TriCounty Winning the State football championship in Class 4-A was a highlight for Washington High School Coach John Venturi in a very successful career as a player and coach.
Since he assumed the job as head football coach at Washington High School six years ago, the team has won the Mid-State 10 championship in 1981, then the Mid-Illini championship in 1982, became runner-up in Class 4-A in 1983, and then the State 4-A championship in 1985. His overall record at Washington High is 52 wins and 22 losses.
John had an illustrious career as an athlete at Pekin High School and the University of Missouri. He quarterbacked two Mid-State championship football teams for Pekin and was named to the Chicago American's AllState team in 1967. He played on the 1967 Pekin State basketball champion team. John lettered in football, basketball and baseball at Pekin High. He was quarterback on the 1970 University of Missouri football team which played in the Orange Bowl.
His coaching career has included one year as a graduate assistant at the University of Missouri and four years as assistant coach in basketball, football and baseball at Peoria Central during which time Central won a state basketball championship in 1977.
John is the son of the highly respected and long time coach of Pekin High school, Joe Venturi.
| Jerry & Elaine Reibling For four decades Jerry and Elaine have volunteered their time and effort to benefit the runners competing in events within the Tri-County. Just prior to Jerry’s induction into the Steamboat Classic Hall of Fame in 2015, the race’s co-founder, Steve Shostrom said, “Jerry and Elaine are treasures in the running community. They have made substantial, lasting contributions to the Steamboat Classic and the Illinois Valley Striders over the years. They have worked tirelessly at countless local races through heat, rain, ice, snow and wind to get quick, accurate results for runners of all ages and abilities." Jerry was involved with the Steamboat Classic for 35 years and Elaine has been a part of the Race for the Cure for about 30 years. Married over 50 years, the Rieblings helped pioneer the transformation from hand timing to computerized timing for the major running events in the Tri-County area. In addition to the Steamboat Classic and Race for the Cure, they have served at the following events over their decades of service: the IHSA State Cross Country Meet; Illinois Valley Striders events; countless high school invitationals including the Richard Spring Memorial Invitational (Peoria Notre Dame) and the Peoria High Invitational at Detweiler Park; and Bradley University and the University of Illinois cross country meets and invitationals. Jerry has also raised funds for the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital by participating in the Memphis to Peoria Run and running the satellite event from Canton to Peoria. The dedication and passion of Jerry and Elaine for these events has enabled thousands of others to experience achievement and enjoyment while competing in running events. |  |