EDWARDSVILLE - Five athletes, two coaches, and a longtime contributor to the high school athletic program were inducted into the Edwardsville High School Athletic Hall of Fame in ceremonies Saturday evening at the Sunset Hills Country Club.
The ceremony was hosted by Rene Knott, news anchor and former sports anchor at KSDK-TV in St. Louis, and was a celebration of Tiger athletics past and present. In his opening remarks, Knott reminded those in attendance to thank not only the athletes and the team but also the parents, coaches, and the entire community for their support and sacrifices to help get their athletes to where they are today, along with opening remarks by Edwardsville Community Unit District 7 superintendent Dr. Patrick Shelton and EHS principal Dr. Steve Stuart., thanking the community and the EGHM Foundation for their help in producing great athletes in the Edwardsville and surrounding communities.
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Here are looks at each of the inductees:
BOB WETZEL
The late Bob Wetzel, president and CEO of The Bank of Edwardsville, was a longtime contributor to Edwardsville athletics, with his signature project the Edwardsville High Sports Complex.
Wetzel served on the board of the EGHM Foundation, a non-profit organization of many business leaders in Edwardsville, for 30 years. Under Wetzel, the Foundation helped acquire the land for the Tigers' complex, along with land for new schools to be constructed.
Under Wetzel's leadership, the Foundation also made contributions to help both academics and arts programs in the district. He also helped in the search that helped led to the hiring of Dr. Ed Hightower as Edwardsville superintendent in 1996.
Members of Wetzel's family were present to receive his Hall of Fame plaque.
WINSTON BROWN
Winston Brown made history as the first African-American teacher and coach hired by the Edwardsville School District in 1960. His legacy is still far-reaching today.
Brown served as head track and field coach from 1972 to 1993, where he coached two athletes - Daren McDonough in the Class AA pole vault in both 1991 and 1992 and Kevin Mosby in the 1982 Class AA triple jump - to state championships and in all, eight medalists in the state finals before retiring.
Brown, who also served as an assistant football coach, was originally from New Orleans and developed into a world-class athlete who nearly made the 1956 Olympic team in Melbourne, Australia, just losing to eventual 100-meter gold medalist Bobby Morrow. He also was known for his generosity towards students, oftentimes lending them money for lunch and opening his home to kids in need, offering them food and friendly advice.
The track and field complex, located behind Edwardsville high, bears his name, along with an early season track meet that's recognized as one of the state's top meets. He was also active in the community, serving as an alderman and as the chairman of the Edwardsville Parks and Recreation board. He also was active in his church and served as president of the Edwardsville chapter of the NAACP.
Brown, who died in 1998, was represented by his wife and members of his family.
DICK GERBER
The longtime boys golf coach at Edwardsville High, Gerber led the Tigers to six district, five regional and six sectional championships, along with six undefeated seasons and 16 state tournament appearances, coaching Joe Malench to a second-place finish in the 1977 Class AA tournament. At the time of his retirement in 1997, he had a record of 662-87-8 and was the all-time national leader in wins.
Gerber also coached five other golfers to a top-ten finish in the state tournament and also started the girls golf team in 1979. His first golfer, Barb Anderson, placed in the top ten three times in the first IHSA girls state tournaments.
Gerber had two simple rules for his teams. Rule number one was "I am the coach." Rule number two was see rule number one. He had a certain way he expected his teams to play and it helped lead the Tigers to much success on the links and courses.
Gerber coached golf from 1969 to 1997, and also served as an assistant wrestling coach, becoming head coach for the 1970-71 season, and an assistant baseball coach. He retired from teaching in 2002.
LUKE KREAMALMEYER
Luke Kreamalmayer was the key player for the Tigers' 2000 boys soccer team that won the first of the program's two state championships, winning the Class AA crown 4-1 over New Lenox Lincoln-Way. the nation's top-ranked team, in the final in St. Charles. His hat trick, the first-ever in the Class AA final propelled Edwardsville to the title under first-year head coach Mark Heiderscheid.
Kreamalmeyer scored 38 goals in his senior year, a school record, and played in college at Bradley University in Peoria. He was twice-named to the all-Missouri Valley Conference first team, then was drafted by Real Salt Lake in the Major League Soccer Superdraft. He played professionally for nine years, scoring 31 goals before retiring in 2011. 
CHRISTINA PEROZZI
Christina Perozzi was Edwardsville's first girls track and field state champion, winning the 300-meter hurdles in the Class AA meet in 1989 and 1990. Her winning time in 1989 was a state record 43.56 seconds and also won in 1990 at 43.57 seconds.
Perozzi won a total of five state medals for the Tigers, finishing fifth in the 200 meters in 1988, second in the 100-meter hurdles in 1989 and third in the same event the next year. She began hurdling in 1989 under coaches Pete Evans and Warren "Babe" Stahlhut. 
LINDSEY ANDERSON
Lindsey Anderson was a three-sport star at Edwardsville High, competing in tennis, basketball and soccer.
In tennis, Anderson's 153 career wins currently puts her in fifth on the all-time list, and along with Lindsay Carlisle, advanced to the IHSA state quarterfinals in 2000, the first Edwardsville team to do so. Her winning percentage of .895 ranks second all-time in team history.
In basketball, she scored 1,031 points in her career, helping take Edwardsville to regional crowns in 1998 and 2000. In her junior year, Anderson also scored 11 goals before being forced to miss her senior year due to injury.
Anderson went on to play basketball for Quincy University, helping the Hawks to the last eight of the NCAA Division-II Great Lakes regional in 2004. Today, Anderson is an officer for the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. 
TOM PRICE
The ace of the Tigers' pitching staff on the 1990 state championship team, Price was 13-0 with a 0.95 ERA, also hitting .379 with 29 RBIs. His wins include an 8-1 win over Chicago Simeon in the Class AA semifinals, with the Tigers taking their first championship in a 4-1 win over Joliet Catholic later that evening.
Price went on to pitch at Notre Dame, finishing in the top ten in starts, innings pitched, wins, winning percentage, complete games, strikeouts and ERA for the Irish. He signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers as an undrafted free agent and pitched in their organization for three years before going on to pitch two more years in the Colorado Rockies' organization.
HERMAN SHAW
Shaw made history as the first African-American letterman in Tigers' sports history, winning 10 letters in three years in football, basketball, baseball, and track.
Shaw also attended Illinois State on a football scholarship, also playing basketball for the Redbirds. He served two years in the Army and after his discharge, worked at University City High School, becoming principal before his retirement.
Shaw is also currently president of the Lincoln School Alumni Foundation. an organization that helps keep the memory of the school alive while providing scholarships to current EHS students.
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