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The Peoria High Alumni Association
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June 6, 2025, Open at 11:30am
Weaver Ridge Golf Course
More information to follow soon
Honoring Coach Mike Lawless and his years of service to PHS!
Alumni News:
Longtime track and cross country coach, Mike Lawless, to be inducted into the Hall of Fame
Date: January 10, 2025
Author: Kyle Daubs
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Peoria High English teacher John Lucas says that longtime PHS track and cross country coach Mike Lawless "gives the best retirement speeches."
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"Every year. For the past 30 years."
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Even at 78 years young, just when you think Lawless might be done, he comes back for another runaround. After 50 plus years in the game, Lawless will finally get enshrined into the Illinois Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Hall of Fame this Saturday. Lawless was supposed to be inducted last year, but the weather postponed last year's class.
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The resume for his induction speaks for itself. Lawless began his coaching career at Spalding High School coaching cross country from 1970 to 1975. He then transitioned to his alma mater at Peoria High, coaching the sport from 1984 to 2000. From 1985 to 2000, Lawless was the IHSA State Cross Country Meet Co-Director, architecting the cross country state finals at Detweiler Park.​​
His track career began at Lee Grade School in 1968 before coaching track at Spalding. After a brief stint coaching at Richwoods from 1975 to 1982, Lawless was the head coach for track at PHS from 1990 to 2019.
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Despite having a combined 51 years of coaching track as a head coach, he remains an assistant coach, where he also serves the same role for cross country.
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Bob Lacroix, who coached the Peoria High cross country team before Lawless from 1969 to 1984, including six state cross country teams, remembers coaching against Lawless.
"Personally, I have had the privilege of coaching against Mike throughout much of his career, and I consider him to be one of the best," wrote Lacroix in his Hall of Fame recommendation letter. "He is an outstanding individual, who not coaches and mentors, but is also a great role model for the athletes and young people with whom he works. I have the utmost respect for Mike knowing that he instills an outstanding work ethic in all the athletes he coaches."
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Longtime Chairman of the IHSA boys' and girls' track and field advisory board also remembers when Lawless first started. Spalding was not considered competitive before Lawless arrived, but that quickly changed. Salzer also credits Lawless for "re-establishing" the track program at Richwoods, which included a state champion in long jump.
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Salzer also got to serve as an assistant to Lawless at Peoria, where Lawless coached four state champions. While Salzer praised Lawless' knowledge of how to develop runners and field events, it was his "strong personality" that student-athletes respected.
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"Mike has a strong personality that has never gotten in the way of our team's success," wrote Salzer in his Hall of Fame recommendation letter. "His athletes have a deep respect of him. They truly want to win for him."
That personality followed Lawless into the classroom, where Lawless won Teacher of the Year in every school he has taught.
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Yolanda Johnson, a member of the PHS Class of 1995, who now serves as an education and attendance connector administrator for Peoria and Richwoods high schools, remembers her "Hall of Fame" teacher as well.
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"He was loud then and walked the same as he does now," said Johnson . "He was and always will be the best to ever do it."
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Even on the days that Johnson might have slacked off in class, it was all love in the end.
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"This was the day when teachers could teach, throw things at you to wake you up and it was all love," said Johnson . "I have had a few things thrown at me and the gavel hit my desk a few times while in his class. He would say "Johnson you're going to learn today" before it became famous. Mr. Lawless truly deserves this honor."
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Martin Pio, a PHS alum and current special education teacher at the school, had Lawless as a teacher in 1984. Pio remembers when Lawless would keep the mood light with faculty too.
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Every day during my Illinois History class (taught by Coach Issacson) in what is now my classroom (room 308), Mr. Lawless would come in without knocking (the doors did not self-lock like they do now), disrupt class with a joke and then as soon as he told it, he would just turn around and walk back out of the room without another word. For a long while Mr. Issacson just put up with it. Finally, one particular day, it irked him to the point of retaliation. The next day, Coach excused himself right after class started and stormed down the hall, so we all followed him to room 302 I believe it was, where Issacson busted into Lawless's class with purpose, said in a very meaningful tone, "Mr. Lawless, I have something for you... Did you here the one about ... Yes, he told a joke, disrupted Lawless's class, got a roaring laugh and walked out back to his room. Lawless just laughed."
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This Saturday, Coach Lawless will be forced to receive all of the attention for a lifetime's work of work.
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And for all of us in Peoria, we will be watching proudly.
Peoria High Athletic Director Brien Dunphy wrote it best in his recommendation letter: "there is nobody more deserving."
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And he is right.
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So to everyone's "school dad," mentor, teacher, coach, dad, and my personal dear friend:
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We are all so very proud of you and thankful to have you in our lives.
Link here to Facebook Ceremony:
https://www.facebook.com/itccca
PHS Crest Photo 1964
Thank you to all of you who donated in 2024!
We hope you can make 2025 a great year for your Association!
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Dear Alumni- Here we go again as we do each and every year! 2025 will be a great year with your generosity.
Thank you in advance for your donations this year!
