Athletics
Athletics List
Robin Chapman ’92
Robin earned a spot on the Missouri Valley Conference Softball All-Centennial Team as one of the Redbirds’ most dynamic players. A two-time NSCA All-Midwest Regional Second-Team honoree, she also claimed back-to-back All-Gateway Conference First-Team honors at catcher in 1989 and 1990. Chapman burst onto the scene as the 1988 Gateway Conference Rookie of the Year and went on to set the ISU single-season doubles record with 20, while also ranking second on the single-season steals list with 20. She stole 34 bases in her career, good for third all-time, and continues to hold top-10 marks in slugging percentage, doubles, and triples. During her career, she twice earned Gateway Conference Player of the Week recognition.
Janelle (Crabtree) Knight ’96
Janelle was a standout leader for Redbird women’s tennis, earning a spot on the Missouri Valley Conference Women’s Tennis All-Centennial Team. A two-time team MVP and co-captain in her final two seasons, she anchored the lineup by playing three years at No. 1 singles and all four years at No. 1 doubles. Knight tallied 177 combined career wins, including a program-record 39 singles victories in a single season. She ranks No. 3 in career singles wins (101) and No. 7 in doubles wins (76). Excelling on the court and in the classroom, Knight was named an ITA Scholar All-American as a senior, an ITA Scholar-Athlete as a junior, and a two-time MVC Scholar-Athlete First Team honoree.
Akil Mills ’14
Akil is one of Illinois State’s most decorated throwers, excelling in both the hammer and weight throw. A four-time NCAA West Prelims qualifier and four-time All-MVC honoree, Mills ranks No. 2 all-time at ISU in the hammer throw (209-11) and the weight throw (71-1.25). He earned First-Team All-America honors at the 2014 NCAA Indoor Championships with a personal-best sixth-place finish in the weight throw, adding to two Second-Team All-America honors in 2012. Mills capped his standout career as MVC Champion in both the hammer and weight throw in 2014, earning MVC Most Outstanding Field Athlete honors.
Ted Schmitz
Ted has served as the radio color analyst for Redbird football since 2001, covering 25 seasons while rarely missing a practice. Over that time, he built a reputation as a trusted mentor and advisor to the coaching staff. Schmitz launched his collegiate coaching career at Illinois State in 1972, working with head coaches Gerry Hart and Charlie Cowdrey. He then spent more than a decade coaching in the Canadian Football League with Saskatchewan and Hamilton, winning a Grey Cup title with the Tiger-Cats in 1986. Schmitz returned to Illinois State in 1993 to join head coach Jim Heacock’s staff while also working as a CFL scout after his college coaching career ended. He later coached Bloomington’s indoor football teams, the Extreme and the Edge, before moving into front-office roles. Away from football, Schmitz remains a proud Redbird supporter and often cheers on other ISU teams from the stands. It is only fitting he receives this year's Campbell "Stretch" Miller Award.
Colton Underwood ’17
Colton was a dominant force on the Redbird defense, earning back-to-back FCS All-America honors in 2012 and 2013. One of only three players in program history to be a two-time finalist for the Buck Buchanan Award, he ranks No. 3 all-time in career tackles-for-loss (44) and No. 4 in sacks (21.5). A three-time All-Missouri Valley Football Conference selection and two-time First-Team honoree, Underwood capped his senior season as team leader in tackles-for-loss while collecting multiple All-America honors. In 2012, he was named First-Team All-America by The Walter Camp Football Foundation, The Associated Press, and The Sports Network, while finishing as runner-up for MVFC Defensive Player of the Year after leading the league in both sacks (10.5) and tackles-for-loss (19.5). A standout in the classroom as well, he was a two-time MVFC All-Academic Team selection. Following his Redbird career, Underwood went on to play professionally with the San Diego Chargers, Philadelphia Eagles, and Oakland Raiders.