Lonnie Hewitt left his mark in state high jump

When your name is mentioned with the great Dwight “Dike” Eddleman, you’ve made quite the accomplishment.

Lonnie Hewitt, of Buda Western High School, and the late Eddleman, one of the most decorated Illinois school boy and University of Illinois athletes of all time, are the only three-time state high jump champions from Illinois.

Eddleman, of Centralia, won the IHSA state championships in 1942-45.

Three decades later, Hewitt came along, winning the IHSA state title as a sophomore in 1977, as a junior in 1978 and again as a senior in 1979. He went on to standout career for the Augustana College Vikings track team.

For his accomplishments in track and field, Hewitt has earned induction into the BCR’s Bureau County Sports Hall of Fame. He is one of 29 individuals to be be inducted into the Hall of Fame, which dates back to 1995.

Hewitt gave a glimpse of good things to come when he cleared six feet as an eighth grader. Unfortunately, Western didn’t compete in the elementary state meet in grade school at the time.

As a freshman, Hewitt sustained a bad ankle sprain the day before track practice, and said it bothered him most of the year. He cleared 6-3, placing sixth at state.

“They only gave five medals back then, and that really motivated me to never let that happen again,” Hewitt said.

“I went to the Knox College Milwaukee Bucks basketball camp that summer, and used the jumping exercises I got from that camp to increase my vertical dramatically.”

Boy, did it ever.

The following year as a sophomore, Hewitt cleared 6-10 1/4 to set the Bureau County record, which still stands today, 45 years later.

He went on to clear 6-8 to win state both his sophomore and junior years, and 6-6 as a senior for the hat trick.

Hewitt feels fortunate to have won the three straight state championships.

“Only my sophomore year was I the best jumper down there. My senior year, especially, I wasn’t jumping so well because I was running so much, he said. “I really only won because it was raining and it affected all of the good jumpers who used a J run-up while I used a straight run-up that wasn’t affected by the rain.

“Jim Moore from Tampico got second that year, and their coach never forgave me because I cost him his only state champion.”

Hewitt said he came close to not making it out of sectionals that year.

“I had to make 6-3 on my third attempt just to make it to state,” Hewitt said. “I hit the ball so hard, it went up in the air like a foot and came back down and stayed on. So, I really, really got lucky my senior year.”

Hewitt finished eighth in the open 440 as a senior, and believes the Rams would have won state in the 880 relay, but had a bad handoff and was disqualified.

Longtime Princeton girls track coach Pat Hodge, who was in on the beginning of Hewitt’s run competing for PHS, said Hewitt’s accomplishment is remarkable.

“It’s very special,” said Hodge, an 880-yard state medalist as a senior in 1976. “You just never know when someone else with superior abilities may come along. You can only go out and try your best on any given day as you have no control over the other athletes, especially in an event like the high jump.”

Hewitt, 61, got to meet Eddleman during the IHSA’s 100th year track anniversary celebration in 1993 and stayed in touch with him until he passed in 2001.

“He was so gracious and so nice,” Hewitt said.

The class valedictorian from Western in 1979, Hewitt went on to Augustana College where he won two CCIW titles and finished second twice. He set the Augie record of 6-10 3/4″ as a freshman, which held for 18 years.

He was twice named as an All-American, the Vikings finishing second at nationals his sophomore season.

He was the Vikings’ track captain his senior year and won Augie’s most prestigious Academic/Athletic Award for four-year letter winners of all sports.

“I was lucky enough to be on eight straight conference-winning teams: four at Western and four at Augie. I’m very proud of that,” said Hewitt, who works for the State of Illinois’ Department of Human Resources mostly out of his home in La Salle.

Hewitt stayed in the athletic arena as a girls basketball official for 20 years, capped by three assignments to the IHSA state finals. He retired in 2007.

“It was a lot of fun. I enjoyed it, said Hewitt, noting he misses seeing his partners, especially Larry Wilcoxen and Dave Junis, who are now deceased.

The Lonnie Hewitt file:

• Three-time state high jump champion

• Bureau County high jump record holder since 1976

• Two-time All-American at Augustana College

• Two-time CCIW high jump champion