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And again for me it
was a very light sports weekend. I don't know how long it will be
before I can get back into the things.
I should report that
the basketball gods were kind to me this past Saturday. I stupidly
tried to run up and down the court with all the young former LCC
stars and stallions. I figured that if I didn't get injured and if I
didn't fall and trip and totally embarrass myself, that the event
would be a success. That was accomplished. Then I actually took four
shots, one from 60 feet away (coach used to always say to establish
your range… I'm STILL working on that) and somehow slopped three 3s
into the hoop… You wanted to talk about UFOs?! Hey, they weren't
pretty but they went in, and we old foggies hammered those young
punks. If I were smart, I'd immediately announce my retirement… but,
I want to get 'em again next year! Without any further ado, let's
get to it!
Laughlin and crew enshrined
With the dedication
of the Laughlin Center over a year ago came the formation of the
Lincoln Christian College Sports Hall of Fame. Last year, in its
inaugural year, former player and coach Marion Henderson was rightly
selected as the first inductee into this remarkably prestigious hall
of fame. This year four new members were added. The leader of this
class was longtime athletic director and men's basketball coach Lynn
Laughlin. Laughlin coached the Preachers for 17 seasons, without
scholarships, without modern facilities and at a very competitive
time in the history of small-college basketball. That did not stop
him and his players from accumulating over 200 collegiate victories,
and many of those were upsets over top NAIA and NCAA III teams!
Laughlin epitomizes
what the college game should be about: solid instruction, attention
to academic ministry and life issues, while almost demanding a lot
of fun along the way. My life would be the poorer had I not
encountered this man!
After my first-ever
visit to Illinois and LCC, just after my freshman year at Southwest
Missouri State, I received a letter from Laughlin. I don't know if
he'd heard about me or if a family member or friend called him or
what. While I was wanting a letter from John Wooden, a letter from
ANYONE would do! After I got his letter, I knew I had to come to
Lincoln… and the rest, as they say, is history. He let me play here
for four years and actually let me see the court some on the
school's first-ever 20-win team.
At any rate, he
always modeled what it meant to be a decent, Christ-centered man,
and he had a huge impact on me from that standpoint! We had more fun
than the law ought to allow, but that his been his secret to
attracting thousands of students to a cornfield in Logan County!
I and the LDN
certainly salute Lynn Laughlin on his induction to the LCC Athletic
Hall of Fame!
We also salute Nancy
Siddens, Galen Winters and Chuck Webb, who also were inducted this
past weekend.
Nancy was an all-star
player and a great coach in her tenure with the Angels. She also
basically ran the athletic program at the college for long periods
of time. We salute her induction as well.
We'll try to give you
more info on the others at a later time.
[to top of second column in this
article] |
 Railers claim huge road victory
The Lincoln Railers
went on the road to Canton and came away with a hard-fought 44-41
victory to improve their record to 15-7.
Coach Neil Alexander
joins me and central Illinois' sports voice, Greg Taylor, tonight at
6. We'll find out if he's doing it with mirrors or if these guys are
really as good as this record indicates!
Illini back on track…
At least at home.
But, can they win on the road? LDN staffers said the Illini looked
great in their win over Michigan, especially Luther Head and the
rest of the guards! We have to get our post players more involved IF
we're going to do any damage this season! Tuesday night in Indiana
will give us a better indication of where this team is at in the
proceedings!
ISU loses a showstopper
Sources on the scene
said that ISU lost a heartbreaking squeaker at home to Bradley. The
Braves threw a zone at the Redbirds, and apparently the shots just
wouldn't fall for ISU. It doesn't get any easier for ISU as they
entertain a tough Wichita State squad on Wednesday night.
LC
The only report I got
on the Lynx was that they took a bitter defeat Saturday afternoon at
home. [See "Lincoln College vs. Lincoln
Land"]
LCC's Angels playing heavenly
Some of the only
hoops action that I did catch was the LCC Angels, who are playing
some of their best ball in their history! They swept two games this
weekend, and IF they continue to play that way, they WILL go to the
national tournament!
Preachers
The Preachers played
one great game in a Friday night win over Cincinnati and one
not-so-good one Saturday versus Grace. However, there is still time
to draw something up to knock Grace out and advance. I think this
LCC team may still surprise the doubters before it is all said and
done!
A welcome to Rob
I know this is brief,
but that's all we've got this week. I do want to salute Rob Orr, who
is the
new economic development director for Lincoln and Logan County!
Good luck, Rob. I
think you'll do a fantastic job!
Have a GREAT week, everybody!
[Jeff Mayfield]
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