Libertyville High School is launching an Athletic Hall of Fame to honor Wildcat athletes throughout the school’s history. The inaugural class will be inducted in October during homecoming weekend, officials said.
LHS athletic director John Woods said the Hall will include students, coaches and teams dating back to 1917 that have excelled at their respective sport or role. Woods said the goal was to tie the past to the present, and give future generations something to be proud of and aspire to.
“The history and the tradition at (LHS) is fantastic,” Woods said.
During its athletic history, LHS has celebrated five state championships, received more than 30 state trophies, and hundreds of conference, district, regional, sectional and supersectional team crowns, a release from the school states. They also have received more than 400 state medals and had 48 individual state champions.
The inaugural class will include a mix of 15 individuals and teams, with 10 more being inducted in each of the following two years, Woods said. To be eligible, a student or team must be 10 years removed from the school. Coaches are eligible a couple years after they retire, Woods said.
The school is also asking the public to give their thoughts on who they think should be included in the Hall. After nominations are received, a selection committee will determine who gets the nod, Woods said.
“We want to make sure we’re leaving no stone unturned,” Woods said. “If we rely only on our committee or our board members, we may miss somebody. And that’s the last thing we want to do.”
Woods said there are a couple of spaces in the school they are looking to put up the Hall of Fame plaques. Those plaques, presented to the awardee, will include a photo and a short biography of that person or team.
The idea for creating a hall of fame started before Woods came to LHS three years ago, he said. He attributed the groundwork to the directors before him and noted the contributions by LHS Wrestling Coach Dale Eggert, who published a book chronicling the first 100 years of LHS Athletics.
For more information on how to nominate a person or team, please visit the school’s nomination form.
