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Which historic teams are headed into the Greater Peoria Sports Hall of Fame?

wes huett, peoria journal star
·4 min read

The turn of the century was good for professional sports in Peoria, and now those teams are being honored.

Three of the city's pro sports teams from that era have been voted into the Greater Peoria Sports Hall of Fame in the Class of 2023. The Peoria Pirates indoor football champions from 2000 and 2002 and the champion Peoria Rivermen ice hockey team from 1999-2000 will be joined by the 1980-81 Richwoods girls basketball team.

These teams are only part of the GPSHOF's newest class, set to be inducted during the March 23, 2024, ceremony at the Peoria Civic Center. Individuals being inducted will be announced next month, along with the top Tri-County athletes and coaches for 2023.

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Here is a quick look at the teams being inducted:

Pirates coach Bruce Cowdrey won two championships in two different arena football leagues during his years in Peoria.
Pirates coach Bruce Cowdrey won two championships in two different arena football leagues during his years in Peoria.

2000 and 2002 Peoria Pirates indoor football

The indoor football franchise became a local sensation and won a pair of championships while doing it.

In 2000, dynamic coach Bruce Cowdrey led the Pirates to a 17-0 record and the Indoor Football League's Gold Cup II title to become the first (and still only) indoor football team to go unbeaten in a season.

The team drew nearly 9,000 fans per game to Carver Arena in Peoria behind a line that included East Peoria native and former Illini and NFL player Tim Simpson, former Illinois State standout Eric DeLaere and the league's defensive player of the year Ken Bouie.

Two years later, the Pirates added another championship — this time after elevating to the af2. Peoria (15-5) defeated Florida, 65-47, in an ArenaCup II game played in front of 7,522 fans at Carver Arena. The team had a raft of notable players who got CFL and NFL camp shots.

Lincoln Dupree had 13 interceptions at defensive back and a league-record nine kick returns for touchdown. In the ArenaCup II win, his kickoff returns sparked a 29-point run in the fourth quarter. Bouie returned to this squad, adding 12.5 sacks, third-best in the af2. Another notable player, receiver Cornell Craig, caught 104 passes for 30 touchdowns and scored in 16 consecutive games.

Jason Christie raised the Kelly Cup at Carver Arena after leading the Peoria Rivermen to a championship in 1999-2000. Now he's reached the NHL after 17 years of coaching in the minors, hired as an assistant coach at NHL Buffalo.
Jason Christie raised the Kelly Cup at Carver Arena after leading the Peoria Rivermen to a championship in 1999-2000. Now he's reached the NHL after 17 years of coaching in the minors, hired as an assistant coach at NHL Buffalo.

1999-2000 Peoria Rivermen hockey

The Peoria Rivermen hockey team gets its third entry into the hall, this one as champions of the ECHL's Kelly Cup. The team was dubbed "Kelly's Heroes" after clinching the championship trophy named after ECHL commissioner emeritus and former Rivermen coach and general manager Pat Kelly.

The Rivermen (45-20-5) clinched the title on May 31, 2000, in front of 7,532 fans at Carver Arena, coached by current NHL Buffalo Sabres coach Don Granato. The team's leader was player/assistant Jason Christie, who went on to become Rivermen coach — and now works with Granato in Buffalo.

Eight players on the team went on to play at a higher level of hockey and nine went on to be inducted into the Rivermen Hall of Fame. Winger Cam Severson was part of the Anaheim Ducks team that lost the 2002-03 Stanley Cup Final.This team joins the Rivermen's 1985 and 1990 Turner Cup champions in the GPSHOF.

1980-81 Richwoods girls basketball

One of the best Richwoods teams in a program history loaded with talent and state success.

The 1980-81 Knights went 30-2 overall and took second in the Illinois High School Association state tournament, earning the Peoria program the first of its seven state trophies overall.

Coach Mary Kay Hungate’s team won an outright Mid-State 10 Conference title at 17-1. Richwoods’ only regular-season loss came to Peoria High — which they beat twice more that season, including in the sectional semifinal.

Richwoods was led by 6-foot-3 center Kendra Gantt, senior forward Allison Hart, and the guard trio of Paula Buscher, Linda Martin and Tracy Krick.

At state, Richwoods ended the 60-game win streak of defending state champ East St. Louis Lincoln, 50-43, in the state quarterfinals. The Knights then defeated Chicago Marshall 44-38 in the semifinals, with Martin scoring 22 of the Knights’ 28 in the second half to erase a 10-point deficit, including eight consecutive field goals between 18 and 25 feet.

Playing their third game in 26 hours, Richwoods lost to Elk Grove Village, 50-33, in the championship game. It was their lowest-scoring game in three years. Gantt, Martin and Allison Hart were named all-tournament.

Background: Richwoods girls basketball has been a consistent winner since its inception

Greater Peoria Sports Hall of Fame ceremony

  • When: March 23, 2024

  • Where: Peoria Civic Center

  • Details: Cocktails at 5 p.m. and dinner at 6 p.m., followed by the induction ceremony. Ticket prices and information will be released early in 2024.

  • Inductees: Teams being inducted include the championship 2000 and 2002 Peoria Pirates indoor football teams, the 1999-2000 champion Peoria Rivermen hockey team, and the 1980-81 Richwoods girls basketball team. Individual inductees are to be announced later.

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Greater Peoria Sports Hall of Fame teams 2023: Pirates, Rivermen, Richwoods