NORMAL – There may only be alumni from either Illinois State University or Illinois Wesleyan University who can recall attending men’s or women’s basketball games when the two local colleges squared off against one another. Those alumni would have been attending either college in the 1960s and 1970s, and in the early 70s, the two institutions gave up playing one another to take on other rivals, both in and out of their own conferences.

But on Sunday, Oct. 29, IWU Fightin’ Titans will again march into Redbirds’ territory on Sunday, Oct. 29 to play a women’s game starting at 1 p.m., followed by the men’s contest 30 minutes after the first game’s conclusion to resurrect the rivalry. Doors to CEFCU Arena will open for these events will open at 12 noon. Tickets for both contests will go on sale Oct. 2, costing $20 and provide admission to both games. ISU and IWU students will be admitted for free with a student ID. Parking information will be available closer to the date of competition.

But the two games will do more than determine which of the two colleges’ teams are entitled to bragging rights throughout the Twin Cities. That’s because proceeds from the two games will be divided between the Western Avenue Community Center, and a mental health collaboration between the schools. Western Avenue Community Center, opened in 1926, is a social service organization and community center, working with people of all ages and reaching out into the neighborhood. Today, the Center serves more than 2,000 families per year in the community.

At a press conference in the media room of CEFCU Arena, coaches of the two schools’ men’s and women’s teams shared their enthusiasm for the upcoming event.

ISU Women’s Head Basketball Coach Kristen Gillespie told a dozen media members the day of the event will be “a great day for our community. Two great Universities, such storied histories, and what I love is they are two Universities that really value women’s athletics.” She said the history of each institution regarding women’s athletics “speaks for itself.

Gillespie added to go up against a coach who has won a National Championship, “it’s something you don’t get to do every day.” Gillespie’s team won their last National Championship in 2012. IWU’s Men’s team last won a National Division III basketball title in 1997.

“We’re just very excited,” said IWU Women’s Head Basketball Coach Mia Smith to begin comments to the media. “I know my team is incredibly excited about this,” she said. She added she and her team “were very fortunate that Illinois State and Coach Gillespie is affording us to be able to play in CEFCU Arena and to be able to play in front of the community, and to bring basketball into the limelight, and to play for such an incredible cause.”

The notion of resuming an ISU-IWU rivalry “is just something that has been thought about for a while,” Gillespie said. She said when she first got the job at ISU seven years ago, she was asked by superiors about the possibility of renewing the rivalry.

“I’m ecstatic,” Gillespie said, then turned to Smith, and said, “Coach, thanks for agreeing to this.”

Calling the game between the Redbirds and Titans “long overdue,” ISU Head Basketball Coach Ryan Pedon told media members he “was really excited to reunite these two institutions.”

Pedon said a thought which has been running through his mind is the respect he has for Rose. “I have great admiration for him and respect and I know the kind of program he has led for a long time. He added the same can be said for Smith’s time in coaching at IWU.

“We’re very excited for the opportunity and appreciate Coach Pedon providing this,” IWU Head Coach Ron Rose said, nodding toward Pedon as he thanked him. Playing ISU would come under the heading of “unique opportunities” for his players, Rose explained, adding such games, “expand their experience, and this certainly will be one of them, to do this in front of the community, to bring both programs together, with part of the proceeds going to Western Ave. Western Ave. is a tremendous program in our community.”

Rose said his Titans players are always eager to play Division I teams, to play on a bigger court, and have done so. Bradley, University of Illinois, and Among the Titans’ previous Division I opponents

Rose added a top concern on the minds of college athletes across the NCAA is mental health, and having some of the proceeds go toward that factored into making arrangements to schedule this game.

“We’re really excited for the opportunity,” Rose said. “It should be a really fun day in Bloomington-Normal.”

Rose added the game “is an opportunity to unite our community. He said he doesn’t look at the impending contests any other way. He said the two games will give the Titans a chance to compete “against a really good program” as well as raise money for important programs in the community.

