NORMAL, Ill. – The 2025 class of the Illinois State Athletics Percy Family Hall of Fame was enshrined on Saturday, October 18, at a ceremony conducted inside the Brown Ballroom at the Bone Student Center during Homecoming festivities at ISU.
The 2025 Illinois State Athletics Percy Family Hall of Fame included: Robin Chapman (softball), two-time All-Gateway Conference First-Team selection and MVC All-Centennial Team member; Janelle (Crabtree) Knight (women's tennis), MVC All-Centennial Team member and single-season wins record holder; Akil Mills (men's track & field), three-time NCAA All-American and two-time MVC Champion; and Colton Underwood (football), two-time All-American and two-time finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award.
In addition to the 2025 Hall of Fame class, longtime Illinois State football radio analyst Ted Schmitz will be 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.
2025 ISU Athletics Percy Family Hall of Fame Bios
Ted Schmitz – 2025 Campbell "Stretch" Miller Award recipientÂ
Has served as the radio color analyst for the Redbird football team for 25 seasons, starting in 2001 … throughout that time, he has become a trusted mentor and advisor to the coaching staff and rarely misses a practice … began his collegiate football coaching career at ISU in 1972, working with head coaches Gerry Hart and Charlie Cowdrey, before coaching in the Canadian Football League for over 10 seasons in Saskatchewan and Hamilton winning a Grey Cup Title with the Tiger-Cats in 1986 … returned to the ISU coaching staff in 1993 for head coach Jim Heacock and continued to work as a scout in the CFL after collegiate career came to an end … later coached football indoors in Bloomington for the Extreme and later the Edge, eventually moving into front-office roles … can routinely be seen supporting other Redbird teams at their events in the stands.
Robin Chapman – Softball (1987-90)
Missouri Valley Conference Softball All-Centennial Team selection … two-time National Softball Coaches Association (NSCA) All-Midwest Regional Second-Team pick … two-time All-Gateway Conference First-Team selection at catcher (1989 & 1990) … Gateway Conference Rookie of the Year in 1988 … holds the ISU single-season doubles record with 20 and is second on the single-season steals list also with 20 … ranked No. 22 nationally in home runs per game in 1989 … led the Gateway Conference in RBIs in 1989 with 43 and was the conference leader in doubles in 1990 with 20 … ranks third on the career stolen bases list with 34 … still ranks in the top 10 all-time in program history in slugging percentage, doubles and triples … two-time Gateway Conference Player of the Week honoree during her career.
Janelle (Crabtree) Knight – Women's Tennis (1991-95)
Missouri Valley Conference Women's Tennis All-Centennial Team selection … team MVP and co-captain her final two seasons … played three seasons at No. 1 singles for the Redbirds and four years at No. 1 doubles for the Redbirds … finished her career with 177 combined career wins between singles and doubles … still holds the ISU single season wins record with 39 singles victories … ranks No. 3 in career singles wins with 101 and No. 7 in career doubles wins with 76 at ISU … named an ITA Scholar All-American as a senior and earned an ITA Scholar-Athlete honor after junior season … two-time MVC Scholar-Athlete First Team member.
Akil Mills – Men's Track & Field (2010-14)
Four-time NCAA West Prelims qualifier outdoors in the hammer throw … four-time All-MVC thrower … ranks No. 2 all-time on the ISU top-10 list in the hammer throw (209-11) and indoors in the weight throw (71-1.25) … qualified for the 2014 NCAA Indoor Track & Field Championships in the weight throw and recorded a personal-best mark to finish sixth, earning First-Team All-America honors … finished 12th at the 2012 NCAA Division I Indoor Championships in the weight throw (65-11.75), earning second-team All-America honors … finished 11th at the 2012 NCAA Division I Outdoor Championships in the hammer throw, earning second-team All-America honors … crowned MVC Champion in the weight throw at the 2014 MVC Indoor Championships to earn MVC Most Outstanding Field Athlete … MVC Champion in the hammer throw (208-00) at the 2014 MVC Outdoor Championships.
Colton Underwood – Football (2010-2013)
Two-time FCS All-American (2012 & 2013) … one of three players in school history to be a two-time finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award (2012 & 2013) … ranks No. 3 in career tackles-for-loss with 44 and No. 4 on the career sacks list with 21.5 ... three-time All-Missouri Valley Football Conference selection and two-time First-Team pick … two-time College Sporting News Fabulous Fifty FCS All-America Team honoree ... All-MVFC First-Team pick as a senior, after leading the team with 12 tackles-for-loss … 2012 First-Team All-America selection by The Walter Camp Football Foundation, The Associated Press and The Sports Network … runner-up for MVFC Defensive Player of the Year Award in 2012, after he led the MVFC in sacks (10.5) and tackles-for-loss (19.5) … two-time MVFC All-Academic Team selection … played professionally for the San Diego Chargers, Philadelphia Eagles and Oakland Raiders.
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