Steve “Tuck” Tucker
Former sportswriter/editor, Chicago Sun-Times
December 5, 1948-May 10, 2024
Tucker become a stringer for the Chicago Sun-Times in 1984, often covering area sporting events. Eventually, Steve became a supervising editor for the Sun-Times’ high school sports section. He also was assigned to cover many state tournament events. In addition, Steve was involved with an Amateur Athletics Union high school girls’ basketball team, which competed from April to July. Steve became well known in the sports world for his knowledge of Illinois girls’ basketball. His career as a high school sports journalist and editor covered a 27-year period. His work included features on coaches, players and schools, and managing reporters for area high school games.
“Among his legacies, and there are many, is that without Tucker’s influence, there would probably not be a website devoted entirely to Illinois high school and club volleyball.”
– Phil Brozynski, Illprepvb.com editor and former Sun-Times freelance sportswriter.
John Radtke
Former sportswriter/editor, Daily Herald
October 23, 1957 -May 17, 2024
Former Daily Herald High School Sports Editor John Radtke died May 17 at his home in Sarasota, Florida, at age 66. Radtke started writing for the Daily Herald in 1995 as a high school sports freelancer before being hired by the Daily Herald in 1997. For two decades he was the Daily Herald’s assistant sports editor/Fox Valley sports, in charge of local sports coverage for the Elgin area, and added the title online prep sports manager in 2008. He became high school sports editor in 2018, guiding the newspaper’s high school sports coverage through the COVID-19 pandemic. Radtke was an early and passionate advocate for covering girls sports in the newspaper. He followed girls volleyball, girls basketball and softball especially closely, and for many years he was president, owner and general manager of the Northern Illinois Lightning Fastpitch Softball travel program based in Elgin.