Pedon added he has heard from ISU fans about games the Redbirds and Titans used to play. “They talk about it like it’s something they are missing,” he said explaining how some ISU fans have felt about not having IWU on their schedule. “That matters to me. I want our program to be part of the fabric of our community. I love this community and there’s no reason why we shouldn’t play this game right now.”

Pedon, admitting he was a Division III athlete himself, said Rose beat him to suggesting it to his counterpart, adding the notion of playing their counterpart has been in the back of their minds for some time.

NORMAL – Illinois State University Head Football Coach Brock Spack began Football Media Day Aug. 9 by saying his team is still looking for the “right combination” of players which will help his team erase memories of his team finishing 6-5 last year including breaking even at 4-4 against Missouri Valley Conference opponents.

Once he finds the right combination of players on both sides of the ball, Spack, who will enter his 15th season at the helm of the Redbirds football program, said before the season even begins the Saturday before Labor Day, he had three goals he wants his players to achieve this season.

The first goal, he said, is “finding your best 11 players on both sides of the ball.” The second goal is making sure his players “become very efficient, particularly offensively, in what our team does, and then number three, getting our defensive players who are young up front to play really, really hard,” which the veteran coach said will help make up for any errors committed during play.

Defensively, not only does ISU have young players who haven’t thoroughly learned the team’s system of play yet, but he also has transfers who came to ISU from other schools who will need to also learn the Redbirds’ process. Among those players transferring from other schools includes player such as junior linebacker Amir Abdullah who transferred to ISU from University of Nebraska-Kearney.

One team he wants to make sure the Redbirds are prepared for is South Dakota State which finished the season in first place, league champ, and made it to last year’s Football Subdivision Championships (FCS) finishing the season as its champion. But Spack said every weekend against MVC opponents is something the Redbirds need to prep for because, as he explained, “any one of them can beat you.”

Spack added senior redshirt quarterback Zack Annexstad will be back behind center when the Redbirds prepare to do battle, starting with their home opener Sept. 2 at 12 noon against non-conference foe University of Dayton. Last season, Annexstad completed 162 passes of his 258 attempts for 1,691 yards and 11 touchdowns and just 7 interceptions before being sidelined by injury. The injury put his backup, Tommy Rittenhouse into the game for four contests. Rittenhouse proved to be effective as he went 30-for-57 passing for 242 yards in Annexstad’s absence.

Spack, who is entering his seventh season with a 46-26 record and a team appearance in an FCS Championship game in 2015 where they lost to North Dakota State.

Five Local Players Ready For Season: Spack has five local players who are ready for battle this season. Max Ziebarth, Hudson, was among four Normal Community High School grads who are on ISU’s roster. A redshirt freshman this season, the 6 foot-5, 240 pound tight end said he is majoring in Business and “likes going at my own pace with scheduling as opposed to the regimented schedule in high school and said he is enjoying “the competitiveness and taking the next step in my athletic career” at ISU. I would like to see how far football takes me and see if I could go pro,” Ziebarth said. Should football not pan out for him, Ziebarth said, he would be interested in starting a business related to the sport. Currently, he said, his interest is in seeing how far he can get the Redbirds to go this season.

Another redshirt freshman and NCHS grad Tye Niekamp, said he has been in the weight room in order to bulk up so he can be “faster and stronger before this year, trying to get my body right.” He said being redshirted has advantages in that he can lift weights and bulk up to be able to compete against guys of similar sizes. The 6 foot-3 230 pound linebacker has declared Exercise Science, related to athletics, to be his major.

Chris Taylor, an ISU freshman defensive back, graduated from NCHS said he has spent his early days at ISU “learning the playbook, getting used to the new team.” He said he wants to major in Kinesiology. A degree in Kinesiology can lead to a career as an athletic trainer. The 6 foot, 180 pound defensive back said he would like to apply what he learns in that major and help athletes involved in Special Olympics. He said he has volunteered in Special Olympics and that has “peaked my interest.”

