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CHICAGO (WAND) - Chicago Bears legend Gale Sayers has passed away at the age of 77.
In this look back to an Athlete of the Week feature from the summer of 2002, WAND's Gordon Voit celebrates the quiet strength exemplified by Dennis Sheppard throughout his career.
DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) -- The Hope Academy is promoting physical health through a social media challenge.
Check this out! Tons of participants showing off their hopscotch skills.
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) -- KeShon Singleton made plays on the basketball court and the football field as a freshman for Sacred-Heart Griffin.
Now he's working even harder in the offseason to build on his accomplishments.
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) -- Hundreds of fans, coaches and athletes gathered at the Lincoln Statue next to the capitol building today.
Their message was loud and clear, "Let Us Play."
DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) -- A local basketball player will be heading out west to play D-1 basketball.
Eisenhower's RJ Walker announced via Twitter that he verbally committed to the University of Idaho.
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(WAND) - The Big Ten has officially announced its schedule for the 2020 football season. The action is set to kick off on Oct. 24.
Tomorrow at 1pm, high school athletes from around the state of Illinois are meeting in Springfield for a Let Us Play Rally.
This rally isn't just for football, it's for all sports.
DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) -- It's beginning to be a yearly tradition in central Illinois.
Local golf pros coming together for the Birdies For Charity Fundraiser.
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(WAND) - The Big Ten has announced a return to football in October.
On Saturday, September 19, there will be #LetUsPlay rallies in the state of Illinois.
One will be held in Chicago, the other, in Springfield. More >>
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) - IHSA coaches, athletes, parents and fans are gearing up for a pair of "Let Us Play" rallies next weekend. More >>
DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) -- He's a man on a mission.
Jay Carlson is a Army National Guard veteran and is cycling to raise money for charities. More >>
DECATUR, Ill (WAND) -- Everyone Knows that MacArthur Guard Taya Davis is one of the best basketball players in the area but it's what's she's doing off the court that is turning heads. More >>
ROSEMONT, Ill. (WAND) - Sources say the Big Ten could be inching towards a return-to-play vote for football this fall. More >>
Did you know that the 1985 Bears had to stop in Champaign prior to their Super Bowl XX win over the Patriots? Did you know that the Bears also stayed in Decatur when they set up shop in Champaign? More >>
WAND Sports' Athlete of the Week! More >>
Decatur's Dante Ridgeway shares his memories of playing in the NFL with Hall of Fame-caliber teammates like Drew Brees, Marshall Faulk and Curtis Martin. More >>
ATWOOD, Ill. (WAND) -- He's one of a kind.
Kenneth "Tug" Wilson wore many hats in his lifetime ranging from Big Ten commissioner to Olympic star and his hometown of Atwood is honoring him. More >>
MISSION, Kan. (AP) — Kansas City Chiefs fans who file into Arrowhead Stadium Thursday for a masked and socially distanced start to the NFL season won't be wearing headdresses or face paint amid a nationwide push for racial justice following the police-custody death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. More >>
Sangamon County skateboarders have a rare opportunity to help design the very skate park that they will be using for years to come. More >>
Atwood can claim a veritable American hero in Tug Wilson, a man who was an executive with the NCAA and one of the biggest figures in sports at his peak but never forgot his childhood home in Central Illinois. More >>
The WAND Friday Frenzy viewing area has a number of local stars hoping to land on NFL rosters this season. Here's a list of updates on each player on the bubble! More >>
Former LSA football player and current Millikin senior Kholbe Leaks took home first place in his age division at the 2020 USPA Drug Tested National Championships, a powerlifting competition in Columbus, Ohio. More >>
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ST. LOUIS (WAND) - St. Louis Cardinals legend Lou Brock died Sunday at the age of 81, ESPN reported. More >>
CHICAGO (WAND) - Chicago Bears head coach Matt Nagy officially tabbed Mitchell Trubisky as his starting quarterback Sunday. More >>
WAND Sports' Athlete of the Week! More >>
The 1972 MacArthur General football team went undefeated at 8-0-1 and more importantly, provided a beacon of racial harmony at a difficult time in American history. More >>
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) -- After going 25-9 last year the Lanphier boys basketball team has talent all over their roster that's ready to play well.
Two of those stand-out players Ty Banks and Tevonta Jackson are players that are receiving lots of division one attention. More >>
SAINT JOSEPH, Ill. (WAND) -- Ty Pence was named the Chicagoland Prep Hoops Freshman of the Year and now he's working towards more. More >>
CHARLESTON, Ill. (WAND) -- Practice might look limited given the helmets-only policy and contact ban, but that doesn't mean there's no activity on campus at Eastern Illinois. More >>
6-foot-3 Tuscola junior guard Jalen Quinn landed his third (and largest) Division-I offer to date, from Southern Illinois. The Salukis join UIC and Southeast Missouri State on his offer list thus far. More >>
What exactly is going on behind the scenes of the Big Ten football offices and at the schools themselves? Mark Tupper shares his 45 years of experience covering the Big Ten to help provide some insight to the perceived chaos of the league as it wrestles with when to play its football season. More >>
Local athletes and coaches now know how they can begin offseason practices. More >>
Ever since the pandemic began about six months ago, high school football recruiting has changed significantly. Questions have been raised about how schools will go about recruiting athletes and how athletes are supposed to be noticed by colleges.
We chatted with Pat Embleton, the Director of Recruiting for Illinois football, to get some answers. More >>
MACON, Ill. (WAND) -- On the last Saturday of August, it was racing night out at Macon Speedway.
Pro-Mods, street stocks, hornets and more hit the track. More >>
WAND Sports' Athlete of the Week! More >>
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. (AP) — NBA players want change that makes their communities safer. They want people to vote — hopefully in their home arenas. More >>
Former 6-foot-10 Mt. Zion center Mick Yelovich is spending his time hitting thunderous drives instead of making highlight-reel plays on the basketball court. More >>
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) -- Lanphier's all-time leading scorer in girls basketball Marke Freeman continues to make a big impact in her community. More >>
ORLANDO, Fla. (WAND) -- Levi Cobb is a man of many hats. Quite literally. More >>
(WAND) - NBA players are taking a stand with the Milwaukee Bucks refusing to take the floor for Game 5 in protest of the police shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin. More >>
Springfield's Nick Broeker shares about getting ready for his sophomore season at Ole Miss, the changes new head coach Lane Kiffin has made to practice and his increased weight. More >>
The IHSA has approved a plan for fall sports' postseason: a one-round event that will exist within a program's geographic boundaries. More >>
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) -- Springfield High junior quarterback Rashad Rochelle has landed his biggest offer to date: Purdue. More >>
MT. ZION, Ill. (WAND) -- At the end of July, the IHSA announced they were postponing several fall sports.
One sport they didn't move was girls tennis and as you can imagine, the players are thrilled. More >>
DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) -- After a season that didn't go as well as Brylan Phillips would have hoped he is now more motived to bounce back. More >>
Decatur native Walter 'Boom-Boom' Beck doesn't just have one of the most colorful nicknames in baseball history, but he also had one of the sport's longest careers. More >>
MAROA, Ill. (WAND) -- Maroa-Forsyth's running back Bryson Boes was a nightmare for defenders last year because of his size and strength. More >>
WAND Sports' Athlete of the Week! More >>
