The 31st Springfield Sports Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony was held on Monday February 20, 2023 at the Bank of Springfield Center. Neuhoff Media’s Paul Pachlhofer and Jim Ruppert were inducted as “Friends of Sport” in this year’s induction class. To help celebrate the 2023 inductees, Fighting Illini Basketball Analyst Deon Thomas was the guest speaker at the ceremony.
Deon Thomas and inductees Phil Eck and Larry Chaney were interviewed last night for Neuhoff Media’s The Press Box podcast, which can be heard here.
Pachlofer is a sports reporter for Channel1450.com and a 1974 Griffin High School graduate. He was a sports reporter for WTAX for five years before joining the Neuhoff team in 1996. Pachlofer has umpired high school baseball games since 1976, notably umpiring the state finals in 2021 and 2022. He’s also officiated high school basketball and football games between 2008 and 2015.
Ruppert is a sports writer and a member of the Neuhoff Media sports broadcast team. He started as sports writer for State Journal-Register in 1976 and was promoted to sports editor in 1991. He held this position for 25 years until his resignation in 2016. Additionally, Ruppert was part of the group that established the Springfield Sports Hall of Fame and has served as the Master of Ceremonies since 1999.
