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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2     WHEREAS, The House of Representatives of the State of
3 Illinois is pleased to congratulate Joe Plaskas on the occasion
4 of his induction into Northern Illinois University's Athletics
5 Hall of Fame; Plaskas was one of four individuals so honored
6 this year as part of the NIU Huskies' gala 99th Homecoming
7 observance; and
 
8     WHEREAS, Joe Plaskas earned eight NIU letters in two sports -
9 football (1956-59) and baseball (1957 and 1959-61); he also
10 earned First-Team All-Interstate Intercollegiate Athletic
11 Conference honors in both sports; and
 
12     WHEREAS, On the gridiron for Hall-of-Fame coach Howard
13 Fletcher, Joe Plaskas led the Huskies in rushing twice (511
14 yards in 1958 and 698 yards in 1959), scoring (36 points in
15 1958), and passing (154 yards in 1956); in his final football
16 campaign when the Huskies went 7-2 and finished second in the
17 IIAC, as a fullback, he was one of three players who earned
18 National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics All-America
19 honors; Joe also made First-Team All-IIAC, and he was named to
20 the Fourth-Team Peoria Journal Star All-State team in 1959; and
 
21     WHEREAS, Currently ranked No. 22 on the all-time NIU
22 rushing list with 1,315 career yards, 6-foot, 195-pound Joe
23 Plaskas not only rewrote the same school record set by
24 Hall-of-Famer Bob Brigham (1,221 yards in 1947-49) but held
25 that standard for five more seasons; according to 1959 team
26 quarterback and co-captain Lew Flinn, "the guy who made things
27 go was Joe with his great blocking"; and
 
28     WHEREAS, On the baseball diamond in 1959, Joe Plaskas led
29 the league in batting with a .455 average (20-of-44) as a
30 sophomore and actually won First-Team All-IIAC as a pitcher;
31 and
 

 

 

HR0736 - 2 - LRB094 15096 DRJ 50264 r

1     WHEREAS, As a prep, Joe Plaskas lettered in football (3)
2 and baseball (3) at Oswego High School; a long-time football
3 and baseball coach at Barrington High School, he was inducted
4 into the Barrington and Oswego halls of fame; as a three-time
5 Hall-of-Famer, Joe serves as a tremendous role model for
6 current student-athletes at NIU, Barrington, and Oswego;
7 therefore, be it
 
8     RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE
9 NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
10 we congratulate Joe Plaskas on his induction into Northern
11 Illinois University's Athletics Hall of Fame; and be it further
 
12     RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
13 presented to him as an expression of our respect and esteem.