NCHS grad and ISU redshirt sophomore defensive back Camden Maas said he spent his freshman season on ISU’s sidelines critiquing how he needed to play his position so he would be prepared when he takes to the field. He said that has included lifting weights, looking at game film, watching players already in that position do the job, all in an effort “to help me do my job better.” Watching to make sure opposing players can’t get behind him is the biggest concern on the field for him now, the Communications major said. The 6 foot-3, 190 pound Maas added his studies off the field lean toward business-related communications.

When senior offensive lineman Peter Bussone takes to the gridiron this season, specifically as ISU takes on Western Illinois, he might find himself evenly matched against WIU on the field, but off the field, he will be outnumbered at home. That’s because the 6 foot-2, 305 pound lineman ‘s father,Albert, played football for the Leathernecks, as did his uncles Peter, known as P.J., and Robert Marshall, known then as Bobby.

Among his goals he set for himself on the field this season Bussone said were, “I just want to help our team win, and help our team make the playoffs, and have a great season.” Like studying for classes, Bussone said, players need to study playbooks in preparation for games against upcoming opponents.

Circle Your Calendars: ISU travels to Missouri Valley Conference opponent Western Kentucky University Saturday, Sept. 9; And the Redbirds will play at Eastern Illinois Sept. 16, and host non-conference Lindwood University Sept. 23 before ISU’s Missouri Valley Conference schedule resumes with South Dakota State Oct. 7 at Hancock Stadium at 6p.m. The following week, Oct. 14, is Homecoming at ISU with Indiana State coming to town for a 2p.m. contest.

NORMAL – Going into his first season as head coach of Illinois State University’s Men’s Basketball team, Ryan Pedon had some key words to tell the media at a recent gathering. Those words included committed and excited. A third word Pedon used was anticipation and all three words could describe the sense he had about how his new team is coming across with practices just a week old, and waiting for their first game of the season.

“Our guys have been working hard,” Pedon told reporters on Media Day Oct. 20. “I’ve been very pleased with how committed we are as a unit and how committed we are to how we’re doing things. So, I can tell you we’re very excited and we’ve got a lot of anticipation heading into game one.”

Having a team that’s primarily veterans – of the 15 men on the roster, just two are seniors while the rest are juniors — Pedon said, “Having a veteran team enables us to, as we implement our system, we have guys who learn a little quicker. We’ve got some guys who come from different backgrounds and different programs, but I think their abilities to pick things up at this level is stuff they may have picked up somewhere along the line.” Where that experience was attained ranged from high school to being part of other college basketball programs before arriving at Redbird Arena.

Pedon said he and his staff, new themselves, are attempting to create a culture for the team, now comprised of veteran players fans have seen before and newcomers, that will help the team as a whole bond together quicker. “Culture wins games,” said the veteran coach who came to Normal from being an assistant at Ohio State University. “Our guys have really bought in to what we have brought here and I’m really excited to get started with them.”

He said having players with such experience “has sped our learning curve up.” Among the players who came in this season from other places are: Fifth year guard Colton Sandage, a Bloomington High School product whose college time started at Vincennes University before transferring to Western Illinois University before coming to ISU; Junior guard Luke Kasubke, a transfer from Kansas State; Fifth year guard Seneca Knight who came to ISU who last was on Brigham Young University’s Men’s Basketball roster; Harouna Sissoko, a redshirt junior who transferred to ISU having been at Grand View Christian College; and Redshirt junior forward Liam McChesney coming to ISU from Utah State.

With that many new guys transferring in from other places where coaches had their way of teaching what they wanted done, Pedon said he and his assistants “have to be very intentional about communicating exactly how we want it done,” adding he doesn’t want to teach a playing system which would take two years to have a grasp of by players. He said the playing system he wants players to learn is one that “errs on the side of simplicity. We have to do a good job as coaches as to what our expectations are and spelling that out in a very clear and concise way.”

