Rockford Public Schools: RPS 205 Champions Ball & Athletics Hall Of Fame Induction Set For Feb. 26

Press release from Rockford Public Schools:

February 4, 2022

Rockford Public Schools will celebrate the ninth annual Champions Ball and Athletics Hall of Fame induction on Saturday, February 26, at the Radisson Hotel & Conference Center.

The annual event celebrates and recognizes Rockford’s rich history in scholastic athletics and accomplishments. The event was postponed last year because of COVID-19 mitigations.   

Congratulations to the following RPS 205 athletes, coaches and contributors who will be celebrated and inducted into the Hall of Fame:

East High School alumnus Rodney Myers was baseball’s leading hitter in the NIC-10 Conference in 1986 and named All-Conference shortstop in 1987. A three-sport high school athlete, Myers played basketball and football for the E-Rabs – and even started several games at quarterback for the 1985 East High School state championship team. But his baseball success led him to the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Myers played center field for two years for the Badgers and was the team’s MVP in 1990 with 12 home runs and a team-leading 32 RBI.    

The Rockford Register Star called Myers “one of the most feared hitters the NIC-10 produced,” yet he made his professional living in baseball as a pitcher. The Kansas City Royals drafted Myers in the 12th round in 1990, and he reached the major leagues in 1996 with the Chicago Cubs. Myers ultimately played in nine seasons with the Cubs, San Diego Padres and Los Angeles Dodgers. He retired from professional baseball in 2005.   

Jametta Bland excelled in both basketball and softball at Auburn High School. She was a three-time NIC-10 All-Conference basketball player and earned second team All-Conference honors in softball for the Knights. She finished her career at Auburn as the RPS 205 all-time leading scorer in girls basketball and is still the No. 3 all-time scorer in RPS 205 history.   

After competing with the Knights, Bland went on to play Division I basketball for Austin Peay State University. She graduated with a degree in criminal justice and entered the military in 1995.   

Bland is currently a Command Sergeant Major. Her awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal; The Meritorious Service Medal; The Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal; Army Good Conduct Medal; National Defense Service Medal, among others, in addition to the 2018 Meritorious Joint Women’s Excellence in Leadership Meritorious Service Award.

In 2015, Bland told the Rockford Register Star, “I know that basketball, and just team sports in general, helped make me who I am. I give my coaches and my teammates a lot of credit for molding me. … I’ve come a long way since those days playing basketball at Auburn. And serving my country is the best decision I’ve ever made.”  

The Guilford High School boys soccer team qualified for the IHSA state soccer tournament three times during that three-season span. The team finished second at the state tournament in the 2003-04 season, then finished third at state in the 2004-05 season. The team’s record during that time frame was 70-11.   

Coach Tom Schwalbach coached the West Warriors football team from 1966 to 1988, compiling a 101-99 record. Schwalbach led the team as Big 8 Conference co-champions in 1968, Big 9 Conference co-champions in 1971, and NIC-9 Conference champions in 1980.   

He led the Warriors to the playoffs three times, and to the semifinals twice. He continued his coaching career at Guilford High School, taking the Vikings to the playoffs twice between 1989 and 1993.   

Coach Schwalbach was included in the 2019 Hall of Fame class as an assistant coach for the undefeated West High School football team from 1964.   

Miller died in 2020 and spent more than 25 years building and supporting the Rockford Elementary Basketball Association, or REBA. Miller was involved at the program’s inception and developed the program over the years. He was quick to organize the tournament bracket, plus coach and referee games for RPS 205 elementary students. REBA has been used as a model to launch the Rockford Elementary Soccer League for RPS 205 students.   

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For more information: Contact RPS 205 Athletic Support Specialist Abby Compton, [email protected] or 815-966-8960.   

This press release was produced by Rockford Public Schools. The views expressed here are the author’s own.