A 1915 Illinois Wesleyan graduate, Fred Young served his alma mater in a number of ways: as an outstanding basketball, baeball and tennis player on some of its greatest teams; as a friend who helped hundreds of student-athletes obtain a college education; as a benefactor and a leader in alumni fundraising campaigns; and as a sportswriter, columnist and sports official whose actions reflected credit on Illinois Wesleyan.
Young played basketball and baseball for two years at Illinois State Normal University, and was captain of both teams in 1910. He then played four seasons at Illinois Wesleyan, where he received his law degree in 1915. He starred in basketball, baseball and tennis, earning all-state honors four years in basketball.
He was the No. 1 pitcher in baseball and, as a semi-pro following graduation, pitched a 1-0 no-hitter against Mackinaw, besting former Chicago Cubs pitcher Joe Cook.
He was also an outstanding basketball coach – at one time he coached five county high school teams and then refereed the county tournament in which all competed. When his teams played against each other, he impartially would spend half the intermission in each dressing room.
Best known as the sports editor of Bloomington’s Daily Pantagraph for 36 years (May 15, 1922 until 1958) and as the author of a daily column, “Young’s Yarns”, for more than 50 years, Young’s devotion to his college heightened the interest in Illinois Wesleyan of many non-alumni.
In 1939 Young arranged for the Illinois Wesleyan baseball team to represent the Midwest in the baseball centennial celebration in Cooperstown, N.Y. Cornell (East) and Virginia (South) and IWU all finished with 1-1 records in the event, which was connected with the dedication and opening of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. IWU and the tourney are featured in a plaque at the Hall.
Young was also one of the nation's best-known athletic officials, working football and basketball games on a national level for nearly 25 years. He officiated the Army-Notre Dame football game in Yankee Stadium five times, and whistled the 1940 National Football League championship game as field judge when the Chicago Bears smothered the Washington Redskins, 73-0.
He also worked the championship game of the Illinois state high school basketball tournament 12 successive years, more than any other official.
He was a member of the National Association of intercollegaite Athletics Hall of Fame (1957), the Helms Football Foundation Hall of Fame, the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame (in both media and officiating categories), and was named one of Illinois’ 100 greatest living athletes in connection with the state’s sesquicentennial in 1968.
He was a founder and the first president of the Central Illinois Collegiate Baseball League and served as its commissioner for 17 years. He was a former member of the United States Olympic Committee.
Fred Young Fieldhouse was named for Young on March 2, 1962 in honor of his encouragement and lifelong friendship with Illinois Wesleyan and its academic and athletic programs. He was the Grand Marshal of the Homecoming parade in 1965 and again in 1979 and held the highest honors the Sigma Chi fraternity can bestow.
Mr. Young died on Nov. 29, 1980 at the age of 88.
updated June 5, 2009
