IHSA Announcements

April 17, 2002

Larry Wilcoxen Elected to National Federation Hall of Fame

Long-time athletic official and school administrator Larry Wilcoxen of Walnut is one of 12 individuals selected for induction into the 2002 class of the National High School Sports Hall of Fame. The 20th annual Hall of Fame Banquet will be held July 3 in Boston, closing the 83rd annual National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) Summer Meeting.

The 2002 class is the 20th group to be inducted into the Hall of Fame, which honors high school athletes, coaches, officials and others for their extraordinary achievements and accomplishments in high school sports. This year's class increases to 282 the number of individuals who have been inducted into the Hall of Fame. Wilcoxen is the 21st person involved in IHSA athletics to enter the Hall of Fame.

In the 102-year history of IHSA only one person has ever been selected to officiate in the state final in five different sports. That official is Larry Wilcoxen. Under the IHSA system, officials are generally limited to working three state finals in the team sports. Larry officiated the state baseball tournaments in 1984-85-87, the state softball tournaments in 1995 and 1999, the football playoff championship games in 1974-75-79, the girls basketball tournaments in 1989-89-91 and the boys basketball tournaments in 1978-78-81.

During his officiating career, Wilcoxen has worked more than 5,700 contests. Larry is still licensed as an IHSA official in all five sports. He first became an official on March 5, 1959, registering in basketball. He has worked basketball for 45 years, baseball for 43, football for 39 and softball for 16. He has been a baseball interpreter since 1994 and a softball interpreter since 1995.

Larry earned his bachelor's degree from Knox College in Galesburg in 1958 and his masters from Bradley in 1963. He taught and coached at Bradford Grade School before becoming superintendent and principal at Hahnaman Grade School and then Tampico Unit District No. 4. He retired from Tampico in 1994 and since served as interim superintendent at Tiskilwa.

In 1985, Wilcoxen was awarded the National Federation Distinguished Service Award for Section IV.

Following is a look at the other inductees in the National Federation High School Athletic Hall of Fame class of 2002:

J. C. Watts was an outstanding two-sport star (football, basketball) at Eufaula (Oklahoma) High School from 1973 to 1975. He also lettered in track and baseball and is considered one of the state's all-time top athletes. As a quarterback in football, Watts rushed for 3,800 yards and passed for 3,300 yards during his three-year career. He accounted for 37 touchdowns and was chosen all-state, most valuable player in Oklahoma and prep all-American. In basketball, Watts averaged 16.5, 19.6 and 25.5 points per game during his three years on the Eufaula varsity team. He also averaged more than 10 rebounds a game in each of his three seasons. Exhibiting signs of his future leadership abilities, Watts was selected class president in each of his three years at Eufaula High School. Watts' next stop was Norman, Oklahoma, where he quarterbacked the University of Oklahoma to consecutive Big Eight Conference championships and Orange Bowl victories. He was voted most valuable player in the 1980 and 1981 victories over Florida State University. From 1981 to 1986, he started for Ottawa and Toronto in the Canadian Football League and was voted most valuable player of the Grey Cup in his rookie season. Watts was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in November 1994.

The second athlete being inducted this year is Willie Richardson, former NFL wide receiver and standout at Coleman High School in Greenville, Mississippi. Richardson excelled as a wide receiver in the NFL, but played primarily quarterback while at Coleman. Playing quarterback during his junior and senior seasons (1958-59), Richardson led Coleman to back-to-back state championships. He was named all-Big Eight receiver for his first two years and quarterback for his final two seasons. In addition, all four years he was named to the coaches' all-America team. Richardson also was a three-time state track champion in the 440- and 880-yard runs. He then moved on to Jackson State University and moved back to wide receiver, where he led the nation in reception yardage his junior and senior years. Richardson was selected to the coaches' all-America game and the North/South Game, where he earned most valuable player honors. Upon graduating from Jackson State, Richardson was a seventh-round draft choice of the Baltimore Colts in 1963. For three straight years he was named all-pro for the Colts as Johnny Unitas' main deep threat. He also played for the Miami Dolphins before returning to the Colts to retire in 1972. After leaving the NFL, Richardson served as sports director for WBFF-TV in Baltimore for nine years. He returned to school and, in 1979, earned a criminal justice degree from Coppin State (Maryland) College. With that degree in hand, he returned to Mississippi to serve as the state's director of law enforcement until 1992. He currently serves as director in the state governor's office of capitol facilities.

