The Silver Age: 1971 - 1999
The latter part of the 20th century saw important growth in team sports. Title IX required school systems to create and invest in girls sports and soccer saw an unprecedented increase in popularity. In their early stages, girls sports seemed less inclined to identify a single player as more valuable than the others whereas in boys sports, the practice was well established. Still, where players were listed as leading vote getters or unanimous selections, we have been able to extrapolate a degree of “Player of the Year” status for most seasons in which a single participant stood out above all others. This is a compilation of those players who excelled at the highest level and were honored MULTIPLE TIMES as THE LOCAL PLAYER OF THE YEAR. These players may have made their mark in a single sport, or they may have been recognized in more than one sport as the Player of the Year. In this “Silver Era” of Evansville sports, the first legends of Girls Sports were born—names like ANTOINETTE TOWLER and SUSIE THOMPSON are held in equal regard within their respective sports much the same as DON MATTINGLY, BILL VIETH, and ANDY ELKINS are in Boys Sports.
ROBIN COURTNEY - Bosse High School - Class of '75: Recognized as Evansville's best guard in basketball, he led Bosse to back to back Sectionals on his way to earning Player of the Year status following the '74-75 season. Be that as it may, Courtney's lasting impact on Evansville sports occurred in baseball where he was the city's first two time All-State baseball player and selected as an Indiana All-Star followin his senior season. After a solid career as a third baseman for the Murray State Racers, he returned to Evansville as a high school baseball coach and was selected Coach of the Year by the Evansville Courier while at Bosse and Reitz high schools.
DORAN PERDUE - Harrison High School - Class of '76: A diminutive lightning rod of an athlete, Perdue displayed a knack for always being around the ball--no matter what the sport. A two-way football player, he was equally deadly taking a pitch around end or as a defender tracking every pass in the air as though it was 'his ball' to grab. He was selected Player of the Year by the Sunday Courier & Press for his football exploits following the '75-76 season. His lasting impact was in baseball where that same season he was chosen as the Captain of the All-City team at shortstop--a position he went on to play in college (at Murray State University with Robin Courtney) and then professionally in the San Francisco Giants organization.
DON MATTINGLY - Memorial High School - Class of '79: Ranks with Bob Griese as the finest all round athlete to ever come out of Evansville. The Mattingly family has achieved multiple All-State awards, Championships, and established professional careers, but "Donnie Baseball" has shone the brightest of all their stars. While leading the '77-'78 Tigers to the State Championship in baseball he won his first Player of the Year award and backed that up as MVP of the '78-79 season. An Indiana All-Star selection, it marked his SIXTH first team All-City selection across three different sports. He poured in 953 career points as the floor leading guard for some very good Memorial basketball teams but it was as a football quarterback in his senior season that he won his THIRD Player of the Year award in both the Evansville Courier and the Evansville Press. Legend has it that he threw passes and pitched equally well with either hand and discussions at the time were that opposing baseball teams feared to see him on the mound more than they did at the plate. Mattingly went on to enjoy multiple All-Star seasons for the New York Yankees in major league baseball.
BILL VIETH, JR. - Memorial High School - Class of '82: Perhaps no person in the last 50 years has done more to shape the face of his sport in Evansville than Vieth. A THREE TIME Player of the Year and four time All City selection, a Parade All-American, and owner of multiple All-State awards, Vieth went on to a successful collegiate career at St. Louis University. Following graduation, he returned to Evansville to coach his alma-mater and has had a career that is the stuff of legends. Coaching the Tigers to an amazing SIX STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS (and those are just the ones since the sport became an IHSAA sanctioned sport in 1994), he has had dozens of players he has coached named to All-State teams.
