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Three individuals and two teams have been selected as 2025 inductees to the Ottawa High School Hall of Fame.
The inductees will be introduced between OTHS basketball games Jan. 31 in the school’s Kingman Gym. A banquet will be held to present and honor inductees Saturday, Feb. 1.
The honorees are:
John “Jack” Catlin (Class of 1965)
While attending OTHS, Catlin was co-captain of the Pirate swim team both his junior and senior years. He later attended Southern Illinois University, receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1974, then a Master of Architecture degree from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 1983.
His personal experience as a wheelchair user motivated him to pursue architecture to help build environments that adapt to people. He was a founding partner of LCM Architects and a leading resource on accessibility and inclusive design. He was instrumental in developing accessibility standards and guidelines at the federal, state and local levels and was appointed by President Bill Clinton, serving eight years on the U.S. Access Board.
He was a valued committee resource in writing and revising the Illinois Accessibility Code, the Health-Life Safety Code for public schools and the Chicago Building Code. In consequential and ordinary ways, Catlin moved the building industry to transform the way places are designed and built, opening opportunities for people with diverse abilities to participate independently, equally and with dignity in all aspects of daily life.
Gerry Couch - Class of 1970
At OTHS, Couch was a highly accomplished cross country runner, accumulating 36 dual meet titles, ranking him fifth all-time in Illinois. He finished fourth in the IHSA State Meet his junior year, the highest finish in OTHS history. He set eight course records during his career.
In Couch’s senior year, he finished first in 15 of his 18 races, and finished in 14th at the IHSA State Meet. He qualified for the state finals in each of his four years on the cross country team, finishing 131st, 12th, fourth and 14th in the state meet during his career. He also was an outstanding distance runner for the OTHS track team, holding OTHS records at both the JV and varsity levels in the half-mile, 1-mile and 2-mile distances.
He achieved the fastest time in the nation for a freshman at the 1967 IHSA State Track Meet and broke the state record for the 2-mile distance. He has donated innumerable hours developing young local golfing talent. He is assisting the OTHS golf team, which in 2024 became IHSA state champions.
Sharon Eschbach Coleman (Class of 1975)
After graduating from OTHS, Eschbach attended the University of Illinois, graduating in 1979 with a Bachelor of Science degree in architecture. She began her architectural career in San Francisco, working over a 10-year period with KMD Architects and HOK Architects.
She later moved to Seattle and refocused her career to project management and real estate development. She was project manager for Heery Project Management from 1990 to 1993 and the University of Washington from 1993 to 1998. From 1998 to 2002, she was senior project manager for Wright Runstad and Co., among other projects managing the renovation and adaptive reuse of a U.S. Public Health Hospital to the new Amazon headquarters.
From 2002 to 2021, Eschbach Coleman was senior project manager and director for Vulcan Real Estate, where she oversaw the development of more than 5 million square feet of office, retail and life science projects, including 25 buildings for tenants such as Amazon, Facebook, Google and the University of Washington. She also is a significant philanthropic donor on the West Coast and locally, donating more than $1 million to nonprofits including the Reddick Mansion, the Starved Rock Community Foundation and the new Ottawa YMCA.
1982-83 varsity boys basketball team
The 1982-83 Pirates compiled a 27-3 record and advanced to the IHSA Class AA Supersectional (at the time Illinois had two basketball classes, with Class AA including the largest schools). They were 11-0 in the NCIC Conference, winning the conference title, and were champions in the regional and sectional tournaments.
In the first game of the Rock Island Sectional, the Pirates prevailed over Geneseo 84-79 in an historic five-overtime game. They then won the sectional with a one-point win over Moline. The Pirates, ranked 13th in the state, lost to fifth-ranked and eventual state runner-up Peoria Central in the Peoria Supersectional. The Pirates’ only other losses were to Rock Island in the Quad City Thanksgiving Tournament and to Chicago Weber in the Pontiac Holiday Tournament.
Dave Moran received All-State status by the Chicago Sun Times. Dave Moran, Mike Cassidy and Daryl Deckard each received All-NCIC first-team recognition. The team included Scott Miller, Paul Ledbetter, Matt Krieger, Bill Ryan, John Biffany, Bob Humer, Steve Marten, John Myers, head coach Gary Vancil, assistant coach Tom Henderson, Jeff Aicher, Andy Seth, Jeff Schmoeger, Mike Cassidy, Dave Moran, Daryl Deckard, Kevin Hollahan, Marcus McCollum, team manager Randi Phelps and manager Tony Roberts.
1998 varsity boys baseball team
The team achieved an unofficial 26-5 record, winning its first nine games and 17 of the first 19 before being required to later forfeit seven games, including four conference games, for the use of an ineligible reserve. They proceeded to battle back from the adversity to win five of the last seven games to close the season, then won the regional title, sectional title and advanced to the IHSA state tournament.
This was both the first-ever OTHS sectional baseball title as well as the first berth in the IHSA Class AA state baseball tournament. Three starting pitchers – Travis Harth, Bobby Torres and Brandon Canada – had a combined record of 20-1. In the Galesburg Sectional, the Pirates defeated the Quad City powerhouse Moline then trailed 8-3 in the bottom of the seventh inning with one out to Peoria Notre Dame in the title game. They claimed the title, however, with six runs, including a two-run double and a two-out, two-run walk-off homer to win the game.
In the state quarterfinals, the Pirates fell 7-1 to eventual runner-up Tinley Park Andrew. The team was made up of members Cory Newman, Nick Vessell, Brent Heaberlin, Ben Newell, Carl Hortega, Bob Torres, Brandon Canada, Jim Mitchell, Rob Smeets, Mark Loudon-Brown, B.J. Olson, B.J. Parrott, Darren Bragg, Eric Katrein, Pete Hoffmann, Doug Shumway, Eric Farmer, assistant coach Mark Andrews, head coach Randy Bretag, Travis Harth, assistant coach Craig Mueller, Mitch Hetelle, Ryan Lowery and assistant coach Don Heaberlin.
Tickets to the banquet are $45 and not available at the door. They can be bought by emailing smacdonald@ottawahigh.com or kschmitt@ottawahigh.com, as well as at the OTHS home basketball game Jan. 10.
The Ottawa Township High School Hall of Fame was established in 2006 by the OTHS District 140 Educational Foundation Inc. The goal 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.