Hall of Fame Inductee - 1978/79 Boy's Basketball Team

Being in the spotlight following the state basketball championship game is the dream of every prep team, but the Class AA runners-up in 1979 received and deserved as much acclaim as any fivesome ever to wear the Blue & White. Coach Jerry Leggett has often referred to this as his favorite Blue Devil team. "This was the little team that set all the Quincy records, pointed out the coach. "They were the most fun team to watch," he added of the outfit whose 32 straight victories far outstripped the old QHS mark of 21 in a row. The team, led by Keith Douglas, Mike Rudd and Steve Ball, upended Chicago power Manley in the quarter-finals. Douglas, belittled by Manley coach Willie Little in media quotes prior to the game, proceeded to exhibit his all-state talents by outplaying 6-9 All-America Russell Cross. Weary from a double-overtime semi-finals win over Benet Academy of Lisle in the semi-finals, the Blue Devils fell to Maine South in the finale. Leggett and most QHS fans weren't convinced the better team had won, but Quincy was unable to make full use of its tip-out rebounds and fastbreak. "Had we been able to get our kids off their feet between games and a decent meal into them, we probably would have won the state title," says Leggett of the team that was 12-0 at home, 13-0 in the Western Big Six and 7-1 in postseason.

Other team members included Doug Reed, John Bloom, Michael Payne, Bruce Douglas, Tim Cissna, Chuck Robinson, Steve Sandercock, Scott McGaughey, John Lepper, Mark Bloom, Brian Schrader, Jim Behrens, Blane Barnes, Aaron Zalis, and Mark Tonielli.