NORMAL, Ill. – The 2024 class of the Illinois State Athletics Percy Family Hall of Fame was enshrined on Saturday, September 28, at a ceremony conducted inside the Brown Ballroom at the Bone Student Center during Homecoming festivities at ISU.
The 2024 Illinois State Athletics Percy Family Hall of Fame included: Tami Baalke (women's basketball), two-time All-Gateway Conference First-Team selection and 1990 Freshman of the Year; Matt Brown (football), all-time ISU leading passer and 2012 Missouri Valley Football Conference Offensive Player of the Year; Anderson Devonish (men's track & field), 13-time Missouri Valley Conference champion and school record holder; and Sami (King) Geringer (gymnastics), four-time NCAA Regional qualifier and Midwest Independent Conference champion.
In addition to the 2024 Hall of Fame class, longtime Illinois State Athletics staff member Tom Lamonica was honored with the Campbell "Stretch" Miller Award. The award is named for Campbell Miller, a former Redbird student-athlete who went on to broadcast Illinois State games in the 1940s, before joining the St. Louis Cardinals broadcasting team. The award celebrates the contributions of those whose main services were not playing or coaching at Illinois State but were important to the athletic program's success.
Hall of Famer and longtime "Voice of the Redbirds" Dick Luedke served as emcee for the event, which featured remarks and well-wishes from Illinois State Interim Director of Athletics Dr. Jeri Beggs and Illinois State President Dr. Aondover Tarhule. The inductees were celebrated with by fellow Hall-of-Famers, family, friends, former teammates, coaches and staff as they joined the ranks of Illinois State's greatest student-athletes, coaches, administrators and contributors.
2024 ISU Athletics Percy Family Hall of Fame Bios
Tami Baalke – Basketball (1988-93)
One of just 31 players in program history to score over 1,000 career points … two-time First-Team All-Gateway Conference selection … ranks in the Top 10 in school history in career steals (228), steals per game (2.3), assists (369) and assists per game (3.8) … named a 1992-93 preseason All-America selection by Street & Smith magazine heading into final season … ranked as one of the top 10 returning point guards in the country prior to senior season in the NCAA preview… led the team in three-pointers made (10) on the season, before suffering a season-ending knee injury that forced an early end to a stellar career … 1991-92 First-Team All-Gateway Conference selection … led the team in three-pointers made (14) and steals (67) and scored a career-high 432 points while averaging a career-best 15.4 points per game … named Gateway Conference Player of the Week after scoring 52 combined points in wins over Wichita State and nationally-ranked Southwest Missouri State … 1990-91 First-Team All-Gateway Conference selection … led the team in assists (127) and steals (84) … became one of only three players in school history to record a triple-double with 15 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists against Western Illinois … just two days later, set the school single-game record with 17 assists against Bradley …became the first player in program history to be named the Gateway Conference Freshman of the Year following the 1989-90 season … averaged 8.6 points per game while tallying 276 points on the year and started every game of freshman season, ranking No. 2 on the team in assists (126), steals (53) and rebounds per game (6.4).
Matt Brown – Football (2008-12)
Started the final 45 games of his career (total 46 played) ... the only quarterback in school history to throw for over 2,000 yards in four-consecutive seasons ... finished his career as the school leader in pass attempts (1,455), completions (927), passing yards (10,591), passing touchdowns (78), completion percentage (63.7), passing yards per game (230.2), total offense yards (10,952) and touchdowns responsible for (87) ... also finished his career as the Missouri Valley Football Conference all-time leader in five different passing categories … 2012 MVFC Offensive Player of the Year and First-Team All-MVFC selection … seven school single-season records with pass attempts (439), completions (272), passing yards (3,370), passing touchdowns (27), completion percentage (65.0), total offense yards (3,522) and touchdowns responsible for (34) in final collegiate season … passed for a school-record 473 yards and accounted for seven touchdowns (five passing, two rushing) in an overtime victory vs. Eastern Illinois … 2011 All-MVFC Second-Team selection, throwing for 2,187 yards and 18 touchdowns, with a school single-season completion percentage record of 65 percent (208-for-320) … tied a career-high with five touchdown passes and against Morehead State … 2010 All-MVFC Honorable Mention selection … ranked second in the MVFC in passing yards, touchdown passes and passing efficiency as a sophomore and completed 64.2 percent of passes on the season, the second-highest mark in school history at the time … 2009 MVFC Freshman of the Year … also named a MVFC All-Newcomer Team selection and All-MVFC Second-Team selection … set new Illinois State freshman records for completions (226), attempts (352) and passing yards (2,369).
