Friday, February 13, 2009 11:07 PM CST
Temples chosen for football coaches' Hall of Fame
By BRIAN NIELSEN, Sports Editor
bnielsen@jg-tc.com
MATTOON -- Honored to join an elite group, Mattoon’s Gerald Temples on Friday thanked those who helped get him into the Illinois High School Football Coaches’ Association Hall of Fame.
“The bottom line is to be able to receive an award like this, you have to have had a lot of (assistant) coaches and most importantly the kids at all of those programs,” Temples said. “The only reasons those wins came about is I had great kids and I had great assistants and administrations. Every place I’ve been I’ve been I’ve had good administration.
“But most of all, this is the kids. It is a very fortunate thing to have happened to me but it would have never happened without the kids and the assistants. I want to thank them.”
The Illinois association released its new Hall of Fame inductees on Friday, choosing Temples after he retired from coach following his 2007 playoff season with a 134-75 career record.
Temples compiled a 62-48 record with six playoff berths in 11 seasons at Mattoon, inheriting a program that had not won a game the previous three years. His 2003 Green Wave reached the IHSA Class 5A state semifinals.
The Oakland native also had a semifinal team at Oakland, where he was 22-7 in three seasons before going 30-11 with playoff berths in three of his four seasons at Shelbyville.
Temples served as an assistant coach at Millikin University where he had played and then was an assistant coach at small-school power Central A&M before coming to Mattoon.
“I learned from a some of the best - Jack Burns, Skip Matheson, Carl Poelker and Merle Chapman to name a few,” Temples said. “I was awfully fortunate to have some great teachers.”
Those teachers helped Temples post winning records at all four schools where he was a head coach starting with a 20-9 stint at Macon.
“Throughout the whole time I can’t remember when we had a problem with a parent or anyone,” Temples said. “That’s a credit to them buying into it.
Among the others joining the Hall of Fame is former Highland and Breese Mater Dei coach Glenn Monken, the brother of Charleston’s Bill Monken.
Also selected were Tim Dougherty (DeLaSalle, Chicago Mount Carmel, Peoria Bergan, Peoria Central, Edwardsville, Lincoln-Way Central); Ric Jones (Hardin Calhoun, Carlinville, Triad, Belleville West); Bill Mosel (Blue Island Eisenhower, Harvey Thornton); Paul Workman (Moweaqua, St. Elmo, Cerro Gordo); Glenn Johnson (Chicago Carver, DuSable, South Shore, Dunbar); Dale Patton (Warrensburg-Latham, Mount Zion, Pekin, Decatur St. Teresa); John Pocivasek (Ottawa Marquette, Peru St. Bede); Bruce Reeder (Mount Zion, Nashville); Rich Roberts (Buffalo Grove, Prospect, Barrington); Bob Shannon (East St. Louis Lincoln, East St. Louis, Alton); Mike Kunckle (Maine North, Gurnee Warren); Kevin O’Neil (Minooka, Reed-Custer, Bryon, Stillman Valley); Ron Guagenti (Rich East, Marian Catholic); Mike Hyland (Galena); Jim Longacre (Wyanet, Batavia, Wheaton Community); and Dave Smith (Lake Park, Burlington Central, Princeton, Mount Zion).
“It’s been a fun run and I’m honored to with that group,” Temples said. “To have the opportunity to join that group is just an unbelievable experience for me.”
Contact Brian Nielsen at bnielsen@jg-tc.com or 238-6856.
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