East Central Reporter

State Representative Adam Niemerg has successfully passed House Joint Resolution 41, which seeks to honor former Lawrenceville High School Basketball Coach Ron Felling. The resolution proposes naming a portion of Illinois Route 1 as the "Coach Ron Felling Highway." A ceremony was held during halftime at the Lawrenceville and Teutopolis basketball game on November 29, 2024, where Coach Felling received a copy of the resolution.

Rep. Niemerg expressed his appreciation for sponsoring the legislation, stating, "It is an honor for me to sponsor this legislation on behalf of the many players, colleagues, and family members who wanted to pay respect and honor Coach Ron Felling." He acknowledged Coach Felling's dedication to teaching athletes and his significant impact as a coach and athletic director at Lawrenceville High School.

Coach Ron Felling's career highlights include his induction into the Basketball Museum of Illinois in Bedford Park by the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association in 1982. During his sixteen seasons as head coach at Lawrenceville High School, he led the team to 388 victories with only 77 losses. His teams won four IHSA State Championships (1972, 1974, 1982, and 1983) and secured a third-place finish in 1976.

Felling's last two seasons at Lawrenceville High School saw his squads achieve a perfect record of 68-0. Under his leadership, they also won numerous titles including twelve North Egypt Conference titles; eighteen Thanksgiving and Christmas Tournaments; twelve IHSA Regional titles; seven IHSA Sectional titles; and five Super-Sectional wins.

After leaving high school coaching, Coach Ron Felling served as an assistant coach under Bobby Knight at Indiana University from 1985 to 1999. During this time, they won four Big Ten titles, reached two Final Fours, and claimed the NCAA Basketball Championship in 1987.