Decatur (population 81,860) sits in the middle of the state of Illinois, linked by U.S. Route 51, Interstate 72, and Illinois Routes 105 and 121. The city is known for its production of soybeans, as evidenced by the location of the world-wide offices of Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) and the A.E. Staley Company. Lake Decatur sits on the east and south sides of the city, where the Chicago Bears football franchise was born in 1920. The city is named for War of 1812 naval hero Stephen Decatur (1779-1820) who captured the British Macedonian in a desperate fight near Madiera Island.
Secondary (post-eighth grade) education in Decatur traces its roots back to 1862 when the first high school curriculum was established. In 1869, the original Decatur High School building was built. This building served in this capacity until increasing enrollment fostered the need for a new building. This larger and more modern facility was constructed in 1911. The original 1869 building continued being used in an educational capacity until it was razed in 1929 after 60 years of service.
Orig. Decatur HS Bldg After Additions Early 1900s
Submitted by Dennis Downey
Original Decatur High School Building Built – 1869
Submitted by Dennis Downey
The 1911 building (pictured at the top of this page) served as Decatur High School (later renamed “Decatur Senior High School”) until the end of the 1956-57 school year. During this time period Decatur Senior High School was Decatur’s ONLY public high school.
The town of Decatur had experienced an incredible population boom which also caused the town to grow in land area. Residents foresaw the need for the creation of four separate high school buildings located strategically throughout the city. By 1957, the construction of Lakeview, Eisenhower, and MacArthur High Schools were complete. It was also decided to change the name of Decatur Senior High School to Stephen Decatur High School. Stephen Decatur High School classes continued to be held in the 1911 Decatur High School building.
The original Decatur High School building was eventually seen as outdated and a new building for Stephen Decatur High School was built in 1975.
Ralph Whitsitt provided the following insight to the use of the original Decatur High School building:
“The 1911 building (which my grandmother graduated from in 1927) was torn down in the late 1970’s to make way for the Decatur Civic Center, which now occupies the downtown site. The columns from the facade of the old building were saved and were erected around a statue of Stephen Decatur on the grounds of the Civic Center several years later.”
Decatur Senior High School Quick Facts
Year HS classes started in Decatur: 1862
Year original Decatur HS building built: 1869
Year “new” Decatur HS building built: 1911
Year original HS building razed: 1929
Year Decatur Senior HS name changed: 1957
Name changed to: Stephen Decatur High School
Year 1911 building closed as a HS: 1975
Decatur Senior HS team nickname: Up to 1945 the “Reds”
After 1945 the “Running Reds”
School team colors: Red & White
School Fight Song: “Decatur Loyalty Song”
(sung to the Northwestern University Fight Song Tune)
Go you Decatur!
Break right through that line —
With your colors flying,
We will cheer you all the time!
Rah! Rah! Rah!
Go you Decatur!
Fight for victory.
Spread far the fame
Of our fair name and —
Go! Decatur!
Win that game!
Go! Decatur! Go!
Go! Decatur! Go!
Hit ’em High!
Hit ’em low!
Go! Decatur! Go!
Cheerleaders and Honor Guard
Pre-Game National Anthem Ceremony – 1956
Athletics
Decatur Senior High School existed before the girls athletic mandate in the early 1970s. The boys competed in a wide variety of sports however. Baseball, basketball, football, track, golf, tennis, as well as, quite probably, cross country and wrestling were all offered to the boys of Decatur Senior High School. The best of these teams and individual efforts as listed on the IHSA website (www.ihsa.org) are listed below.
Boys Basketball
The basketball team was the top of the heap at the school, winning three state championships in the single-class era, all under the leadership of Gay Kintner in 1931, 1936, and 1945. Several other great seasons combined to make Decatur High a perenial powerhouse in high school basketball each year in Illinois.
