Dick Van Scyoc

Dick Van Scyoc created a legacy of success during his time at W.C.H.S. -  bringing levels of excellence to the basketball program unseen in decades and never subsiding since his departure.

Richard Van Scyoc was born on March 30, 1924.  He spent his formative years in Eureka, earning 11 varsity letters at Eureka High School.  His class was very good at athletics, and in 1940, the town buzz was so great over their success that their nickname became the Hornets.

After high school, Van Scyoc was initially slated to pitch for a minor league team of the Boston Red Sox in Danville, Virginia, but he returned home before the season started. He briefly enrolled at Normal University. However, the war interrupted, and he was called to serve his country for four years.

Upon his return in 1946, he enrolled at Illinois Wesleyan, graduating in 1949.  He then worked at Armington High School (now part of the Olympia School district), coaching basketball and teaching P.E.

In the spring of 1951, Van Scyoc moved to Washington to coach baseball and basketball and teach P.E.  After a mediocre first basketball season, finishing 13-12, Van Scyoc reeled off four straight outstanding seasons with a cumulative record of 101-12. In 1956, W.C.H.S. created the stand-alone Athletics Director position, and Van Scyoc was promoted as the first. Previously, all athletics scheduling was handled by the assistant principal.

In the spring of 1966, Van Scyoc announced he was leaving Washington to take the Peoria Manual High School open job.  This led to a few years of instability in the WCHS basketball program as head coaches came and went.  Over the seven years from 1965 to 1972, the program would be led by five different head coaches.  However, the athletics director chair was stable as Jack Stromberger replaced Van Scyoc, who continued in that role until 1991.

Van Scyoc ended his Washington career with 256 wins at the school, including an Elite Eight appearance in 1962.  He continued to coach at Manual until his retirement in 1994 when he won his lone state title in his final season.  He was inducted into the Greater Peoria Area Sports Hall of Fame, the Illinois Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame, and the WCHS Hall of Fame.

Dick Van Scyoc passed away in 2022 at the age of 98.