Galesburg, IL – Two of the most successful teams in Knox College history and three individuals are the newest members of the Knox-Lombard Athletic Hall of Fame.

Inducted into the Hall of Fame on October 18 as part of the College's 2013 Homecoming festivities were the 1956 football team, 1957-58 men's basketball team, Jim Smith '78, football coach Albert Reilly, and Victor Garcia '03.

1956 Football Team

Coached by Al Partin, the team soared above predictions of a last place finish in the conference and overcame the challenges associated with a roster that was small compared to other teams in the league.  The squad won all four of its home games by combined scores of 86-14, including a 33-7 victory against Monmouth for the Bronze Turkey and a 27-7 Homecoming win over Coe.

Knox had six All-Midwest Conference selections in 1956, including fullback and linebacker Mondo Lopez '58.  Mondo, a first-team all-conference pick and an honorable mention All-American, was inducted into the Knox-Lombard Athletic Hall of Fame in 1994.

"There were only about 25 players on the team and their talents, skills, and experiences were a great mix from the lowest level to higher levels," Mondo said.  "Because of academic requirements, illness, and injuries, often there weren't enough players to hold meaningful practice sessions.  Many (of the players) played offense and defense, unlike the current practice of being a specialist in a particular position.  Because many on the '56 team played defense and offense and had no chance to rest, they were totally physically and mentally exhausted at the end of each game."

Despite the need for several players to compete on both offense and defense, the two units were exceptional.  The Knox defense recorded two shutouts and held three other opponents to seven points while the offense averaged 240 rushing yards per game and a season total of 1,920 yards on the ground that stood as the most in the program's history for many years.

Individually, Mondo's career average of 6.17 rushing yards per carry remains a school record and he's #1 all-time with the fewest carries to 1,000 rushing yards, 161, which he achieved during the 1955 and 1956 seasons.  Mondo ranks #2 in the history of the football program for the most yards per carry in a season with an average of 6.62 in 1956.  Defensively, Junior Brown shares the school record for interceptions in a game with three – which he had against Lawrence.  Art Carlson is tied for second all-time for interceptions in a season with seven in 1956.

The other players on the '56 team named All-Midwest Conference were Clark Hedgcock (first team), co-captain George Olson (second team), Dave Maller (second team), co-captain Frank Stanicek (honorable mention), and Trevor Winebright (honorable mention).

"The team members were a mix, not only physically but also in terms of backgrounds," Mondo explained.  "Up to that date in Knox history, the team was probably the most diverse of any Knox football team.  This diversity brought strength and unity to the team; it brought us all together in a spirit that is only reflected in champions.  We had an objective of giving Knox a winning team to break its pattern of consecutive losing seasons.  As history recorded, the Knox 1956 football team performed as champions."


1957-58 Men's Basketball Team

The team overcame challenges that included injuries, illness, and having leading returning scorer and All-Midwest Conference selection John Liston (Hall of Fame Class of 2010) eligible for half of the season.  Coach Adams employed three different starting lineups during the campaign and Knox still posted an overall record of 17-7, including a 12-4 mark in the conference, and advanced to the quarterfinals of the national tournament.

With Liston in the initial starting lineup alongside Gordie Faubel, Dick Pierson, Bob Mason, and Jim Stowell, Knox won 10 of its first 11 games and was unbeaten in league play.  The only blemish was a 58-57 setback against Dennison University on January 4, 1958.  Liston's season ended after 13 games.  He averaged 21.8 points overall and 21.5 in Midwest Conference games, finishing as the second leading scorer in the league and earning first team all-conference honors.

Knox achieved a milestone during the season against Monmouth by posting a 64-60 victory at home on January 15, 1958.  The win was the first against Monmouth at home since 1951.  The team followed with a school record for points scored in a game with a 117-88 home triumph against Ripon on February 28, 1958 to sweep the season series.

By February, the Knox starting lineup was Faubel, Pierson, Gary Hoopes, Lanny Kiest, and Junior Brown. After enduring a stretch of three losses in four games that threatened hopes of a conference crown, the squad regrouped and won four of its last five league contests and prepared for the NCAA Tournament.

