The 2026 class will be honored this fall, but the process begins months earlier with nominations, committee review and years of applications kept on file.
Galesburg High School recently announced its 2026 athletic hall of fame inductees, with five individuals, two coaches, a friend of athletics and one team to be honored at ceremonies this fall.
Since the hall of fame was established in 1989 by former athletic director Mike Hellenthall, it has grown to just over 300 members, including GHS graduates dating back to 1910.
“We typically take three individuals, one veteran, one friend of athletics and one team,” said Nick Young, GHS athletic director. “We don’t allow coaches to take away spots from individuals.”
Young, who oversees the selection committee, said meetings are typically held each spring to review nomination forms submitted for hall of fame candidates.
The committee reviews new applications along with those it has received in previous years. Young estimated there are about 30 individual, 15 veteran, 15 friend of athletics and 20 team applications still on file.
Serving on the current hall of fame committee are Jerry Albright, Laurie Aten, Steve Cheesman, Marla Clay, Taren Cowen, Amelia Dieterich, Jaque Gohlinghorst, Steve Hawkins, Dick Lindstrom, Joey Range, Jason Spring, Dave Wood, Kelly Kane, GHS Principal Jeff Ewing and Young.
The induction ceremony will be held at 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 28, at the Hegg Performing Arts Center at Galesburg High School.
The 2026 inductees are:
Jarvis Hardges
Hardges, a 1996 graduate, excelled in football, basketball and track at Galesburg High School. He played basketball at Carl Sandburg College and arena football in Chicago.
Ryan Ricketts
Ricketts, a 2011 graduate, earned 10 varsity letters and was a three-time all-conference selection in football and track and a two-time all-stater. He played football at Western Illinois University.
Ted Trueblood
Trueblood, a 1994 graduate, was a three-time all-conference selection in basketball and earned all-state honors as a senior. He finished his career among the top 10 all-time scorers at Galesburg High School.
In baseball, Trueblood was a two-time letter winner and held the single-season RBI record at the time of his graduation. He went on to play basketball and baseball at Knox College, earning All-Midwest Conference honors in baseball.
Cindi Watson
Watson, a 1987 graduate, was a standout golfer who won the Western Big 6 Conference title as a sophomore, junior and senior. She finished ninth at state as a sophomore and 11th as a senior.
Watson went on to play at Northern Illinois University, where she was a four-year letter winner.
Jay Barshinger
Barshinger was a longtime teacher and coach at Churchill Junior High School and Galesburg High School.
At Churchill, he coached wrestling, girls basketball and track. At Galesburg High School, Barshinger coached girls basketball for 22 years and football for 33 years, making him one of the longest-tenured coaches in school history.
Ray VanHootegem
VanHootegem coached girls swimming for 33 seasons and boys swimming for 14 seasons at Galesburg High School.
His girls teams won 12 Western Big 6 Conference championships, including eight consecutive titles, posted five undefeated dual meet seasons and won three sectional championships.
His boys teams went undefeated over their final four seasons, going 36-0, and won three Western Big 6 championships and three sectional titles.
Jay Redfern
Redfern, a friend of athletics, is a 1981 Galesburg High School graduate who served as a statistician for the basketball program under Barry Swanson and for baseball under Gary Bruington.
He has been involved in Galesburg media full time for 41 years, beginning in 1985. He spent 37 years at The Register-Mail, where he started as a sports writer before becoming assistant sports editor and later assistant editor.
Redfern wrote the Silver Streaks Insider column and served as beat writer for Galesburg High School football, boys and girls basketball, and baseball. His coverage included the 1988 state baseball championship team, the 1998 boys basketball state runner-up team and several GHS girls basketball teams that advanced to state.
He joined WGIL in 2022 and currently serves as content director, host of Galesburg’s Morning News and podcast host.
1976 boys basketball team
The 1976 boys basketball team is one of only two Silver Streaks teams to advance to the state tournament under the two-class system.
Galesburg won the Western Big 6 Conference championship with an undefeated 10-0 record. The Silver Streaks defeated the undefeated, top-ranked Richwoods Knights 85-79 in overtime in the regional championship game, considered by many to be the greatest game ever played in the Galesburg High School gym.
The Silver Streaks finished the season 27-4, losing to Morgan Park in the Elite Eight.
Team members were Jay Stone, Scott Kelley, Mark Brown, Rollie Williams, Bill Dwyer, Mike Campbell, Mike Wilder, Eric Doss, Rance Berry, Carl Finley, Jim Pogue, Andy Hendricks, Mark Mendez and Barry Cheesman.
Managers were Brad Collier and Brad Baldwin. The head coach was Mike Owens. Assistant coaches were Don Wright, Barry Swanson and Evan Massey.
To nominate a Galesburg High School athlete for the hall of fame, a nomination form must be obtained and returned to the athletic office.
“We really encourage people to get forms to us by May 1,” Young said. “Once you’re nominated, you won’t need to be nominated again.”
Nomination forms can be downloaded from the Galesburg Junior/Senior High School athletic forms page.
To qualify for nomination, a candidate must have been out of school for five years and fall into one of the following categories:
- Participated in Galesburg High School athletics and graduated after earning a letter in a sport or sports for at least two years, and received all-conference, district, sectional or all-state honors.
- Graduated from Galesburg High School, participated in athletics and competed in college athletics or attained a profession in athletics.
- Served as a past or present coach at Galesburg High School.
- Given meritorious service to the athletic program at Galesburg High School.
- Been part of a Galesburg High School team that attained record status or state recognition.
Editor’s note: Mike Trueblood is the father of 2026 Galesburg High School athletic hall of fame inductee Ted Trueblood.