Teresa Edwards is the only American athlete to compete in five different Olympic Games, most recently as a member of the gold medal-winning women's basketball team at the 2000 Summer Games in Sydney, Australia. As a high school player at Cairo (Georgia) High School (1979-82), Edwards averaged 17.5 points and 11 rebounds a game. Edwards was named first-team all-state her senior season after leading Cairo to the Georgia High School Association state championship. That year she was also named to the first team of Converse and Parade Magazine's All-America teams. She also excelled at track and field and was the Georgia AAA high jump champion. At the University of Georgia, Edwards led the Bulldogs to two NCAA Final Fours and three Southeastern Conference titles. Kodak, Naismith, Women's Basketball News and Street and Smith's named her All-American in both 1985 and 1986. During a nine-year professional career overseas ending in 1995, Edwards won championships in Italy, Spain and France, but it is her Olympic contributions for which she is best known. She won four Olympic gold medals and a bronze medal, as a captain of the last three Olympic teams. Four times she has been named USA Basketball's Female Athlete of the Year. She was a player-coach for the Atlanta Glory in the American Basketball League from 1996 to 1998.

The first of three coaches to be inducted this year is Gary Adams of South Carolina. During his career Adams has coached girls softball, and girls and boys basketball, winning nearly 1,000 contests in all sports. Adams is best known for his outstanding softball coaching record at Iva (South Carolina) Crescent High School. In 26 years (1976-present) as the head coach, Adams has won 601 games and lost just 60, earning conference or region coach of the year 15 times. In 1991 he was awarded with the National High School Coaches Association coach-of-the-year award. Since 1980, Crescent High School has reached the state finals every year except two. Adams has led Crescent to a national record 17 Class 2A titles, including 11 consecutive from 1987 to 1997.

Adams was also boys varsity basketball coach for Crescent from 1976 to 1992, earning two state championships and one runner-up finish. Seven times he was named conference coach of the year and three times the state basketball coach of the year. In both 1994 and 1999, Adams was awarded the outstanding service award by the South Carolina Athletic Coaches Association, of which he is a member. Longtime West Virginia baseball coach John Lowery will enter the Hall of Fame as one of the all-time winningest coaches in the sport. After beginning his career in 1971 at Harpers Ferry (West Virginia) High School, Lowery moved a year later to Shenandoah Junction (West Virginia) Jefferson High School, where he still coaches today. In 28 seasons at Jefferson, his teams have captured seven Class AAA state titles and been a runner-up three more times. His overall record is 814-214-3, with his 800th win coming at Hall of Fame Field in Cooperstown, New York. He currently has won 20 games in 25 consecutive seasons and averaged 26 wins a year over his career. In 1998, he was named National High School Coach of the Year by the National High School Athletic Coaches Association and twice has been named West Virginia High School Baseball Coach of the Year by the West Virginia High School Coaches Association.

Lindy Remigino has spent his entire coaching career at Hartford (Connecticut) Public High School, his alma mater. Beginning as a physical education teacher in 1953, Remigino has coached cross country, and indoor and outdoor track, winning 85.5 percent of Hartford's dual meets in that time. Remigino has coached his track teams to 31 state championships - 10 indoor titles and 21 outdoor titles. He has also guided Hartford to 25 city championships, including the last 18. Sports Illustrated named him one of the 10 best high school track coaches in the country in 1973 and again by Runners World magazine in 1983. Twice he has been named Connecticut coach of the year for track. As an athlete, Remigino competed in the 1952 Summer Olympic Games in Amsterdam, Holland. There he won gold medals in the 100 meters and 4x100-meter relay. That same year he was named All-American in the 100-meter dash.