SCOTT MARSCH - Harrison High School - Class of '82: Stepping into the limelight as a sophomore when the starting quarterback went down with an injury, Marsch upset highly rated Jeffersonville with a 233 yard passing performance that included a pair of touchdowns and never looked back. Over 4,000 yards passing and more than 40 career touchdown passes culminated in a pair of Most Valuable Player selections by the Downtown Quarterback Club along with Player of the Year awards from all of the Evansville papers following his senior season. The son of one of Evansville's winningest coaches, Mitch Marsch, he was rewarded with a scholarship to Purdue University.
CONNIE VANMETER - Memorial - Class of '83: A two time Unanimous selection for the Coaches All-City team, VanMeter was a point guard on a Tiger team that went 31-8 during her junior and senior seasons. Averaging 15.8 points per game, she was also a playmaker who could distribute the ball with nearly 5 assists per game. At 5 foot 4, her exceptional hustle was demonstrated by her ability to get to every loose ball and average over 4 rebounds per game. A two time All Conference selection, she went on to star at Indiana State University Evansville.
ROB MAURER - Mater Dei High School - Class of '85: After leading Mater Dei to an undefeated season as a senior, Maurer was named the Player of the Year at quarterback by multiple Evansville outlets. This came on the heels of batting over .470 as a junior and having made first team on the All-City baseball team. He followed that performance up with a senior season in which he hit an incredible .543 and was named MVP of the Sunday Courier & Press baseball team. He was named All-State in football, baseball, and wrestling and then went to the University of Evansville on a baseball scholarship. Drafted in round six by the Texas Rangers, Maurer made it to the Major Leagues in 1991 before retiring from professional baseball after the '94 season.
CHRIS SCHAEFER - Mater Dei High School - Class of '86: A big man who displayed the athleticism of someone smaller. He was selected as the City's Most Valuable Football player after receiving enough votes to qualify for the '84-'85 team at FOUR different positions. He dominated whichever side of the line he was playing on whether it be offense or defense and was twice chosen All-City as a place kicker and a punter. He repeated the performance in '85-'86 and was named Captain of the Evansville Courier's All City team. A multi-sport athlete, he was named second team All-City in basketball after his senior season. After having been named to the All-City baseball team as a junior with a 9-2 pitching record, he went on to be named a Unanimous selection of the squad as a senior and was named All-State after posting a 10-2 record while striking out 155 batters with a 1.29 ERA. He accepted a baseball scholarship to Indiana State University.
KEN MILLS - Memorial High School - Class of '89: A second generation running back for the Tigers, Mills was twice named Player of the Year in football. Moving to Evansville from Nebraska in time for his sophomore season, he became the backbone of the Tiger offense and averaged over 8 yards per carry. His junior season he AVERAGED over 150 yards per game and scored 168 points on his way to the Evansville Press' Player of the Year award. The 5'11" 190 pound running back then broke through as a senior for over 2,000 yards rushing, 32 touchdowns, and led Memorial to a 12-1 record. He was rewarded with Player of the Year recognition by all the city outlets. His career 4,868 rushing yards ranked 7th all time in Indiana when he graduated.
ANDY ELKINS - Bosse High School - Class of '91: Voted to the prestigious Indiana All-Star team following his senior season, Elkins' 25 point per game average garnered the 6 foot 7 inch forward his second All-City MVP award. The All-Metro Player of the Year as a junior, he led the Bulldogs to a Regional Title. A well rounded athlete, he received honorable mention All-City as a baseball player. After graduation, he accepted a scholarship to the University of Evansville and was a multi-year starter for the school.
ANTOINETTE TOWLER -Harrison High School - Class of '91: Few basketballers before or since could fill the nets like Towler. Just 5 foot 8 inches tall, she had the skills to play the post, shoot from either wing, bring the ball up against the press, and more often than not had to guard the other teams' best scorer. Her skills netted out to a phenomenal 28 point per game scoring average and nearly 11 rebounds per game. She was named the Most Valuable Player on both the '89-'90 and the '90-'91 All-City basketball teams and accepted a scholarship to Bradley University. An all-round athlete, she was also twice named All-SIAC in volleyball.
