Asmussen | At 95, Illini icon Shorty Eichelberger still going strong
May 2—In eight days, University of Illinois softball welcomes the Big Ten to Champaign-Urbana. Shorty Eichelberger plans to be there — in a stadium that honors the family of her late husband, Paul.
She is sharp, quick-witted and feisty. And a joy to spend 30 minutes with in the middle of the day.
The 95-year-old Illinois alum and Illini superfan is dealing with some aches and pains. Shorty continues to recover from a hip injury. But she gets around well enough in her Champaign home, where she takes care of cats Lucky and Ebony. They are both 14.
She reads The News-Gazette every day.
Shorty, born Lila Jeanne Eichelberger, has a string of friends and family members who help her out around the house and make sure she gets to any appointments.
Top of the list are all the Illini games she attends. She has been a football and basketball season-ticket holder for more than 70 years. She supports all the sports, regularly attending women's basketball and volleyball games, too.
Sitting on the hard metal bleachers at Memorial Stadium isn't easy for the most spry of fans. Never mind a nonagenarian.
But Illini athletic director Josh Whitman takes care of Shorty.
He asked her to sit in his box for games. So, friend Marcia Siebert takes Shorty each time, and they don't have to deal with the elements.
"It's better than sitting out in the cold," Shorty said, laughing. "They take real good care of me up there."
Shorty and Marcia have been also been regulars at the "Monday SportsTalk" broadcasts since it started at the Esquire Lounge more than a dozen years ago.
"I love it," Shorty said.
And she loves watching the softball program.
Eichelberger Field doesn't have all the bells and whistles like Memorial Stadium and State Farm Center, but it offers great sightlines. Not a bad seat in the house.
Shorty went to one game earlier in the year. She wants to be there for the Big Ten tournament, too.
"I'm going to try to go," she said.
Delay of games
Eichelberger Field was supposed to host the Big Ten tournament in 2020, But the season was shut down by the pandemic before the event was held so Illinois' hosting opportunity was pushed back to this season.
"I know we were very disappointed when he couldn't do it before," she said. "I hope we're able to do it well."
Twelve teams are coming to C-U for the single-elimination tournament May 10-13. There are four games the first two days with semifinals on May 12 and the title game on May 13.
The teams are playing for an automatic bird to the NCAA tournament, which starts May 19 with 64 qualifiers.
Right now, Illinois is in the Big Ten tournament field ... barely With three games left starting Friday against Maryland, Tyra Perry's Illini have a 11/2 lead over 13th place Purdue and 21/2 games on last-place Michigan State.
Illinois is 28-23 overall. The team is 10-7 at home. Illinois will have strong local support for its tournament games, with Shorty leading the charge.
Shorty talks to Perry "all the time." Shorty has gotten close to the coach and her parents.
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Family legacy
Shorty and Paul didn't have any children. Together, they decided to donate money to help build the UI softball complex.
"We wanted to help other people's children," Shorty said. "We were hard workers, and we didn't realize how much we had accumulated."
Initially, the late administrator Karol Kahrs asked the family for $30,000. It ended up being "quite a bit more than that, About 10 times that amount."
The park opened in 2001.
How does Shorty feel about helping the softball program?
"I'm proud," she said, "He would be proud."
Paul, who grew up in Fisher, is from a large family, while Shorty was an only child. Paul died in 1997. Even when ailing, he still found time to help people.
"He delivered Meals on Wheels the day before he died," Shorty said.
When Shorty and Paul talked to their financial advisers about the field, Paul said "I don't want my name on anything," Shorty said. "Then he looked around the group and said, 'I guess I will let whoever's left make the decision.'"
Shorty wanted the name on the field.
Paul's relatives have embraced the softball facility and the program.
"They were a softball family," Shorty said. "They have been going to the games even when I wasn't able to. We have been having our family reunion at the tailgate for several years.
"They come from Chicago and Peoria. One of them comes from California."
One of Paul's nieces, Dee, and her husband, Dave Bergman, who live near Fisher, take care of her finances.
"They are pretty much doing it all," Shorty said.
Close to home
Shorty's maiden name was Athey. She grew up on a farm near Havana, Ill.
She moved to C-U in 1945 to attend Illinois, where she earned undergraduate and master's degrees before starting a long teaching career that went 40 years. Paul worked in the insurance business.
Shorty is the right kind of fan. Her day isn't ruined if her favorite team comes up short.
"It's just a game," she said. "Win or lose. Somebody has to win, and somebody has to lose. I like to win better than lose, but if the guys and gals are doing a good job, working hard, that's what I want."
There were no sports for Shorty when she was in high school. She played intramural basketball and soccer at Illinois.
She tried golf later in life. It didn't take. She signed up for a course at Lincolnshire Fields Country Club. When it was over, Shorty told then-pro Becky Beach, "I've learned more about golf in this course than I ever needed. And I'm never picking up a golf club again."
Exercise has been part of Shorty's long life. She used to walk an hour every day. Good genes help, too. Her dad lived to be 96, and her aunt was 102. Her mom was 89.
