31 Facts About Dwight Eddleman

Thomas Dwight "Dike" Eddleman was an American athlete who was generally considered the greatest athlete in the history of athletics at the University of Illinois.

Dwight Eddleman earned a combined 11 varsity letters in his career at the university, during which he became a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity.

Dwight Eddleman was born in Centralia, Illinois, and attended Centralia High School.

On October 24,2008, Dwight Eddleman was named a Distinguished Alumni of Centralia High school.

In 1983, Dwight Eddleman was inducted into the National Federation of State High School Associations Hall of Fame.

Dwight Eddleman played four years at Centralia High School, from 1939 to 1942.

Dwight Eddleman led the Centralia Orphans to the 1942 Illinois state basketball championship, after finishing fourth in 1939 and third in 1941.

Dwight Eddleman was the first high school player in Illinois to average at least 20 points per game.

However, in January 1943 Dwight Eddleman was called to military duty during World War II.

Dwight Eddleman was placed in the Army Air Corps and, after being sent to Fort Sheridan in Chicago for basic training, he was stationed in Miami Beach where he was assigned as a physical trainer for new cadets, all while still being only 20 years of age.

Dwight Eddleman followed that trip with another flight, this time to Pasadena to play on January 1 in the 1947 Rose Bowl game.

Dwight Eddleman was back for the remainder of a season where he would spend most of it as a backup to "The Whiz Kids".

Dwight Eddleman was named a Converse 1st team All-American, Big Ten Player of the Year and earned the Big Ten Medal of Honor.

Dwight Eddleman served as the team captain in 1949 and was named the team MVP that year and the University of Illinois Athlete of the Year for the second straight season.

Dwight Eddleman was a member of three football teams while attending Illinois the 1946 team would be the most successful.

Individually, Dwight Eddleman would set several records for punting and punt returning, seven of which still stand at Illinois.

Dwight Eddleman was drafted by the Chicago Bears with the 75th pick in the 1947 NFL draft and was additionally drafted by the Cleveland Browns with the 145th pick in the 1948 AAFC Draft.

Dwight Eddleman won an NCAA Championship in 1948 as well as Big Ten outdoor high jump titles in 1947 and 1949, the Kansas Relays, the Compton Relays, the Purdue Relays, and the Kansas City Games.

On July 10,1948, the summer of his junior year, Dwight Eddleman became eligible to participate in the 1948 Summer Olympics by qualifying at a meet held in Dyche Stadium at Northwestern University.

The remaining four jumpers, including Dwight Eddleman, failed three times each to match Winter.

Dwight Eddleman was awarded fourth place due to his number of misses.

Dwight Eddleman's career began after he received offers from the Chicago Stags and the Tri-Cities Blackhawks.

Dwight Eddleman decided to play for the Blackhawks because he preferred to live in Moline, Illinois, with his wife and newborn daughter.

In 1950, Dwight Eddleman led the Blackhawks in scoring as a rookie.

Dwight Eddleman played in the NBA All-Star Game in both 1951 and 1952.

Over his NBA career, Dwight Eddleman scored 3221 points in 266 games, for a scoring average of 12.1 points per game.

In 1956, Dwight Eddleman was transferred to a new plant in Gibson City, Illinois, a town located just 30 miles north of Champaign.

Dwight Eddleman married Teddy Georgia Townsley, his high school sweetheart, on December 25,1945, as the couple exchanged wedding vows in a Christmas ceremony while Dwight Eddleman was home on leave from the Army Air Corps.

In 1969 Dwight Eddleman left Central Soya and accepted the executive director of Grants-In-Aid position with the University of Illinois Foundation, a fundraising entity working with Fighting Illini Alumni to provide financial aid for student athletes.

Dwight Eddleman retired from his position with the University of Illinois on January 1,1993.

Dwight Eddleman died from a heart ailment at Champaign's Carle Foundation Hospital, on August 1,2001, at the age of 78.