Coaches

Mel Casper

Year Inducted: 2003

Category: Coaches

Schools / Organizations:
Rushville High School, Abingdon High School, Lewistown High School, (Chicago) Gage Park High School, Abingdon-Avon Junior High School, Bushnell-Prairie City High School.

Biography:

Retired Lewistown coach Mel Casper compiled a 439-170 record in 22 years. He was one win shy of averaging 20 victories and had only one losing season in his career while his teams won eight IHSA Regionals, eight conference and nine holiday tournament titles.

Casper, a graduate of (Chicago) Gage Park High School, had a chance to play professional baseball and played the sport at Western Illinois University. He started his basketball coaching career as an assistant at Bushnell-Prairie City.

His last team at Lewistown in 2002 went 26-3 and was ranked No. 1 in the final Class A Associated Press state poll. After retirement he became a volunteer assistant with the Abingdon-Avon Junior High girls’ team. The former art teacher also helped design and repaint the artwork at Lewistown, Avon and Abingdon.