Pedon said having players who have already experienced Redbird basketball and playing in Missouri Valley Conference will help when facing MVC opponents. With the mix of players from different universities before arriving at ISU “can breed confidence” in a team, Pedon said. Those players “have experience knowing what it’s like to play on the road at Drake, or play in a Bradley-Illinois State game, so that’s certainly something we’ll lean on as we go along through the season,” he explained.

Colton Sandage Desires To Be A Coach After College: Redbirds senior guard Colton Sandage is entering his final season of college basketball after having played elsewhere. He came to ISU after spending the previous two seasons at Western Illinois where he averaged 13.4 points per game last season for the Leathernecks. He even put up high scoring numbers in a couple of games – 33 points in one followed by scoring 25 points in another during the season. He also can add 82 assists, 39 steals, and 122 rebounds to what he accomplished. As a junior at WIU he played in 22 games with 13 starts and averaged 9.5 points per game with a team-high 45 assists.

The 6 foot-2, 190 pound guard said he returned for his final season to ISU “to play bigger basketball and have broader competition, playing a higher level.” Majoring in University Studies, Sandage said he would love to be in the position Pedon and so many others like him find themselves now – Sandage said he wants to be a Division I college basketball coach.

Sandage said that was one reason he transferred to ISU. “It would be a great opportunity to learn from Coach Pedon and take what I learn from him and apply it to my own team, hopefully.”

“Basketball has just always been a part of my life,” the 6 foot-2, 190 pounder said. “I feel like I’ve learned a lot in college and I would like to stay in the game.” There is a family tradition in play for Sandage wanting to come to ISU. One brother, Brent Holtz, played football for the Redbirds after redshirting in 2006, was sidelined by injury in 2007, but in 2008 played 10 games with two starts. Another brother, Brandon Holtz, played basketball for three years, paving the way for his younger sibling.

What Pedon was impressed with by Sandage was that “he shoots the ball well. He has great range. He brings a lot of tangibles to the table for our team. He’s one of our best competitors.” Pedon said Sandage’s prior college basketball addresses also aid the team because of what he learned about the game there. “We value Colton and what he brings to the team and we’re looking forward to getting him full time.”

Pedon said “the biggest area of curiosity with our team is how the team will face adversity” as a team for the first time on the court during games. He said it’s the coaching staff’s task to prepare the players for such potential situations brought about by opponents.

Circle Your Calendars: ISU will host an exhibition against Ohio-based The College of Wooster Sunday, Oct. 30 at 2p.m. before getting the season underway with a non-conference tilt against Western Illinois University Wednesday, Nov. 7 at 7p.m. The Redbirds will spend Nov. 21-23 playing in the Cayman Islands Classic competing against Louisiana State Nov. 21 at 10a.m. The University of Akron and Western Kentucky University will also play there. ISU’s first Missouri Valley Conference contest will be at Murray State Thursday, Dec. 1 followed three days later by their first MVC home game Sunday, Dec. 4 when Belmont visits Redbird Arena. ISU will travel to Bradley Wednesday, Jan. 25 for a 7p.m. game, with the Braves coming to Redbird Arena for a 7p.m. game Wednesday, Feb. 8.

NORMAL – Boomer Grigsby returned to Illinois State University Saturday to share with Redbirds football fans an honor which will be bestowed on him in December. He will be inducted into the National Football Federation Hall Of Fame in a ceremony to be held in Orlando, Fla. Dec. 6.

Prior to sharing the news Saturday with Redbird faithful at halftime of ISU’s game against Southern Illinois, Grigsby, now retired from the game after playing for Kansas City for three seasons starting in 2005 and one season each at Miami and Houston, will turn 41 in November. A month later he will join 17 other players and three former coaches in being added to NFF’s 2022 HOF.

