Barrington High School to Recognize Three New Members to its Athletic Hall of Fame
Barrington High School will honor three new inductees to its Athletic Hall of Fame at a varsity football game on Friday, Oct. 18 at Barrington High School.
The new inductees include Jody Gitelis, Mike Obsuszt, and Dennis Sander and activities will include the following:
6 PM: Formal Recognition in Barrington High School Front Atrium (Lower Level)
7:30 PM: Football Game Begins (Half-time Recognition on the field at Barrington Community Stadium)
The BHS Athletic Hall of Fame program was started in 1992 and currently has a total of 64 members. Inductees are selected through a continuous nomination process. Nominations can be made through the BHS Athletic website, via email, or by written submissions. Every other year the BHS Athletic Hall of Fame Committee meets to go over the nominees. The committee then votes and a nominee must have 50% of the votes to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
“We are honored to have these three people inducted into our Athletic Hall of Fame this fall,” said BHS Athletic Director Ryan Rubenstein. “Each individual being honored has significantly contributed to BHS athletics, the athletes they coached, and the Barrington community. We could not be more proud to have their names permanently associated with Barrington High School Athletics.”
2024 INDUCTEE BIOS
Jody Gitelis: Jody’s coaching career at Barrington High School spanned 36 years. From 1988 until 2023 she was at the helm of the Girls Track and Field Program. During that time she coached 92 Conference Champions, 121 Sectional Champions and 9 Individual State Champions. Her teams won the Mid Suburban League Conference Title 9 times and the Sectional Title 15 times. Her 2008 and 2015 teams finished 2nd in the State of Illinois and the 2007 Team was the State Champions.
Jody was more than just her wins. She was quite a remarkable role model, impacting the lives of the young ladies she coached by teaching them life lessons. The importance of hard work, the power of believing in yourself, and the strength of working together as a team are just a few of her many gifts. Jody continues to have a presence with the coaching staff and girls on the Track Team even though she now resides in Las Vegas.
Mike Obsuszt: Mike began his tenure in 1995 at Barrington High School in the Social Studies department and coached basketball. In 2003 he became the seventh Athletic Director in BHS history and remained in that position until he retired in 2022. Mike was instrumental in building and maintaining a coaching staff that was not only high achieving but lived up to the standards and philosophy of our athletic program. Mike’s modeling of that through his actions and on behalf of students was second to none. He was an advocate for student-athletes and coaches and did this in a way that was supportive and helped create opportunities for learning. His educational first philosophy was present in some way on every team both in and out of competition. The lives touched by Mike reach both far and wide and we are grateful for his contributions to the athletic program.
Dennis Sander: Dennis’ contributions to Barrington High School Athletics started back in 1995 and continued through 2018. During his tenure as an assistant coach in the softball program, the Fillies won 12 MSL division titles, 11 MSL conference titles, 17 IHSA regional titles, and 8 trips to the IHSA state finals, finishing 2nd in both 2007 and 2008. He was the Barrington American Legion Post 158 program manager for multiple decades and grill master at football games and basketball games for over 30 years. You could always count on Dennis to be there for everything you needed him for. His loyalty and dedication to BHS was unmatched. He was positive with all the athletes he coached and other athletes and students he did not have the privilege to coach. If you have ever had the pleasure to meet him, in a short time you would be able to attest to the characteristics. About Barrington 220 The Barrington 220 School District is a nationally recognized preK-12 school district, located in the northwest suburb.
Photo Credit: Barrington District 220