lit a candle 1h agoMy brother called me this morning from Illinois, said the Danville pole vault coach passed. Never met the man but I've followed college vault records for years, Western Illinois still lists his marks. Strange how a name on an old results sheet can feel like someone you knew.
Their story
Steve Luke was a Danville, Illinois, track and field coach whose career stretched from high school dynasties to Illinois State University's pole vault runway. He died on Monday, September 14, 2026, with his wife Linda beside him and family nearby. Illinois State Athletics announced his death the following day, calling…
Steve Luke was a Danville, Illinois, track and field coach whose career stretched from high school dynasties to Illinois State University's pole vault runway. He died on Monday, September 14, 2026, with his wife Linda beside him and family nearby. Illinois State Athletics announced his death the following day, calling the loss devastating for Redbird track and field and for the many athletes he had coached across decades.
Luke was not the Green Bay Packers safety of the same name. He was a Danville native who began college at Western Illinois University, where he set indoor and outdoor school pole vault records and reached the NCAA Division II national meet as a sophomore. He later competed at Augustana College, qualifying for the NCAA Division III championships in 1979 and 1980 while also playing football and earning All-CCIW honors.
His coaching life started at Waubonsie Valley High School in Aurora, where he led the program for 17 years, then returned home to Danville High School for 13 seasons. Across those prep years he coached five individual state champions, a relay state title winner, and 57 All-State athletes, sending many on to Division I careers. He later coached collegiately at Purdue, Illinois, and Wabash College before Illinois State hired him in January 2024.
At Illinois State his vaulters thrived. Windsor Roberts set a school record and won the 2024 Missouri Valley indoor title. Charles Cruse won the Drake Relays and set a then-school record. In 2026, Seth Nelson cleared 5.30 meters for an indoor MVC title and Isabelle Hemmen posted a personal best outdoors. Luke was also named a 2026 Illinois Track and Cross Country Coaches Association Hall of Fame inductee.
Danville Viking Athletics remembered him as a coach who taught that strength is not avoiding hard moments but facing them with courage. Local coverage noted he had battled skin cancer. Exact birth date and age have not been consistently published in primary athletic sources, so those details are left unset here rather than guessed. What is certain is the imprint he left on Illinois vaulting, from Danville to Normal.
Biography adapted from Illinois State Athletics memorial (GoRedbirds.com, Sept 15, 2026); Commercial-News (Danville); Danville Viking Athletics tributes; Illinois Track and Cross Country Coaches Association Hall of Fame rec.
In their own words
“Steve is someone you can't replace. His wit, humor, love and passion for the sport brought so much joy to everyone around him.”
Jeff Bovee, Illinois State director of track and field and cross country
“Steve brought a wealth of experience and knowledge to our track and field program and was a big part of its success in recent years.”
Dr. Jeri Beggs, Illinois State director of athletics
Photos
1Steve Luke, Illinois State track and field assistant coach
by People Forever
Same, those old NCAA Division II lists are how I first heard of him too.