Ottawa High School to induct hall of famers Jan. 20

Five individuals and two teams have been selected as 2024 inductees to the Ottawa Township High School Hall of Fame.

The hall of fame was established in 2006 by the OTHS District 140 Educational Foundation, Inc.

The focus of the hall of fame is to recognize excellence in achievement while a high school student, after leaving OTHS, or a combination of both. Further, honorees may or may not have attended Ottawa High but were significant and accomplished contributors to OTHS. Also considered are OTHS teams or groups.

The inductees will be introduced between OTHS basketball games on Jan. 19 in the school’s historic Kingman Gym. A banquet will be held to present and honor inductees on Saturday, Jan. 20. Tickets are $45 and not available at the door – they may be bought through email and online contacts smacdonald@ottawahigh.com, kschmitt@ottawahigh.com, othseducationalfoundation.org, as well as the OTHS home basketball game on Jan. 12. The inductees for 2024 are as follows.

Gary Vancil

Vancil was a teacher and coach at OTHS for three decades. He coached basketball, football and baseball, serving as head varsity coach in both basketball and football. During his 13 years as head basketball coach, the Pirates won seven regional championships, two sectional championships and an Elite Eight berth in 1984-85, also winning the NCIC title four times. The 1982-83 sectional champion Pirates were 27-3, losing to Peoria Central in the super sectional. During the period 1981-85 the Pirates won 45 straight home games. During his two years as head football coach, the Pirates were 13-5 and co-NCIC champions in 1980. His overall coaching record at all levels exceeded 70%, and he was associated with only three teams that finished with more losses than wins. He was previously inducted into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame under the category of coach, and the Kewanee High School Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Alumni.

Daniel Eilts, Class of 1971

During Dan Eilts time as a student at OTHS, he received six varsity letters, three in baseball, two in football, and one in track – also competing in basketball for two years, football and baseball for four, and track for three. He was class officer in his freshman and junior years. He then attended Western Illinois University, graduating with a degree in mass communication, serving as the sports editor of the school newspaper and was a Blue Key Who’s Who honoree. After graduation he worked for a short time at the Jackson Daily News as a reporter, then at the Ottawa Daily Times, first as assistant sports editor for two years, then sports editor for 15 years. He continued to be involved with OTHS as a supporter and volunteer, actively engaged in the Booster Club, and as a statistician for football, boy’s and girl’s basketball. He has been passionately serving for years on the OTHS Class of 71 reunion committee, spearheading the Class of 71′s multiple donations to the school and scholarships for students. He has served on the OTHS Foundation Board, was instrumental in the founding of the OTHS Hall of Fame, and continues to serve on its selection committee as well as that of the Illinois Valley Sports Hall of Fame. He was inducted in 2017 into the Illinois High School Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame as a “Friend of Basketball,” and honored as a Lifetime Member of the OTHS Booster Club. He continues to serve the community in numerous other volunteer endeavors.

Susan Williamson, Class of 1971

After graduating from OTHS as an Illinois State Scholar, Williamson attended Eastern Illinois University graduating Cum Laude with a bachelor of arts degree. She later received a master’s degree in Curriculum and Instruction from National Louis University, and her Plus 30 designation, also in Curriculum and Instruction at Olivet Nazarene University. She returned to OTHS as a teacher in 1979 until her retirement in 2019. She was the English Department chair for seven years, directed 81 plays for OTHS, and was a speech coach for 14 years. As a speech coach she took 40 students to state, with 12 making the finals, and as play director has had three former students win Emmys, several perform in Las Vegas, one make it to Broadway, and another win multiple Oscars in art production for Disney. She has written six plays and co-authored seven children’s plays. She received the La Salle County Excellence in Education Award in 1998 and again in 2015, was OTHS Teacher of the Year in 2015, received the Omni Arts Theatre Award in 2015, and was the student selected OTHS Homecoming Parade Marshal in 2018.

Dr. Holly Novak, Class of 1972

Daughter of OTHS Hall of Fame Football coach Bill Novak and Bernadine Novak. She attended Illinois Valley Community College, the University of Illinois, and finished fifth in her class at Southern Illinois School of Medicine. She is Board Certified in Internal Medicine and Cardiovascular Medicine with over 40 years of clinical experience. Early in her medical career she founded a cardiac catheterization laboratory and open-heart surgery program. A community hospital for which she designed and developed a cardiac surgery program was named among the top 100 Cardiac Hospitals in the United States. She has served in multiple community hospital leadership roles, including Chief of Staff. Novak developed a Rural Health Initiative with the Illinois Chapter of the American College of Cardiology, and also designed and developed a community screening program for cardiovascular disease with a community hospital that screened 12,000 residents of McClean County. She established and developed a cardiac practice that eventually included 10 physicians. She has been affiliated with 24 hospitals in Illinois, and has been a speaker at numerous health fairs and symposiums. Novak was honored as Illinois Valley Community College’s Distinguished Alumnus in 2022.

