Hall of Fame
For more than 48 years, former Illinois State University sports information director and current communication faculty member Tom Lamonica has combined his interest in sports, his love for communication and his passion for teaching, often in support of the Missouri Valley Conference.
His sports information career began in 1975 at College of DuPage and continued at the University of Evansville after the tragic 1977 Aces basketball team plane crash.
Lamonica arrived at Illinois State from Evansville in time to help with the Redbirds’ application for membership in the Valley in 1980. His SID work over more than 26 years at ISU included football, men’s and women’s basketball and volleyball at different times. Concurrently, he taught two classes per year in the ISU School of Communication (SoC) and worked with hundreds of SoC student interns and graduate students in Redbird Athletics Communications.
In 2006, he retired from Redbird athletics to join the ISU SoC faculty full-time, but stayed connected to the Valley as a staff member at Arch Madness and all 17 Hoops in the Heartland tournaments. Lamonica also has worked at 24 NCAA Basketball Tournament sites—including two Final Fours in St. Louis, hosted by the Valley.
During Arch Madness in St. Louis, he has supported MVC TV Network productions, as well as embracing the role of “de facto maître d” for the Valley Hall of Fame selections during their induction weekend in St. Louis.
During the 2022-23 academic year, as part of the league’s Celebration of Title IX, Lamonica researched, interviewed and wrote profiles of pivotal pioneer personnel to recognize their trailblazing actions as vital administrators in the evolution of league women’s athletics.