Courtesy: Illinois Athletics
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The University of Illinois Division of Intercollegiate Athletics named 11 new members to the UI Athletics Hall of Fame. This is the ninth Hall of Fame class and includes one coach and representatives from basketball, football, baseball, track and field, swimming and diving and softball.
“The Illinois Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2025 is another reminder of the many great athletes and coaches who have represented the Fighting Illini,” said Illinois Director of Athletics Josh Whitman. “Every year I love calling the new class members and hearing the excitement in their voices. We look forward to hosting each of these great Illini and their families this fall during the induction weekend.”
The only non-athlete in this class is former women’s basketball head coach Theresa Grentz, who led the Illini to their only Big Ten title in 1997, two NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen appearances and five NCAA Tournament appearances during her 12-year career in Champaign-Urbana. Grentz is a member of the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame after compiling a record 681-360 during her 35 years as a head coach.
Football is represented by quarterback Kurt Kittner and defensive tackle Joe Rutgens. Kittner led the Fighting Illini to the 2001 Big Ten Championship and Sugar Bowl appearance, earning Second-Team All-Big Ten honors his senior year. A three-year starter, Kittner finished second in career passing yardage with 8,722 yards.
Rutgens earned First-Team All-Big Ten honors in 1959 and 1960, and First-Team All-America recognition in 1960. He was drafted in the first round of the 1960 NFL Draft as the third overall pick by Washington and played for them from 1961-69, earning Pro Bowl honors twice.
Swimming and diving star Jane Fauntz Manske competed for the U.S. at the 1928 and 1932 Olympics, winning a bronze medal at the ’32 Los Angeles Games in the three-meter springboard dive, after competing in the 1928 Amsterdam Games in the 100-meter breaststroke, reaching the semifinals. She once set two world records in the breaststroke within 30 minutes at a meet in 1928.
Baseball star Scott Spiezio is the UI career home run record holder with 48 homers from 1991 to 1993. He earned All-America honors in 1993 while also earning second and third-team All-Big Ten recognition. Spiezio went on to play 12 seasons in the major leagues, winning two World Series titles, while finishing with a career batting average of .255, 119 home runs and 549 RBI.
Benita Kelley Babridge and Aspen Burkett Miles are representing the women’s track and field team. The two came to Illinois in the same recruiting class and were roommates while on the UI campus from 1995-98. Kelley earned All-America honors eight times (three relays) and was an eight-time Big Ten champion. She still holds the school record in the 60-meter dash.
Burkett was a seven-time All-American (four relays) and Big Ten champion. She is the UI 100-meter dash school-record holder and stands second on the 200-meter dash list. The two speedsters helped Illinois to three Big Ten team titles during their Illini careers.
Mike Durkin was a nine-time Big Ten champion during his legendary middle-distance career from 1972-75. He would qualify for the 1976 and 1980 U.S. Olympic Teams in the 1,500 meters and would also earn All-America honors in cross country.
Softball star Meredith Hackett Kindt earned First-Team All-America honors as a sophomore in 2012 when the Illini finished 16-2 in conference play. She still ranks in the Top 10 in several career and season hitting lists for the Illini.
Gene Vance was a star on the famed Whiz Kids basketball teams of the early 1940s, earning First-Team All-Big Ten honors in 1942 and 1943, and Second-Team recognition in 1947 after returning from WW II. Vance also served Illinois as Athletics Director from 1967-72.
Basketball star Kiwane Garris earned First-Team All-Big Ten honors in 1996 and 1997 after being named Second-Team all-conference in 1995. He ranks second in Illini history with 1,948 points while starting 111 games during his Illinois career, leading the team in scoring three times, in steals all four seasons and in assists twice.
The Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony is scheduled for Friday, October 10, at State Farm Center. Returning members of the 2025 class will be honored at the home football game against Ohio State on Oct. 11.
The Illinois Athletics Hall of Fame began in 2017 and now has 154 total members, with representatives from each current varsity sport. University of Illinois varsity athletics started with baseball in 1879 and now has 21 teams competing at the NCAA Division I level.
Illinois Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2025
Aspen Burkett Miles, Track & Field, 1995-98
Aspen Burkett was a seven-time All-American (four relays and three individual races) during her Illini track and field career. She won seven individual and relay Big Ten Championships and helped the Illini to the 1995 Indoor and Outdoor, and 1996 Indoor team titles. Burkett is still the UI 100-meter dash school record holder at 11.28 and second on the 200-meter list at 22.90. Burkett finished fifth in the 200m at the 1995 NCAA Outdoor meet, eighth in the 200m at the 1996 meet and 10th in the 100m in 1996. Her 4x100m relay teams finished sixth in the 1998 NCAA outdoor meet and third in both the 1995 and 1996 outdoor championship meets. Her 4x400m relay team took eighth place indoors in 1998. The Illini 4x400m relay team won the Big Ten title outdoors in 1995 and Big Ten indoor title in 1996. Burkett doubled up with 100m and 200m Big Ten titles outdoors in 1995, while running on the championship 4x100m relay team that year. She defended her title in the 200m and 4x100m relay in 1996 and won a third Big Ten 4x100m relay title outdoors in 1998. Burkett and fellow hall-of-famer Benita Kelley were members of the same recruiting class for coach Gary Winckler and lived as roommates during their time on campus.
