Mike DeFabo: Northwest Herald's Joe Stevenson to join IBCA Hall of Fame

The first time I went to a game with Joe Stevenson was two years ago at Crystal Lake Central. As we approached the ticket window, Joe reached for his Northwest Herald press pass hanging from his neck.

“Come on in, Joe,” the ticket taker greeted him warmly, without so much as glancing at his credential.

"She didn't even look at your credential," I said.

"Oh, I know her," Joe answered.

She wasn't the only one. Before long, Joe was milling about inside the stadium, talking with the school’s athletic director. Then some parents. Then some former players.

What I came to realize is this scene is hardly unique. Everyone knows Joe. Former Northwest Herald sports editor Jason Schaumburg fittingly nicknamed Joe “The Mayor” for the way he shakes hands and kisses babies with the charm of a politician.

You've surely seen Joe out at games wearing his Red Sox ball cap. Maybe you've run into him and his chocolate lab, Jacoby, at a track meet. Surely you've read his stories here in the Northwest Herald.

But now, for the first time, instead of his name in the byline, it's appropriate for Joe's name to be in the headline. On Saturday, Joe will be inducted into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame during a banquet at Illinois State University in Normal.

He’ll enjoy the moment with his parents, his sister and brother-in-law, two of his high school buddies, his daughters, Lexi and Tori, and of course his wife, Beckie.

A true family man, Joe deflects a lot of the credit to his wife.

"My wife Beckie has been so supportive through all these years with me working nights," Joe said. "There were times when she may have felt a little bit like a single mom because she was at home with our two daughters and I was out watching games. She was a little bit like a coach's wife. She didn't complain, because she understood I was doing what I loved, and I always appreciated that."

Joe’s interest in athletics was passed down from his father, Joe, who used to take him into the locker room and let him sit on the bench when he coached basketball games in Illinois and Missouri.

He joined the Northwest Herald in 1989 and has stayed for more than 27 years. In other words, he's been at this one paper longer than I've been alive. From the height of print journalism through the rise of the internet and social media, Joe has been here through it all.

"It’s crazy how much has changed," Joe said. "I remember if I went to a game on the road and couldn’t get back to the office to write, I wrote it out long-hand and had to dictate the story back to somebody sitting in the office."

During that time, Joe has seen each and every record broken at the McHenry County track meet. He's covered about 5,500 events, including numerous state championship games and the 2007 Super Bowl in Miami.

Ask him about any of those games, and he can recall the scores and the key plays. His knowledge of McHenry County sports is surpassed only by his endless use of movie quotes.

As an outsider, I've leaned heavily on Joe's knowledge and connections here. Every time he tells me about someone I don't know, he describes them as a “really good guy.” I like to joke that if Joe says someone is a “pretty good guy” they must be an absolute scumbag, because Joe always seems to find the best in others.

I've also been fortunate enough to see Joe outside of work. Each spring, he hits bucket after bucket of softballs in the batting cage to prepare for our men's league softball season. At 57, Joe remains in outstanding shape and fiercely competitive.

It shows on the field. He boasts one of the best batting averages on the team. However, as the team captain, he pencils himself low in the batting order, putting others before himself.

Sometimes I wonder how Joe has maintained his passion for sports writing through all these years. He told me that when he was first starting out, he heard a quote that he’s kept with him through the years.

“As a sports writer you should approach everything with a willingness to be surprised,” Joe said, repeating the quote.

Well, it's no surprise that Joe is being inducted into the IBCA Hall of Fame.

Congrats, Joe. You deserve it.

• Northwest Herald sports reporter Mike DeFabo can be reached at mdefabo@shawmedia.com or on Twitter @MikeDeFabo.