Crim: Favorite columns celebrate impact of those dedicated to improving lives through athletics

QUINCY — The first column of 2024 celebrated the extraordinary life of Tom Gott, a man of many stories. The final one toasted Ed Heller and the lasting impact he had on thousands of area athletes as a player, coach and official.

In between, I was introduced to two remarkable Quincy families — the Lunts and the Huns — and was able to reminisce with Mike Fray, along with players and coaches from both the 1984 Quincy Notre Dame soccer team and the 1984-85 Pittsfield boys basketball team.

There also was the opportunity to remind readers of the long-ago football exploits of Warsaw’s Darrell Althide, another great one we lost this year.

There was plenty to write about. Those columns make the list as my favorites for 2024.

Stories of life well lived are gifts Gott gave to all who knew him

For many years, one of the benefits of being a member of Cedar Crest Country Club was the opportunity to sit around the patio either before or after a round of golf listening to Tom Gott tell stories.

“Stop me if I’ve told you this before,” he would caution before launching into a tale about growing up poor in Springfield, Mo., or about playing alongside Mickey Mantle in the minor leagues, or about some club members he may have swatted years before while dean of students at Quincy Junior High School.

Many of us had heard the stories, of course, because Tom was always sharing them with either a chaw of Red Man in his cheek or a cigar in hand. We rarely stopped him, though. He was the club’s patriarch, after all, and too damn nice and enjoyable to be around to muzzle, especially if you were a baseball fan.

Tom passed away on New Year’s Day at the age of 94. His was a well lived life, and his presence continues to be missed.

Crim: Stories of life well lived are gifts Gott gave to all who knew him

With more than five decades of coaching experience to share, Fray still willing to answer call

Mike Fray and Pat Rafferty lunch together every Thursday morning at Sprout’s Inn, arriving when the restaurant opens at 10:30.

A corner window booth is set aside if it’s just the two of them, a table if they call ahead to say there will be guests. Tracy, their waitress, has their drinks already on the table when they arrive, with menus laid out for those joining them.

They always order the special. You can choose from five sandwiches to accompany an array of soups and a selection of tasty homemade pies. With tax it comes to $11.98, plus tip.

They have been friends for more than 40 years, having spent much of that time either coaching against or alongside each other, most notably on the basketball court. The weekly lunch is one way to stay connected.

And to tell stories. Oh, the stories. Fray has plenty of them. He started coaching in 1966 and still enjoys passing along his knowledge as he approaches his 80^th birthday.

Crim: With more than five decades of coaching experience to share, Fray still willing to answer call

Lunt family closes chapter after two decades spent watching kids compete for QND

Quincy Notre Dame had just seen its baseball season end with a 3-1 loss to Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin in the Class 2A regional semifinals.

As the crowd began to disperse, with some fans celebrating and others consoling, David and Sharon Lunt loaded their lawn chairs and other items into a little wagon and began making their way to their vehicle.

“I can remember grabbing her hand and walking across the parking lot and saying, ‘That’s it. It’s over,’ ” David said. “She goes, ‘Well, you know, we got grandkids coming.’ ”

The loss to Sacred Heart-Griffin closed out more than a season. It also marked the end of a 20-year journey that gave David and Sharon the opportunity to watch the youngest six of their eight children compete in athletics at QND. And they learned how to put things in perspective.

“Sometimes, we as parents get too caught up in the wins and losses and all those other things and don’t realize or appreciate the fact that you’re going to a game and watching your kids play and they’re having fun,” David said.

Crim: Lunt family closes chapter after two decades spent watching kids compete for QND

Warsaw’s Althide leaves legacy as one of state of Illinois’ most dominant running backs

Darrell Althide of Basco died Oct. 17 at age 78. He was married to his high school sweetheart, Debeera, for 56 years and together they had four daughters who blessed them with six grandchildren. Later came five great-grandchildren.

Darrell was a teacher-turned-farmer. The obituary stresses his passion for farming and commitment to leaving his land better than he found it. It lists his community service through the Warsaw Lions Club and the 16 years spent on the Warsaw School Board. There is a single paragraph about his football accomplishments at Warsaw High School.

In fact, when his career concluded after the 1963 season, Darrell held Illinois High School Association records for most career rushing yards (4,162), most touchdowns scored in a season (38) and career (84), and highest per carry rushing average for a season (15.4) and career (11.8).