Mike Durkin, Track & Field, 1972-75
Mike Durkin was a nine-time Big Ten Champion and five-time All-American as one of the elite middle-distance runners in conference history. He qualified for the 1976 Olympics in the 1,500 meters but missed on advancing from the first round by one-tenth of a second, setting the Olympic record for fastest non-qualifier in history. He finished third at the 1980 Olympic Trials to earn the final spot in the 1,500 on the Olympic team, but the U.S. boycotted the 1980 Games in Moscow. Durkin would finish third in the 1,500-meters at the Liberty Bell Classic, which was held as an alternative to the boycotted Olympics. Durkin also earned All-America honors in cross country. At the NCAA Indoor Championships, he finished fifth in the 1000M in 1972, fourth in the 1000M in 1973, second in the mile in 1974, and fifth in the Distance Medley Relay in 1975. His top NCAA Outdoor Championship finish was 11th in the mile in 1974. Durkin’s Big Ten titles came in the 1975 indoor mile, outdoor 880 yards and steeplechase, 1974 indoor mile and two-mile, and outdoor mile, 1973 indoor mile, and the 1972 indoor 1,000 yards and outdoor mile. As a senior, Durkin ran a sub-four minute mile.
Jane Fauntz Manske, Swim & Dive, 1930-34
Jane Fauntz Manske competed for the United States at the 1928 and 1932 Olympics, winning a bronze at the ’32 Los Angeles Games in the three-meter springboard dive. She competed in the ’28 Amsterdam Games in the 100-meter breaststroke at the age of 17, where she was eliminated in the semifinals. Fauntz Manske attended Hyde High School in Chicago but was unable to compete in high school swimming competitions because of a ban on female interscholastic athletics. She would swim and dive for the Illinois Women’s Athletic Club during her competitive career. In March 1928, Fauntz Manske set new world records in the 100-yard breaststroke (1:20.3) and 100-meter breaststroke (1:29.3) at a dual meet against a Canadian team, this happening about six months after being hit by a car and severely injuring the radial nerve in her right arm. At the AAU swimming indoor national championships in Chicago in 1929, Fauntz Manske won two national titles within the space of one half-hour, winning the one-meter springboard and 100-meter breaststroke titles. After her Olympic experience, Fauntz Manske built a considerable professional career as a swimming show entertainer and was one of the first female athletes to appear on the Wheaties cereal box. Manske graduated from Illinois around 1932 with a degree in art education. She died at the age of 78 in 1989. In 1991 Fauntz Manske was posthumously inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame.
Kiwane Garris, Basketball, 1994-97
Kiwane Garris earned First-Team All-Big Ten honors in 1996 and 1997 after being named Second-Team All-Big Ten in 1995. He continues to rank second in Illini history with 1,948 career points and fifth all-time in free throw percentage at 83 percent on 741 attempts (second all time) and fifth on the career assists list with 502. Garris, a two-time team captain, holds the Illini school record with 39 straight made free throws. He led the Illini in scoring each of his last three Illini seasons, while also leading the team in steals all four seasons and in assists twice. During the NBA lockout he played for the U.S. National Team in the 1998 FIBA World Championships, winning the bronze medal. He played with Orlando and Denver in the NBA and enjoyed a productive 12-year pro career internationally from 1999 through the 2010 season.
Theresa Grentz, Women’s Basketball Coach, 1996-2007
Theresa Grentz joins the Illinois Athletics Hall of Fame after building a career record of 681-362 during her 35 years as head coach at St. Joseph’s, Rutgers, Illinois, and Lafayette. Her record during 12 seasons at Illinois was 210-156, including the only Big Ten Championship in school history in 1997. Grentz took Illinois to two Sweet Sixteen appearances and five NCAA Tournaments. She was the U.S. Olympic head coach in 1992, when the team captured a bronze medal. As a star player, she led her college team, Immaculata, to back-to-back-to-back AIAW National Championships from 1972 to 1974. That team was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2014. Grentz is also a member of the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame as a player in the class of 2022, a member of the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame (Class of 2001), and the Rutgers Athletics Hall of Fame (Class of 2001). At Rutgers, Grentz became the first full-time women’s basketball coach in the nation. She led Rutgers to nine straight postseason appearances and a 434-150 (.743) record during her tenure and won the 1982 AIAW National Championship. Grentz was named the Converse National Coach of the Year in 1987.
