Biography
Dick Duval attended Herscher High School. In high school, Dick was a member of National Honor Society. He was a three-sport athlete in basketball, baseball, and football. He was the Captain of both the baseball team and football team. He was also President of the Letterman Club. Coach Duval graduated from Illinois State University in 1978 where he majored in Mathematics, with a minor in Physical Education. After college, he taught for three years at Herscher Grade School and coached grade school basketball and high school football. He then taught for seven years in the Kankakee School District, where he coached three sports at the high school level: football, basketball, and baseball. During this time, he was also the defensive backs coach at Olivet Nazarene University. In 1988, Coach Duval took a position at St. Joseph-Ogden High School as a math teacher and was both the head football and baseball coach. Coach Duval coached baseball at SJO for 16 years, winning more than 200 games during a time when schools played a lot fewer regular season games. At SJO, Coach Duval was the head football coach for 28 years from 1988-2015 and in that time, never had a losing season. In 1989, his second year as head football coach, he took the Spartans to his first state championship game.
Dick Duval and players talk to the media after the Spartans' 2013 state title game against Stillman Valley. Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks
Before his career was over, SJO went to the playoffs 25 consecutive years, and made it to the IHSA football state championship game five times, the IHSA football semi-finals six times, and the IHSA football quarter-finals 16 times. His final record was 251 wins and 75 losses. During his career at SJO, Coach Duval earned a position as an assistant coach in the 1990 and 1998 Illinois football All-Star games. He was awarded the Chicago Bears High School Coach of the Week on October 9th, 2000. On April 5th, 2008, Coach Duval was inducted into the Illinois High School Football Coaches Hall of Fame where he was recognized for his ability to inspire his athletes to the highest in discipline and spirit. Sara Ulbrich Greenstein, a member of the SJO Hall of Fame class of 2014 recently cited Dick Duval as one of her five influences that helped her become a CEO of a multi-billion dollar company. After retiring from teaching and coaching, Dick Duval was the main scorekeeper for the SJO boys basketball team. He also was scorekeeper and announcer for many of the basketball tournaments hosted by SJO.
Surrounded by family members Lynda Duval holds a plaque with a photo of her late husband Dick who was inducted into the St. Joseph-Ogden Hall of Fame. Standing with Lynda are her daughter Bobbi and husband Cory Busboom and son, Kiel and his wife Katie, and three grandchildren. Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks
On August 20, 2021, the SJO football field was dedicated to Coach Duval and is now the Dick Duval Field. Coach Duval fought a courageous battle against pancreatic cancer, but passed away on August 26, 2021. Dick is survived by his wife, Lynda, daughters Bobbi and Toni, son Kiel, their spouses and his four grandchildren.
* Biography provided courtesy of St. Joseph-Ogden High School
Saturday, the St. Joseph-Ogden football team will meet Williamsville in the IHSA postseason for the second time in the Class 3A playoffs. This week's Throwback Thursday feature is a look back at their first meeting back on November 16 in 2013, when the Spartans defeated Williamsville in the quarterfinal matchup on their home turf, 38-26. In the photo above, SJO's Ryan Koss (54), Wesley Kibler (51) and Nick Poe (32) run through the team banner during team introductions. The trio, just a small part of the hard-hitting, determined Spartan team that season that went on to play in the state title game that season.
(Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks) 
Quarterback Dalton Walsh makes a short pass in the second half. The Spartans notched their first quarterfinal victory since 2006. The team advanced a semifinal road game in Greenville on the following Saturday. This Saturday, Walsh hopes to earn a second win against the Bullets, this time as one of SJO's assistant coaches. 
Linemen Seth Griswell and Nolan Woller provide an impenetrable wall on a pass play to protect their quarterback from Bullets defender Nathan Jerome. See more photos of Griswell 
Despite chilly temperatures and drizzle, hundreds of St. Joseph-Ogden fans were on hand to watch the Spartans win their quarterfinal football game. An equally as large of group of fans made the trip the following weekend to the semifinal game in Greenville.
(Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)
Jacob Buoy congratulates teammate Dylan Koss as the final 15 seconds tick off the game clock. Buoy, who suffered a season-ending injury, was on the sidelines assisting whenever necessary in Saturday night's home game. 
Monticello responded with a string of victories, including Nick Litchfield’s 18-2 tech fall at 126 pounds and a forfeit at 132 pounds. Despite SJO's Aiden Hundley and Landen Butts securing key wins at 138 and 144 pounds, Monticello mounted a comeback. Russ Brown’s 16-1 tech fall at 190 pounds tied the score at 34-all, and Hunter Romano’s second-period pin at 215 pounds gave the Sages their first lead of the match, 40-34.
The Spartans’ hopes rested on sophomore heavyweight Cam Wagner, who delivered under pressure. Wagner pinned Nate Darnell in just 55 seconds, tying the match at 40-40 and preserving SJO’s unbeaten record for the day.
With Monticello behind them, the Spartans faced two more challenges on Saturday: Unity, a 2023 IHSA Class 1A Elite 8 team, and host Illinois Valley Central.
