Hall of Fame Inductee - Bill Gay

Bill Gay was, without question, the toughest 6'4" post player in Quincy High basketball history. A two sport letter man in the mid 1960's, Gay collected a total of five varsity letters for his work in track and field and on the hard court. Gay came into his own during his junior year, averaging 18.3 points per game and winning awards for rebounding, defense, field goals and free throws in a single game. With Bill Gay at center, the 1966-67 version of the Devils racked up 25 wins, against just 3 losses, before bowing to Springfield High in what was then the Macomb Super-Sectional. A capacity crowd packed Western Hall in Macomb to watch Gay slug it out with future NBA star, Dave Robish. Gay wound up the night with 34 points. But it wasn't enough, as Springfield won by the final of 70-68 in double overtime. Averaging a team high 20.4 points per game, Gay was named as the team's Most Valuable Player. He was chosen to the All-State teams by both the Chicago Daily News and Champaign News Gazette. In track, Bill Gay collected the Most Valuable Player Award for the Quincy Relays. He set a district record in the high jump and later tied for first in that event at the state meet with a record leap of 6 '5-1/'4". After graduating from Quincy High in 1967, Gay attended Burlington Junior College. He later attended Bradley University where he was a main stay for the Braves, earning varsity letters in basketball both years. Bill Gay graduated form Bradley in 1971. After returning to Quincy in the late 1980's Gay assumed the role of an Adams County Probation Officer. Bill's son, Jason, was an integral part of the 1987 Quincy High basketball team that placed fourth in the state tournament.