The Minooka cross country program’s Flight Invitational was run at a park in Channahon named after Ron Lehman last weekend.
Lehman started the cross country program at MCHS in 1967, and he hosted the first Flight Invite back around 1970.
“This opened the door for cross country. I encouraged all athletes not out for football to join cross country as a sport to get ready for basketball/wrestling.”
He wanted athletes to use cross country as something to be able to get faster and have better endurance even if cross country wasn’t their main sport. Starting the cross country program was just one of many ways Lehman made MCHS sports better.
For his contributions to athletics, Lehman is being inducted into the MCHS Athletic Hall of Fame this year as a special merit inductee.
“I was blessed to spend 30 plus years as coach, athletic director, and principal,” Lehman said.
Lehman grew up in Minonk, Ill. He played basketball and baseball in high school for Minonk-Dana High School. He spent four years at Northern Illinois University where he majored in physical education.
“I was a ‘farm kid’ when small schools combined with larger area schools,” Lehman said. “I knew I wanted to be a coach around my eighth grade year.”
During his first year teaching and coaching at Braidwood, he was drafted into the army. After basic training and being transferred to Fort Knox, Ky., he became the coach of the basketball team and played baseball.
“I had several All-American basketball players and played with several Major League ballplayers,” Lehman said. “I learned a lot from that which really was important to my coaching at Minooka.”
After a brief time teaching and coaching at Channahon, Lehman became the head basketball coach for Minooka in 1961. In 10 years Lehman won two conference championships and a regional title. In 1963, his team finished 25-3 and won both the Fox Valley and Coal Valley conferences.
“The 1963 basketball team winning over 20+ games would rank up there as a favorite memory,” Lehman said.
His overall career record was 133-114.
Lehman became athletic director in 1971 when Minooka played its first football game. He served during the time period when girls sports arrived at Minooka in 1973.
“My role in starting girls sports was more in the area of organization, scheduling,” he said. “Our girls demonstrated the same effort and desire to be competitive in their sport as did the guys. It was a little slow to start but all really made it a major part of the school.”
Lehman became principal of MCHS in 1972 and served until his retirement. Throughout his career, he was active in the community.
Lehman became involved in the Channahon Park District because he and other people in the town thought that there wasn’t much to do outside of school.
“I listened to my boys in the gym talk about not much to do outside of school. We needed activities in our town for more than just students as well,” Lehman said.
Lehman will be recognized before the varsity football game on Sept. 27. Other Hall of Fame inductees who will be recognized then include Tom Clennon (athlete), Cyndi Kiper (athlete), Jenna Hall (athlete), Russ Weil (athlete), and Wayne Greenbeck (coach), and the 1962 baseball team.
