Name: Larry Odell
Year Inducted: 1988
Category: Media
Schools / Organizations:
Southern Illinoisan
Star Publications
Orland Park-Oak Forest-Tinley Park Star
Biography: Larry Odell started writing basketball at the Southern Illinoisan in Carbondale in 1967. Odell was assigned to the Southern Illinois University sports scene – home and away. Odell also did his share of the prep sports at the Southern Illinoisan and served six years as prep sports editor. Odell covered the Carbondale Holiday Tournament, the National Invitation Tournament as well as the IHSA state series. In 1978, Odell joined Star Publications in the south suburbs of Chicago. Until June 1984, Odell was sports editor for the Harvey-Markham and Dolton-South Holland editions. Included were Thornton, Thornridge, and Thornwood High Schools as well as Thornton Community College. In June of 1984, Odell became sports editor of the Orland Park-Oak Forest-Tinley Park Star, where he covered Oak Forest, Tinley Park, Sandburg, Andrews and Bremen High Schools and Moraine Valley Community College. In addition, Odell does feature stories and columns of the Chicago area college and professional teams.
Name: Terry Todt
Year Inducted: 2001
Category: Media
Schools / Organizations:
WLBH Radio (Mattoon)
WSMI Radio (Litchfield)
Biography: Since his days as a fifth grader, Terry Todt’s goal in life was to be a sports announcer. Todt completed a two-year vocational radio broadcasting program at Lake Land College in Mattoon. Todt worked from March to May 1978 at WLBH AM/FM in Mattoon before ice toppled the station’s tower and destroyed its studios. Todt was fortunate to gain a position in May 1978 at WSMI AM/FM radio in Litchfield, where he became the station’s program director. When he joined the station he was given the opportunity to broadcast high school sports. At the time the station aired 20 football, 60 basketball and a dozen baseball games. In his time as sports director those numbers swelled to where WSMI broadcasts nearly 200 sporting events a year. WSMI served 16 area high schools in Montgomery, Macoupin, Bond and Christian counties. Todt said the highlight of his broadcasting career was following the Nokomis girls basketball team in 1998 to the IHSA Class A state championship game win over Carthage. A close second, quite naturally, would be broadcasting the Lady Redskins’ repeat in 1989 with an overtime victory over Carrollton. He also broadcast Hillsboros’ girls basketball state title in 2006. Todt is also a member of the Illinois Softball Coaches Association Hall of Fame and was the Illinois Coaches Association Sportsman of the Year in 2011. Todt’s battle with a rare appendix-based cancer led to the 2018 formation of the T. Todt Shootout vs. Cancer, a 16-team event held at Carlinville High School with Todt doing the broadcasting. Todt died on May 23, 2019 at the age of 63.