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Why we ask

Keeping 269 stories alive

At the conclusion of the 1994 Illinois Annual Directors' State Meeting, ten key Directors from around the state met to discuss the possibility of a state Hall of Fame. Over the next two years those Board members voted in by-laws, developed funding ideas, and elected the first honorees. For many years Illinois Tournament Directors financed the annual Hall of Fame banquet with monies paid by teams participating in their tournaments; Directors hosted HOF tournaments, and private complexes donated proceeds from their events. Committee members, inducted Hall of Famers, and Hall of Honor teams have all pitched in with monetary and in-kind donations.

Many of those original funding sources no longer exist — Tournament Directors have retired and the number of teams playing in the state has dropped. To keep the Hall of Fame alive — the annual banquet, awards for Inductees and Hall of Honor teams, and maintaining this website into perpetuity — we now seek donations from friends of the Hall.