By Mike Pearson
FightingIllini.com
Watch Induction Ceremony | Photos | Illini Athletics Hall of Fame
Though each of their comments contained uniquely distinctive messages, the consensus theme delivered by the 12 Fighting Illini legends who attended Friday night's third Illinois Athletics Hall of Fame induction ceremonies was primarily the same—"We don't get anywhere by ourselves."
Representing six different decades and sports, and traveling from seven states and Europe, the talented group gathered at the State Farm Center to share two-and-a-half hours of Illini memories and to express their appreciation to teammates, coaches, administrators and family members.
"To be successful, you need a team of people," said track and field star Angela Bizzarri Pflugrath, who now resides with her husband in Vallejo, Calif. "My teammates were next to me when things went well and they were next to me when I was struggling."
Illini basketball standout Eddie Johnson, who lives in Paradise Valley, Ariz., described himself as "a result".
"That's all I am," he said. "People took time to get me where I am today. I recall a simple quote from (President) Barack Obama who said, 'No one can do it for you, but you can't do it alone.' I had help … tremendous help!"
Deon Thomas, who broke Johnson's Illini hoops scoring record, echoed his fellow honorees' sentiments.
"We definitely don't end up as Hall of Famers without everyone being involved," Thomas said.
Illini tennis star Amer Delic, who travelled to the ceremony from his home in Austin, Texas, said that returning to Champaign-Urbana sparked a multitude of memories.
"Memories of incredible teammates … memories of being coached by some of the best in the world … memories of having the best professors," Delic said. "Back in 2003, when we won our national championship, I still remember the day in Athens, Georgia, running down to court six to cheer on Chris Martin to win the deciding match. For us to win a national title—a school out of the Midwest in the middle of the corn fields—was unheard of, but we did it."
Don Freeman, an Illini basketball star from the 1960s who resides in Omaha, Neb., admitted that it was a pair of 1950s UI standouts who ultimately convinced him to attend Illinois.
"I wanted to be an Illini because of (1950s stars) Govoner Vaughn and Mannie Jackson," said Freeman. "When I was growing up, they played at the playground across the street from me. I had an opportunity to go to other schools, but my mom wouldn't let me go anywhere except where Mannie and Govoner went."
Jenna Hall, the first softball star to be inducted into the Hall, still bears proof of her allegiance to the Illini.
"In 2007, I decided to get a tattoo," said the new University of Pittsburgh coaching assistant. "But it's not just any tattoo. I got the block I with the word 'Loyalty' underneath it. Loyalty is an intangible thing that I've really held close to my heart since I left Champaign. Loyalty to my friends, loyalty to my family, and loyalty to the University of Illinois."
Like Hall, women's tennis star Lindsey Nimmo Bristow, is the initial member from her sport to be inducted. She's now a partner at Chicago's Price Waterhouse Coopers accounting firm and says that her time as an Illini student-athlete provided her with valuable business skills.
"I learned about the importance of patience and hard work, the ability to handle stress, and to learn what it truly means to be a team player," she said.
Football legend Simeon Rice, now based in Phoenix, Ariz., called his years at the University of Illinois "the best time of my life".
"What I'm feeling today is similar to a father saying 'Job well done,'" said Rice, who brought his two young nephews to the stage with him. "I went on to win the Super Bowl and to play with some of the greatest players to ever play the game. But I'm telling you, the foundation was set back from 1992 to 1996. It was something special and something unique. It was a time in my life of humility, of finding myself, and of building. I told my nephews today, if you put your mind to something and you put your heart in it, anything is possible."
Ashley Berggren, the first Illini women's basketball player to be inducted, said she has special memories of Theresa Grentz being hired as her new coach.
"She said 'I will have All-Americans here at the University of Illinois and we will be Big Ten champions,'" said Berggren, who now lives with her spouse in London, England. "I turned to (teammate) Nicole Vasey and said 'This woman is crazy! Doesn't she know that we were 11th in the Big Ten Conference?' But at that moment, to see someone be so bold and courageous and audacious, I made a commitment to be that first All-American for her and help to transform the Illinois program. I credit her for igniting that passion and desire, and believing in me and my teammates."
David Williams, an All-America receiver for Illinois' 1983 Big Ten championship football team, called Friday night's induction ceremony especially meaningful.
"I'm in three other Halls of Fame (college football, Canadian Football League, and junior college football)," he said, "but this is the one that means the most."
Wrestler Bob Norman, the NCAA heavyweight wrestling titlist in 1957 and '58, described his feelings as succinctly as any of the 2019 inductees.
"I went to the greatest university that ever existed," he said.
Nineteen-seventies runner Rich Brooks spoke for Hall of Fame track and field coach Gary Wieneke. Afterwards, artist and former Illini star Rob Mango presented his mentor with a pair of beautiful portraitures, including one that will hang at the new Demirjian Park facility.
Also honored on Friday was UI football and track star Bobby Mitchell, whose health prohibited him from making the trip, and three deceased Illini stars: football's J.C. Caroline, gymnastics' Joe Giallombardo, and swimming's Joe Hunsaker.
Said UI Director of Athletics Josh Whitman, "Our Hall of Famers are the most elite Orange and Blue fraternity that exists."
