Hall of Fame Inductee - Val Brennan

 Val Brennan watched her older sister, Babs, and the Quincy High School girls golf team rattle three straight state championships in the late 1970s. She then took her turn at carrying on the tradition. Brennan led QHS to a third-place finish in 1983 as she finished second individually, matching the highest finish by any QHS girls golfer.

It was her third top-10 state finish as she took ninth as a sophomore and junior. She also qualified for state as a freshman, finishing tied for 18th. Along the way, Brennan won a pair of Western Big Six Conference championships, a regional title and a sectional title. She took individual medalist honors at the QHS Invitational in 1982 and the Naperville North Invitational in 1983. She was named QHS’s MVP four consecutive years.

Her amateur golf career is equally impressive.

Brennan was a three-time winner of the Quincy Country Club women’s championship, a two-time winner of the local Insurance Youth Classic and the 1984 Quincy women’s city champion. She took second at the Illinois Insurance Youth Classic in 1982, losing in a playoff, and in the 1984 Illinois PGA Junior Championship. After reaching the quarterfinals at the Illinois State Amateur in 1985, she made it to the semifinals of the State Amateur in 1986.

She was just as successful at the national level. Brennan finished first at the PGA National Junior qualifying tournament in 1983, won the Ladies Southeast Iowa Amateur championship in 1985 and was a quarterfinalist at the North-South Amateur Invitational in 1987. Her shining moment happened in 1985 when she reached the quarterfinals of the U.S. Women’s Amateur.

A member of the South Florida University golf team, Brennan finished in the top-five in two collegiate tournaments and was a two-time Academic All-American. Brennan played six years on the Futures Tour. 

Currently living in Bradenton, Fla., Brennan is a self-employed in web development and marketing and received the outstanding service award in 2004 from the Michigan Interscholastic Golf Coaches Association for website development.

 In acceptance ...

 It is truly an honor to be included in the QHS Sports Hall of Fame. My memories of Blue Devil golf are some of the best of my life thanks to my teammates, a community that loved and supported golf and most of all, my family. 

My parents introduced the game of golf to me at a young age and gave me every opportunity to enjoy it to the fullest. My enthusiasm for golf developed during the four years before I entered high school, when I was only a fan of the QHS girls’ golf team. My sister Babs was a member of the Blue Devil team that won three state championships in a row from 1976-1978. The excitement I felt watching them compete was definitely a huge inspiration.

Knowing that a girls golf team did not exist in Quincy until 1975, I’m all the more grateful for the opportunity I had. Although golf is an individual sport, there is something special about sharing experiences with a team. In 1980, there were no logo golf bags or free clothing to entice players to join. It was about golf and friendship. I thank all of my teammates and our families for making it a truly memorable experience. 

To my parents, Paula and Jerry Brennan… I can never thank you enough for the love, support and limitless opportunities you provided… Driving to countless tournaments, reading the rulebook on the way, caddying when we arrived, enduring the bad rounds and celebrating the good ones – so glad we got to share it all!

The foundation of academics and the golf experience that I received while at Quincy High has opened doors for me throughout my life. Many thanks to QHS, my teachers and coaches for providing a solid education and a platform for athletic competition. A special thanks to the QHS Sports Hall of Fame selec