Asked what it meant to him to be inducted into the Hall, the former linebacker and fullback said, “I’m not sure what it means yet. It brings a large degree of sentiment and passion to my heart. I think it means a lot for my family, my parents, my hometown, and Illinois State.”

He told reporters at a news conference in Redbird Arena he believed being selected to the Hall “was so much bigger than me because there were so many people that were part of the process that made it go, including you all. If it wasn’t for the attention that I got, people wouldn’t have known.”

Asked how his return visit here before the December ceremony ranks, Grigsby said it was going “to be one of the best Saturdays I’ve had, obviously.” When he suited up in a Redbird jersey, he proved to have numerous best Saturdays at linebacker. And he racked up top honors while at ISU having gotten here from Canton, Ill. A three-time First Team All-American from 2002-2004, Grigsby remains the FCS leader in career tackles with 550, 325 career solo tackles, holding a single-season tackles per game mark of 16.27 in 2002, and a single-season solo tackles per game mark of 9.82 tackles in 2002.

Grigsby is the only player in history to finish in the top three for the Buck Buchanan Award, presented for being the Most Outstanding Defensive Player in the Division I in three consecutive seasons. Grigsby ranks second all-time in FCS history with 12.5 tackles per game during his career, and he has to his credit two of the top three single-season solo tackle performances in FCS history: 109 in 2003 and 108 in 2002. Grigsby also remains the all-time leading tackler in both Missouri Valley Football Conference and school history as both MVFC and ISU credit him with 580 career tackles. Not bad for a guy who redshirted when he got to ISU.

His ISU career also includes Grigsby receiving an honorable mention as an all-conference selection in 2001 when he was named to the MVFC All-Newcomer Team. He led the FCS in tackles in 2002, led the conference in tackles three times and led Illinois State in tackles all four seasons. A three-time team captain, Grigsby was also twice named the Illinois State Milt Weisbecker Male Athlete of the Year, and he was inducted into the Illinois State Athletics Percy Family Hall of Fame in 2010.

He even now can claim an award given to college players that has been renamed in his honor and presented by the College Sporting News, honoring an FCS Defensive Player of the Year. He is also the only three-time Missouri Valley Football Conference Defensive Player of the Year in league history.

Now the father of four, including two sons, ages 2 and nine months, Grigsby said he suspects seeing them run about Hancock Stadium Saturday “will bring a tear to my eye.” He also has two daughters, ages 8 and 10.

Off the field while at ISU, Grigsby established the Boomer Grigsby Foundation, and he has volunteered with Jared Allen’s Homes for Wounded Warriors and the Special Olympics. Grigsby continued his relationship with ISU football as the color analyst for Redbird football broadcasts on NBC Sports Chicago for three seasons, and he served as a television analyst for Illinois High School Association football playoff broadcasts for two years.

Now away from football and living in Las Vegas, Grigsby works as a sales rep for Kalamazoo, Mich.-based Stryker Corporation, which manufacturers implants used in joint replacement and trauma surgeries and other such surgical related products.

Asked what he wants his kids to remember about his playing days, Grigsby said, “I think I just want them to know that I played hard.” He said when his boys are older, he hopes they “follow their hearts and decide to play football. Whatever they do, I just want them to play hard.”

NORMAL – It’s one thing to leave your mark after nearly two decades coaching one University’s sport. It’s quite another to go into the record books ranked as one of the top college coaches in that sport. When she formally retired Monday following a ceremony at the Aaron Leetch Room at Hancock Stadium on Illinois State University’s campus.

Yet, on Monday, Melinda Fischer’s career as a softball coach and mentor to countless players over nearly four decades came to an end as she was honored with her players, University staff and friends looking on.

“I can’t tell you how sincerely proud I am to have been the coach here for 37 years of Softball and five years I was able to spend with Jill Hutchinson” assisting coaching ISU’s women’s basketball team. She thanked a countless number of friends and supporters who have called, written, and emailed her as her retirement drew near.

