The following is a current listing of Monticello High School Athletics Hall of Fame Inductees.

If you have any additional images or information you would like to contribute to this listing, please contact the Monticello CUSD #25 High School Office, or the Technology Department, at 217-762-8511.

Dick Sumner was the top player on Monticello’s first undefeated regular-season basketball team (1966), one of the few Sages to be a four-year starter. He was just the second player in school history to score 1,000 points, finishing his career with 1,063, and the second with at least 500 rebounds (totaling 574). The combined record for his final three years was 65-15 and during the 1965 Monticello Holiday Tournament, he made 34 of 50 shots from the field. The 68 percent clip was a tournament record at the time.

During the Sages’ historic 1965-66 season that saw them lose just once, 42-41 to Champaign Central in the one-class Regional Final, Dick averaged 16.3 points per game and grabbed 201 rebounds.

In addition to being an Okaw Valley Conference performer on the hardwood, he also earned all-conference honors in football, leading the Sages (7-1) to their first OVC title since 1951. During that 1965 season, he ranked second in tackles for a team that gave up just 41 points for the entire season. Dick also made both the News-Gazette and Herald & Review all-area teams.

An all-around athlete, tallying 11 varsity letters, Lucy Coleman made her biggest mark on the volleyball court, where she was named the 2007 all-area Player of the Year by both the Herald & Review and the News-Gazette. During that senior season, she helped the Sages to a 27-2 record and a Regional title while tallying 254 kills, 121 blocks and 158 digs. Following her stellar high school career, where she set the school career blocks record (354), Lucy went on to play volleyball at both Parkland College and Missouri Baptist University.

In basketball, Lucy set the Monticello record for points in a quarter (19), and at the time of her graduation ranked fourth in single-season rebounds (284), sixth in single-season scoring (508) and fifth in career scoring (1,273).

In track & field, she qualified for the 2008 IHSA Class A state meet in both the high jump, winning the Sectional title (5-2) and the long jump, placing 2nd at the Sectional Meet (16-1 ½).

Bob Trimble took over the Sages boys’ basketball program in 1972-73, the second-year of the two-class system and established a reputation for producing great shooters and high scoring teams, averaging 70 points per game.

In 22 seasons as the Sages head coach, his teams won a school-record 383 games, claimed eight Okaw Valley titles, three Okaw Valley tournament titles, eight Holiday Tournaments, eight Regional crowns, and Monticello’s first-ever trip to the Sweet 16 (1977). The Sages won 20 games on nine occasions. His 1974-75 team won 25 straight games, the second most in school history. He was inducted into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame in 1990 and the Bloomington-Normal Officials Association Hall of Fame in 2010.

In 14 years as boys track & field head coach, his teams won the 1982 district title, the ’82 Okaw Valley title, and sectional titles in 1988 and 1990. Monticello produced 16 all-state athletes, including three individual state champions in a two-class system. He was named Herald & Review Area Coach of the Year (1982, 1988).

Thirteen of his former players have earned their place in the MHS Sports Hall of Fame.

No wrestler in Monticello history had a better career than Kyle Dooley. To date, the only state champion the school has ever produced, Kyle claimed the honor as junior in 2007 at 140 pounds. That victory was sandwiched in between state runner-up finishes at 130 pounds in 2006 and at 152 pounds in 2008.

The all-time Sages career wins leader with 150, he posted a school-record 42 wins in 2008 and earned his second of back-to-back News-Gazette Area Wrestler of the Year honors. He also holds the Sages mark for career takedowns and was a three-time All-Okaw Valley Conference selection. Kyle continued his career at the University of Illinois where he won 23 matches and claimed a Big Ten Player of the Week honor.

Kyle won seven letters overall at Monticello – four in wrestling and three in football. The two-time All-Okaw selection on the gridiron rushed for 1,163 yards and 19 touchdowns as a senior, including a five-TD performance in a victory over Shelbyville.

The 1965-66 basketball team was the only one in school history to go through the regular season undefeated, posting a school-record 26-game winning streak. The Sages only loss came to Champaign Central, 42-41, in the Regional Final in era of only one class.

The regular starting line-up consisted of seniors David Kelley, Dick Sumner, Jerry Stiverson, and Buster Chumbley as well as junior Dennis Hammerschmidt. Senior 6-8 John Benjamin usually started each quarter to take advantage of his height in the jump ball situation. The rest of the team coached by IBCA Hall of Famer Tom Young included Jim Burgess, Roger Dyson, Paul Freidinger, Al Harms, and Mike Sumner.

