The Elgin Sports Hall of Fame has inducted 199 members since 1980. All of the Inductees are celebrated for their outstanding achievements and accomplishments in their respective sport(s). As the highest honor in Elgin athletics, entrance into the Hall of Fame recognizes outstanding contributions to a variety of sports.
2021 Inductees
Deryn Carter
Deryn is a 1998 graduate of Larkin High School and is inducted into the Elgin Sports Hall of Fame for Basketball.
Deryn Carter
Deryn Carter, a 1998 graduate of Larkin High School, is inducted into the Elgin Sports Hall of Fame for Basketball.
Deryn played three years of varsity basketball for Larkin. During that time, he was named All-Conference in the Upstate 8 his junior and senior seasons, as well as All-Area each year by both the Courier News and the Daily Herald. Carter averaged 19 points per game, four rebounds and 3.5 assists as a junior and 17.9 points, three rebounds and 3.6 assists as a senior. His 1099 points rank him fourth in Larkin history.
As a freshman at Lincoln College, Deryn was honorable mention all-conference. As a sophomore he was named all-conference and all-region at Florissant Valley Community College in Saint Louis. Following a season at Saint Louis University as a junior, Deryn played college basketball at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. As a senior he led the team in scoring with 16.7 points, assists (91) and steals (44). At the end of that season 2001-2002, Carter was named Honorable Mention to the All-Great Lakes Valley Conference team.
Scott Johnson
Scott Johnson, a 1974 graduate of Elgin High School, is inducted into the Elgin Sports Hall of Fame as a Friend of Sports.
Scott Johnson
While in college, Scott compiled box scores of every game in the first century of EHS basketball and published the Elgin High School Basketball Record Book. Scott was hired by the Illinois High School Association in 1994, becoming the first full-time technology director at any of the 50 state interscholastic associations.
He served as publications editor and developed computer programs that streamlined the administration of the football playoffs and most other state tournaments. He also built the association’s website and its special areas, including the Score Zone, the vast records section, and the IHSA Archives with its collection of more than 1,000 digitized state final broadcasts.
In his unofficial role as IHSA Historian, Scott wrote three books about high school sports and sports administration: Once There Were Giants (with his wife Julie Kistler), 100 Years of Madness, and Association Work.
Lawerence McNerney
Lawrence “Mike” McNerney, a 1901 graduate of Elgin High School, is inducted into the Elgin Sports Hall of Fame for football, baseball and as a Friend of Sports.
Lawrence McNerney
Lawrence “Mike” McNerney, a 1901 graduate of Elgin High School, is inducted into the Elgin Sports Hall of Fame for football, baseball and as a Friend of Sports. Mike was a standout in three sports at Elgin; he was the captain, quarterback, and kicker of the EHS football team recognized as the 1900 “state champions,” which included a 53-5 victory over Oak Park in which he kicked eight successive goals.
At the University of Notre Dame, McNerney lettered three years in football and baseball. He was the unanimous selection as captain of the baseball team and was recognized as “one of the most notable Notre Dame figures of the early 1900’s.” Mike originally played end, then led the football team as the quarterback and the drop kicker.
As a standout second baseman, McNerney played for such legendary semi-professional teams as the Chicago Gunthers, as well as teams in Elgin, Aurora, and DeKalb. He frequently faced major league talent, including the Chicago White Sox and the Leland Giants, against whom he had success against Hall of Fame pitcher Rube Foster.
Locally, Mike was a leader of the Elgin High “E” Club and president of the EHS Booster Club. He served as coach and assistant football coach in 1912 and 1915. He coached the western sectional Elgin team in the championship game against Stanford, the eastern sectional champion. While losing 7-0, eastern papers described the game as “the hardest fought intersectional football battle seen in these parts for many years.”
Mike was appointed chairman of a committee to raise money for a suitable marker for the grave of George Gipp by ND athletic director and Four Horseman member Elmer Layden, was a close friend of Knute Rockne, and was included among 51 “Notre Dame men who deserve monograms for their accomplishments after leaving school as well as their feats in athletics.”
Jason Richardson
Jason Richardson us inducted for baseball and tennis.
Jason Richardson
Jason Richardson us inducted for baseball and tennis. As an accomplished youth tennis player playing in the Northern Illinois section, Jason was regularly ranked number 1 in all age groups he competed in. At the invitation only Western Section (made up of seven states), Jason was ranked in the top 5 the second year of each age group in which he competed. Within the United States Tennis Association, he was ranked #42 in the nation at the invitation only competition for the 12-16 age group.
