The small, quiet, town of Tampico sits in the southern end of Whiteside County in Northwest Illinois. It has a population of about 700 residents and is located on State Highway 172, 5 miles from the Whiteside-Bureau County line. Tampico is most noted for the birthplace of the 40th President of the United States, the late Ronald Reagan. Tampico was plotted in 1871 and incorporated in 1875.

 

Family History Coordinator for the Tampico Area Historical Society Denise McLoughlin provided us with this bit of Tampico School information:

 

"Ronald Reagan attended school in Tampico through at least fourth grade.  His fourth grade photo at Tampico Grade School can be viewed at: http://www.tampicohistoricalsociety.citymax.com/albums/album_image/359307/89014.htm

This school is where the Tampico Elementary school now stands on W. 2nd Street. We also have the classroom ledger, donated to us from the old Tampico High School. The school in the photo (commonly refered to as "The Reagan School") no longer exists, but was the original "high school" - lower grades downstairs, upper grades upstairs.  Second, The old Tampico High School is now the Tampico Middle School, grades 6, 7, 8."

 

You can view the Tampico Historical Society website at http://www.tampicohistoricalsociety.citymax.com .  Great work by Denise McLoughlin and the folks of Tampico in preserving their storied history!!

 

Tampico's most famous high school graduate was J. Mason Reeves, who was at one time the Commander in Chief of the United States Navy. He graduated in 1890 and played football for the Navy. Tampico Township High School did not have a football team at the time. It is noted that Reeves invented a unique football helmet ("the first football helmet worn in a game") that protected him from injury.  Read more about J. Mason Reeves at:

 

The history of Tampico Schools date back to 1874. Until 1912, the high school only had three grades. The brick building that housed TTHS for 75 years was built in 1921 and had 14 classrooms and a gymnasium. It was located near a railroad junction of the Hooppole, Yorktown & Tampico Railroad and the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad. The first mentioned was abandoned in 1953. In 1967, there were 153 students enrolled at TTHS. In the 1980's, Tampico lost it's main railroad, the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy route, that was the reason Tampico became a settlement like most other small towns. 

 

Declining enrollment and financial concerns led to the closing of Tampico High School in 1996.  The 1921 brick building is still located on Kimball Street (Hanaman Road) and now houses the Tampico Junior High School (6 - 8). As of 2003, the old football field is still there, along with the padded hitting machine which is now rusted. The track outside of the field is still there in cement form.

 

High School students from Tampico now attend Prophetstown High School, eight miles to the northwest.

Tampico High School "Quick Facts":

 

Year High School opened: 1921

Year High School closed:  1996

Nickname:                       Trojans

School Colors:                 Scarlet, Gray, & White

School Fight Song:          "Tampico High School Loyalty Song"

                                              (Sung to Illinois Loyalty - click play button and sing along!)

  

                                             We're loyal to you Tampico High,
                                             We're scarlet and grey Tampico High,
                                             We'll ask you to stand,
                                             We're the best in the land,
                                             For we know you can stand Tampico High!

 

                                             Hoo Rah

 

                                             So shoot in that ball Tampico High,
                                             We're backing you on Tampico High,
                                             Our team is the fame protector,
                                             On boys for we expect a
                                             Victory from you, Tampico High

 

                                             Hoo Rah!

                      

 

Athletics

 

The Trojans were members of the Two Rivers Conference in the 1940s and 1950s.  Other teams in the conference included Mineral, Annawan, Atkinson, Prophetstown, Erie, Hillsdale, Cordova, Port Byron, and Lyndon.  The athletic program joined the Little 8 Conference in the 1961 where it remained until the Indian Valley Conference was formed in 1976. 

 

Track and Field was the prime sport at TTHS.

 

Tampico offered a variety of sports during it's 75 year tenure. The most noticable was the Boys Track and Field team. Don Wallace coached Boys Track for 30 years (1966-1996) and during his tenure, there were eight years that the Trojans went undefeated.

 

In 1988 Tampico High School's football team co-oped with Manlius while the volleyball, track and basketball were still seperate. Tampico was a member of the Indian Valley Conference in it's latter years and their sports were covered by the local newspaper (Tampico Tornado) until 1966 and the Sterling Daily Gazette until school closure.