1911-12 NRA Fourth in StateCoach William H. Duerr
Defeated Galesburg 27-26
in first round
Final 4
Lost to Galesburg 26-23
Galesburg placed 2nd
3rd Place Game
Lost to Hillsboro 38-31
1914-15 8- 7 District Tournament Champs Coach C. E. Howell
1956-57 14-11 (Last year as Decatur HS) Coach Gay Kintner
Boys Tennis
The boys tennis program showed a real “love” for the game from the beginning. A State Championship, two runner-up finishes, and a total of SIX top-ten finishes hi-light the Decatur High School tennis successes.
1927 (??) Connell & (??) Dunning—2nd in Doubles @IHSA Finals
1941 District Champs (coach unknown)
1942 Otho Mendenhall & Charles Norman – 3rd – Doubles Coach Elmer Kunze
1943 District Champs Coach Elmer Kunze
1945 District Champs Coach Gerald Cox
1946 District Champs 2nd in State Coach Gerald Cox
1947 District Champs STATE CHAMPS! Coach Gerald Cox
Bennett Bradley — STATE CHAMPION IN SINGLES
Roger Brady & Paul Schumacher—2nd in Doubles @IHSA Finals
1950 District Champs 10th in State Coach Ray Nelson
1951 9th in State Coach Ray Nelson
Roger Bielfield & Harold Stafford—5th in Doubles @IHSA Finals
1952 Roger Bielfield—5th in Singles Coach John Allen
1954 District Champs Coach John Allen
1955 District Champs Coach John Allen
Elliott Bell—5th in Singles @ IHSA Finals
1956 District Champs 5th in State Coach John Allen
Charles Lockhart & Bruce Stafford—3rd in Doubles @IHSA Finals
1957 District Champs 2nd in State Coach John Allen
Charles Lockhart—2nd in Singles @IHSA Finals
Bruce Stafford & Jim Kohl—3rd in Doubles@IHSA Finals
Boys Golf
Two top-ten finishes and six District Championships were won by the Decatur High School Reds linksters.
1938 District Champs (coach unknown)
1939 District Champs (coach unknown)
State Qualifier
1940 District Champs (coach unknown)
State Qualifer
1949 District Champs (coach unknown)
4th in State Finals
1953 District Champs (coach unknown)
6th in State Finals
1955 District Champs (coach unknown)
State Qualifier
Boys Baseball
Eight District titles and four Sectional Championships made the DHS Reds a team capable of winning the state title each year. The Reds advanced to the Elite 8 on four occasions and the Final Four once.
1941 NRA District Champs (coach unknown)
1947 13-4 District & Sectional Champs Coach Gay Kintner
Qualified for State Finals
Lost to LaSalle-Peru 5-4 in quarterfinals
1950 NRA District Champs (coach unknown)
1951 15-5 District & Sectional Champs Coach G.C. Galbreath
Qualified for State Finals
Defeated Murphysboro 5-2 in quarterfinals
Lost to Pekin 3-0 in semifinals (Pekin eventual state champion)
1952 NRA District Champs (coach unknown)
1953 NRA District & Sectional Champs Coach Dave Batthauer
Qualified for State Finals
Lost to Murphysboro 6-5 in quarterfinals
1954 NRA District Champs (coach unknown)
1955 NRA District & Sectional Champs Coach Dave Batthauer
Qualified for State Finals
Lost to North Chicago 2-0 in quarterfinals
Boys Track & Field
The Decatur High School tracksters earned a ton of medals and garnered nine top-ten finishes and eight District titles during its tenure.
