TERRE HAUTE —
Indiana State football alum Chris “Big C” Hicks will turn 58 Saturday and he knows exactly what he wants for his birthday.
A homecoming victory for the FCS No. 21-ranked Sycamores over Western Illinois at Memorial Stadium.
Hicks and several other ISU football greats from the past have noticed the program’s upswing in recent years and they would love to see it continue. Hicks and Vincent Allen, both members of the ISU Athletic Hall of Fame, will arrive in Terre Haute today and watch the game together Saturday.
“I am ecstatic,” emphasized Hicks, who lives in Wildwood, Mo., and works as a regional environmental, health and safety manager for Elementis Worldwide Corp.
“What I see different from past years is they’re actually playing as a team, playing with discipline, playing with tenacity. They have an increased passion for winning … and their offense has improved tremendously, which in turn helps the defense.”
The 6-foot-5, 285-pound Hicks, who looks like he could still throw a mean block, knows a little about effective offenses. He played tackle and guard for the Sycamores from 1972 through 1975. A 1976 graduate, he was named an American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) first-team All-American in 1975.
Allen, ISU’s all-time leading rusher with 4,335 yards and another 1975 AFCA first-team All-American, remembers current head coach Trent Miles serving as a ball boy for the Sycamores when he played. So Allen is proud of the job Miles has done since he was hired to guide the Sycamores in 2008.
“Congratulations to coach Miles and everybody involved with the program,” said the 56-year-old Allen, who runs the water-processing system for the Johns Manville Corp. plant in Richmond. “What I love about Trent is he’s made it a family atmosphere. He’s made all the former players feel welcome when we come to visit.”
Allen recalls speaking to the team soon after Miles became coach and the team was still struggling to find success. The Sycamores finished 0-12 in 2008 and 1-10 in 2009.
Now that some of those young players are juniors and seniors, ISU is 4-2 overall and 2-1 in the Missouri Valley Football Conference in 2011.
“I told those kids not to give up,” Allen reminisced. “‘If you work hard, good things are going to happen.’ I really meant that.”
Allen said he goes to about one or two ISU games a year, about the same as another ISU Hall of Famer — Vencie Glenn.
Few players in ISU history can provide a résumé close to as impressive as Glenn’s. He is the university’s career leader in interceptions with 17, having played from 1982 through 1985. He was a 1985 first-team AFCA/Kodak All-American for what was known then as NCAA Division I-AA. That same year, he was named the Missouri Valley Conference Defensive Player of the Year.
A second-round draft pick by the New England Patriots in 1986, he played in the NFL with the San Diego Chargers, New Orleans Saints, Minnesota Vikings and New York Giants before he retired in 1995.
Now 46 and working as a television/radio analyst and public speaker in San Diego, Glenn said he keeps in regular contact with Miles about the ISU program, although a prior commitment prevents him from attending Saturday’s homecoming contest.
“From the beginning, I knew Trent was the right person for the job,” Glenn insisted. “I think he has the guys playing football the right way and more importantly he’s got them doing the right things off the field.”
Glenn thinks the Sycamores can win seven or eight games this season, but more importantly he believes they can “keep building the program.”
Another former ISU standout who’s been watching the Sycamores’ rise to prominence from afar is 52-year-old Craig Shaffer. A1977 Terre Haute Schulte High School graduate, he went on to earn MVC Defensive Player of the Year honors in 1981. Drafted in the sixth round by the St. Louis Cardinals in 1982, he played linebacker in the NFL and Canadian Football League for several years.
“It’s great to hear they’ve turned things around,” said Shaffer, who currently lives near St. Louis and owns his own semi-truck. “I think coach Miles and his staff have done a great job there and I think it will continue.”
Saturday’s weather forecast calls for sunny skies, a high temperature of 68 degrees and a zero-percent chance of precipitation, so this could be shaping up as a homecoming weekend to remember for ISU alums everywhere.
David Hughes, who owns a bachelor’s degree in journalism (1982) and master’s degree in criminology (1987) from ISU, can be reached after 4 p.m. by phone at 1-800-783-8742, Option 4, or at (812) 231-4224; by e-mail at david.hughes@tribstar.com; or by fax at (812) 231-4321.
Hughes News & Views
HUGHES NEWS AND VIEWS: Past greats proud of ISU’s recent improvements
- Hughes News & Views
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Terre Haute runner sets up race to help Boston
Having competed in the Boston Marathon once before in 2003, 35-year-old Majel Wells of Terre Haute thought she should give it another try in 2013.
“My goal was just to finish and enjoy Boston,” she reflected this week. “I had an injury [runner’s knee] beforehand, so I wasn’t too worried about beating my time from 2003 [4 hours, 10.20 seconds].
“But nobody cares about what your time is at Boston anyway.”
From what I’ve heard over the years, she’s right. Unless you’re a super-serious runner, the Boston Marathon has been more about taking in the atmosphere and having fun than placing in the top 50, although Wells was pleased that she beat her previous time by finishing in 3:55.19 on April 15.
Obviously, her race time wasn’t the most vivid memory that Wells took away from her 2013 Boston experience. -
Former South players to play in Saylor benefit game
I had my first phone conversation with Mike Saylor since mid-February on Thursday and he sounded good.
The former Terre Haute South High School boys basketball coach, who’s been battling cancer this year, has been traveling back and forth to the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston for chemotherapy treatments. -
Recent South swimmers Roach, Bray heading to DI nationals
I’m sure most of you with office jobs can relate.
When work gets busy, sometimes it’s easy to skim over our emails. After all, how many times do we need to read the same nonsense from alleged Nigerians wanting to make us rich if we’ll send them several thousand dollars first?
So after having three consecutive days off, that almost happened to me when I returned to work Tuesday. Then I realized that the message from Jeff Thompson, Terre Haute South High School’s boys and girls swimming coach, contained significant news. -
NCAA Division III basketball tournament returns to Rose-Hulman
The last time Rose-Hulman served as host for the NCAA Division III men’s basketball tournament, its game was played inside an old World War II airplane hangar.
You “old-timers” should know the building I’m talking about and the matchup wasn’t really that long ago — March 6, 1997, to be exact. -
DAVID HUGHES: Childhood friends use faith, sports to get them through
When I learned in February 2009 that a rare form of appendix cancer would devastate my life and cause me to miss work for several months, Mike Saylor was among the first to offer assistance.
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Book review: Thumbs up for ‘Trophies and Tears’
Now might be too late for giving Christmas presents, but the book “Trophies and Tears: The Story of Evansville and the Aces” is a fascinating read for longtime Indiana basketball fans, particularly those older than 40.
Written by award-winning Kyle Keiderling of Henderson, Nev., and released in hardcover format in mid-December, the 480-page “Trophies and Tears” documents the rich tradition of the University of Evansville men’s basketball program through recent interviews and research of old yearbooks and newspaper/scrapbook clippings.
The book contains many cheery moments — behind-the-scenes details of all five NCAA College Division (now known as Division II) championships won in the 1950s, 1960s and early 1970s by the Purple Aces and their legendary coach Arad McCutchan — although some of those moments don’t seem so cheery from an Indiana State perspective when the Sycamores found themselves on the losing end of scores. -
Hughes, News & Views: Wishing for Colts-Broncos playoff matchup from Santa
There’s plenty of tragedy in the world to bring us down if we let it, so let’s have a light-hearted column today — my annual Christmas gift requests for Santa Claus.
I already know one of my gift wishes is becoming less likely to happen. That would be for the Indianapolis Colts to face the Denver Broncos in the AFC playoffs. -
Colts' loyalty tested by Manning, Broncos
We’re approaching the halfway point of the NFL season and so far it’s been surprisingly enjoyable.
I wasn’t sure how I would handle following two favorite teams — 1a.) the Indianapolis Colts and 1b.) Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos — but the new arrangement hasn’t caused me any loyalty conflicts yet.
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HUGHES NEWS & VIEWS: Sorting out the sports air waves
My name isn’t attached to them, but I’m the one who usually puts together the “Sports on the air” television/radio listings that appear daily on this newspaper’s Scoreboard Page.
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Hughes, News & Views: North junior ready to go racing
When we last visited 16-year-old Rachel Gutish, she was finishing sixth in the Women’s Enduro X race in the nationally televised Summer X Games at Los Angeles.
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HUGHES NEWS & VIEWS: Yelovich still striking the ball long on LDA Tour
In June 2011, I wrote a feature story about former Indiana State basketball center Mick Yelovich making a name for himself as a golfer on the Long Drivers Association (LDA) Tour.
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HUGHES NEWS & VIEWS: Colts? Broncos? Maybe there’s more than enough room for both
I’ve got a longtime buddy who I’m fairly sure rarely, if ever, reads this column.
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HUGHES NEWS & VIEWS: Point of Jones’ return
Since May 14, Indiana high school basketball fans have wondered why Jim Jones would want to come out of retirement at 74.
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HUGHES, NEWS & VIEWS: Questions abound for Indy 500, Manning, baseball sectional
Phones are ringing less frequently in the Tribune-Star sports department this week.
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Hughes, News & Views: Hutson getting ready for final stretch toward Olympic Trials
If Kylie Hutson were a cross-country runner, she’d be approaching the final stretch of her biggest race in about three weeks.
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HUGHES NEWS AND VIEWS: Rose basketball alumni offer advice to current team
Bryan Egli and Joe Puthoff, both Rose-Hulman basketball starters I covered in the late 1990s, took their degrees from the prestigious engineering institute and found successful careers in the Indianapolis area.
Egli, also a former West Vigo High School multi-sport standout, lives in Carmel and works for Thieneman Construction in Westfield. Puthoff lives in Indy and works for Rolls Royce Aircraft Engines. -
DAVID HUGHES: Super Bowl odds getting stranger and stranger
Today’s annual “Super Bowl odds column” feels special to me because I’ve been a diehard NFL fan since 1967 and next Sunday will be the first time the big game takes place in our great state of Indiana.
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HUGHES NEWS AND VIEWS: Coach’s book a chance to remember North Vermillion state champs
Almost 10 years ago, February 2002 to be exact, the New England Patriots upset the high-powered St. Louis Rams to win Super Bowl XXXVI in New Orleans, the Winter Olympics entertained spectators in Salt Lake City and Terre Haute South High School’s girls basketball team started its tournament run toward a Class 4A state title.
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HUGHES NEWS AND VIEWS: Plenty of sports-related gifts for columnist's wish list
Last week, I was all set to beg Santa Claus to give the Indianapolis Colts a certificate good for one NFL regular-season victory.
Then the 2011 Colts decided to play like the 2009 Colts and clobber the Tennessee Titans on Sunday for their first win of the season. So that present won’t be necessary. -
HUGHES NEWS AND VIEWS: WTHI defends decision not to show Colts
When your favorite NFL team is threatening to finish 0-16, you have to figure a few fans will jump off the bandwagon.
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HUGHES NEWS AND VIEWS: Former South coach Rady makes it look easy
Jack Butcher, Howard Sharpe and Bill Stearman.
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HUGHES NEWS AND VIEWS: Wheldon's genuine personality a devastating loss to racing
Lori Wood, the Tribune-Star’s Indianapolis 500 correspondent since 2000, planned to visit a friend in California and take in the IndyCar Las Vegas 300 as a ticket-buying fan last weekend.
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HUGHES NEWS AND VIEWS: Past greats proud of ISU’s recent improvements
Indiana State football alum Chris “Big C” Hicks will turn 58 Saturday and he knows exactly what he wants for his birthday.
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HUGHES NEWS AND VIEWS: Rose-Hulman hungry for first football victory of season
The Engineers have not endured a losing season since 2004. But they’ve opened this season at 0-2, causing Sokol to admit they’re desperate for a win.
“We’re all very hungry for a victory,” he said after practice Thursday. “We all want to taste victory really, really bad.” -
Valley semipro football team reaches championship of IFL
The West Central Wildcats’ semipro football team from Terre Haute has been written about before in this column space over the last two years.
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HUGHES NEWS & VIEWS: Colts cheerleaders glad to get back on field
When I heard the NFL lockout finally ended this week, I looked for someone affiliated with the Indianapolis Colts to get a reaction.
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Amateur boxing card set for outdoors at Show-Me's
We all know what Show-Me’s sports bar is famous for around Terre Haute, right?
Chicken wings, of course. -
HUGHES NEWS & VIEWS: Porter’s persistence keeps his boxing career going
When I walked in Sweatbox Gym through the alley door Wednesday, I wondered if a time machine had taken me back to the 1950s, the glory days of boxing.
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HUGHES, NEWS AND VIEWS: Seaton aces chance for more Div. 1 volleyball
Plagued by one injury after another after another, Kristen Seaton was ready to turn off the lights on her volleyball career.
In her mind, the party was over.
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HUGHES NEWS & VIEWS: Semi-pro football team to kick off season today
If you’re worried about the NFL season being canceled and you can’t wait months for the college and high school seasons to begin, you can get your football fix tonight at Memorial Stadium.
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