After starting off his senior season of baseball 0 for 20, Tim Stevens fought back. Some people would have given up and ruined their whole season. But Stevens stepped up and finished out his season strong, finishing with a .387 batting average.

This is one of the many reasons why Tim Stevens is part of the 2025 Athletic Hall of Fame class at MCHS. His athletic success in baseball, football, and basketball are what has earned him this honor.

“I never really felt pressure in a big game, or any game,” said Stevens, Class of 1995. “I think it’s because I prepared and practiced every day like it was a game, so when the actual game day came, it was just another day for me.”

Stevens never feeling pressure led to many big moments in Minooka’s athletic history. One of his proudest moments was beating at the time No. 1-ranked Morris in football his senior year. Stevens played the game with a partially torn rotator cuff injured the week prior. He only threw a Nerf football in practice that week to keep the stress off of it.

“Back then there were a lot of locals, farmers and those in town, who despised Morris, but for decades they pretty much owned us,” said Stevens. “Our middle linebacker made a sliding catch for the interception to seal the victory for us. It was a great play, a great game, and we defeated the vaunted Redskins at home.”

In football, Stevens was an all-state honorable mention and first team all-conference, while passing for 41 TDs and rushing for 11 through his career as QB. 

In baseball, Stevens was named all-state second team by the IHSA. He also earned all-conference, and finished his career with a .409 batting average, 27 steals, 8 triples, and 21 doubles. As a pitcher, he had a career 2.35 ERA and 112 strikeouts.

“I think anybody who watched me play will say I was the best at basketball. I was really good at it, probably better at it than baseball, and for sure better at basketball than football, but the truth is I always wanted to play baseball first,” said Stevens. “I just love baseball. I still follow it way more than college or NBA basketball or NFL to this day. Just something about that diamond, the grass, the strategy involved, the battle within the battle of the game between a hitter and pitcher.”

Stevens left a long legacy in basketball at MCHS. He was named all-state third team by the IHSA, Little 7 All-Conference Player of the Year, and finished 9th in the IHSA State Finals 3-point contest in 2A. 

He has numerous basketball school records, including most career points (1,120), assists (game, season, and career), 3-pointers (game, career), and free throws made (career).

“It’s nice to be recognized individually for all that I accomplished in my MCHS career and very proud that it will be commemorated in perpetuity with this induction,” he said. “But it’s also important to remember that I was only able to achieve my accomplishments with the help of so many others, from my family, coaches, teammates, managers, training staff, administrators, and a little luck too. I was never the fastest, strongest, or biggest person, in any of the sports I played, but I had talent and played each sport as hard and as well as I could while I was there.  It’s the old adage, when talent and effort meet, good things can happen. So it’s nice to be recognized for those efforts.”

Stevens will be recognized before the varsity Homecoming football game on Oct. 3. Other Hall of Fame inductees who will be recognized then include Dustin Williams (athlete), Ashley Jones (athlete), Nina Simotes Scott (athlete), Ray Liberatore (coach), Bob Tyrell (special merit), and the 2013 softball team.