Knox defeated Gustavus Adolphus 76-65 in a Midwest Regional contest to advance to the tournament quarterfinals and a meeting in the regional championship game against South Dakota on the opponent's home floor. South Dakota downed Knox en route to winning the national championship.

Knox placed three other players besides Liston on the 1958 All-Midwest Conference teams. Faubel was named second team all-conference after averaging 13.5 points per game in league contests, which ranked #13 among the conference's top 30 scorers during the season.  Stowell and Hoopes were honorable mention All-Midwest Conference picks after they also scored in double figures and were among the top 30 scorers.  Hoopes averaged 13.1 points against conference opponents and ranked 15th in scoring while Stowell was 18th in scoring with an average of 12.7 points in Midwest Conference games.

The 17 wins by the 1957-58 men's basketball team set a new record for victories in a season and today still ranks tied for the second-most wins in a season.


Jim Smith '78

Jim helped lead the 1976 football team (Hall of Fame class of 2012) to a 7-1-1 record, a Midwest Conference championship, and a 33-0 playoff win against Lake Forest College.  "Smitty" led the rushing attack for the team, becoming just the second player in school history to gain over 1,000 yards in a season.  He finished the season with 1,005 yards on 213 carries for averages of 111.7 yards per game and 4.7 yards per carry.  "Smitty" also scored nine touchdowns and was an All-Midwest Conference first team selection.

Jim was in the top five of virtually every all-time rushing category -- 24 of them -- at the time his career ended.  He established new records for rushing attempts in a season, most games over 100 yards rushing in a season, and most games over 200 yards rushing in a season while ranking second in five other record book entries.  Today, more than three decades later, "Smitty" is still among the all-time top 10 leaders in 21 rushing categories, and in eight of those he continues to be ranked in the top five of all-time.

"The numbers he compiled were very good.  Since he missed a major portion of his sophomore year due to injuries and did not return to Knox for his senior year, the numbers are downright amazing," said Tom Crabtree '72, who has maintained the football records at Knox for decades.

Jim, who attended Kewanee Wethersfield High School, became Knox College's first-ever All-American in track.  He placed sixth in the finals of the 400 meter intermediate hurdles to garner All-American recognition at the 1975 NCAA Division III Track Meet hosted by the University of Chicago.  "Smitty" broke his own school record in the 400 IH with a time of 53.7 seconds en route to the finals.  The time stood as the record for 19 years and is currently the third-fastest in school history.  Van Steckelberg, the Knox track coach from 1973 to 1977, pointed out that Jim defeated Edwin Moses in the preliminaries, the same Edwin Moses who was an Olympic champion for the United States in 1976.

Jim had many other track accomplishments on top of becoming an All-American and establishing a nearly 20-year old record.  He had the most points scored all three years he ran track, won two Midwest Conference titles and had a second place finish in the 400 intermediate hurdles, and he was the anchor on the Knox 1975 conference champion 4x100 relay team.

 "He was a hard worker, he didn't complain, and he was a fierce competitor," said former teammate Phil Singer '76.  He also said of Jim, "He represented the school and the sports teams with a pride and competitiveness seldom seen.  'Smitty' was a dominant athlete in both sports at Knox.  He was clearly one of the best running backs and hurdlers/sprinters Knox has ever seen."


Albert Reilly

Coach Reilly served as an assistant coach from 1968 to 1970 before taking over as the head football coach at Knox in 1971, a position he held for six seasons.  Coach Reilly had an overall record of 29-23-2 and a winning percentage of .556.  His teams had winning seasons in four of his six years at the helm, a percentage of winning seasons of .667, and Knox achieved top division standing in the Midwest Conference in five of his six years.

Coach Reilly's best season was in 1976 when the team (Hall of Fame class of 2012) went 7-1-1 to win the Midwest Conference, shut out Lake Forest 33-0 in the playoffs, and finished with the best record among all football teams from Illinois colleges.  The '76 team was also ranked #10 in the nation by United Press International and remains the last Knox football squad to win a conference championship.

