UIC Athletics will hold its 2017 Hall of Fame Banquet and Reunion on Saturday, Jan. 28. This year's class features representatives from five different sports, one former coach and long-time administrator, and the first men's basketball team to earn an NCAA Tournament berth.
 
Leading up to the celebration, UICFlames.com will be profiling each of the 2017 inductees, which include Tricia Charbonneau (Softball), Tom Cisar (Men's Golf), Jay DeMerit (Men's Soccer), Erin Garrett (Women's Swimming), Justin Johnson (Baseball), Denny Wills (Coach/Administrator) and the 1997-98 men's basketball team.
 
Tricia Charbonneau (Softball, 1995-98)
By: Marinko Kuljanin
 
Tricia Charbonneau grew up playing a variety of sports. As she got older, she took them more seriously and joined a traveling softball team. She wanted to use this opportunity to pursue a college education. She was planning on going to an Ivy League school but they did not offer any athletic scholarships. When UIC came to her with a scholarship, she hurriedly signed the application because she always loved the city, and time was running out to declare.
 
"I just filled out the application and circled the first thing that I saw," said Charbonneau. The major she chose ended up being architecture. Although she wanted to go into economics or business, Charbonneau was not upset about picking architecture. "I always liked to draw and had some construction jobs in my life."
 
When she began her first season, she could tell there was a culture of winning, fundamental learning, and a high bar of execution set for the UIC Flames softball team.
 
Rivalries with DePaul, Notre Dame and Michigan come to mind when thinking about memorable softball games. But one game in particular she will never forget was a game in her freshman season. It was against the University of North Carolina at Greensboro on a March day in Florida. It was an awful game for the whole team as everyone was making errors.
 
"I was the only player he did not take out (on defense)," said Charbonneau. "He was thinking 'You are so bad right now I don't want to take you out.'" But like all great athletes, Charbonneau learned from that game and it is apparent as she batted .345 that season, her highest batting average in all four years. 
 
Charbonneau also graces the UIC and NCAA record books and is proud of both achievements, but her NCAA records, most career and single season at-bats, lets her showcase and promote her alma mater. "I am proud to have put UIC in the NCAA record books," said Charbonneau.
 
At the end of her sophomore year, Charbonneau was stuck with her toughest time at school. She had to turn in a model as her final project for one of her architecture classes, so she had to balance time going to practice and going to the studio. "I spent about 40 hours that week just working on the model," said Charbonneau.
 
Recalling a time in her junior year, the Flames practiced at a Chicago Park District recreation field on Taylor Street, between Miller and Laflin, because their home field was closed for renovations. "It was great to play in the neighborhood because it brought a great presence," said Charbonneau. Families and children would watch them practice and it was a great environment to be in.
 
Fortunately, Charbonneau never had to suffer another jumbled work week like that. In her senior campaign, she would wake up in the morning to have one-on-one practice with Coach McGovern so she could take her architecture classes in the afternoon while the team had their practice. She did get some looks from the freshmen who were wondering who she was when she started in games, but Charbonneau was very thankful for Coach McGovern and their sessions together.
 
 
Although her collegiate softball career ended in 1998, Charbonneau still had a hand in UIC softball. Either fate or pure coincidence, former head coach Michelle Venturella became neighbors with Charbonneau after moving across the street. They worked together to establish fundraisers and get donations for the team. Charbonneau represented the softball program at alumni events.
 
One of their biggest achievements was the renovation of the team's locker room. They wanted to make it as spacious and luxurious as possible but also add a touch of the past. Name plates were created for the athletes, showcasing their name, number and hometown. After their final season, the name plate is taken down and mounted in the back of the locker, combining both past and future.
 
After years without playing softball, Charbonneau gained another athletic passion when she joined the Chicago Force in 2005, a team in Women's Tackle Football. "I was looking for something athletic, but committed," said Charbonneau.
 
Committed is a great word to describe the league as the sport currently has 45 teams that travel around the country. It follows the rules of the National Football League and has helmets and padding.
 
In 2012, the team made it to the championship game, but lost to the San Diego Surge, 40-36, at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh. It was the first time a women's football championship game was played in an NFL stadium, in this case the home of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
 
The team was back in the championship game the following year, this time beating the Dallas Diamonds to take home the national championship with a final score of 81-24. The team was honored by the Chicago Cubs in September of that year. Charbonneau threw out the first pitch and the quarterback Samantha Grisafe, also a professional singer, sang the national anthem.
 
Charbonneau retired that season but the past two years she has been the color commentator on WJOB for the Chicago Force. The job allows her to use all the things she has learned in her time playing sports and has enabled her to be a sideline presence for her past team.
 
The lead color commentator Andy Garcia, who commentates throughout the Chicagoland area, has helped mentor Charbonneau in the art of broadcasting. "It is a luxury to work with somebody with his talent," said Charbonneau.
 
Charbonneau currently works as a licensed architect in a design firm in the North Shore. She credits her softball career for her character in the business world. "In softball you have to get up early in the morning, get better at your craft, work with others, and apply their strengths and weaknesses in pressure situations," said Charbonneau.
 
Softball gave her a strict work regiment to follow and allowed her to work smoothly with others. It also taught her how to fail and learn from her errors.
 
Charbonneau described her time at UIC as "Being at practice rolling around in the dirt and mud, and that paired with architecture, prepared me for a professional scenario." Although different, she combined skills learned at UIC from both of these activities to succeed in her endeavors.