ERIC GOEBEL - Mater Dei High School - Class of '92: Finishing his career with 7,319 passing yards, he was the second ranked passer all time in Indiana high school football history. For his successes, not only was he twice named MVP of the All-City football team but he was named First Team All-State as both a junior and a senior. He led the Wildcats to a Regional Title in football as a junior and was a talented multi-year starter for both the basketball and golf teams at Mater Dei.
SUSIE THOMPSON - Mater Dei High School - Class of '93: Perhaps the most prolific female athlete Evansville produced in the last half of the 20th century, Thompson was named 'Player of the Year' four times-- twice EACH in basketball and volleyball following her junior and senior seasons ('91-'92 and '92-'93). A 5 foot 5 inch freshman, she broke onto the scene at Mater Dei in 1989 by scoring in double figures in her first ten varsity basketball games. She was named second team All City in her intial season. Adding a couple inches in height between her freshman and sophomore years, she worked her way into a starting role on the volleyball squad as a hitter—on a team that had won 12 straight Sectional titles and had plenty of returning starters. Thompson was named to the SIAC All Conference Volleyball squad in her first season as a varsity player. Growing another inch over the course of the year, she moved up to first team All-City in basketball as a sophomore. She went on to play Division 1 volleyball for Southeast Missouri State and recorded over 1,000 kills there to earn a spot in their record book.
DAMON COBB - Memorial High School - Class of '94: After scoring 19 of his 21 points in the second half of the Sectional Championship game as a junior, Cobb had enabled the Tigers to overcome a 15 point deficit on their way to the Title. He was named All-Metro "Player of the Year" as a junior and then upped his scoring average to 24 points per game and repeated the title as a senior following the '93-'94 season. He accepted a scholarship to the University of Alabama-Birmingham and became a starter for the Division 1 program.
DAN TRAYLOR - Memorial High School - Class of '95: A three-time First Team All-State selection in soccer, Traylor ranks amongst the very finest soccer players Evansville has produced. He scored over 90 goals in his varsity career and was the leading vote getter on the All-City teams following his junior and senior seasons ('93-94 and '94-'95). An excellent golfer, he was the Medalist at the City Golf Tournament in '94 and runner up in '95. Traylor went on to play soccer for Stanford University.
LEVRON WILLIAMS - Bosse High School - Class of '97: A dominant two sport performer who eventually went on to be named to the 2001 Big 10 All Conference Football team as a running back for Indiana University. There were those in Evansville who actually felt that Williams was an even better basketball player. The first evidence of this came as a sophomore when he was named to the All-Metro team after averaging 15 points per game and leading the SIAC in rebounds. He was named "Player of the Year" in Basketball following the '95-'96 season to match his title for the All-Metro Football team that same year. Following a standout ‘96-’97 season, he was named to the prestigious Parade All-American football team and was once again named "Player of the Year" for the All-Metro Football team.
CLINT KEOWN - Memorial High School - Class of '99: A star in three sports, Keown was a three-time SIAC All-Conference selection as an outfielder in baseball and an Associated Press First Team All-State wide receiver in football. It was basketball, however, for which he was most renowned. A three time selection to the All-Metro Basketball squad, he beat out LeVron Williams (see above) for the Player of the Year award as a junior. Finishing his high school career as the second leading scorer in city history (at that time), he was chosen Player of the Year a second time as a senior and selected as a member of the Indiana All Stars. Keown went on to star for the University of Evansville in basketball and in later years won the City golf tournament.
JILL HARTMAN - Memorial High School - Class of '99: After shattering the all-time city scoring record with 1,926 career points scored, in 1999 the 5 foot 11 inch Hartman was presented her second consecutive All-Metro "Player of the Year" award. She averaged 21.7 points per game over her FOUR YEAR CAREER and was named to the Indiana All Stars as a senior. An excellent shooter, she shot 58 percent from the floor in her final high school season. A four time selection to the SIAC All-Conference Girls Basketball squad, she continued her basketball career with a scholarship to Indiana University.