Admitting she first set foot on ISU’s campus 54 years ago, she had no idea that in 2022, “little did I know that my journey, at least this part, would end standing in front of you today as a very tremendously proud alum. She said her ISU life started in the now demolished Colby Hall.

Her professional goal was to teach physical education, she told those attending. “And believe me when I say this – the teacher preparation at this University was the best in the country.” She said she was “so grateful to those professors for their commitment to learning, attention to detail, and the professionalism they provided.”

Her college education wasn’t always hitting the books, she said, explaining she gained her first opportunity to play competitive sports for the first time in her life, participating in field hockey in the fall, basketball in winters, and springs playing softball. “These opportunities were not available to females in high school,” she explained, adding it was a competitive environment which led her to ISU.

“Coaching has been my life, it is my passion,” she told the gathering. “Illinois State is my home and it is my family.” And she has held a number of positions within this particular family as, for two years in the mid-1970s Fischer coached Softball at Eastern Illinois University, guiding the Panthers to a 41-25 mark which included seeing the Panthers crowned the Illinois Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (IAIAW) State Champion in 1980, thus allowing the team to secure a spot in the regional championship.

Fischer returned to ISU, becoming co-head coach of the women’s basketball team in 1980, joining her former coach and fellow ISU Athletics Hall of Famer Dr. Jill Hutchison for the next five seasons. During her first two seasons with women’s basketball, she also served as an assistant coach for the softball team before taking over as head coach prior to the 1986 season. By 1988, her team advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16 for the first time in school history. By 1995, her squad compiled 46 wins – the third-highest total by any team in ISU Athletics history – and claimed another conference title with a 19-1 Missouri Valley Conference mark.

“To my colleagues around the country and in the Valley, I have thoroughly enjoyed the challenges, the competitive events, and the dialogue. To all the amazing coaches who have been a part of our softball family – thank you, thank you, and thank you.”

To her players, Fischer said, “I love, I love, I love your competitive spirit that you bring to practice and games. I am so very proud of all of you and I continue to learn from you every day. I am very, very humbled and honored to have been your coach for the past 37 years. And for you, I have lots and lots and lots of love.”

“To our softball alums, you have been the foundation of this program and have been with each graduating class,” Fischer said. She thanked the parents of players for supporting their daughters and for trusting the softball program for being “a home away from home.”

In retirement, Fischer said, she will dedicate some time helping to give the Redbirds home stadium, Marian Kneer Stadium “a facelift.” She then said she wants to see that happen because, gesturing to some players individually, “you deserve this. You deserve this. You deserve this.” She added, “This program deserves this and I am committed to make it happen.”

Tina Kramos Named New Redbirds Head Softball Coach: Earlier in the week, ISU Director of Athletics Kyle Brennan named Redbirds assistant softball coach Tina Kramos, who is entering her 23rd year with the Softball program, to be the next head Softball coach. Fischer said she “was not willing to walk away from this program until I knew Tina Kramos would be the next head coach.” Fischer thanked ISU President Dr. Terri Goss Kinzy, ISU’s Deputy Director of Athletics Leanna Bordner, and Brennan for selecting Kramos to succeed her.

Kramos began by thanking Dr. Kinzy, Bordner, Brennan, and Fischer for the opportunity. She said she would not be where she found herself now without the support of her family, and choked up as she thanked her “first coach,” her father, Jim, and her mother, Deb.

Kramos said she will lead using what she has learned from Fischer. She said Fischer “leads by example and with her heart. Her message has been very clear: Work hard, show gratitude, love what you do, don’t be afraid to show it.”

She added, “We will continue to build on that foundation by Melinda and all the great players and all the great players that have worn the red and white. She added her team is going to “strive for excellence,” elaborating that it doesn’t mean perfection.” Kramos clarified what it meant saying, “it means being the very best version of yourself and giving your very best effort each and every day.”

Kramos closed with “I am truly honored and humbled to serve as the next softball coach at Illinois State University.”