MACOMB, Ill. - The Western Illinois Athletics Department announced the five newest members of the Hall of Fame. Director of Athletics Dr. Tim Van Alstine announced the 2012 class on Tuesday (Sept. 4).

The 2012 class consists of: Tom Carper (Contributor), Jerry Champer (Swimming/Diving Coach), Dave Dir (Men's Soccer), Craig Phalen (Football), and Holly (Killion) Van Vlymen (Softball).

The ceremony will take place on Friday, September 21st, at the Western Illinois University Union. Social hour begins at 6 with the dinner and presentation at 7 p.m. Inductees will also be honored at halftime of the Leathernecks' football game the following day against Illinois State.

"This is a very impressive class of inductees. Clearly their accomplishments while at Western, in addition to their professional and career successes, validate their induction into our Hall of Fame," said Van Alstine. "Our Hall of Fame is the highest honor we can bestow upon any individual. It's reserved for the best of our best, and these five individuals are most deserving of this honor and recognition."

Tom Carper - Contributor

Tom Carper grew up in Buda, Illinois, in Bureau County and attended Western Community High School before enrolling at Western Illinois University in 1964. It's no wonder he has dedicated his life to making Macomb a better place to live and Western Illinois as a top-ranking institution.

He attended Western for three years right out of high school and participated in football (1964-65) and track and field (1965). Carper enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1967, then returned to Macomb and Western Illinois in 1971. In the mid-1970s, working with the track and field coaches, Carper was recruited to officiate the NCAA Division II National Championship meet.

A private businessman in town for 30 years, Carper was elected Mayor of Macomb in 1991 and served in that capacity for 12 years. For 15 years he organized and sponsored road races in Macomb. Carper also volunteered and served as Chairman for the United Way campaign, volunteer and Co-chair of the Heritage Days Celebration, and Macomb Community Theatre.

He was nominated by Illinois Senator Dick Durbin to serve on the National Railroad Passenger Corporation (Amtrak) Board of Directors - a corporation with 19,000 employees and operates 305 trains nationwide - and was accepted by then President George W. Bush and confirmed by the U.S. Senate in March of 2008. He currently serves as the Chairman of that Board.

Carper received his Board of Governors degree from Western in 1982. His wife Gayle Tronvig Carper graduated from Western with a bachelor's degree in 1973 and a master's in 1980. She earned her Juris Doctor degree from DePaul University in 1983.

Jerry Champer - Swimming/Diving Coach

The winningest coach in Western Illinois Swimming and Diving history, Jerry Champer was a six-time Mid-Continent Conference 'Coach of the Year' during his tenure from 1994-2001.

His 102 career wins (102-91-1, .526 winning percentage) easily outdistance number two on the all-time coaching list. Champer won four men's coaching awards (1996-99) and two on the women's side (1995, 1999). He also received the Illinois Men's University Division 'Coach of the Year' award in 1998 and 2000.

Western's men and women dominated the Mid-Con during Champer's tenure. The men won four consecutive titles and were runner-up twice during his seven years in charge, while the Western women captured one title and were runner-up five times. No team coached by Champer ever finished lower than third place at the conference championships.

He was a two-time Southern States Conference 'Men's Coach of the Year', leading Western to a title in 1999 and 2000. The 2001 men won the Midwest Championships title and he was named 'Coach of the Year'.

Champer coached 44 individual conference champions and 46 all-conference distinctions. He also coached the only Leatherneck swimmer to ever compete in the Olympics (Zurab Beridze for the Republic of Georgia at the 2000 Sydney Games).

After leaving Western, he worked two years as a volunteer assistant coach at the University of Georgia then joined the staff full-time, now in his current role as Associate Head Coach. During his time with the national powerhouse Bulldogs he has coached three NCAA individual champions, one United States Olympian and a world record holder.

Champer is married to Lu Harris-Champer, the head softball coach at Georgia and softball letterwinner and graduate of Western Illinois (1992/1994). They have three daughters: twins Jenna and Emma, and Mya.

Dave Dir - Men's Soccer

Dave Dir transferred into the Leatherneck men's soccer program in 1979 and during his two year playing career (1980-81) he would earn Honorable Mention All-America honors.

Following his senior year he tied a program record with six shutouts in goal. Although individual goalie statistics would not start for another two years, Dir would certainly rank among one of the best goalies in Leatherneck history. He was the first pick by the Chicago Sting in the 1982 National American Soccer League draft.

Dir answered the call to coach after his playing days were over. He served as the head coach at Regis University, going from 5-5-2 in his first year (1990) to 11-7-1 overall and first-place finish at 5-0-1 in the Colorado Athletic Conference the next. Dir took over as the head coach of the Colorado Foxes (American Professional Soccer League) for three seasons.

