The Missouri Valley Conference has chosen two Illinois State University sports figures for this year’s Hall of Fame induction: former football great Boomer Grigsby, and former longtime sports information director Tom Lamonica.
Grigsby played fullback for the Redbirds from 2001-2004. He was a three-time finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award, given to the nation’s top NCAA Division I Football Championship Division defensive player. He also was a three-time All American. Grigsby still owns NCAA FCS, ISU, and conference records for career tackles at 580. He played three seasons in the NFL for the Kansas City Chiefs, Miami Dolphins, and Houston Texans.
Lamonica is the Paul Morrison Award recipient for the Missouri Valley Conference, given to given to people who have made significant contributions to their respective institutions, the conference, or to athletics.
Lamonica is in his 43rd year at ISU. He spent 26 years as Sports Information director and has since taught in the School of Communication. He has continued working with the conference as a staffer at tournaments and other special activities. Lamonica began in sports information at College of DuPage in 1975 and continued at the University of Evansville after the 1977 Aces basketball team plane crash.
"We are extremely proud to have Boomer and Tom honored as part of the 2024 Missouri Valley Conference Hall of Fame Class," said ISU Interim Director of Athletics Dr. Jeri Beggs.
"Their recognitions by the Missouri Valley Conference could not be more well deserved. Boomer is one of the most decorated student-athletes in the history of Redbird Athletics and has brought national prestige to our program following his 2022 induction into the College Football Hall of Fame. Tom has dedicated most of his professional life to promoting Illinois State athletics, its student-athletes and coaches. He continues to make a lasting impact on our students' lives."
Grigsby and Lamonica are ISU's 16th and 17th representatives in the MVC Hall of Fame, joining Kenneth "Buzz" Shaw (1998), Doug Collins (1998), Cathy Boswell (2003), Will Robinson (2003), Jill Hutchison (2008), John Coughlan (2009), Linda Herman (2014), D.A. Weibring (2015), Dave Bergman (2016), Sue Daggett Miller (2016), Charlotte Lewis (2017), Christian Goy (2018), Kristi Cirone (2019), Mike Prior (2020) and Rachel Tejada (2023).
Grigsby and Lamonica are joined in this year’s MVC Hall of Fame class by Indiana State track and field great Christy Barrett Sherman, UIC and Major League Baseball player Curtis Granderson, University of Northern Iowa and University of Iowa Athletics Director Bob Bowlsby (Lifetime Achievement), and former University of Tulsa and Arkansas basketball coach Nolan Richardson. Richardson is the only coach to win National Junior College, NIT, and NCAA championships.
The league will conduct its Hall of Fame ceremony as part the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Men’s Basketball Championship March 7-10 in St. Louis.
