ROCHELLE — Five new members will be inducted into the Rochelle Township High School Athletic Hall of Fame this Friday night just prior to kickoff of the Hubs’ first home football game of the season.
Elected to the 2019 HOF Class are Bruce Anderson, Jen Jenkins, the late Harvey Phelps, Harlan Richards and Ben Schwartz.
A reception for the inductees will be held at 5 p.m. on Friday afternoon in the RTHS commons area with coaches, families and friends invited to attend.
An award ceremony in front of the fans will take place on the track between the freshmen game and the varsity game at approximately 6:30 p.m.
On Saturday, Sept. 21 from 1-3 p.m. a social will be held at the Flight Deck Bar & Grill for the inductees.

Bruce Anderson
(31-year RTHS Coach)

When people talk about girls track and cross-country programs at Rochelle Township High School, the name Bruce Anderson will always be come up and be remembered.
After seven years in coaching cross-country and track at Princeton High School, Anderson found a home at Rochelle Township High School in 1986.
He has been a coach for the Hubs for 31 years and was head coach or an assistant coach in the girls track program for 31 years, while serving 21 years as head coach for the boys and girls cross country teams before he retired.
In 1992, Anderson put together the first girls’ cross-country team at RTHS. In 2000 the placed 18th in the state meet.
As head coach of the girls track program, the Lady Hubs won 24 invitational events, had 19 individual sectional champions, won one sectional title and placed second twice at sectionals.
Twenty-two individuals and six relay teams qualified for the state meet. He coached two state champions, and guided three student-athletes to second place finishes. Under his tenure, 11 girls and four relay teams received all-state honors.
RTHS also placed fifth and seventh place at the state track meet under the coaching of Anderson.
In cross-country, RTHS won 21 invitational events, one conference title, along with a sectional and regional championship.
His RTHS teams had six state qualifiers along with the 2000 girls team.
Before his retirement, Anderson also taught in the special education department at RTHS. He remains an assistant coach in the girls track program for the Lady Hubs.

Jen Jenkins

(RTHS Class of 2009)

Jen Jenkins, a graduate of the RTHS Class of 2009, spent the fall and winter seasons on the sidelines as a cheerleader for both football and basketball, but when spring came around she could be found with the girls track team.

Jenkins was a four-year varsity letter recipient as a member of the Lady Hubs Track program. A versatile athlete, Jenkins participated in the 55-meter, 100-meter, 200-meter, 400-meter dashes, the 4 x 200 and 4 x 100 relay teams, triple jump and long jump.
As a freshman, Jenkins completed the season with 19 varsity event championships. She established school records in the 55-meter dash, 200-meter dash and as a member of the 4 x 200-meter relay team.
Her sophomore season was limited by an Achilles tendon injury, but she still excelled in the events she entered. Jenkins won all four events she competed in at the Ogle County Meet, leading the team to its first Ogle County Meet championship. She went on to qualify for the state meet at the Ottawa Sectional by winning the long jump and runner-up in the 400-meter dash.
As a junior, Jenkins became the first Hub to be an indoor meet qualifier, placing fifth in the long jump. She went on to qualify at the sectional in four events in the state meet, a first for a RTHS athlete.
Jenkins placed seventh in the triple jump and 13th in the long jump, and became the first RTHS female track and field athlete to receive IHSA All-State honors.
Prior to her senior season, Jenkins accepted a track and field scholarship to Illinois State University. She was named Outstanding Female Athlete at the Davenport Assumption Invitational, as well as Most Valuable Girls Track and Field Athlete at RTHS for four straight years.
Having qualified for three events at the Sterling Sectional, she became the first female state champion in RTHS history by winning the triple jump. Her winning jump of 39’ 10.75” was the longest triple jump in the State of Illinois for the entire year.
Jenkins was a two-year track and field captain at ISU, and she graduated from Illinois State University with a bachelor’s degree in family and consumer sciences.
She currently resides in Stoughton, Wisconsin.

