Friends of Basketball

Paul Spudich

Year Inducted: 1988

Category: Friends of Basketball

Schools / Organizations: Collinsville High School
Edwardsville High School
Metro Area Schools

Biography: Paul “Moody” Spudich of Livingston had one goal in life—attend state high school basketball tournaments in Champaign for 50 straight years. At the time of his induction, he hadn’t missed since 1947 when Pinckneyville defeated East Rockford for the crown. In 1973, Coaches Louis Dehner of East St. Louis, Joe Lucco of Edwardsville and Vergil Fletcher of Collinsville were IBCA Hall of Famer charter inductees. It wasn’t even be a contest for them to name basketball’s No. 1 fan in the state of Illinois. All pointed to Spudich. For years, he was a season ticket holder at Collinsville and Edwardsville High Schools.  Wherever there was an important basketball game or tournament you could count on Spudich being in the crowd. His sincere devotion to basketball’s fandom not only included high school but also college games. Spudich was no stranger to the NCAA, having seen several championship games. Spudich’s allegiance is not only East St. Louis, Edwardsville or Collinsville, he was also an avid follower of Livingston, Mount Olive, Staunton, Carlinville, Litchfield and Hillsboro. His travels would often land him in Peoria, Benton, or Lincoln if he thought there was a game there he wanted to see. Spudich could also be found at grade school games. Fletcher says of Spudich, “He is a basketball nut and a real friend of basketball.” Few friends of basketball kept the coaching company Spudich had befriended. Paul Spudich died on February 27, 2002 at the age of 73.