Meredith Hackett Kindt, Softball, 2009-12
Meredith Hackett was named First-Team All-American by Louisville Slugger/NFCA, NFCA Midwest All-Region and All-Big Ten First Team as a sophomore in 2010 after helping the Illini to a 16-2 Big Ten record and 45-8 overall mark. As a junior in 2011, she was named NFCA Midwest All-Regional Second Team. Hackett still ranks second in career slugging percentage (.616) and third in career on-base percentage (.436), sixth in RBI (153), second in walks (99) and fifth in doubles with 43. Hackett’s batting average in 2010 of .418 led the Big Ten and still ranks fourth on the Illini list and her on-base percentage that season (.516) ranks second. In total, Hackett appeared in eight Big Ten top five categories in 2010. She ended her career ranking first in slugging percentage, second in home runs, walks and putout, third for on-base percentage, doubles and chances, fourth in RBIs, total bases and double plays turned, sixth in batting average and seventh in fielding percentage. Hackett was a two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection.
Benita Kelley Babridge, Track & Field, 1995-98
Benita Kelley earned All-America honors eight times (three relays) as an Illini. She was also an eight-time Big Ten Champion and is still the school record holder in the 60-meter dash. Her top Illini 100-meter dash time was a wind-aided effort at 11.09. Kelley finished third at the 1996 NCAA Indoor meet, fourth in 1997 and eighth in the 55-meter dash in 1998. At Big Ten championship meets, Kelley won the 55m and 4x400m relay indoors for the team champions in 1996. At the conference outdoor championships, she won the 100m and 200m titles in 1998, along with relay titles in the 4x100m in 1995, 1996 and 1998, and the 4x400m title in 1996. She helped the Illini win the 1995 indoor and outdoor team titles, and the 1996 indoor conference championships. Kelley and fellow hall-of-famer Aspen Burkett were members of the same recruiting class for coach Gary Winckler and lived as roommates during their time on campus.
Kurt Kittner, Football, 1998-2001
Quarterback Kurt Kittner had a three-year NFL career after leading the Illini to the 2001 Big Ten title with a 7-1 conference record and Sugar Bowl appearance as a senior. He earned Second-Team All-Big Ten recognition in 2001 and was a three-year starter for the Illini. Kittner finished second on the UI career passing list with 8,722 yards, just three yards behind Jack Trudeau’s school mark. Kittner still ranks third in career completions (682), first in attempts (1,254), first in touchdown passes (70) and has the two top single-seasons for touchdown passes with 27 and 24. Kittner was drafted in the fifth round of the 2002 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons, where he played in 2002 and 2003. His third NFL season came with the Chicago Bears in 2005. Kittner also played for the Amsterdam Admirals of NFL Europe, helping the Admirals to the 2005 championship while earning World Bowl XIII MVP honors. Following his playing career, Kittner served as football color analyst on the Illini Sports Radio Network for seven years.
Joe Rutgens, Football, 1958-60
Joe Rutgens earned First-Team All-Big Ten honors as a star defensive tackle in 1959 and 1960, and First-Team All-America recognition in 1960 playing under the legendary Ray Eliot. He was drafted in the first round of the 1960 NFL Draft as the third overall pick by Washington and played for the Redskins from 1961-69. Rutgens was selected to play in two Pro Bowls (1963 and 1965) during his NFL career. He was also selected in the first round (fourth overall) of the 1961 AFL Draft by the Oakland Raiders. In 2008, Rutgens was selected as one of the top 10 defensive linemen in Illinois football history. In 2024, he was named one of the top 10 defensive linemen in the history of the Washington Commanders, where he totaled 40 sacks during his career.
Scott Spiezio, Baseball, 1991-93
Scott Spiezio was a 1993 All-American for Coach Itch Jones, while also earning Third-Team and Second-Team All-Big Ten honors during his time at Illinois. A switch-hitter, he is the UI career home run record holder with 48. Spiezio played 12 seasons in the major leagues with Oakland, Anaheim, Seattle and St. Louis, winning two World Series titles with the Angels and Cardinals. Drafted out of Illinois in 1993 by Oakland, he was a career .255 hitter with 119 HR and 549 RBI during MLB career. One of his career highlights was when he hit a three-run home run in Game Six of the 2002 World Series that sparked the Angels in a come-from-behind victory over the San Francisco Giants. He tied the postseason record with 19 RBI in one postseason in 2002. A versatile player, Spiezio made collegiate and MLB starts at first base, second base, and third base, and as a switch hitter. As a major leaguer, he additionally saw action in left field and right field, while even pitching an inning in 2007.
Gene Vance, Basketball / Athletics Director, 1942-43, 1947 / 1967-72
A member of the famed Whiz Kids basketball teams in the 1940s, Gene Vance was First-Team All-Big Ten in 1942 and ’43 before earning Second-Team recognition in 1947 after returning to campus from active duty in WW II. He was named honorable mention All-American in 1942, ’43 and ’47. Illinois won back-to-back Big Ten titles in 1942 and 1943 and was widely considered the nation’s best team in 1943 before the team was broken up to serve in the armed services, with Vance earning two Bronze Stars while fighting in Europe. Vance played professional basketball five seasons for the Chicago Stags and Tri-Cities Blackhawks / Milwaukee Hawks. In 2005, Vance was named to the Illinois All-Century Basketball Team. He also served Illinois as its Director of Athletics from 1967-72 and as senior development officer at the University of Illinois Foundation until his retirement in 2000. Vance died in 2012 at the age 88.