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Mail a check to:
Peoria High School Alumni Association
1615 N North St
Peoria, IL. 61604
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PEORIA HIGH SCHOOL ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization – EIN: 37-1267248
Your contribution is tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
Established in 1856, Peoria High School is the largest oldest high school
in continuous operation West of The Allegheny Mountains
Here's another great story by Tracy Riebel, '87, on all of our Peoria High School Principals. Yes...it hard for some to believe that Peoria High has been around since 1856. Quite a history. If you have any stories you would like to submit or have us take a look into...please let us know.
Reprinted with the permission of the author.
BRADLEY HOOPS
It's overwhelming': Bradley basketball great, Peoria High grad headed to MVC Hall of Fame
​Dave Eminian
Peoria Journal Star
PEORIA — Marcellus Sommervilleplayed college basketball for the Bradley Braves, but on Wednesday he joined a new lineup in the Missouri Valley Conference.
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The Peoria High School graduate and former Bradley great was included in the MVC Hall of Fame class of 2025.
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"It was very shocking to say the least," Sommerville said. "You read a little bit about your career, what you were able to do. Not that I forgot, but when you look back at all of it, it's overwhelming. It is such a tremendous honor.
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"I got the news through a call from the commissioner, Mr. Jackson. I thought he was calling to offer me a job. He said, 'Hey I got some news for you. Normally I don't get to do this, with someone I saw play. It's exciting.' "
Mentor, coach and dad:Bradley basketball great revels in son's run to IHSA state finals
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The 6-foot-7 Sommerville was a two-time CollegeInsider.com mid-major all-American. He also was a two-time All-MVC first-team pick (2004, 2005) and a second-team pick (2006). He earned MVC Newcomer of the Year honors in 2004.
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Sommerville averaged 16.2 points per game during his three-year Bradley career, the ninth-best scoring average in school history, and he finished 12th on the school’s all-time scoring list with 1,493 points.
"The first person I told was my wife, Brooke," he said. "We were married half of my college career. You don't achieve these type of things without a collective of team, family, people who care about you and support you.
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"So it's not me going into the Hall of Fame, it's we are going into the Hall of Fame."
Sommerville joins five others in a class that will be inducted at a ceremony as part the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference men’s basketball championship in St. Louis, Missouri, on March 6-9.
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The Friday, March 7, festivities begin with an 8 a.m. breakfast, followed by the induction ceremony at 8:30 a.m. Tickets to the 2025 Hall of Fame event, which will be held at Stifel Theatre — adjacent to Enterprise Center — can be obtained by contacting the league office.
Sommerville finished fifth on Bradley’s career list for 3-point field goals (153). He also became the first-ever MVC player to record at least 600 rebounds (662) and 150 3-pointers during a 3-year period — eighth player overall.
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Background:Peoria Friendship House names Marcellus Sommerville as new CEO
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In his senior season of 2005-06, Sommerville led the Braves to the third round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1955 by averaging 19.0 points and 7.0 rebounds in the three tourney games versus No. 12 Kansas (21 points, 7 rebounds), No. 16 Pittsburgh (18, 6) and No. 3 Memphis (18, 8).
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The Peoria native starred at Peoria High School, where he earned first-team all-state honors from the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Champaign Gazette, The Associated Press and Illinois Basketball Coaches Association.
In addition to Sommerville, the 28th MVC Hall of Fame class features coaching legends Bob Warn of Indiana State; Bruce Weber of Southern Illinois; and Lisa Bluder of Drake; track and field all-American Tyler Mulder of Northern Iowa; student, coach, professor, administrator, mentor and trusted advisor Betty Wiseman of Belmont.
The MVC Hall of Fame consists of 157 former student-athletes, administrators, coaches, and contributors.
"This class represents the reach of The Valley in and away from the athletic arena," Jackson said. "We are all truly inspired by their achievements and touched by their grace."
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Dave Eminian is the Journal Star sports columnist, and covers Bradley men's basketball, the Rivermen and Chiefs. He writes the Cleve In The Eve sports column for pjstar.com. He can be reached at 686-3206 or deminian@pjstar.com. Follow him on X.com @icetimecleve.
Read about Marcellus at BradleyBraves.com
Marcellus Sommerville Selected as part of
MVC Hall of Fame Class of 2025
ST. LOUIS, Mo. – Former Bradley Men's Basketball star Marcellus Sommerville has earned induction into the Missouri Valley Conference Hall of Fame and will be enshrined in the Class of 2025. Sommerville will become the 16th MVC Hall of Fame inductee from Bradley and 13th to be inducted from the men's basketball program. Sommerville was a three-time All-MVC selection during his Bradley career, including back-to-back first-team selections in 2003-04 and 2004-05 and a second team selection in 2005-06. He was also the only player in The Valley to finish in the top five in scoring in rebounding in each of his three Bradley seasons. Sommerville won 2003-04 MVC Newcomer of the Year, the sixth Brave to do so at the time, and was Newcomer of the Week six times during the season, the most in any season by a Brave, including three consecutive awards (11/24/03, 12/01/03, 12/08/03). In 2005-06, Sommerville earned his only two MVC Player of the Week awards. In the NCAA Tournament in 2005-06, Sommerville averaged 19 points and seven rebounds per game, including a 21-point performance against #12 Kansas, including going 5-9 from three-point range.
