A dozen former student-athletes, coaches, and administrators who were key in shaping the Illinois Tech athletics program were inducted into the inaugural Athletics Hall of Fame class as part of the 2022 Homecoming celebration on September 16, 2022.
The creation of the Athletics Hall of Fame was spurred by the Athletics Advisory Board in 2019, which was tasked with growing the student-alumni experience. The board saw a need to recognize the past and those who paved the way for current and future student-athlete success.
Here’s a look at the first class of inductees:
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Liam Barrett (BA ’13), Men’s Soccer—A two-time academic all-American, Barrett broke Illinois Tech and Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) records for goals and points, twice being named the CCAC Player of the Year
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Jim Darrah, Coach—Darrah coached baseball for 25 years, beginning in 1978, and was three times named the CCAC Coach of the Year; he was also named the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) State and Region Coach of the Year
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Ted Erikson (CHE ’52), Men’s Swimming—A standout swimmer at Illinois Tech, Erikson would go on to break world speed records, including swimming the English Channel round-trip in 1965 in a time of 30 hours, 3 minutes
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Ed Glancy, Coach—After playing in the Major League Baseball farm system, Glancy coached the baseball team from 1947–71, served as athletics director until 1983, and is credited with obtaining the first student-athlete scholarships
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Lauren Joyce Hensel (PTC ’06, MPA ’17), Women’s Volleyball—After a standout career at Illinois Tech, where she was a two-time NAIA All-American, Hensel went on to coach the Robert Morris University men’s and women’s volleyball teams
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Arthur Keating (ME 1916)—The captain of the football, men’s basketball, and track team at Armour Institute of Technology, Keating offered support as a university trustee and donor that led to the development of the university’s athletics facility named in his honor
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Gerald “Jerry” L. Maatman Sr. (FSPE ’51), Men’s Baseball—A star outfifielder at Illinois Tech, Maatman had a successful professional career that included time spent as chair of Illinois Tech’s fire protection engineering department and serving as CEO of Kemper Insurance
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Dennis Matuch, Coach—Matuch coached the swim team for 25 years while earning international accolades, including a world-best time for a 40-kilometer pool swim in 1963, and was inducted into the International Marathon Swimming Hall of Fame
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John Olin (ME ’61), Men’s Basketball—Olin is one of the men’s basketball team’s all-time leading scorers, including scoring a school-record 41 points in a single game, and a distinguished Honor I recipient
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Corinne Trtan (CE ’02), Women’s Basketball—A standout on the hardwood who was named the CCAC Freshman of the Year and finished her four-year career with a record 1,611 points, Trtan had her jersey retired shortly after she graduated
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John J. Schommer (CHE 1912), Administrator—One of the Big Ten’s first great basketball players, Schommer transferred to Armour Institute to play three sports and later oversaw the development of its earliest athletics programs
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Bernard “Sonny” Weismann, Administrator—Weismann was a coach at Armour Institute and later served as athletics director at Illinois Tech from 1928–71; over his 43-year career, the athletics program grew from its infancy into resembling today’s department