitney and Andrea.
MIKE HATFIELD: Mike Hatfield served the Fighting Illini for 29 years during his 36-year career in collegiate athletics. Hatfield's dedication to student-athletes and strong relationships benefited the DIA across various departments. He began his tenure as an academic counselor for the football and men's basketball teams for eight years before assuming the role of ticket manager the following 10 years, then transitioning to athletic development for his final 11 years. He was a lead fundraiser and served as Executive Director of the Varsity "I" Association upon retiring in 2010. The Hoopeston native attended and competed at Parkland College before continuing at Eastern Illinois University, where he earned bachelor's and master's degrees in education. He was a member of the Panthers' 1977 national championship cross country team and a 1979 All-America performer in the steeplechase. Hatfield is an Athletics Hall of Fame member at Eastern Illinois, Parkland College and Hoopeston High School. Hatfield has remained active since retiring from DIA, serving as Director of Advancement for St. John's Catholic Newman Center on campus. He and his wife, Carol, an Illinois alum, have two children, Angie – also an Illini grad – and Nic.
AL MARTINDALE: Al Martindale enjoyed a 30-plus year career with the Fighting Illini, serving the program as head athletic trainer. Martindale worked directly with the football team from his arrival in Champaign in 1983 through 2003. He then spent nine seasons with the men's basketball program through 2012. Following a brief retirement, Martindale returned to assist the Illini football squad as athletic trainer until 2014. A native of Postville,?Iowa, Martindale received his B.S. in physical education from?Upper Iowa University in 1973. From UIU, he went to Indiana State, where he earned a master's degree in 1974. Martindale is a member of the Illinois Athletic Trainers Hall of Fame, Upper Iowa University Sports Hall of Fame, and Postville High School Hall of Fame. He and his wife, Lisa, an Illinois alum, have children, Meghan and Marc, who also are both U of I graduates.