Harvey Phelps
(RTHS Class of 1911)

Harvey Phelps was the only Rochelle athlete to earn state championships in two different sports. Phelps played tackle on the 1909 state champion football team and was also state champion in the high jump in 1911.
He participated in every sport available during his years at RTHS. In 1908-11 he was a member of the football and athletics (track) teams. In 1911, a new sport was added and Phelps played center on the first RTHS basketball team. He would have earned 10 varsity letters but they did not exist until 1910.
As a junior, Phelps was selected as the first president of the Rochelle High School Athletic Association. This group designed the Varsity R and developed the criteria for earning one. When the first group of varsity letters was awarded Phelps received one, and any later Hub athletes who have received a varsity letter owe a debt of thanks to Phelps.
After graduation Harvey attended the University of Illinois. Upon completion of his studies he returned to his hometown of Rochelle and assisted his father, Arthur, in the family hardware business. Phelps worked side by side with his father at A. A. Phelps and Son Hardware on Lincoln Highway in Rochelle until the business was sold to the Moore brothers in 1943.
Phelps and his bride, Nora (Martin), had two children, a daughter, Frances, and a son, Harvey Jr. After the sale of the hardware store Harvey moved his family to North Hollywood, California where he stayed until his death at 88 in 1981.

Harlan Richards
(RTHS Class of 1966)

Harlan Richards graduated from RTHS as a member of the class of 1966. He was an active member of clubs, student council, the concert and German bands, Orchestra and National Honor Society.
Richards was a four-year member of both the football and basketball teams. While starting as the quarterback his senior year, Harlan led the Hubs to their fourth consecutive NCIC conference title with an overall record of 7-1. His play earned him a spot on the NCIC All-Conference team and was the co-recipient of the Hackett MVP award, along with teammate Spencer Hayden.

On the basketball court, he was the recipient of the Hall Free Throw award both his junior and senior seasons. During his senior season, Richards set the single game scoring record of 56 points in a game vs. Belvidere. To date, his record at Rochelle stands even after the introduction of the three-point shot to high school basketball over 30 ago.
Richards was selected as the 1966 News-Leader Scholar Athlete award, which he shared again with teammate Spencer Hayden.
Following his graduation from RTHS, Richards graduated with high honors from the University of Illinois with a degree in chemical engineering. He received his master’s degree from the University of Delaware, and worked all but four years of his career for A.E. Staley as an engineer and in manufacturing management.
Richards married classmate, Diane Hendrickson. They live in Tennessee during the winter and spend summers in Minnesota.

Ben Schwartz
(RTHS Class of 2009)

Ben Schwartz was an accomplished three-sport athlete at RTHS from 2005-2009 where he earned eight varsity letters while participating in football, basketball and track. He is also a school record holder in two different sports.
In football, Schwartz was the team captain his senior year while leading his team in rushing, receiving, tackles, interceptions and touchdowns. Schwartz still holds the school record of career interceptions.
He was named a Western Sun All-Conference selection and participated in the 35th annual Illinois High School All-Star Shrine Game. Schwartz received the team Hackett MVP award both his junior and senior football seasons and is the 2008 Lifter of the Year.
While playing basketball as a Hub, Schwartz was a member of the 2008-2009 regional championship and sectional semi-finalist teams. He was named a Walter Payton Roundhouse Player of the Week, and was also awarded the Hoffman Rebounding Award and McFadden Memorial Award for his senior season. He was also named to the Western Sun All-Conference team.
Schwartz played baseball at RTHS his freshman and sophomore years but switched to track for his junior year. During his senior track and field season at RTHS, he qualified at the sectional meet in the triple jump which earned him a trip to the IHSA 2A State Meet. He was the school record holder in that event until his mark was recently broken this past spring.
Schwartz received All-Academic honors for each sport season in which he participated as a junior and senior. He was the Rochelle nomination to the Wendy’s Heisman High School Award and received the Dave Himes Memorial Scholarship.
Upon graduation, Schwartz attended Illinois State University where he received a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and is currently enrolled in a master of arts educational leadership program.
He is employed at Harvard Junior High School as a seventh-grade math teacher where he coaches boys and girls basketball and is also an assistant high school track coach.