UIC Athletics

Position: Vice Chancellor

Years: 1985-1991

Inducted: 1992

It is not an exaggeration to say that the UIC athletic structure would not be as solid as it is without the efforts of Dr. Beckham. Under his stewardship the Flames joined the North Star Conference, a move that provided UIC the opportunity to compete for championships and develop rivalries. The North Star Conference evolved into the Mid-Continent Conference.    

Dr. Beckham was a true friend of the student-athlete at UIC. He was responsible for the development of an academic support system and the upgrading of UIC's athletic facilities.

Position: Administrator

Years: 1946-1980

Inducted: 1998

Berrafato was a major figure throughout UIC athletic history. He taught everything from boxing, wrestling and weight-lifting to handball, bowling and backyard sports. In 1955, he organized the first community recreation course. During his last 16 years on campus, he served as director of the intramural sports department.    

"Peter was a teacher, administrator and friend to everybody. He showed you the proper way to get things done, said Ray Clay (2013 HoF). He treated all as equal. To Peter, everyone was a friend."

Position: Faculty Representative

Years: 1971-2002

Inducted: 1997

Deam was a valuable part of the growth of the UIC Flames as an NCAA Division I athletic program for over 30 years as a faculty athletics representative. He represented UIC at conferences and national conventions and was involved in the decision making process the led to UIC's conference affiliation.      

Deam was a professor in the College of Art, Architecture and Urban and an architect specializing in architectural, judicial and urban design. "One can't put into words all that Ed has contributed to the UIC Athletic Department," said UIC Athletic Director

Position: Athletic Trainer

Years: 1960-1995

Inducted: 1997

Descourouez began his athletic training career as a student from 1955 until his graduation in 1960. Upon graduation he became the head trainer at UICC, a role he held for twelve years. Descourouez worked behind the scenes with many sports at UICC including football, wrestling, and track and field. He was also honored with the 25-year National Athletic Trainers Association Award.        

Descourouez has fond memories of his days as a trainer "Football games at Soldier Field, Windy City gymnastic meets, it was an outstanding experience." After his athletic training days were over, he taught as an Assistant Professor in the School of Kinesiology at UIC.

Position: Director PE, Athletics

Years: 1947-1982

Inducted: 1994

Fordham began his association with UIC in 1947 serving as the cross country and track & field coach for 13 seasons in addition to teaching physical education and serving as the supervisor of the professional program. In 1963, he was appointed director of the school of Physical Education and Athletics and in 1974 when College Status was attained he became the first Dean of HPER. He served as the first athletic director when the program attained NCAA Division I status.         

"The cross country team of 1958 stands out as one of the best teams in school history. They had a 10-1 record and had many outstanding runners," said Fordham.

Position: Team Physician

Years: 1962-1974

Inducted: 1990

Dr. Hamilton was UICC's trailblazer in sports medicine, serving as the school's first team physician. UICC was one of several schools that benefited from his expertise in sports related injuries; he also worked for DePaul University, Gordon Tech, Lane Tech, St. Rita and Taft High Schools.         

The board certified orthopedic physician is a member of Illinois Athletic Trainers Association Hall of Fame and was a spokesman for the National Athletic Trainers Association.

Position: Director of Athletic Publicity

Years: 1955-1960

Inducted: 1999

Handwerker did it all at UIC, he was a student, played baseball, edited the Pier Illini paper and the director of athletic publicity. Handwerker and fellow sportswriter Barry Pevsner coined the term "UIC." "We envisioned the school someday achieving the size and status of UCLA, so we decided to use the term UIC to mimic the California university," said Handwerker.

Position: Dean, Swim & Tennis Coach

Years: 1951-1993

Inducted: 1995

Kristufek served as the tennis coach from 1952 through 1964, winning 91 matches and the swimming coach from 1953 through 1967, capturing 96 meets. He had two of his tennis teams finish the season undefeated while three squads won the Gateway Conference Championship and his swim teams captured three Chicago Intercollegiate Swimming and Diving Tournaments.         

Kristufek's career as an administrator began in 1952 when he was appointed Assistant to the Director of Athletics, a position he held for ten years. He served in a number of positions within the School of Physical Education and in 1985 he was selected as Dean of the College. He was elected to the UIC Faculty Senate for 14 years and served on several other committees throughout his career. Kristufek retired from UIC in 1993 after 42 years of service.

