SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Former Head Men's Basketball Coach Harry M. Statham and baseball pitcher Michael "Mike" L. Dunnigan were inducted into the Illinois Sports Hall of Fame on Saturday, June 14th, in Springfield, Illinois.
Both are members of the McKendree Sports Hall of Fame by achieving great status and records within their respective careers while setting a mark in both Bearcat athletics and the institution as a whole.
Harry Statham
Upon his retirement after a 52-year career at McKendree University, Harry Statham had coached more games (1,635) and won more games (1,122) than any four-year men's or women's coach in the history of college basketball. He was the first coach in college basketball history to surpass the 1,000-win milestone.
In his tenure at McKendree, Statham has led the Bearcats to 12 American Midwest Conference Championships and post-season play 40 times in 46 seasons. Statham has coached McKendree to all 15 of its NAIA national men's basketball championship tournament berths, including five straight appearances from 1999-2004. Since his first season in 1966-67, Statham's teams have averaged nearly 23 wins per season. His teams won 20 or more games 35 times.
Statham has received the American Midwest Conference Coach of the Year award eight different times, and he was a six-time recipient of the NAIA District 20 Coach of the Year. He was selected as the 2001-02 NAIA Men's Basketball National Coach of the Year.
Statham has been named the NAIA-Illinois Basketball Coaches Association (IBCA) Men's Basketball Coach of the Year twelve times and in 1987 he was inducted into the IBCA-NAIA Hall of Fame. In 1998, Statham's career accomplishments and achievements were recognized with his induction into the NAIA Hall of Fame. In 2012, he was inducted into the McKendree Sports Hall of Fame.
In 2005, Statham was recognized at the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) national convention in St. Louis with the Guardians of the Game Leadership Award, an honor bestowed by his peers. That same summer, the United States Sports Academy presented him with its Distinguished Service Award. Statham was named to the NAIA's 75th Anniversary Team.
In 2006, the Lebanon City Council honored Statham by renaming a roadway on the McKendree campus, Harry Statham Way. The University's gymnasium, the Harry M. Statham Sports Center, is also named after him. In 2018, Small College Basketball created the Harry Statham Coach of Impact Award in his honor.
Michael Dunnigan
An outstanding scholar-athlete, Mike Dunnigan's pitching prowess earned him four varsity letters during his four years at McKendree, and his grade point average of 3.9 made him a favorite of faculty throughout the college.
Mike's list of honors, awards, and special distinctions is impressive. In 1982, Mike was the first McKendree student to be named an Academic All-American. He was the recipient of the Louis A. Butts Memorial Athletic Scholarship Award, in recognition of his outstanding sportsmanship, scholarship, and character. Also, in recognition of his outstanding achievements in baseball as well as in the classroom, Mike received the first Rick Brinkman Memorial Award, which praised him for his "spirit of competition and love for people." Mike was named to Who's Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges.
As a first-year student, Head Baseball Coach Van Smith named him the team's best pitcher in 1979. He was named twice to the NAIA All-District Baseball Team. In three different years, Mike led his teams with the lowest earned run average. Perhaps his greatest accomplishment was during his senior year when he was named to the 1982 NAIA Academic All-American Baseball Team; he was the first McKendree athlete to receive that honor.
ABOUT THE ILLINOIS SPORTS HALL OF FAME
The Illinois Sports Hall of Fame was organized as a means of recognizing, preserving, and promoting the heritage of interscholastic, collegiate, and professional sports in the state of Illinois. Many individuals have made extraordinary contributions and have achieved amazing accomplishments throughout Illinois' vast sporting history. The Illinois Sports Hall of Fame honors the contributions and accomplishments of individuals who are worthy of statewide recognition.
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