Bader, Fennelly, Borcherding make Q-C Hall of Fame

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By Don Doxsie | Saturday, April 19, 2008 6:33 PM CDT | () comments

Bill Fennelly, Beth Bader and Jim Borcherding have been inducted into Hall of Fames in the past.

They all have been honored by schools they attended or colleges they coached or organizations to which they belong.

But the Quad-City Times’ 27th annual Salute to Sports, scheduled for April 30, will have a little different feel to it. This time they’ll be honored for their contributions to an entire region. This tribute comes from the old hometown.

Fennelly, Bader and Borcherding comprise the latest group of inductees into the Quad-City Sports Hall of Fame with the ceremonies taking place as part of the Salute festivities at Davenport North High School.

“I’m not speechless very often, but I’m flattered and honored to be chosen,” said Fennelly, who grew up in Davenport before becoming one of the most successful women’s college basketball coaches in the country.

“It’s a highlight of my career. When you get recognized at home, it means a lot because the recognition is shared with a lot of people who helped you when you were growing up.”Fennelly played basketball at Assumption High School and William Penn College, but he has made his mark by teaching the game to female players, first as an assistant at William Penn, Fresno State and Notre Dame, and then as a head coach at Toledo and Iowa State.

He went 166-53 at Toledo from 1988-95 and is the winningest basketball coach for either men or women in Iowa State history. He won 25 or more games and finished in the top two in the Big 12 four straight times from 1997-2001, but might have done his best coaching job yet last season. Despite losing several top players to injuries, the Cyclones made the NCAA tournament and finished with a 21-13 record.

Borcherding also will be honored for his abilities as a basketball coach. The Sumner, Iowa, native was the men’s head coach at Augustana College for 15 years (1969-84), compiling a record of 314-99. His record at home, in Carver PE Center, was an astonishing 157-16.

He led the Vikings to three third-place national finishes and second place in the 1981 NCAA Division III tournament. He also won six College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin titles and steered the Vikings to 11 post-season appearances.

Both Fennelly and Borcherding are expected to be in attendance at the Salute. Bader regrettably will not. She is still an active member of the Ladies Professional Golf Association Tour and will be playing in the SemGroup Championship in Broken Arrow, Okla., that week.

The Eldridge, Iowa, native is the first Quad-Citian ever to earn a regular spot on the LPGA and she’s become a mainstay of the tour. She was among the top 100 money-winners in five of her first seven years.

As an amateur, she won the Iowa Junior Open, Des Moines Open, Waterloo Junior Open, Quad-City Women’s Amateur and Iowa Women’s Open. In 1996, she was named Iowa State University’s female athlete of the year.

Don Doxsie can be contacted at (563) 383-2280 or ddoxsie@qctimes.com. Comment on this story at qctimes.com.