Jerry Rashid Selected for Greater Peoria Sports Hall of Fame

PEORIA, Ill. – Eureka College head baseball coach Jerry Rashid is headed to the Greater Peoria Sports Hall of Fame.

The Red Devils' fifth-year coach was recently named to the Greater Peoria Sports Hall of Fame class of 2022, along with three-time NBA champion Shaun Livingston, among others. He will be officially inducted on March 19 when the hall celebrates its 40th anniversary at a dinner at the Peoria Civic Center.

"It's really quite an honor," Rashid said. "It's very humbling, because I don't really put myself in a position to say 'Wow, you were really good at what you did.' I think probably the thing I think of most is how much fun I had, and the great memories with all of the past players I've had along the way."

Before Rashid took over the Eureka baseball program, he won 807 games in 39 seasons as a high school baseball coach at Princeville, Bergan, Notre Dame and IVC.

Rashid has directed his teams to 18 conference championships, 17 IHSA regional titles, four sectional crowns and five appearances in the Sweet 16. He was previously the Greater Peoria Sports Hall of Fame Tri-County Coach of the Year in 2006, a two-time IHSBCA Division 4 Coach of the Year and a finalist for the National High School Athletic Coaches Association Coach of the Year.

Rashid led three of his IVC squads (2006, 2008, 2010) to the IHSA state semifinals, including two appearances in the state title game. His 2006 IVC team, led by third-round Major League Baseball Draft pick and longtime MLB relief pitcher Zach McAllister, went 40-2 on its way to the IHSA Class A championship. The Grey Ghosts won at least 23 games in eight consecutive seasons from Rashid's first season in 2005 through 2012.

Including McAllister, five of Rashid's former student-athletes at IVC went on to be selected in the MLB Draft. Rashid mentored Jordan Parr (2012 Dodgers, 2013 Diamondbacks), Josh Parr (2011 Diamondbacks), Justin Parr (2013 Phillies) and Chris Razo (2013 Brewers) prior to their collegiate and/or professional careers.

"A lot of things stand out," Rashid said, looking back at his career. "Oftentimes, you think of losses and remember them as much as wins. Obviously, winning the state championship in 2006, finishing second in '08 and finishing third in '10 at IVC, those were great years, because of the wins and the amount of excitement and interest generated in the community.

"But then you go back and think of the great success and some of the heartbreaking losses at Notre Dame and at Bergan, and the same thing with great successes and failures and tough losses at Princeville, so you go back and you think it's a lot of wins and losses, but really overall, it just goes back to remembering the kids and enjoying some of the nice comments from past players and past students from over 40 years. Those are the things that stick out the most in your mind."

This is the second Hall of Fame that has honored Rashid for his career. In 2000, he was inducted into the Illinois High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

In his first season at Eureka in 2018, Rashid's Red Devils doubled their win total from the previous year, lowered their team ERA by more than four runs and recorded their first-ever win over a nationally-ranked opponent.

His first two years (2018-2019) at EC were the program's winningest two-year stretch (30) wins since Eureka Hall of Famer Craig Gerdes led the Red Devils to 30 wins between the 2010 and 2011 seasons.

Rashid has also recruited and mentored two All-SLIAC First Team selections in Sean Green (2019) and Jimmy Peterson (2021). Green was Eureka's first First Team selection since 2010 and first All-Region selection since 2005.

Rashid is the first member of the Eureka College community to be honored by the Greater Peoria Sports Hall of Fame since 2012-2013, when quarterback and current EC Strength and Wellness Coordinator Sam Durley was named GPSHOF Player of the Year and then-EC women's basketball coach Taren Marten was named GPSHOF Coach of the Year.

"To be able to represent Eureka College, too, is as exciting and honorable as it was for the previous four schools that I worked for," Rashid said. "It's a thrill to have that on my resume, and to be able to say that I'm from Eureka College now."

The other 2021 inductees are seven-time Peoria Men's City golf tournament champion Rick Lehew, seven-time Pekin city golf champion Eric Monti, former IVC High School track star Zach Glavash and former Pekin High School basketball star Fred Miller, and three high school teams that finished state runners-up: The 1975 Princeville football team, the 1983 Washington football team, and the 1985 Limestone football team.

The induction dinner is open to the public. Tickets are $40 apiece and available until March 11. To order tickets call (309) 691-3553 or email susie1026@comcast.net.