Carrie Riordan, Steve Smith, 1996 football team inducted into Hall High School Hall of Fame

Hall High School brought back a state runner-up football team and a coach that was integral to the success of the Red Devils football program to Nesti Stadium to be inducted into its Athletic Hall of Fame on Friday.

They were joined by golfing great Carrie (Riordan) Davis, all a part of the Class of 2022.

Steve Smith, longtime line coach for the Hall “Hog Solders,” and the 1996 state runner-up Red Devils returned to the field where they shined together.

After capturing the state championship in 1995, the Red Devils returned to the 3A state finals in 1996, falling short to Carterville, 23-20. Smith said that team may have been a bit of a surprise because they had graduated so many key players.

“It’s not that they didn’t expect them to be good. I think they all did. But to go back to the championship, that was really something with different kids,” he said. “You see teams that repeat the next year, it’s almost always a senior class that had played before. These kids were all new.”

Smith, an assistant coach from 1976 to 2020, was honored by the recognition, saying it’s the most meaningful honor he’s ever received.

A T-shirt was made as a tribute to Smith for his famous “Who’s the King of Rock ‘n Roll” battle cry, featuring a silhouette of his image and mustache.

“The history of that school and the fact that the people who knew me, voted me in, despite of that,” he said. “This just blew me away. Just wonderful for me. I expect a big check in the mail for it.”

What made it even more meaningful was having his daughter, Maddie, surprise him by making the trip from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, to serve as his presenter.

Davis was a four-time BCR Golfer of the Year and three-time state qualifier and went on to a stellar career at Eastern Illinois University, inducted into its Hall of Fame in 2018. She was a multi-year champion in the lllinois Valley Women’s Golf Open and played three years professionally, reaching the third stage of the LPGA Q-School.

“I’m extremely grateful to be selected for such a high honor. It feels good to be in both my high school and college’s halls of fame for a sport that molded me into the person I am today,” she said.

Davis said it was especially meaningful to share the day with her brother, T.C., who was a sophomore member of the 1996 Hall football team. This is the year for Hall of Fames for the Riordan family as her brother, Sean, will be inducted into the St. Bede Hall of Fame as a member of the Bruins’ 1992 sectional championship baseball team.