Longtime Illinois State University sports information director and School of Communication professor Tom Lamonica, M.S. ’88, joins Redbird Buzz ahead of his induction into the Illinois State Athletics Percy Family Hall of Fame as the 2024 Campbell “Stretch” Miller Award recipient.
Lamonica, who arrived at Illinois State in 1980, served as director of sports information for more than 26 years before retiring from Redbird Athletics in 2006. Since then, Lamonica spent the past 18 years as an instructional assistant professor in the School of Communication, where he’s taught sport communication and public relations classes, while directing the school’s internship program.
In this episode of Redbird Buzz, Lamonica shares memorable moments from his Athletics career—from helping name Reggie Redbird to covering Missouri Valley Conference championships. He also reflects on the thousands of students he’s taught and mentored as a professor, and he highlights a few standout alumni.
A 2024 Missouri Valley Conference Hall of Famer, Lamonica will receive the Campbell “Stretch” Miller Award during the Redbird Athletics Hall of Fame breakfast September 28, 2024. The award celebrates the contributions of those whose main services were not playing or coaching at Illinois State but were important to the athletic program’s success.
Redbird Buzz is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Amazon Music. Transcripts of each episode are available online at Alumni.IllinoisState.edu/Podcast.