Michael Cooper

Current OTHS Athletic Director Michael Cooper has served as an OTHS faculty member for 33 years, and as head girls basketball coach for 22 years. He also served as an OTHS football coach for 19 years. His varsity girls basketball teams compiled a 410-177 record, which represents the most wins of any single sport in the 145-year history of OTHS. The Lady Pirates finished with 20 or more wins in seven of the last eight seasons that he coached. Under Coach Cooper the Lady Pirates won seven IHSA Regionals and seven conference championships with his 2008-09 team finishing 26-3 and winning a regional title. He was inducted into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2017 under the category of Coach. The Illinois Athletic Directors Association Class 3A/4A honored Michael Cooper as Athletic Director of the Year for 2012-13.

1969-70 Varsity football team

The 1969-70 undefeated 9-0 Pirate football team, under Head Coach Bill Novak, won the NCIC Northeast title as well as the Lockport Invitational Football Tournament with two shutout victories. This Pirate team was ranked eighth in Illinois by the Champaign News-Gazette. They averaged 40.6 points per game, allowing just 6.1 points for opponents. Over the course of the nine-game regular season, they defeated Morris 21-16, Mendota 34-8, La Salle-Peru 28-22, Dixon 24-6, Streator 40-0, Kewanee 64-8, Sterling 42-8, Rochelle 58-0 and Ottawa Marquette 54-6. In the Lockport Invitational Football Tournament, they defeated Lockport West 14-0 and Rich Central 12-0. Wally Kistenfeger was selected to the Chicago Daily News and Rockford Morning Star all-state team as a quarterback. Kistenfeger was one of seven Pirates named all-conference. Other all-conference players were Tom Colborn, Mike Hoskinson, Jack Myers, John Meling, Colen Willis and Dave Crews Burman. Willis was voted the team MVP and was co-captain along with Hoskinson. Hoskinson was the leading scorer and rusher scoring 11 touchdowns and rushing for 666 yards. Kistenfeger passed for 1,109 yards and 13 touchdowns. Myers was the leading receiver with 26 catches for 342 yards and three touchdowns. The team included assistant coaches Ralph Nelson, Larry Miller, Head Coach Bill Novak, Assistant Coach Dean Riley; Steve Schaefer, Guy Gillette, Denny Leamy, Gene Duffy, Paul Vittone, Jerry Charbonneau, Joe Vignali, Scott Anders. Everett Smith; Dave Brickert, Bob Nevin, Bob Riebe, Gale Landers, Dave Crews Burman, Jim Townsend, Mike Hoskinson, Tom Colborn, Wally Kistenfeger, Don Leipold; Manager Bill Swenhaugen, Rick Miller, Brad Young, Harry Nangle, Colen Willis, Jack Myers, Mike Amick, Rick Honer, Pat Melody, Rod Smith; Monte Monterastelli, John Meling, Brad Riley, Joe Willet, Dick Reimers, Rick Hornbeck, Terry Gross, Dave DeWalt, Bob Hay, Tom Melody; Dan Eilts, Mark McConnaughhay.

1996-97 varsity girls tennis team

The 1996-97 Girl’s Varsity Tennis Team finished as Champions of the Sectional, NCIC Conference, were undefeated in dual meets and finished in a tie for 12th in the IHSA State Tournament (then a single class event). Five Pirates qualified for the state tournament, each making it through the first day of competition. The Lady Pirates finished the state tournament with 15 points, Kelli Harris in singles finished 3-2 with three points, Christa Hermann and Morgan Veenstra were 3-2 for four points in doubles, and Stacey Harris and Kate Campaigne finished at 6-2 for eight points in doubles, earning all-state recognition, finishing in ninth-12th place, after being defeated in the main draw by the 1/2 seed from New Trier, and defeating Hinsdale Central, as well as the 5-8 seed from Barrington. Only two other downstate schools finished in the top 12, Champaign Centennial in a tie for sixth, and Moline, tied with Ottawa for 12th place. The team was Kelsey Budzowski, Kelli Harris, Morgan Veenstra, Stacey Harris, Abby Kolotka;Kate Campaigne, Susan Kleinmaier, Angie Fleming, Janine Zeitlin, Christa Hermann; Head Coach Tom Henderson, Assistant Coaches Steve Johnson and Tracey O’Fallon.