Oscar Adams Remembered
Adams graduated from Urbana High School in 1938 and has multiple degrees in higher education from the University of Illinois. Prior to this, he served in the U.S. Army for three years during World War II. Adams then became a coach and teacher at UHS and worked here for 34 years.
When Adams attended UHS, people took notice around the county because of how skilled an athlete he was and how involved he was in the community and school. He was the class president during his freshmen and senior year. He was very successful in athletics; he ran high hurdles in track and was the star center on the football team for all four years. He was captain for the freshman-sophomore team when he was only a freshman. By his junior year in football he earned the name “Little Giant” for multiple reasons. He was awarded all-state honors as a football player.
When Adams graduated from the U of I, he coached all sports at Thornburn Junior High School in Urbana. During most of his tenure, he was a coach and teacher of Physical Education at UHS. He coached football, basketball, wrestling, and golf. In 1979, he became the Athletic director at UHS.
A 1988 document from the Urbana Community Schools said, “For many years Mr. Adams was a member of the Urbana Park Board and Manager of Crystal Lake Pool in Urbana. Additionally, he was on the board and manager, for many years in the 1950’s and 60’s, of the Tigers Den, a local activity center for teens in the city of Urbana. Mr. Adams was a winner of the Urbana Outstanding Citizen Award given by the Urbana Lions Club.”
At the time of the naming, Journalist Rebecca Mabry published an article in the News-Gazette. In the article, Former President of the Urbana Board of Education Jean Burkholder said, “Oscar Adams is not only a teacher who gave a tremendous amount to his students, but he was in charge of the Tiger’s Den for many years.”
Mabry’s article also said, “Adams also served on the Urbana Park Board and the Champaign County Board. He was among the first inductees into the Urbana Sports Hall of Fame.”
Adams dedicated himself to the students and the Urbana community. “He truly did deserve to have the gym dedicated to him, I’m glad they named it in his honor,” UHS Senior Kameron Fry said.
“He was committed to his life and to the children of this community,” Burkholder said.
Physical Education Teacher Ann Yarber said, “I was not very close to Oscar Adams, I only worked with him for only two or three years and then he died. He was very hard working though; he was a very great man.”
This process of naming important elements of the high school campus will be revisited upon the completion of the new athletic facility. Many students have many ideas:
“It should be named Tiger’s Cage,” Freshmen Kelsea Bishop said.
Sophomore Myles Kelley said, “I think it should be named maybe ‘Urbana Tiger’s Sports Complex’ or either the soccer field should be named after Coach Randy Blackman.”
“Randy Blackman should be the soccer field’s name and the football field should be named The Tiger’s Lair,” said Sophomore Joey Lund.
A final decision of naming the new complex lies in the hands of Superintendent Dr. Preston Williams and the School Board. As far as now UHS has to wait until the naming of the new complex.
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