I had so many questions.
What was it like coaching the inimitable Caitlin Clark at the University of Iowa?
What are some of your favorite memories from winning three Stanley Cup titles with the Chicago Blackhawks?
Did you ever believe you would become a Hall of Famer after starring with the Chicago Bulls during their championship years of the ’90s?
And how satisfying has it been to be recognized as one of Northwestern’s all-time best basketball players and now the mayor of your hometown of Zion, Illinois?
These are a few questions I had for some of the members of the 2024 class of the Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame Wednesday evening. The annual production, organized by enterprising president Charlie Carey, attracted an eclectic and elite group of individuals at Wintrust Arena in Chicago. I was fortunate to be inducted into this regal hall of fame in 2023.
The 2024 class included Lisa Bluder, Duncan Keith, Toni Kukoc, Billy McKinney, Mike Singletary, Olin Kreutz, Christian Okoye, Cliff Floyd, Mike Veeck, Olivia Smoliga, Mike Gapski, and Phil Villiapiano.
Bluder recently retired after coaching superstar guard Caitlin Clark at Iowa. Clark is the all-time Division I women’s basketball scoring leader who was a 2-time National Player of the Year and is credited with the resurgence of overall interest in women’s basketball. She was named Rookie of the Year in the WNBA with the Indiana Fever.
“It was special. I mean she’s such an incredible… not only player but young woman,” Bluder told me. “And that’s what makes it so fun. She was just a blast to be around, a great teammate, a great role model and so I’m very blessed that I got to coach her for four years.”
Fred Mitchell interviews former Iowa women’s basketball coach Lisa Bluder.
If Clark had not been the gracious person Bluder described, Clark’s national celebrity could have been a real distraction.
“Oh yeah, I think anytime that you have a team and you have a star on that team it could be a problem if they’re kind of a jerk, but she wasn’t,” said Bluder, who previously coached at St. Ambrose College and Drake. She had an overall record of 885-394.
Clark led Iowa to two NCAA championship games.
“She was a great person and I think that made it easier for her to reach her star status and not have the jealousies and the backstabbing that can happen in those type of situations,” said Bluder, who was accompanied at the event by her husband, David.
Kukoc joined Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and the rest of the Bulls to win NBA championships after starring in Europe for many years. He was voted NBA Sixth Man of the Year in 1996. He had won three Euro League championships (1989-91). Asked about his greatest NBA memories, Kukoc replied:
“Obviously the championships. That first year you don’t know how good you are. You go through the season and during the season you learn. You’re winning games, you get the 72-10 record, then the belief that you’re good, that you can go all the way is there. But you still have to win 16 (playoff) games. And then when you do that and you do it three years in a row, it’s special.”
Being inducted into the Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame was a huge thrill for the towering 6-11 Kukoc.
Chicagoland Sports Hall of Famer, 6-foot-11 Toni Kukoc.
“Well it’s a great honor,” he said to me. “Obviously, we’re talking about a great city with so many great athletes and so many great sports. As a kid… especially me coming from Croatia, from a small city of 300,000 people, you wouldn’t ever think of being inducted in a Hall of Fame with some of the greatest names in sports all over the world. And Chicago is one of the best cities when it comes to sports.”
Kukoc, who contributed to Bulls championships in 1996, ’97 and ’98, also savored his induction into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2021.
“Obviously, you don’t start the career thinking about getting in a Hall of Fame but as my career developed, I was lucky enough to play with some great players, have some great coaches and it was a great honor to get into the Basketball Hall of Fame,” he said.
McKinney has left an incredible legacy as a college and NBA guard, executive and sportscaster. And now he is the mayor of Zion. Northwestern retired his jersey number during a ceremony last season.
“I never thought in life about leaving a legacy, I just always thought about trying to do the best that I could, and whatever I did, and however people perceived that, that was up to them,” said McKinney, who was supported in the audience by his radio partner Dave Eanet and Northwestern men’s basketball coach Chris Collins.
“But for me, it was all about trying to do things that would not only improve my lot in life through getting a good education, but improve the world around me. That’s always been essential to my makeup.”
Former Northwestern and NBA guard Billy McKinney.
McKinney is one of six children raised by a single mother. He also was an all-state baseball player at Zion-Benton High School. Now he is the mayor of Zion.
“I’ve been the mayor for five years, and I have to say that of all of the things that I’ve accomplished in life, this has been the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done. Because we’ve gone in, and we’ve made significant changes to improve our city, in terms of where we were when the nuclear power plant closed many years ago, almost 26 years ago… how we’re rebuilding the city, making it safer. Business is coming back in and the housing market is rocking and rolling right now,” he said.
Duncan Keith, who played 17 seasons in the NHL with the Blackhawks and Edmonton Oilers, spoke of his appreciation for the Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame recognition, as well as the induction of longtime Blackhawks trainer Mike Gapski.
“It’s a huge honor and a privilege to be inducted into the Class 2024 of the Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame, and to be able to go in with these other inductees, especially our long-time trainer, Mike Gapski. It is especially special in that regard,” Keith said.
“I just feel fortunate to have been a part of the Blackhawks organization, and part of the city of Chicago, and play in front of the great fans and the great people of Chicago all those years. I’m pretty lucky to be able to do that.”
So what is his life like now in Canada following a stellar career in the NHL?
“I’m coaching my (11-year-old) son, Colton. And I’m back coaching his hockey team,” Keith told me. “I get to spend a lot of time with him now. So in that regard, I’m really fortunate to be able to get to spend that time with him now at a young age. And I really enjoy being with him, and getting all that quality time that I missed while I was playing.”
Former Blackhawks 3-time Stanley Cup champion Duncan Keith.
Fred Mitchell, a 2023 hall of fame inductee, and his wife Kim at the ceremony.
The 2024 class of the Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame.
Hall of Fame inductee Mike Singletary praised former Bears teammate Emery Moorehead during his speech.