Anderson Devonish – Track & Field (2008-12)
Finished career as a 13-time Missouri Valley Conference champion … was a three-time NCAA West Preliminary Round qualifier and a two-time NCAA Championship qualifier … holds four ISU school records (indoor 400m, outdoor 200m, indoor/outdoor 4x400-meter relays) … in final season, qualified for the 2018 NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 400-meter dash for the second time of his career and earned Honorable Mention All-America honors … was the MVC Outdoor 200-meter Champion and anchored the 4x400-meter relay team that also won the MVC title … was named the MVC's Most Valuable Athlete at the Valley Indoor Championships, scoring a total of 22.50 points to help the Redbirds' to their first title since 1999 … won individual MVC titles indoors in the 200-meter (21.34), 400-meter (47.50), and 4x400-meter relay … redshirted during the 2016-17 season … was a NCAA West Preliminary Round qualifier in the 400-meter, and the 4x100- and 4x400-meter relays outdoors in 2016 … crowned MVC Champion outdoors in the 4x100m and 4x400-meter relay and also earned All-MVC honors in the 200- and 400-meter dashes … captured his third 400-meter MVC title indoors with a time of 48.36, and anchored the 4x400-meter relay champion team with a time of 3:18.09 … also earned All-MVC honors indoors in the 200-meter with a time of 21.49 … as a sophomore, competed at the 2015 NCAA Outdoor Championships in the 400-meter dash where he posted a time of 46.72 … named the MVC Co-Athlete Of The Year outdoors after winning the 400-meter dash and the 4x400-meter relay … took first place at the MVC Indoor Championship and earned All-MVC honors in the 400-meter dash and 4x400-meter relay …as a freshman in 2014, assisted the Redbirds clock a season-best 4x400-meter relay time outdoors of 3:09.97 at the Drake Relays, helping the team advance to the NCAA West Preliminary … earned All-MVC honors indoors as part of the 4x400-meter relay team and also took home All-Valley honors with a second-place finish as a part of the DMR team with a time of 10:04.00.
Sami (King) Geringer – Gymnastics (2012-15)
Was a four-time NCAA Regional qualifier, twice in the all-around and twice on balance beam … three-time Midwest Independent Conference individual champion … five-time MIC First-Team selection … tied for first place on the balance beam at the 2015 MIC Championship with a score of 9.900 …named MIC Specialist of the Week, after scoring a 9.850 to win on balance beam and placing second with a 9.800 on the uneven bars competition in a dual-meet against Air Force Academy … matched her personal-best score two days later against Lindenwood with a score of 9.900 to win the balance beam competition … as a junior in 2014, won the balance beam competition at the MIC Championship with a season-high score of 9.875 … named MIC Specialist of the Week after scoring a career-best 9.925 on the floor exercise and winning the balance beam competition with a 9.825 in a quad meet involving UIC, Northern Illinois and Illinois … honored as MIC Gymnast of the Week after winning three out of four events and scoring a season-high 39.200 in the all-around in a victory over Penn … placed sixth at the 2013 NCAA Regionals in the all-around competition with a score of 39.125, just two tenths away from qualifying for the NCAA National Championships … won the all-around title at the MIC Championship with a career-best score of 39.325, and was also conference champion on the on the balance beam … twice honored as the MIC Gymnast of the Week to start the season … as a freshman in 2012, earned MIC First-Team honors on balance beam at the MIC Championship finishing in second place overall … that performance helped the Redbirds win their first MIC title since 2001 …Â
won the all-around competition in first collegiate performance against Ball State and earned MIC Gymnast of the Week honors for that effort.
Tom Lamonica – Campbell "Stretch" Miller Award Recipient
For more than 49 years, the former Illinois State University sports information director and current ISU School of Communication faculty member has combined his interest in sports, his love for communication and his passion for teaching often in support of the Redbirds and the Missouri Valley Conference … his sports information career began in 1975 at College of DuPage and continued at the University of Evansville after the tragic 1977 Aces basketball team plane crash … arrived at Illinois State from Evansville in time to help with the Redbirds' application for membership in the Valley in 1980 … his SID work over more than 26 years at ISU included football, men's and women's basketball and volleyball at different times … concurrently, he taught two classes per year in the ISU School of Communication (SoC) and worked with hundreds of SoC student interns and graduate students in Redbird Athletics Communications … retired from Redbird Athletics in 2006 to join the ISU SoC faculty full-time, but stayed connected to the MVC as a staff member at Arch Madness and all 17 Hoops in the Heartland tournaments and also worked at 24 NCAA Basketball Tournament sites—including two Final Fours in St. Louis hosted by the Valley … during the 2022-23 academic year as part of the MVC's Celebration of Title IX, he researched, interviewed and wrote profiles of pivotal pioneer personnel to recognize their trailblazing actions as vital administrators in the evolution of league women's athletics … became the 17th Illinois State Athletics representative in the MVC Hall of Fame in 2024, when he was honored with the prestigious Paul Morrison Award of Merit.
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