Tim Heenan is one of three contest officials who will be inducted into the Hall of Fame this summer. During his career, Heenan has officiated football, basketball, baseball, softball, field hockey and soccer from his home bases of San Jose, California, and Victoria, British Columbia. He has officiated eight years of California Coast Conference football playoffs, including two Northern California championship games, and more than 18 Central Coast Section basketball championships. He also has officiated 12 California state championships in basketball, with one state championship game to his credit. From 1990 to 1996, Heenan was commissioner of officials in San Jose, contracting with 52 high schools to provide them with officials in 10 sports. At the national level, Heenan has been very active in the National Federation Officials Association, serving as board president in 1994-95. He is also a charter member of the NFOA Publications Committee, which oversees editorial content for the NFHS Officials' Quarterly. In 2000, he was awarded the NFOA National Citation Award.

Another official to be inducted this year is Charlie Lee of Hamilton Square, New Jersey. Lee is a longtime soccer official with 50 years of experience at the high school level and 40 years at the college level. He also has more than a half-century worth of experience in basketball and baseball. Lee continues to officiate those sports, as well as softball and swimming in New Jersey. He also has three years experience at the professional level, earning him a spot in the U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame. Lee has served as president of the Central Jersey Soccer Referees Association, New Jersey Officials Association and the Intercollegiate Soccer Officials of New Jersey. Lee is a three-time winner of the National Federation Distinguished Service Award in 1966, 1986 and 1993.

Rob Conklin, who has served the Denver Public School for 44 years, is one of three administrators in this year's class. From 1960 to 1966, he coached wrestling, football, cross country and track at Denver (Colorado) South High School. He then became vice principal and athletic director for the school until 1971. Conklin was then appointed as the director of athletics and student activities for Denver Public School, covering 10 high schools, 18 middle schools and 80 elementary schools. He served in that position for 17 years before being assigned to serve as administrative assistant to the superintendent. After retiring in 1990, Conklin has remained active in the school district as the hearing officer for expulsions. He was a member of the Colorado High School Activities Association Executive Committee (1978-87) and was president in 1985-86. At the national level, Conklin was one of the early leaders of the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA). He served on the NIAAA Organizing Committee and as its first president (1977-78). In 1986, he was awarded the NIAAA Award of Merit.

Serving Wisconsin public schools since 1964, Karen Kuhn will enter the Hall of Fame as the associate director of the Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association. Kuhn, who will retire from the WIAA this summer, coordinates game rules and tournament management for the sports of basketball, cross country, track and field, and volleyball. Before joining the WIAA in 1971, Kuhn taught physical education and coached girls basketball, tennis, track and field, and volleyball for seven years in three Wisconsin junior high and senior high schools. Kuhn has served terms on NFHS rules committees for track and field, volleyball, swimming and diving, and girls basketball. She has also presented numerous times at NFHS Summer Meetings and NFHS National Athletic Directors' Conferences.

The third administrator to be inducted this year is Jim Desmarais, executive director of the New Hampshire Interscholastic Athletic Association. Before joining the NHIAA in 1984, Desmarais was the principal of Plymouth (New Hampshire) Area High School. In 1998-99, Desmarais served as NFHS President and was awarded the NIAAA State Award of Merit in 1988. He has also served as president of the New Hampshire Coaches Association and the New Hampshire Interscholastic Athletic Association.

Inductees are chosen for the National High School Sports Hall of Fame after a two-level selection process. The first level involves a screening committee composed of active high school administrators, coaches and officials. The second and a final selection committee is composed of coaches, officials, former athletes, state association officials, media representatives and educational leaders. Nominations may be made through member state high school athletic/activity associations of the NFHS. IHSA is a charter member of the Federation. Nomination Forms are available by contacting thr IHSA Office.

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