Kelley (424 points) and Sumner (419 points) were named All-Okaw Valley Conference. Some of the season highlights were a 64-63 overtime victory over Urbana after trailing 49-39 in the fourth quarter, a 52-51 win over Bement, and a 56-53 triumph over Arcola. The Sages cruised to the Monticello Holiday Tournament championship, defeating Mahomet-Seymour, 58-43, in the title game.

Monticello became a track & field and cross country power under Jeff Butler. Prior to his tenure, Monticello had never won a state trophy in any sport, never had a team qualify for state in cross country, and never had an all-state cross country runner. During his 11 years as the Sages head cross country coach (2002-12), 9 teams qualified for state with 6 of those teams finishing in the top five and 4 teams earning state trophies. Individually, 10 runners posted 15 all-state performances, including one state champion.

In 11 seasons, Butler’s track & field teams won 8 Okaw Valley and 8 sectional titles, 74 individuals qualified for the IHSA state meet with 8 of those earning 12 all-state honors, including one state champion and 2 runner-up finishes. In addition, 30 relay teams qualified for state, 12 earning all-state honors, including 2 state champions and 2 runner-up finishes. In 2006, the 4 x 800 relay team set the IHSA Class A state record with a time of 7:53.69, which still stands today. In 2012, the Sages track team placed third in the state, bringing the total to five state trophies overall under Butler. 

Courtney Hehn is one of the most prolific shooters in state basketball history, ranking seventh on the IHSA all-time career 3-point list with 353, including 103 treys in 2003-04. In fact, her 961 three-point attempts are 7th most by a girls’ high school player in the United States. Courtney graduated as Monticello’s all-time single-season (613) and career (1,873) scoring leader as well as tops in career steals (369). She scored in double figures in 95 straight games and had a streak of 28 straight contests with a three-pointer.

Her accolades include three News-Gazette first team all-area honors, two Herald & Review first team all-area awards and Chicago Tribune honorable mention all-state recognition. She was also selected to the IBCA All-Star game in 2005.

Courtney played four years at Olivet Nazarene University, earning all-conference honors. She is sixth on ONU’s all-time scoring list (1,597 points) and sank a school-best 489 three-pointers in her career, which included games with 11 and 10 three-pointers, respectively.

Nate Albaugh was a 10-time letterwinner at Monticello (four in track, four in wrestling and two in football).

In wrestling, Nate posted a career 134-31 record, ranking second in school history in career wins while also listed fourth for wins in a season (38) and career pins (77). He placed third at the 1996 IHSA State meet at 140 pounds. He won two Regionals and one Sectional title and posted a 38-3 record as a senior. Nate went on to have a successful career at Wheaton College, winning 77 matches and placing second in the CCIW.

While he excelled more at wrestling as an athlete, Nate grew up with a love for football. On the field, he led the Sages with six interceptions and was named the Most Valuable Offensive Back as a senior. He has developed a strong career as a high school coach, leading Milford and Champaign Central to playoff appearances after long droughts for the schools. Under Nate, Central won its first playoff game since 1982 and reached the IHSA Class 5A semifinals in 2015.

In a golden era of men’s fast pitch softball in Illinois, Buster Chumbley stood out.

As a player, he batted over .300 in his 20-year (1965-84) career and led two teams to Illinois state titles and five to the ASA National Tournament. His Decatur ADM team won the 1981 ASA National Title and was runner-up in 1982 and ’83, while his 1984 team won the ISC World Tournament. Individually, he was named to the Illinois all-state tournament team five times, earning MVP in 1981. In 1983, he earned 2nd team All-America accolades for his play in the national tournament and was inducted in the Illinois ASA Hall of Fame in 2009.

Buster was known for coaching some great area fast-pitch teams and was the architect for a renaissance of Monticello girls’ softball in the early 2000s. As head coach, his teams posted a 145-48 record, and won three regional championships and one sectional title (2003).

In high school, he played a big role the 1966 basketball team, which went 26-1, and was the second-best golfer on a team that posted 12-2 record in 1965.

Amy Huisinga was a pioneer in girls’ golf at Monticello and an exceptional three-sport athlete. On the links, Huisinga was a two-time IHSA state qualifier, finishing 17th and 21st, respectively. She was the first and only female state qualifier from the school until 2013 and held the school nine-hole scoring record (45.5) for 26 years.

In addition to her three letters in golf, Huisinga earned three letters in softball; winning team MVP honors as a junior and senior, and three more letters in basketball.

