Bill Hapac, Basketball • 1938-40

Bill Hapac was Illinois’s first consensus All-American in 1940 as well as the school’s first UI Athlete of the Year. Hapac set the Big Ten scoring record with unheard of 34 points against Minnesota in 1940. Nicknamed “Wild Bill,” he was named First-Team All-Big Ten in 1940 after leading the conference in scoring with an average of nearly 14 points per game. Hapac also lettered three times in baseball from 1938-40, twice scoring a school-record five runs in a game. He played pro basketball in the National Basketball League from 1940-48, although he had a four-year break for military service, earning All-NBL Second Team honors in 1941. Hapac died in 1967 at the age of 49 from an undisclosed rare disease.