Coaches

Craig Gerdes

Year Inducted: 2003

Category: Coaches

Schools / Organizations:
Eureka Middle School
Eureka College

Biography:

Craig Gerdes spent all 32 years of his coaching career at Eureka Middle School working at both the seventh and eighth grade levels. Gerdes had a 896-269 record for a 77 percent winning clip at the time of his induction.

His teams won 21 Woodford County Tournament championships and 33 invitational titles. The Hornets captured 12 IESA Regional and five IESA Sectional championships and the seventh grade state title in 1986. They made five appearances in the state tournament and he had the state’s longest consecutive winning streak in season-opening tournament games at 24.

Gerdes coached every boys’ sport (basketball, baseball, track) at Eureka Middle School since 1971. He received the IBCA Region Coach of the Year award in 1986 and 1998. He was inducted into the Eureka College Hall of Fame in 1991 after a four-year playing career with the Red Devils where he scored 1,150 points and grabbed 859 rebounds (third-best in program history). He also was the public address announcer for Eureka High School football and basketball and Eureka College football.