College Squash World in Mourning as Middlebury Coach John Illig Dies Following Fall by Ted Gross August 4, 2014
- Daily Squash Report is sad to report the tragic death yesterday
afternoon of Middlebury College men's and women's coach John Illig, who
passed away from injuries sustained Saturday night in a fall at his Vermont home.
John was reportedly suffering from the flu when he fell down a flight of stairs and never regained consciousness.
John was one of the
winningest squash coaches in intercollegiate history, with over 550
victories during a 24 -year career that included tenures at Colby,
Bates and Middlebury. He played varsity tennis and squash at the
University of Rochester, graduating in 1986 with a degree in English
literature.
John was the current
president of the College Squash Association's Men's Executive Committee
and served in the same role on the women's side from 2001-2003.
According to Middlebury Athletics, during that time John helped
implement gender-equity by instating alternating weekends for the
national team tournaments, naming the brackets at team nationals,
increasing communication between the men’s and women’s executive
committees and working with the men’s league to rename the
organizations to their present iteration as the College Squash
Associations.
As an athlete, John raced in marathons, triathlons and ultra-marathons, and was an avid long-distance hiker.
He is the author of the books Pacific Dream, Man in the Middle and Trail Ways, Path Wise,
which chronicle his experiences hiking over 8,000 miles on the
Appalachian Trail, the Pacific Crest Trail and the Continental Divide
Trail.
Memorials are planned at Middlebury and in Rochester.