1898 Team Finished SIXTH at IHSA STATE Meet (coach unknown)
Individual Medalists
Frank Lindsay 2nd Place 440 Dash
2nd Place 1 Mile Run
Will Murray 2nd Place 1 Mile Bicycle
1899 Team Finished SIXTH at IHSA STATE Meet (coach unknown)
Indiividual Medalists
Frank Lindsay 2nd Place 880 Run
3rd Place 1 Mile Run
Will Murray 2nd Place 1 Mile Bicycle
1900 Team Finished THIRD at IHSA STATE Meet (coach unknown)
Individual Medalists
Ed Keller STATE CHAMPION 880 Bicycle
2nd Place 440 Bicycle
(only time both events were contested at state finals)
Ray Leonard 3rd Place Pole Vault
Frank Lindsay STATE CHAMPION 880 Run
2nd Place 1 Mile Run
1901 Team Finished FOURTH at IHSA STATE Meet (coach unknown)
Individual Medalists
Clarence Neiman STATE CHAMPION!! High Jump
???? Murray 2nd Place 880 Run
George Duhigg 3rd Place 1 Mile Bicycle
1902 ???? Garland 2nd Place Standing Broad Jump
1909 Clarence Bowers 4th Place Hammer Throw
1911 Team Finished FIFTH at IHSA State Meet (coach unknown)
Individual Medalists
Will Noonan STATE CHAMPION 1 Mile Run
STATE CHAMPION 880 Run
M. Allen 4th Place Hammer Throw
1912 Team Finished TENTH at IHSA STATE Meet (coach unknown)
Individual Medalists
Floyd Miller 2nd Place 120 Hurdles
4th Place 220 Hurdles
Art Harry 4th Place 880 Run
1914A Stanley Smith 3rd Place 120 Hurdles
1915A Garth Glasgow 4th Place 1 Mile Run
Bernard Simmons 4th Place 120 Hurdles
1916A Team Finished SEVENTH at STATE Meet (coach unknown)
Individual Medalist
Paul Powers STATE CHAMPION 100 Dash
STATE CHAMPION 220 Dash
1924A John Hanks 2nd Place 880 Run
1926 Lee Sentman 4th Place 220 Hurdles
1927 Lee Sentman 2nd Place 220 Hurdles
1932 District Champs (coach unknown)
1937 District Champs (coach unknown)
Team Finiished SIXTH in STATE Meet
Individual Medalists
Walter Stroyek STATE CHAMPION 200 Hurdles
Walter Stroyek 2nd Place 120 Hurdles
Walter Fedora 5th Place Javelin
1940 District Champs Coach Francis White
Individual Medalist
Robert Dansby 3rd Place Discus
1941 District Champs Coach Francis White
Individual Medalist
Robert Dansby 3rd Place Discus
1942 Roy Hudspeth 4th Place 120 Hurdles
1947 District Champs Coach Francis White
1948 District Champs Coach Francis White
Individual Medalists
William Stuckey 2nd Place 1 MIle Run
Dave Bernard 4th Place 120 Hurdles
1949 District Champs Coach Francis White
1950 District Champs Coach Francis White
1951 Team Finished FIFTH in STATE Meet Coach Francis White
Individual Medalists
Laudell Jackson 2nd Place Long Jump
Laudell Jackson 3rd Place 100 Dash
Arthur Day 4th Place 440 Dash
1954 Darrell Adcock 5th Place Pole Vault
Actor Ronald Reagan Crowns the DHS Hmecoming Queen
Queen Nancy Jo Black – 1955-56 School Year
Great Coaches and Athletes
—Gay Kintner – won 649 games as basketball coach from 1928-60 at Decatur and later Stephen Decatur High School, including three state titles, for a winning percentage of .708.
—Van Howe – compiled a 43-24-5 record in football from 1948-56 (.632), with three seasons of seven wins each.
—Gerald Cox – coached boys’ tennis team to state title in 1947
—Frank Lindsay – brought home six medals from the state track meet between 1898-1900, winning once, taking four seconds, and one third. The football stadium and track at nearby Millikin University are named for him.
—Will Noonan – won state titles in the 880 and one mile runs at the state track meet in 1911
—Paul Powers – a double winner in the 100 and 220 yard dashes at the 1916A state track meet.
We Are Requesting Your Assistance…
to tell the story about the history of Decatur High School. If you have any additional information or pictures, we would be most happy to use it. Please email your information to us at dr.veeman@gmail.com or send it to the address listed below. Special thanks go to longtime Decatur sportswriter Tom McNamara for his help, along former Chicago sportswriter Jim Enright’s book March Madness: The History of High School Basketball in Illinois (1977) for valuable information in preparing this page.
Illinois HS Glory Days
6439 N. Neva
Chicago, Il 60631
