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Catching up on all the hall of famers

Sidelines loves halls of fame.

Over the past few months the number of DuPage County folks slated for immortality has stacked up. We'll try to give them a bit of justice here.

On Tuesday in Maryland, Doug Smith, former athletic director at Naperville North, Woodstock and Monmouth, will be inducted into the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association Hall of Fame.

Smith, who retired from Naperville North in 2011 and was inducted into the Illinois Athletic Directors Association four years later, has done a ton of stuff - on top of his athletic programs winning eight state championships and 80 conference titles.

He may be proudest of the Hoops for Healing boys basketball tournament. A cancer survivor, Smith created it at Woodstock and brought it to Naperville North. The event has donated more than $500,000 to Camp Hope to help cancer patients and their families.

When Lake Park's Zach Frye won boys Class 3A pole vault last May he became the seventh state champion and 24th all-state vaulter under Lancers vault and high jump coach Doug Juraska, set to join the Illinois Track and Cross Country Coaches Association Hall of Fame on Jan. 11. Another champ was Zach Ziemek, seventh in decathlon at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

Glenbard South varsity girls track coach Mark Tacchi. Daily Herald File Photo

The ITCCCA ceremony also will salute Glenbard South's Mark Tacchi. This will be the first year since 1989 that Tacchi is not the Raiders' girls coach. He hosted more than 30 conference and sectional meets, won seven sectionals and coached 33 all-state athletes or relays.

SFHS Softball head coach TOP Ralph Remus watches from the 3rd base coaching box as his daughter Emily as she bats. leephoto Daily Herald File Photo

Moving on, St. Francis softball coach Ralph Remus is a 2020 Illinois Coaches Association Softball Hall of Fame inductee. Averaging more than 22 wins in 21 seasons, his Spartans have won 10 straight regional titles and two sectionals. His 2017 club went 33-5 but from a state perspective 2019 was his finest season, second in Class 3A at 26-4.

NNHS head coach Jerry Kedziora give some encouragement to @#22 Liz Marshall as she gets set to bat. NNHS Vs NVHS girls Softball at NVHS in Naperville. lee photo Daily Herald File Photo

Naperville North's Jerry Kedziora will join Remus at the Feb. 9 induction in Bloomington. The Huskies' 17-year softball coach owns the program record of 259 victories with regional titles in 2011 and 2012 and a program-high 24 wins in 2012. Like Smith, Kedziora may be most proud of a charity effort. In the past decade DVC Cares games have raised more than $25,000 in cash and supplies for the Mutual Ground women's and children's shelter in Aurora.

Starting in 1973, the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association annually inducts current and retired coaches, former players, teams, media members, "friends of basketball" and officials - like Bensenville official Joe Fritsch.

The 2020 class, honored May 2 in Normal, includes 49 players including York boys basketball coach Vince Doran, who set Driscoll's standards for scoring, assists and steals among a slew of records.

York's head coach Vince Doran during the regional semifinal boys basketball against Benet. Daily Herald File Photo

Samantha (Arnold) French set Lake Park's girls basketball season and all-time scoring records. She was the 2008 girls All-Area captain before becoming a three-time Academic All-Big Ten pick at Michigan. At Glenbard West, where she's back as coach, Kristi Faulkner graduated as DuPage County's top girls scorer with 2,417 points. Also an All-Area captain and a three-time all-academic pick at Iowa, Faulkner averaged more than 24 points to lead the Hilltoppers to a third-place Class AA finish in 1999.

Kristi Faulkner

One would think Montini girls basketball coach Jason Nichols still has plenty of coaching in him, but his resume screams hall of fame now. In his 20th season Nichols is 567-89 overall and at Montini has produced a whopping nine state trophies, including four state titles.

Glenbard East boys basketball coach Scott Miller unfortunately has less than a season left. He's retiring after this, his 21st year with the Rams and 24th season overall.

  Montini coach Jason Nichols leads his team during the Hinsdale South girls basketball Class 4A sectional final against Benet Academy in Darien Thursday. Joe Lewnard/jlewnard@dailyherald.com

Sitting on 299 wins at Glenbard East entering Friday's home game with Fenton, Miller will make the IBCA Hall his third following inductions by Plano and Waubonsee Community College. Miller took Plano to fourth place in Class A in 1999, and led Glenbard East to third in Class 4A in 2011 with his son, Zach, at point guard.

Retiring Waubonsie Valley football coach Paul Murphy, a member of the Illinois High School Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame, said selections are being made this weekend for the IHSFCA 2020 class. The beat goes on.

doberhelman@dailyherald.com

Twitter: @doberhelman1

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