By Paul Anthony Arco
Special to the Rock River Current
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BELVIDERE — A highway sign paying tribute to the Belvidere Bucs back-to-back state football championships from the early 1990s. Photos of Belvidere native and professional baseball player Fred Schulte. Individual medals from the Belvidere North three-time state champion boys cross-country teams of the mid-2000s.
These are just some of the sentimental items on display in a new sports exhibit room, which opened to the public in December at the Boone County Museum of History, 314 S. State St., in downtown Belvidere.
The man behind the new exhibit space is Troy Yunk, a retired Belvidere North art teacher and hall of fame track and cross-country coach. A native of Belvidere, Yunk ran for Belvidere High School and later coached at both Belvidere high schools.
“We’re trying to highlight some of the history of the sports in Boone County,” Yunk said. “When I coached, you would go to games and tournaments and see so many student athletes representing their schools and the community. I think it’s important to honor the hard work and effort those kids put into their sports.”
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For years, the museum had just a smattering of sports memorabilia scattered around the building, but never dedicated space. Last year, Yunk, who works part-time at the museum, approached museum executive director Anna Pivoras with his idea. Pivoras gave it her stamp of approval, as did the museum’s board of directors.
“This is the perfect way to bring many generations of people together for a similar passion,” Pivoras said. “What’s so interesting about sports is the history goes back 100 years; it’s multi-generational. We’ve never had this type of cohesive and extensive sports exhibit in our history. This is a big step for our museum.”
To start, Yunk formed an advisory committee made up of current high school athletic directors, former coaches and teachers, and residents who shared a similar passion and had contacts who could help secure donated items to place inside the exhibit.
“All three Boone County high schools have been extremely helpful,” Yunk said. “Belvidere High School athletic director Josh Sternquist and Belvidere North athletic director Jody Flynn see this exhibit as an extension of the history within the walls of their own schools.”
Yunk has spent a lot of time researching certain aspects of the county’s rich sports history.
For example, Belvidere’s pirate mascot, the “Buccaneer,” was introduced in the 1940s. North Boone, because of its Scandinavian community, used a Viking ship as a symbol when the Boone/McHenry Township High School was built in 1917.
And the first gymnasium in Belvidere was located inside the Community Building, which opened in 1939. Students used the gym for many years until Belvidere High School was built in the mid-1960s.
“Researching history is fun, and I hope others will take a similar interest in learning about the past,” Yunk said.
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Most of the items on display have been donated by the schools or private citizens. Other items are on loan by former athletes like former North runner Garrett Lee, who loaned his Big Ten championship ring and medals that he earned as a runner at the University of Illinois.
Long-time North Boone supporter Butch Peters donated a set of North Boone gym lockers, which are displayed in an interactive area where guests can try on various jerseys. Reggie Smith was a member of North Boone’s 1992 state runner-up football squad who donated a couple of his jerseys.
One of the coolest displays is a tribute to the 1917 state basketball title game between Belvidere and Springfield. The display includes the runner up trophy (the Bucs lost 32-11), the scorebook and team photo.
No Boone County sports room would be complete, however, without a nod to the Belvidere Bucs back-to-back state title football teams from 1993-94. There are photos, newspapers, footballs and jerseys honoring the hometown heroes.
“Anyone who was around back then knows how exciting it was,” said Yunk, who was a teacher at Belvidere at the time. “The town embraced the 1988 team (who finished second in the state), but then to win back-to back titles was huge.”
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The museum has also created replica Wheaties boxes honoring past heroes like North Boone’s Zeke Markshausen (football), Belvidere’s Amanda Levens (basketball) and Belvidere’s Kevin Ekberg (gymnastics). Yunk is thinking about ways to make the room more appealing by adding video and crowd noise to the mix.
The museum staff is excited about the room’s potential.
“We anticipate drawing a different and younger crowd – people who might not visit the museum otherwise,” Pivoras said.
How to contribute
If you have any Boone County sports memorabilia to donate or would like to make a monetary donation, contact the museum at 815-544-8391.
This article is by freelance journalist Paul Anthony Arco. Email feedback to news@rockrivercurrent.com.