 

Tampico Boys Track:
1975-76 - 9-0
1977-78 - 12-0
1982-83 - 5-0
1983-84 - 5-0
1984-85 - 5-0
1986-87 - 7-0
1991-92 - 9-0
1992-93 - 10-0

 

Boys Track Medalists:

1975 - - 100-yard dash - Mike Brady (8th)
1975 - - Shotput - Pat Dorathy (6th)
1979 - - High Jump - Jim Moore (2nd)
1982 - - Shotput - Doug Koehler (4th)
1984 - - Triple Jump - Scott Tornow (7th)

 

In the 30-year existance of the program, 29 of those years were undefeated seasons. The only sub-.500 year was 1995-96 (1-5). Although they did not take home any hardware, the team's accomplishments of defeating rival teams always surmounted the joy of a large Sectional plaque.

 

Wallace took over the Girls Track and Field Program in 1981 and the success was the same, if not better:

 

Tampico Girls Track:

1981-82    6-0   

1982-83    6-0   

1983-84    4-0-1

1984-85    5-0   
1985-86    5-1 
1986-87    7-0   
1987-88    6-0 
1988-89    7-0 
1989-90    8-0  
1990-91    7-1 
1991-92    7-1-1
1992-93    9-1  
1993-94    6-0  
1994-95    7-0  
1995-96    1-3  

 

The most decorated athlete in TTHS history is Mindy Bollman. She owns five IHSA medals, including the Championship from the 200-Meter Low Hurdles in Class A in 1982.

 

Girls Track Medalists:

1982 - - 200 Meter Low Hurdles - Mindy Bollman (8th)
1982 - - High Jump - Mindy Bollman (4th)
1983 - - 200 Meter Low Hudles  - Mindy Bollman (1st)
1983 - - 100 Meter Low Hurdles - Mindy Bollman (3rd)
1984 - - 200 Meter Low Hurdles - Mindy Bollman (2nd)
1985 - - Discus - Renee Greer (7th)
1987 - - 400 Meter Relay team  (7th)
1988 - - 800 Meter Relay team  (6th)
1988 - - 1600 Meter Relay team (5th)
1989 - - 100 Meter High Hurdles - Jonnette Adamson (7th)
1990 - - 300 Meter Low Hurdles - Jonnette Adamson (3rd)
1993 - - 800 Meter Run - Jeanie Adamson (4th)
1994 - - 800 Meter Run - Jeanie Adamson (7th)
1994 - - 1600 Meter Relay team (7th)
1994 - - 3200 Meter Relay team (6th)

 

Tampico also had a solid Boys Basketball program that took home most of the schools IHSA hardware in it's 75 years. 

 

Tampico Boys Basketball

:
1935-36  District Champions
1945-46                                                                Coach Leland Rudiger

1946-47                                                                Coach Leland Rudiger

1947-48                                                                Coach Leland Rudiger

1948-49                                                                Coach Leland Rudiger

 

1949-50  Ohio District Tourney Champs (13-15)    Coach Leland Rudiger

              Beat LaMoille 36-34 in title game

              Lost to Princeton in Regional

1951-52  Two Rivers Conf. co-champions (8-1)

1956-57  District Champions (10-14)                     Coach: Phlam
1964-65  District Champions (17-9)                       Coach: Clint Evans
1986-87  Regional Champions (21-6)                   Coach: Steve Larsen
1993-94  Regional Champions (20-6)                   Coach: Jim Brandau

 

Tampico's Boys Basketball game with Ohio on February 7th, 1989 saw the Trojans attempt 25 three-point shots. Coupled with Ohio's 26 three-point shots, the total is 51 attempts, which ranks 5th all-time in the state.

 

Notable Roundball Athlete

 

Harlan Christofferson - Helped lead Tampico on the court during the early 1950s. Was named to the Two Rivers All-Conference team in 1952-53.

 

 

Tampico also offered Girls Basketball, starting with the 1979-80 school year. The team only had one winning season, and that was in 1984-85 when coach Ray Vance's team went 11-10. After 1987, the team co-oped with Manlius.

Great Coaches

 

If one coach could be mentioned from Tampico High School, the first name to come to mind is Mr. Don Wallace. Wallace coached at Tampico High School from 1966 to 1996. He compiled a 67-78 record in Boys Basketball, 60-69-4 in Football, and a 176-53 in Boys Track and 90-7 in Girls Track!

 

Wallace continued to coach after the closure of TTHS, steering the ship for the Erie-Prophetstown Panthers until 2002.

 

From Class of 1950 member Jim Stevens regarding Coach Leland Rudiger:

 

"We had a very good coach during the years of 1946 thru 1950. His name was Leland Rudiger. As captain of the 1950 football team, we had a very successful year beating Prophetstown for the first time and most of the other conference football teams. Coach Rudiger also took us to the basketball regionals that year losing to Princeton, a much larger school."

 

If You Have More Information About Tampico High School:
 
Including great teams you would like to share with us please e-mail this web site at: eganann@sbcglobal.net . You can also write to us at:

 

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