Coach Reilly, who also had seasons of 6-2-1 and 6-3, has the best record of any football coach in Knox history who coached for more than three years.  Coach Reilly's record is the best of any coach serving two full years since Ira Carrithers compiled a record of 15-8-1 (.646) from 1910-1912, and, he has the best record of any Knox football coach with two full seasons or more in the last 100 years.

Coach Reilly's record is the best of any Knox coach since John E. Anderson went 4-2-1 (.643) in 1917, the only year he coached.  All coaches at Knox from 1955 through 2012 – other than coach Reilly – have a combined record of 141-315-8 for a winning percentage of .313.  Coach Reilly's winning percentage of .556 is 243 points higher than the coaches during that time frame.

Coach Reilly is tied for second among all Knox coaches in the number of winning seasons with four, and he's also tied for second in the number of consecutive winning seasons with three.  Coach Reilly has the highest percentage of winning seasons of any coach in the last century.

"In his first year at Knox as offensive coordinator in 1970, coach Reilly was primarily responsible for turning a team with a record of 1-8 and hadn't won more than one game in a season in 10 years, into a team that went 6-3," said Tom Crabtree '72, who has maintained football records for Knox for over three decades.

Larry Kusch '71, a former player, recalls the turnaround of the football program under coach Reilly.  "He was the defensive coach when I came to Knox in 1969 as a junior college transfer.  In one year we went from 1-8 to 6-3 thanks largely to 'Albie's' commitment to excellence and his passion for innovative teaching techniques.  He was the main reason for Knox's Golden Era of football from 1970 to 1976."


Victor Garcia '03

A four-year letter winner coached by Tim Heimann '70, Knox-Lombard Athletic Hall of Fame class of 2004, Victor led Knox in scoring all four years he played and he was also a three-time Academic All-Midwest Conference award recipient.  He was named the "Offensive Most Valuable Player" after averaging a team-high 14.9 points per game during the 1999-2000 season, his first year on the court.

"Victor has quickly adapted to basketball at the college level and made it a point not to be intimidated by the opponent, coach Heimann said in a February 2010 media release from the Knox Sports Information Department.  "Being only a freshman, the only place he can go is up, and I can't wait to see what he can do as time goes on," added coach Heimann.

Victor continued to score in bunches over the next three seasons and finished with 1,687 career points, which ranks second all-time at Knox and #21 in Midwest Conference history.

Victor, as a sophomore, was no longer a surprise for conference opponents after Knox was predicted to finish last in the league in 1999-2000, and instead won 15 games and qualified for the conference tournament.  Despite the extra attention he garnered, Victor still averaged 19.5 points per game – which tied for the highest scoring average in the Midwest Conference – during the 2000-2001 season.  Victor had one of the all-time greatest offensive games that season, sinking 8-of-13 shots from 3-point range and scoring 38 points against NAIA power Doane College (NE) in a 94-89 overtime loss.  The eight 3-pointers were the most in school history and still rank in a tie for #2 all-time, and his 38 point effort was the fourth-highest scoring output in a game by a Knox men's player at the time.  Victor was named honorable mention All-Midwest Conference and was the co-recipient of the Arvid P. Zetterberg Award for men in 2000.

Victor was even more imposing during the 2001-2002 season, when he averaged 22.7 points per game – the second-highest scoring average in a season at Knox and the second-highest average in the conference – and his 522 points scored also rank #2 all-time.  He scored 44 points in a game, #3 all-time, set a record that still stands with 22 made free throws in a game, and hit 13 consecutive free throws in a game, currently #4 all-time.  Victor was named second team All-Midwest Conference.

Victor finished his senior year in 2002-2003 with an average of 19.5 points per game, which ranked #3 in the conference, and he was again selected to the All-Midwest Conference second team.  Victor shot 90.5 percent from the foul line, #2 all-time in a season at Knox, and finished his career as an 80.5 percent free throw shooter – the fifth-highest percentage all time.

The Hall of Fame is named after Allan P. Christiansen, noted athlete, former Knox director of admissions, and an inaugural inductee into the Hall of Fame.  It is housed in the Allan P. Christiansen Gallery on the main floor of the Memorial Gymnasium-T. Fleming Fieldhouse complex.