Greater Peoria Sports Hall of Fame

Honoring the individuals and teams that contribute to our local sports history.

The Greater Peoria Sports Hall of Fame celebrates the rich sports heritage of Peoria, Tazewell and Woodford counties. We will promote and encourage the many varied sports programs in our area, share our pride and honor the accomplishments of the individuals, teams and organizations that contribute to our enjoyment and area sports history.

Four teams earn induction to Hall of Fame

Three state championship teams and one state runnerup will be inducted into the Greater Peoria Sports Hall of Fame when the organization hosts its annual banquet March 21, 2026, at the Peoria Civic Center ballroom.

Set for induction that evening are the 2004 Peoria Notre Dame boys soccer team, the 2006 Illinois Valley Central baseball team and two Eureka girls track and field teams, the 2002 state champ and 2003 state runnerup. Individual inductees will be announced in January.

Annual award winners, including Tri-County coaches and players of the year and the Neve Harms Award for Meritorious Service to Sports, also will be honored at the banquet. Social hour begins at 5 p.m., with dinner at 6 and induction ceremonies to follow. Ticket prices and reservation information will be announced in January.

2004 Peoria Notre Dame soccer

In its seventh consecutive Elite Eight appearance, Notre Dame finally broke through for its first state soccer championship, winning the 2004 Class A title. It was the first state crown won by a soccer team from the Peoria area.

The Irish clinched the championship with a 3-2 triumph over Sycamore on a Patrick Masso goal with 40.8 seconds left in the fourth overtime. Goalkeeper Adam Robertson was credited with nine saves in the game.

Coached by Peter Nash and led on the field by Journal Star Player of the Year Kellington Boddie, Notre Dame finished with a 24-2-2 record. The Irish season included shutting out eight opponents in a row.

2006 Illinois Valley Central baseball

Illinois Valley Central dominated the 2006 Class A baseball tournament, winning the regional and sectional title games, plus the supersectional, by a combined score of 31-0. The Grey Ghosts beat Trenton-Wesclin, 8-3, for the state championship.

Coached by Hall of Famer Jerry Rashid, IVC opened the season with a 21-game winning streak, finished with a 40-2 record and won the Mid-Illini Conference. The Grey Ghosts’ only losses were to M-I opponents Washington and Limestone, both Class AA schools. At season’s end, they were ranked No. 40 in the nation by Baseball America.

Senior Zach McAllister, a future major-league pitcher, posted a 12-1 record with a 1.05 ERA. Freshman Chris Razzo was 13-1 with a 0.97 ERA and a no-hitter over Coal City in the supersectionals.

The team set school records in batting average (.364), slugging percentage (.548), RBI (323), ERA (1.19) and strikeouts (316). Five players hit better than .410, led by McAllister’s .486 average. Tyler Anderson drove in 46 runs.

2002, 2003 Eureka girls track and field

The two Eureka girls track and field teams gained induction together as an Era of Excellence. The Hornets won the Class A state championship in 2002, then followed up with a second-place finish in 2003.

Both teams were deep with talent that spread across the spectrum of events. Abby Heinold finished her career with 14 state medals, including first place in the 400 meters and as anchor of the champion 4 x 400 relay team in 2002. She also won two medals in the pole vault. Megan Reese, who had won the state high jump as a sophomore in 2001, missed the 2002 meet with a broken foot, but returned in 2003 to win the event again.

The Hornets took the 2002 team championship with 48.5 points, easily outdoing second-place Braidwood Reed-Custer by 17.5 points. In 2003, Eureka scored 52 points but took second in the team standings behind the record-shattering 86.5 points scored by Freeburg. Don Samford coached the Eureka teams.

Nominations Page and Form

Grant money for area youth sports

The Greater Peoria Sports Hall of Fame is reinstating a grant program to provide financial assistance to youth sports organizations in the Tri-County area. The program was launched in 2016 and suspended when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020.

Youth sports programs from Peoria, Tazewell and Woodford counties are eligible to apply for the grants, which will be funded by benefactor contributions and revenues generated by the GPSHOF annual banquet.

Programs interested in receiving a grant should submit a request by the deadline of March 1, 2025. Applications will be reviewed by the GPSHOF Board of Directors, and three winners will be announced at the awards banquet on March 29.

Written request letters must include: