Girls Basketball
The Flying Fillies also earned some IHSA hardware as the team of 1979-80 won a Regional title. The
team record this other good Fillie basketball teams are not available. Coach Jo Ann Foster
was a pioneer among the early days of girls high school basketball in Illinois.
Great Player - Jodi Foster was one of the all-time great Fillie basketball players, earning All-State
honors during her senior year of 1979-80. She went on to be Millikin University's all-time leading scorer, a title
she still holds today. She is the Fillies' all-time leading scorer and the daughter of Coach Jo Ann
Foster.
1979-80
Regional Champions
Coach Jo Ann Foster
Boys Baseball
The boys of the baseball diamond won a Regional title as well. We are seeking the team record and coach's
name of this and other great Mustang teams.
One of the more prolific players in Bethany High School baseball history was Brett Robinson. Brett earned
NCAA Division III All-American honors at Illinois Wesleyan University.and went to play for the Chicago Cubs at the
AA level!
Sean Martin also made his mark in baseball. Sean was an all-conference star in three sports his
senior year, including a selection to the All-State baseball team in 1987. Sean went on to play college baseball at
Lake Land College and was the starting center-fielder in Lake Land's last appearance at the College World Series.
1983-84 12 - 7 Coach
Randy Inman
1984-85 14 - 6
Coach Randy Inman
1985-86 16 - 6
Coach Randy Inman
1986-87 15 - 5
Coach Randy Inman
1994-95 Regional
Champions Coach Dave
Benning
There is very limited information regarding the football program at Bethany High. Records are only available from
the early 1970s though 1993. We are hopeful a Bethany alum can fill us in on the many great seasons and possible conference
championships won by the Bethany High School Mustangs of the grid iron.
This story of Bethany football came from our good friend from Illiopolis, "
Kaylorjd":
"Just a fond memory of our (Illiopolis) football game against Bethany in 1982. Brett Robinson, then
Bethany's quarterback and kicker, just missed a 50 yard field goal attempt that hit the cross bar. Most of
us Pirates will always remember that awesome attempt and many of us wished for Robinson's sake that he had made it, as he
had earned it. Great attempt Brett!!
1915 1-2 First Recorded Football Season Coach
M.K. Gordon
1916 6-3
Coach Charles F. McCaslin
1917 3-2
Coach Charles F. McCaslin
1918 3-0
Coach Charles F. McCaslin
1919 2-2-1 Coach
John T. Belting
1920 1-0
Coach John T. Belting
1921 7-1
Coach B.W. Ward
1922 Coach
B.W. Ward
1923 5-3-2 Coach
B.W. Ward
1924 5-2-1
Coach B.W. Ward
1925 3-0
Coach B.W. Ward
1926 4-2
Coach Guy Cunningham
1927 3-2
Coach Guy Cunningham
1928 5-0-1
Coach Guy Cunningham
1929 3-2-1
Coach Guy Cunningham
1930-31
Coach Guy Cunningham
1932 6-2
Coach Guy Cunningham
1933 Coach
Guy Cunningham
1934 5-1-2 Cenois Conf. Champs Coach
Guy Cunningham
1935 5-2 Cenois-Meridan Conf. Champs
Coach Guy Cunningham
1936 2-0-4
Coach Guy Cunningham
1937-39
Coach Dominic A. Tarro
1940 5-2-1 Soya Conf. Co-Champs
Coach Ivan C. Johnson
1941 8-0 Undefeated Season
Coach Ivan C. Johnson
1942 6-0-1 Soya Conf. Co-Champs Coach
Ivan C. Johnson
1943 3-2
Coach Ivan C. Johnson
1944 4-4
Coach Ivan C. Johnson
1945 6-1-1
Coach Ivan C. Johnson
1946 6-1
Coach Harold O. Petty
1947 5-2-1
Coach Harold O. Petty
1948 Coach
Harold O. Petty
1949 Coach
Louid W. Baker
1950 5-2 Soya Conf. Co-Champs Coach
Louid W. Baker
1951 6-2 Coach
Louid W. Baker
1952
Coach Richard E. Jostes
1953 8-1 Soya Conference Champ
Coach Richard E. Jostes
1954
Coach Richard E. Jostes
1955 4-3-1 2nd place Soya Conference
Coach Richard E. Jostes
1956
Coach Richard E. Jostes
1957
Coach Homer L. Barry
1958 5-1-1 Soya Conference Champs
Coach Homer L. Barry
1961 5-3 2nd place (tie) Meridian Conference
Coach Bob Parrish
1962 5-3-1 4th Place Meridian Conference
Coach Donald L. Dell
1963 6-1-1 Meridian Conference Champs Coach
Donald L. Dell
1964 Coach
Donald L. Dell
1965
Coach Donald L. Dell
1966 5-2-1 2nd place (tie) Meridian Conference Coach
Ken Huckstep
1967 Coach
Ken Huckstep
1968
Coach Don L. Bone
1969 Coach
Don L. Bone
1970 1-3-4 (yes 4 ties!) Coach
Bill Pine
1971 Coach
Carl Fieldbinder
1972 Coach
Bill Pine
1973 Coach
Bill Pine
1974 6-2 3rd place (tie) Meridian Conference Coach
Bill Pine
1975-78 Coach
William Miller
1979 Coach
Jay Hurdle
1980
Coach Craig Bundy
1981
Coach James Archer
1982-84 Coach Gene
Patient
1985 6-3
Coach Gene Patient
1986
Coach Gene Patient
1987 6-4 Qualified for IHSA Class 1A Playoffs Coach
Kevin Crandall
lost to Moweaqua 28-16
1988
Coach Kevin Crandall
1989
Coach Mike Thorton
1990
Coach Kris Wheeler
1991 Last football season in Bethany HS history. Coach
Mike Mose
Bethany HS boys played as part of the
Sullivan HS football program after this season.
Great Player - Class of 1980 alum Chris Stiles played linebacker at Oklahoma State
University as a teammate of NFL great running back Barry Sanders. Chris later assisted at Notre Dame University before
becoming a successful high school football coach in Texas and Oklahoma.
Boys Track & Field
There were two Bethany male tracksters who won IHSA medals at the State Track meet. Their accomplishments are listed
below.
1958-59 Dwayne "Bud" Barnes 220
Yard Dash 5TH Place
(Bud also
holds the BHS High Jump record at 6' 02")
1991-92 Ryan Martin Long
Jump 7TH Place
Girls Track & Field
Two of the Flying Fillie thinclads also won IHSA medals.
1972-73 Sheila Standerfer High Jump 5TH
Place
1973-74 Sheila Standerfer High Jump
2ND Place
1979-80 Jodi Foster
Long Jump 6TH Place
Band
The Bethany High School Band was a great one indeed, winning the IHSA Class "D" State Music Championship three years
in a row from 1979 to 1981. The state championship bands were directed by Barb Ozier in 1979 and 1980 and
by Marti Lindvahl in 1981.
1979 Music State Champions
516 points Instructor Barb Ozier
1980 Music State Champions
546 points Instructor Barb Ozier
1981 Music State Champions 561
points Instructor Marti Lindvahl
Great Coaches
*Louid Baker - Coached basketball and football from 1949 - 1952. A former athlete who played
at Bethany for Coach Bakers, Bill Bland, had this to say about Coach Baker:
"
Lou was an all conference quarterback at Illinois State Normal (now Ilinois State University) out of Monticello
High School in Illinois. He coached us to a conference football championship in 1950 and a
conference basketball championship in 1951with a 20-3 record. Lou left Bethany for Arcola H.S in
Illinois where he was very successful before being hired at Paris H.S. in Illinois where he was never happy with Ernie Eveland
the famous Paris basketball coach looking over his shoulder. Lou joined the Colorado State football
staff in the late 50's and then moved to the University of Illinois to join Pete Elliot's staff.
After the slush fund scandal on Elliot's watch at Illinois Lou retired to his home town of Monticello.
I've coached football, basketball and track and field for many years in Tucson, AZ, and was inspired
to go into coaching by the excellent coaching I received from Coach Baker in both football and basketball.
I'm sure my teammates would all concur that he is worthy of being listed as one of Bethany's greatest coaches in both football
and basketball."
*Homer "Bill" Barry - Coached Basketball at Bethany during the 1950s and 1960s and went on to coach
at Forest-Strawn-Wing, Huntley and Marengo. He is ninth on the all-time wins list for Illinois coaches with a career record
of 718-345 from 1958 to 1997.
*Randy Inman - led the Mustang boys basketball and baseball programs in the 1980s. Finished with
a career record of 121 - 79 in basketball and 57 - 24 in baseball.
*Kevin Crandall - Coached Bethany to their only Football playoff season and is doing the same currently
as head coach of the Rochelle Hubs.
Great Athlete
Mike Overlot -
One of the most accomplished high school male athletes in BHS history, if not THEE most accomplished, was
Mike Overlot, the son of long-time Bethany CUSD #301 teachers, Buzz and Marge Overlot.
From 1972-73 through 1975-76, Mike lettered in all four of the sports offered to boys for all four years of high school
- the only BHS athlete to accomplish this. He was the point guard of the back-to-back regional champions of
1974-75/75-76, leading the Mustangs to an incredible 52-3 record over those two years. He went on to be an all-conference
baseball player at Millikin University.
Special Thanks
Special thank you to Brett Robinson, Glenn E. Austin, and Randy Inman
for the incredible amount of information supplied on the athletic history of Bethany High School.
Memories
From a resident of the Bethany area, Dan Reedy:
"I love your website as it brings back many memories of growing up in Central Illinois. I have now lived in
the Chicago area for 25 years.
Regarding Bethany High School, even though I did not attend BHS I lived only 4 miles away. Bethany High School also
had a great Ag and FFA chapter that closed down in 1969. There were many State and National FFA winners from the chapter,
the instructor before closing was E.L. Bosomworth.
The fight song was "On Wisconsin". One of the instructors for the sweepstakes in the late 70's and early 80's
was Judy Patrick, a 1967 graduate of BHS. There were other years in which they won the sweepstakes
in the 60's under the direction of Eunice Dansby. Music was always very strong in Bethany.
BHS did play in the Meridian Conference until its consolidation. Other high schools in this conference which are
no longer in existence are
Stonington which closed in the mid to late 80's and whose students now attend Taylorville. ( Stonington was always very good in
basketball because of there all time great
Coach Jack Dettro they made it to state in the early 80's).
Illiopolis High school is another high school from the area. They recently consolidated with
Niantic (Sangamon Valley). Illiopolis was great in football in the late 60's and early 70's. They also won the state
track meet for girls in one of the first years when it was still one class. The Meridian Conf. when I left central Illinois
had 12 schools in it in 1981. Only 2 schools remain the same as then; Maroa-Forsyth and Lovington ( where I graduated
from). The 10 other schools have consolidated or disbanded (including
Tower Hill and
Stonington). the other schools were
Blue Mound,
Macon,
Findlay, Bethany,
Niantic,
Illiopolis,
Assumption, and
Moweaqua."
Need More Information
Bethany High School has to have a good alumni base to provide some excellent information regarding their alma
mater. How about the many conference championships, and even the non-sports related accomplishments, of the school's
history? You can e-mail information to us at
ihsgdwebsite@comcast.net. You can also write to us at:
Illinois HS Glory Days
6439 N. Neva St.
Chicago, Il. 60631