Position: Administrator

Years: 1978-1991

Inducted: 2006

Lowenberg helped build the foundation of success UIC Athletics now enjoys at the Division I level. Upon his arrival in 1978, the aggressive fund-raiser used his talents to build the department's development office from the ground up. His fund-raising efforts were essential in UIC's transition to the Division I level and continued during his 13 years with Athletics. Lowenberg left his post as Associate Athletic Director for Internal Affairs in 1991 to continue his fund-raising efforts for the entire university, he was the Associate Vice Chancellor for development and associate vice president of The University of Illinois Foundation until 2009.

Position: Administration, Gymnastics

Years: 1947-1949

Inducted 1990

Roetzheim had an outstanding career at UIC as an athlete, coach, and administrator. During his athletic career he along with fellow Hall of Famer Irv Bedard, led the gymnastics team to a 1949 National AAU Team title. Roetzheim and Bedard shared Chicago Illini Athlete of the Year honors in 1948 and 1949.         

In 1968 Roetzheim returned to UIC as head gymnastics coach and compiled a 82-25 record over five year span, including three fourth place and one third place finish at the NCAA Division II Championships. In 1974, he assumed the role as Director of Athletics at UIC, and during his 11 years in that position he guided the school to its present NCAA Division I status.

Position: Athletic Director, Coach

Years: 1960-1995

Inducted: 1996

Russo served 36 years at the Chicago campus, including nine as the director of athletics from 1986 to 1995. After attending Navy Pier for two years, he went on to earn his undergraduate and master's degrees from U of I at Urbana-Champaign. Russo returned to Navy Pier as an instructor and basketball and baseball coach. Starting in 1962 he served as the head basketball coach for 10 years.         

Russo moved on to be the director of campus recreation and associate athletic director before becoming the athletic director. He played a critical role in formulating the plan that moved the UIC athletic program as a major player in the NCAA Division I ranks. "Tom's many contributions and accomplishments on campus cover much more than athletics and encompasses the development of a first class recreation policy and more positive external relationships, not to mention his academic contributions in the classroom," said former Associate Chancellor Dr. Richard Ward.

Position: Administrator

Years: 1982-2017

Inducted: 2023

The longest-serving Director of Athletics in both UIC and Horizon League history, Schmidt had a storied 36-year career with the Flames from 1982-2017, serving the final 22 years as the school's AD.
 
During his tenure, UIC athletic programs advanced to NCAA postseason play 40 times and won 69 conference championships, twice earning the Horizon League's James J. McCafferty Trophy (2000, 2007) as the most successful all-around athletics program in the Horizon League. With Schmidt at the helm, the Flames also received their first NCAA Division I postseason bids in men's basketball (1998), women's tennis (1999), men's soccer (1999) and baseball (2003), with women's tennis creating a dynasty by winning 16 consecutive conference titles and making 14 straight NCAA Tournament appearances.
 
Under Schmidt's stewardship, UIC student-athletes excelled in the classroom, posting record collective GPAs, and the Flames added women's golf and women's soccer as varsity programs. He spearheaded multimillion-dollar improvements to the UIC Pavilion (now known as Credit Union 1 Arena) and played a critical role in the construction of both the Flames Athletic Center and Curtis Granderson Baseball Stadium.
 
In 2014-15, Schmidt was named Under Armour Athletic Director of the Year by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA), one of only four honorees from Division I-AAA that year.

Position: Vice Chancellor

Years: 1977-1999

Inducted: 1992

Dr. Ward had a passion for UIC athletics and recognized the opportunity to create a first-class athletic program to go along with a first class university. He played a key role in the campaign that resulted in UIC's ascension from NCAA Division II to Division I status. He led the fundraising efforts to increase the athletic scholarships to Division I levels.

He led the charge to get support for the $10 million UIC Pavilion and was the catalyst behind the planning and design of what many experts at the time considered to be the finest Division I baseball facility in the Midwest. Dr. Ward served as the baseball coach from 1980 to 1982.

Position: Administrator, Basketball Coach

Years: Since 1987

Inducted: 2017

An iconic part of the UIC family for 30 years, Wills currently serves as a Senior Associate Athletic Director as well as the Director of Port Academic Center and Alumni Relations.

He came to UIC in 1987, when he joined the men’s basketball staff as an assistant coach under Bob Hallberg. He held the position all the way until 1996, a nine-year period that saw the Flames acquire 134 victories. During the era, a selection of UIC greats went through the program, including Hall of Famers Tracy Dildy, Brian Hill, Mark Miller, Sherell Ford and Kenny Williams.

Wills transitioned into the role of Assistant Athletic Director before transitioning to Associate Athletic Director from 1998-2008, overseeing sport operations and was in charge of academics and NCAA Compliance. From 2008-10 as the Special Assistant to Athletics, he handled internal operations and was responsible for the NCAA Third Cycle Certification.