Mac On Sports

By J. Thomas McNamara, Sports Editor She’s already in one Hall of Fame, and she’s a couple of months away from being enshrined in a second. Paula (Keller) Holtman was inducted in 1993 into the Millikin University Athletic Hall of Fame for all her Big Blue softball and basketball achievements. She graduated in 1988. Now,…

       The Decatur Tribune will publish its annual prep football preview edition Aug. 28.      Sports Editor J. Thomas McNamara whets readers appetites with this question what do Jack Hogan, Brylan Phillips, Deyon Jackson and Nate Hayes have in common.      Answer in the Aug. 28 Irish Stew.      I’ll ask another question next week about Decatur and…

         Two  legendary Bears and professional football Hall of Famers, Walter Payton and George Halas, are being set in bronze between now and Sept. 3.      The Bears announced Wednesday (today, Aug. 7th) that they will unveil statues of Payton, the team’s all-time leading rusher, and Halas, the franchise founder and long-time coach,…

         Josh Jostes has coached Maroa-Forsyth Trojans football teams to two state championships and six runners up, including three in the last three years. Jostes will begin his 20th season as the Trojans head coach Friday night, Aug. 30th, in Virden against North Mac. His record through his first 19 years is 178-55. For…

             Any athletic event coordinator has to be a fund-raiser first in order to keep his tournament afloat in these difficult financial times. The Decatur Thanksgiving Tournament is less than four months away from celebrating its 50th anniversary, and is blessed to have one. Tournament coordinator Mel Roustio came up with another brilliant idea…

        When Millikin moves into its new Workman baseball facility next spring on Fairview Avenue, Sunnyside Park becomes immediately available for another suitor to play there with the Decatur Commodores.      The Big Blue’s new baseball facility is directly south of the Decatur Indoor Sports Center. Eisenhower’s baseball coach Kevin Hale asked school officials to…

  By J. Thomas McNamara, Sports Editor      The 21st USTA/Ursula Beck Pro Tennis Classic at the Decatur Park District’s Fairview Park Tennis Complex begins July 25 and runs through Aug. 4. The main tournament begins July 29 and concludes Aug. 4 with the preliminary events, beginning July 25th.      Here’s the schedule of events: –Thursday-Saturday Main…

  By J. Thomas McNamara Sports Editor      For those interested in learning all they want about the storied origin of the Chicago Bears in Decatur Mark Sorensen is the person to contact. And there’s no better time for this as the Bears are starting to celebrate their Centennial season. Sorensen, the official Macon County…

        Don Spain, who was scheduled to be inducted into the Decatur Public School District’s Athletic Hall of Fame for his baseball successes at Eisenhower and in professional baseball, passed away in his sleep earlier today (Thursday, July 4, 2019).         Close Friend and former teammate Roe Skidmore responded to my call this afternoon on…

       During Mel Roustio’s decades of coaching prep boys basketball at various sites throughout Illinois, “Gene and I never went head-to-head coaching teams; However, our friendship goes back many years. My Illinois State basketball/baseball teammate, John Hornacek, was Pingatore’s assistant coach for a few years before John got into basketball officiating. John’s son, Jeff, played…