“The Champaign paper did a story a few years ago and they mentioned me and Red Grange in the same sentence,” Darrell told me in a 1991 interview. “That makes a guy feel really good.”

Crim: Warsaw’s Althide leaves legacy as one of state of Illinois’ most dominant running backs

Putting family first enables QND’s Hun to find success on and off football field

Raul and Barb Hun have made family a priority with their eight children. It means nurturing relationships, remaining close and being there for each other through the good times and the challenging ones.

“These are your first friends,” Barb explained. “These are the ones that will be your friends your whole life.”

The evening meal has always been sacred in the Hun household. As the five boys and three girls grew up, extracurricular activities were permitted as long as they did not interfere with dinner. It was the one time through the hustle and bustle of each day when the family could be together.

That schedule was put to the test with Ivan, the youngest, who developed into one of the central figures on a Quincy Notre Dame football team that entered the state playoffs ranked No. 1 in Class 2A.

As you can imagine, it became a family affair.

Crim: Putting family first enables QND’s Hun to find success on and off football field

QND’s 1984 state runner-up boys soccer team responsible for raising bar on expectations

Performing on the biggest stage on Nov. 3, 1984 — the state championship game at St. Charles High School — Quincy Notre Dame and Palatine Fremd battled through 80 minutes of regulation and another 40 exhausting minutes over eight overtimes before the Vikings prevailed in the scoreless duel on penalty kicks.

It was the longest soccer game in Illinois High School Association history.

It was a disappointing finish for the third-ranked Raiders, who were making their third appearance in the one-class state tournament in four years. They had rallied in the final seven minutes to upend undefeated and top-ranked Hinsdale South in the quarterfinals and dominated sixth-ranked St. Charles in the semifinals.

QND would return to win the title the following year and finish third in 1986 to cap a remarkable run. However, the 1984 team is still considered among the best the city has assembled. Every starter went on to play in college and three eventually played professionally. The only thing it lacked was a title.

Crim: QND’s 1984 state runner-up boys soccer team responsible for raising bar on expectations

Four decades later, 1984-85 Pittsfield boys basketball team still creating memories

It was an opportunity to turn back the clock and enable a band of brothers to reunite and reminisce about their accomplishments on the basketball court four decades ago and the friendships that have endured since.

The 1984-85 Pittsfield High School basketball team is remembered as one of the best in school history. The Saukees went 28-4 that season, won both the Midwest and Western-Macomb Holiday tournament titles, were ranked as high as third in the state rankings and reached the quarterfinals of the Illinois Class A tournament.

Ten of the 14 players from that team, along with coach Dave Bennett and assistant Leonard Onken, returned to Voshall Gym to be honored on the anniversary of that season before Friday night’s game against Riverton.

“I couldn’t believe it when I walked out on the floor,” said Layne Bennett, the coach’s oldest son and a guard on that team who lives in Alton. “Some of the greatest memories of our lives happened right here in this gym, and even though it’s been 40 years, you hold on to them.”

What’s most impressive is those former teammates are still making memories.

Crim: Four decades later, 1984-85 Pittsfield boys basketball team still creating memories

As ‘one of the good guys,’ Heller impacted lives of thousands of athletes as player, coach and official

Ed Heller was a fixture in high school and college gymnasiums, officiating more than 5,100 basketball games from 1962 to 1993, primarily in Northeast Missouri and West-Central Illinois. He called 11 girls state tournaments and was inducted into the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2006.

You also could find him either behind the plate or working the bases for high school and college baseball and softball games for more than three decades. He spent 15 years as either an assistant or head coach with the Culver-Stockton College softball program. And, as we learned, so much more.

Those who knew him said Ed rarely drove past a ballpark or football field without stopping if the lights were on. He never passed up a serving of strawberry ice cream. He didn’t think anyone should “burn daylight when work should be done,” so he kept finding things to do despite retiring six times.

Ed passed away Dec. 13 at 87, leaving a void his family is struggling to fill. Yet, he leaves behind a legacy of a man who devoted so much time to others and left an indelible mark on many, especially when it came to athletics.

Crim: As ‘one of the good guys,’ Heller impacted lives of thousands of athletes as player, coach and official