PEORIA — Peoria High's hot start to the boys basketball season wasn’t anticipated, but it still isn’t too surprising.
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The Lions are 10-1 and ranked No. 2 statewide in Class 3A, earning the top seed for the State Farm Holiday Classic next week in Bloomington-Normal. Last season, Peoria High finished the regular season on a seven-game winning streak before losing to Metamora in a regional championship.
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However, the Lions remain hungry and aren’t satisfied with their early-season success.
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“It’s always good winning,” Peoria High coach Daniel Ruffin said, “but one thing I preach to our guys is ‘Don’t get complacent.' Obviously, you don’t want to learn from losing. You can always learn from winning. Continue to win. Continue to grind it out and we always can go back and learn from the mistakes that we made.”
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Before Peoria High heads off for Christmas break, the Lions traveled up to Chicago Whitney Young on Saturday and faced a fifth-ranked Oak Park Fenwick (9-1) in the Chicagoland Coaches United Shootout. Fenwick beat the Lions 42-28 — handing them their first loss of the 2024-25 season.
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IHSA boys basketball:Illinois holiday tournament schedules for boys teams from Peoria
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Peoria High has big wins early in the season
Wins over Class 4A then-No. 1 Bolingbrook and Class 3A No. 8 Morton, plus a victory over city rival and Class 2A top-ranked Manual are a part of seven wins decided by single digits — including four by two points or less.
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“I kind of expected us to be in this position,” Peoria High senior Leshawn Stowers said. “We’re playing hard. We had a good summer with each other.”
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Stowers emphasized the camaraderie the team built in the offseason.
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“Everybody coming together as one,” the 6-foot-5 guard said, “so it’s making our team a lot better. Trusting our team. Trusting our leaders.”
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Added Ruffin, “Are we perfect? No, but when somebody makes a mistake, they allow me to be a bad guy. What they do is pick each other up. … It’s just great chemistry we have right now that we’ve been missing for a long time.”
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Peoria High has a confident Division-I recruit
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And having Stowers lead the way has been a huge bonus.
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The Miami (Ohio) signee has been dynamic in all aspects of his game. But scoring has been especially important in those tight games. He had 24 points in this past Monday’s win over Richwoods after a 26-point outburst against Springfield last Saturday.
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“As a coach, that is a blessing,” Ruffin said, “having somebody that can actually control the game the way he affects the game. His growth from the day he stepped foot at Peoria High to now. Each year, he’s just gotten better and better. I got to give my hat off to him because he’s put the time in, the work in each year in the offseason. He deserves this.”
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Background: Peoria High star guard makes his college basketball choice
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Stowers says he credits having his college decision out of the way as a factor in his consistent play.
“I’m just playing carefree and doing what it takes to win," he said. "... I’m a little more comfortable, playing a little bit more selfish, but not too selfish, while I’m still getting everybody else involved and still being selfish enough to get my shots up too.”
Peoria High has key role players, including many freshman​
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Everyone is benefiting from the focus being Stowers. Seniors TJ Sturdivant II and Spencer Russell, along with the junior Fenix Foy have stepped up on both ends of the court.
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Freshman have also acted as a big help this season. Six first-year players appear on the varsity roster including sharpshooter Orlando Edwards Jr. The 5-foot-10 guard has been lethal from 3-point range, hitting a trio of 3-pointers against Richwoods.
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“For me, it’s great for him to have that confidence,” Ruffin said, “and I want to continue to give them that confidence. I don’t want to hold him back or any other freshman. … If I’m going to throw you out there, I want you to play like you’re a junior or senior. I want you to play like you’ve been here before. I want you to want it.
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Peoria's top players: Here are the Peoria area's top 10 high school boys basketball players for 2024-25
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“That’s something I didn’t have to instill into these guys. I inherited it.”
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There’s still a lot of work to be done for Peoria High to achieve what they want this season. The last postseason plaque came in 2013 following the 2012 Class 3A state championship season.
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The chance to add a sixth state title to the program’s strong legacy isn’t lost on anyone.
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“That’s the main goal, for sure,” Sturdivant said of capturing Peoria High’s 15th state trophy, “so we’re going to keep working towards it one game at a time and hopefully, we can bring it home.”
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Adam Duvall is a Journal Star sports reporter. Email him at aduvall@pjstar.com. Follow him on Twitter @AdamDuvall.
Please consider a donation for our Annual Fund
Thank you!
or
Mail a check to:
Peoria High School Alumni Association
1615 N North St
Peoria, IL. 61604
​
​
PEORIA HIGH SCHOOL ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization – EIN: 37-1267248
Your contribution is tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
Established in 1856, Peoria High School is the largest oldest high school
in continuous operation West of The Allegheny Mountains
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