The Knox-Lombard Athletic Hall of Fame
Armondo Lopez was one of the most highly recognized athletes to play football from this region of the state. Following an outstanding career at Kewanee High School, he came to knox in the Fall of 1954 despite scholarship offers from other larger schools. In 1956 he was a first team selection in the Midwest Conference, honorable mention Little All-American, first team choice on the Peoria Journal-Star All-State Collegiate Team, and named the Most Valuable Player on the ’56 Siwash squad by his teammates. Without Mondo the accomplishments of 1956 Co-Midwest Conference Championship team would not have been reached. He was also elected captain of the 1957 eleven along with Jim Stowell and Jim Moorehead. During the ’56 season, Armondo suffered an injury which ended his college football career, but because of his love for the game and leadership abilities, he served as varsity backfield coach in his senior year. His accomplishments and dedication earned him two letters in football while at Knox.
Armondo’s campus involvement included other activities in addition to athletics as he distinguished himself as a leader of the football field as well—He was senior class president, president of “K” Club, president of Newman Club, and was a member of Phi Gamma Delta fraternity.
After his Knox days, he continued his education by taking graduate courses at the University of Indiana and California State College at San Diego. He worked for three years on the Apollo Spacecraft Project of North American Aviation Company and worked for General Dynamics for two years on the Atlas Missile Program. From 1968-1969, he worked on the President’s Council on Change for Hispanics and was involved with the Agency for International Development. His first foreign post was in Panama where he swas attached to the AID mission as program economist. Armondo was quoted as saying “ His main interest was to build a career around Latin American Economics.” While in Panama, he had the opportunity to observe the Alliance for Progress in action first hand. He is presently a supervisory economist for the United States Department of Commerce for Economic Affairs. It gives me great personal satisfaction to recognize Mondo Lopez as a 1994 inductee to the Knox Lombard Athletic Hall of Fame.
