Hall of Fame Inductee - Curtis Lovelace

Curt Lovelace is the consummate example of success through hard work and determination. An outstanding three sport athlete during the mid 1980's, Lovelace earned a total of six varsity letters for his work in track, wrestling and football. After graduating from Quincy High in 1986 he attended the University of Illinois on a football scholarship and while wearing the orange and blue, really came into his own. Lovelace took over the starting center position for the Fighting Illini as a sophomore. During his junior and senior seasons, Lovelace was selected as the starting center on the All Big Ten Team. Good things continued to happen for Lovelace during his senior season. He was chosen as the Illini team captain and had the opportunity to participate in the All-American Bowl, the Citrus Bowl and Hall of Fame Bowl. In addition to his athletic accomplishments, Lovelace won a number of awards for academic excellence. Those include the George Huff Scholar-Athlete Award, the Toyota Leadership Award, two Honda Scholar-Athlete Awards and Academic All-American Honors. In 1990, Curt Lovelace was chosen as one of eight seniors in the country to earn the National Football Foundation and Hall of Fame Scholar-Athlete Award the highest honor The Foundation bestows on college football players. Lovelace earned a bachelors degree in business administration in 1990 and returned to earn his Juris Doctorate in 1994. He was admitted to the Illinois Bar the same year. Curt, his wife Cory, and daughter, Lyndsay, now live in Quincy.