At Larkin, Richardson was a two-year All-Conference shortstop. In his senior year, Jason was an Illinois High School Baseball Coaches Association All-State selection after setting the IHSA state record with 73 runs batted in (now ranks 4th) and hitting 14 home runs, including four grand slams (2nd in IHSA ranking). He is also tied for 1st in the state with four home runs in a game, 2nd in the state with five consecutive home runs, and 6th in the state with 11 RBI’s in a game. In addition, Jason’s five consecutive home runs is tied for 2nd and grand slams in a year is tied for 3rd in the National Federation of State High School Association records.
Additional honors his senior year included All-Area by the Daily Herald and Chicago Sun-Times Player of the Month. Jason continued his baseball career at Elgin Community College, where he was All-Conference both seasons, batting.393 with 21 doubles, 26 stolen bases, seven home runs and 41 runs batted in as a freshman and .367 with 17 doubles, 14 stolen bases, four home runs and 50 runs batted in and earning All-Region honors his sophomore season as ECC had its best season in team history and finished 3rd in the nation at the JUCO Division II World Series.
Eyad Salem
Eyad Salem, a 2005 graduate of Larkin High School, is inducted into the Elgin Sports Hall of Fame for Football.
Eyad Salem
Eyad Salem, a 2005 graduate of Larkin High School, is inducted into the Elgin Sports Hall of Fame for Football.
Eyad was selected as an All-Upstate 8 Conference, All-Area, and All-State wide receiver in his senior season. He set Larkin single-game records when he hauled in 13 receptions and 305 receiving yards, ranking 3rd in IHSA records at the time. Salem had 45 receptions, 811 receiving yards and over 1000 all-purpose yards as a receiver and kick returner that season.
In 2008, during his junior season at Illinois State University, Eyad had 63 receptions (4th in ISU history) while ranking second in the Missouri Valley Conference in receptions (5.7) and yards per game (76.6). Salem’s production increased in his senior season at ISU. He led the Missouri Valley Conference in receiving yards (943), yards per game (85.7), receptions per game (8.4), and ranked 4th in the country in receptions per game. During that season, he surpassed the 100+ yard mark in 5 games. He also led ISU in receptions, receiving yards, touchdowns (8) and receiving yards per game that season.
During his collegiate career, Salem set an ISU and conference single-season record with 92 receptions. In two consecutive games, Eyad tied the ISU single-game record with 14 receptions. Additionally, he set the single season record with 8.36 receptions per game and the career record with 5.64 receptions per game over his three seasons at ISU.
Overall, Salem ranked 3rd at ISU in career receptions (186), 6th in receiving yards (2246) and 6th in receiving touchdowns (18). He was an All-Valley Football Conference First Team selection in 2008 and 2009. Eyad was invited to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Rookie Camp in 2010 and went on to play years with the Chicago Slaughter under Head Coach, Steve “Mongo” McMichael.
Dan Sheldon
Dan Sheldon, a 2001 graduate of Burlington Central High School, is inducted into the Elgin Sports Hall of Fame for Football.
Dan Sheldon
Dan was an outstanding running and defensive back at Burlington. He was a two-time consensus All-Stater, named 2nd team All-State by the Champaign News-Gazette, 1st Team Chicago Tribune as a defensive back, Class 1A-3A 1st Team by the Chicago Sun-Times and Class 3A 1st Team by the Illinois High School Football Coaches Association. He rushed for 100+ yards in 28 of 30 games and led the state in scoring in 2000 with 43 touchdowns and 274 points. In addition to All-State honors, Sheldon was named All-Area 1st Team by the Daily Herald, Kane County Chronicle and Courier News.
Dan continued his career at Northern Illinois University where he set seven NIU records, including returning 57 punts for 1021 yards and four touchdowns. He led the NCAA Division I and Mid-America Conference with a 22.7 punt return average and was named to three postseason All-America units (2002), selected as the MAC Special Teams Player and Performer of the Year.
To this day, he still leads the NCAA D1 in career yards per punt return. Dan was the third player in conference history to gain 1000+ punt return yards, while also having 94 career receptions for 1986 yards and 18 touchdowns and a career total of 3477 All-Purpose yards. He spent time on the Arizona Cardinals, Indianapolis Colts, Chicago Bears, Atlanta Falcons, and Pittsburgh Steelers.
Corinne (Cohen) Grotenhuis – Elgin Sports Fall of Fame Induction – 2016
Experience it in person!
If you’d like to view see Prior Years’ Inductees we invite you to the ESHOF on-site Touch Pro Experience, located at The Centre of Elgin, or visit the Virtual Hall of Fame.