When Major League Soccer debuted in 1996, Dir was the head coach for the Dallas Burn, and ended up as the longest-tenured head coach of all his peers that began during the inaugural season. Starting in 2002 he joined the US Men's Soccer national team as an assistant coach and worked in that capacity for 10 years. Most recently he returned to the MLS joining the technical staff of the Colorado Rapids as goalkeepers coach.

Outside of coaching, Dir also works with Dir Realty / Keller Williams Realty.

Dir was on the Board of Directors with the Town North YMCA and served as President for the First Kick Foundation. He and his wife Cindy reside in Dallas.

Craig Phalen - Football

Craig Phalen began his collegiate career at Wisconsin before transferring to Joliet CC. He transferred and played his final two years in the Leatherneck uniform along the defensive line, and capped his career by earning First Team All-America honors in 1977 from the Associated Press, Kodak, and American Football Coaches Association.

He was voted team captain his senior year, a year in which he set a then-program record with seven tackles for a loss (currently second-most all-time) and six sacks against Nebraska Omaha, a record that he still owns. During the Illinois State game his senior year Phalen set a then-record for most tackles by a defensive lineman with 12.

His other season records set included: tackles for a loss (18), and big plays (22), in addition to career tackles for a defensive lineman (229).

After his Leatherneck playing days, then head coach Bill Shanahan said, "Craig will go down as one of the greatest competitors and players in our program history." Phalen spent part of the 1978 season with the St. Louis (football) Cardinals.

For the past 24 years, he has taught Physical Education and Health Education for seventh and eighth grades at Ottawa Elementary School District 141. He has coached seventh and eighth grade basketball and soccer for 23 years. Following the 2005-06 season he received the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association (IBCA) District 4 'Coach of the Year' award.

He is actively involved as a member of the Mendota BPOE Elks Lodge 212, Mendota Optimist Club and St. John's Lutheran Church.

Craig and his wife Luci have two children: Benjamin and Laura.

Holly Killion Van Vlymen - Softball

One of the most dominant pitchers in Western Illinois and Mid-Continent Conference history, and current head coach of the Leatherneck softball program, Holly Killion Van Vlymen was a four-time All-Conference performer during her playing days from 1996-2000.

She redshirted during the 1996 season, then as a redshirt-freshman in 1997 she earned Second Team All-Mid Con honors. Van Vlymen was tabbed First Team her final three years, including the 'Pitcher of the Year' award in 2000. She earned a spot on the Mid-Con All-Tournament Team three consecutive years, and in 2000 was selected as the Most Valuable Player.

She capped off her dominating collegiate career by earning All-America honors on the field (NFCA 3rd Team) and in the classroom (CoSIDA 3rd Team). She is one of four softball players to have their number retired (#44) and still today remains as the only player in program history to earn All-America playing honors.

Van Vlymen holds every major season record at Western, including: wins (30), earned run average (0.58), appearances (44), strikeouts (355), shutouts (16), innings pitched (267.1) and complete games (32) - all during the 2000 season. Her wins, shutouts, and strikeouts still stand as the top-ranking single-season numbers in Summit League (former Mid-Con) history and Van Vlymen still ranks second in the Summit League in complete games, ERA and innings.

Although her career records have since been broken by one of her protégés, Van Vlymen ranks second all-time in the Western record books for wins (74), appearances (137), complete games (97), innings (809.1), then fourth in ERA (1.39). Her 880 career strikeouts are still the top mark in the program and Summit League.

Van Vlymen's career statistics are so impressive, even today she still ranks third in conference history in innings, complete games, shutouts, wins, and fifth in ERA.

She played professionally for the Ohio Pride in 2000, then began her coaching career at the University of Iowa as an assistant coach from 2001-04. Van Vlymen took over as the assistant at Augustana in 2004-05, the same time serving as head coach at North Scott High School. When her coach Kathy Veroni retired, Van Vlymen was tabbed as the just the third head coach in program history. She has led Western to three Summit League championships in seven years and to the NCAA Regionals in 2008 following the program's Summit League Tournament title. That year Western recorded its first-ever NCAA Tournament postseason win, defeating Drake 3-1.

A three-time 'Coach of the Year' award winner, she owns a .683 winning percentage in league games (99-46), coached 50 Academic All-League selections, 32 All-Summit League performers, two 'Players of the Year', two 'Pitchers of the Year', and the 2012 NCAA stolen base champion.

Already inducted into the Orion High School Hall of Fame, Van Vlymen becomes the 12th member of the softball program inducted into the Western Illinois Athletics Department Hall of Fame.

She graduated from Western in 2000 with a degree in Early Childhood Education then a master's in Education. Holly and her husband Jim, a Leatherneck football letterwinner from 1996-98, have twin sons: Luke and Logan.

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