On the diamond, Huisinga batted .522 as a junior, which was the school record until 2015, and .389 as a senior, leading the team in RBI, walks, fielding percentage, hits and putouts both years. A two-year captain on the hardwood, she scored 575 career points and led the Sages in assists, steals and rebounding her senior year.

At the time of his induction, Scott Phelps is the most decorated middle distance runner in Sages history. Phelps was a nine-time all-state selection and 14-time all-Okaw Valley Conference honoree combined in cross country and track & field. The two-time News-Gazette Area Track Athlete of the Year (2005, ’06) holds school records in the 400 (48.97) and 800 meters (1:55.47) and is a member of school-record 4x400-meter (3:22.85) and 4x800-meter relay teams (7:53.69). The 4x800 team won the state title in 2006 and in the process set a state record that still exists.

Phelps placed in two individual events and four relays at the state track meet and twice qualified for state in cross country (17th in 2005, 34th in 2004), helping the Sages to fourth as a team in ‘05. He earned 10 varsity letters (4 T&F, 4 XC, 2 BB) at Monticello and three times earned Academic All-Big Ten while competing in track for the University of Illinois. Phelps also placed 9th in the 600 meters at the Big Ten Indoor meet. He has continued his involvement in the sport as a college assistant coach for both Texas and Dartmouth.

Best of friends from junior high school, the foursome of Keith Butler, Andrew Colbert, Scott Phelps and Brent Rhodes shone individually and as members of other relay teams, but will best be remembered for collectively taking the 2006 IHSA Class A 4x800-meter relay title in a state-record time of 7:53.69, a record which still stands. That performance capped off a year that saw them also set meet records in the Indoor State Top Times meet (8:00.15) and the News-Gazette Honor Roll meet (8:01.03), marks which also both still stand.

They were the top four Sage finishers on a 4th-place state cross country team in 2005 and all four qualified for the 2006 state track meet in individual events – Butler in the 1600 meters, Colbert in the 800 meters (placing 8th), Phelps in the 400 meters (placing 3rd) and triple jump, and Rhodes in the 3200 meters. Colbert, Phelps and Butler helped the 4x400-meter relay to 5th at state, adding points to the Sages overall sixth-place team finish. Phelps won the News-Gazette Track Athlete of the Year in both 2005 and 2006 and was on the 4x400-meter relay that set a school-record (3:22.85) in ’05.

Jack Jordan was known around the area and the state for his bruising size. The 285-pound offensive fullback and defensive lineman was one of just two Sages to be named to the News-Gazette all-state football team during the 20th century, earning the honor in 1944. He was co-captain of the 1944 Okaw Valley championship team that went 7-1-1 and continued his playing career in college as a starter for the Illinois State Redbirds.

Jordan was also a very successful football coach and teacher with stops at Roodhouse, Tuscola and Dixon, Illinois. Under Jordan’s direction, Roodhouse won 19 games in a row from 1957-59, going undefeated in 1958 and ’59 and winning the Illinois Valley Conference.

Michael Marker was known for his speed, on the football field, baseball diamond and the track. A two-year starter in football, Marker helped the Sages to back-to-back playoff appearances, reaching the state semifinals in 1997. He was named first team All-Okaw Valley during his senior season, finishing second in Sages history for total combined yards at quarterback in a single-season.

An all-conference shortstop in baseball, he led the team in RBI and batting average in helping the Sages to an Okaw title as a junior. In his lone season in track, he set the school 100-meter dash record and qualified for the IHSA state meet in four events.

Marker was a receiver and kick returner at Millikin University, leading the conference two seasons in yards and touchdowns per catch. On the track, he earned team MVP honors for the Big Blue and received all-CCIW conference honors in four events.

He tried out professionally and caught the eye of several NFL and Arena League teams. He eventually signed a contract with the Green Bay Packers in 2004 and was assigned to the eight-man practice squad.

Molly Marker earned 11 letters in three sports at Monticello while receiving all-conference accolades in all three. She was named the Outstanding Senior Female Athlete at Monticello in 2000.

Marker had her biggest success on the track, competing on the 4x100-meter relay team that finished third and the 4x200-meter relay team that placed fifth at the 2000 IHSA State Track Meet. Earlier that season, those relays set school records. Marker also set the school record in the 100-meter hurdles.

A four-year letterwinner in basketball, Marker helped the Sages to the Supersectional during the 1998-99 season. A three-year letterwinner in volleyball, she ranks seventh in career kills (324) and ninth in career blocks (149) in school history at the time of her induction.