Rep. Mayfield’s road renaming resolution to honor Bobby Knight passes House, heads to Senate
STATEHOUSE (Jan. 14, 2026) – State Rep. Peggy Mayfield’s (R-Martinsville) proposal to rename a stretch of State Road 45 near Assembly Hall on Indiana University’s main campus in Bloomington after the late legendary basketball coach Robert “Bobby” Montgomery Knight recently passed the Indiana House of Representatives.
“Bobby Knight is a legendary name in Indiana and across the college basketball landscape,” Mayfield said. “A road renamed in his honor will ensure his legacy and contributions to Indiana University, college basketball and the state of Indiana live on for years to come. I’m grateful to my colleagues in the House for supporting this resolution.”
Knight coached the Indiana University men’s basketball team from 1971 to 2000, where he led the Hoosiers to three national championships, 11 Big Ten championships and one National Invitation Tournament title. Known as “The General,” he ranks 14th on the all-time coaches list for victories and was named National Coach of the Year in 1975, ’76, ’87 and ’89. He was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1991.
A native of Ohio, Knight played basketball at Ohio State University, where he graduated with a degree in history and government. He then served his country honorably in the U.S. Army, where he would later coach the Black Knights basketball team, being named head coach at age 24. Knight then went to IU, where his name is still synonymous with Hoosier basketball.
Mayfield said that Knight’s famed rivalry and friendship with Purdue men’s basketball coach Gene Keady, his incredible career and prominent personality are some of the many reasons why in 49 other states it’s just basketball — but this is Indiana.
Mayfield noted that if Indiana wins the College Football Playoff National Championship next week, they would become the first school in modern sports history to hold undefeated championships in both football, this season, and men’s basketball, the 1975-76 season under Coach Knight.
House Concurrent Resolution 4 passed out of the House unanimously. It will move to the Senate for further consideration. Once a renaming resolution passes through the Indiana General Assembly, the Indiana Department of Transportation can move forward with the project.
Citizens Advisory Committee Meeting
The Citizen’s Advisory Committee (CAC) will hold two public meetings regarding the annual grant allocation process for Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) and Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) funds awarded to the City of Evansville.
Both meetings are to be hosted in Evansville Civic Center Room 307, located at 1 NW Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Evansville, IN 47708. The scheduled CAC meeting dates and times are as followsx;
Thursday January 22nd, 2026, at 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM.
Thursday, February 12th , 2026, at 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM
In accordance with the “Americans with Disabilities Act”, persons with disabilities requiring assistance and/or accommodation related to the accessibility to documents and participation as well as Limited English proficiency (LEP) persons are encouraged to contact the Department of
Metropolitan Development at (812) 436-7823 to request additional auxiliary aides, services, and language assistance. Requests are to be submitted not later than 10 days prior to the meeting, though we will make every effort to accommodate late requests
Aces to welcome One Millionth Fan at the Ford Center on January 25th
EVANSVILLE – The University of Evansville is set to welcome it’s one millionth fan in it’s Ford Center era at the Aces men’s basketball game against Southern Illinois on Sunday, January 25th.
Over the nearly 15 years since the Ford Center opened, the Aces have welcomed over 996,000 fans to UE Men’s Basketball games and with sales exceeding 4,000 tickets out for the January 25th contest against the Salukis, the UE Ticket Office has confirmed that the 1,000,000th fan will enter the gates for the Aces next home game.
The fan, who will be selected by a count held by UE Athletics staff members, will receive a robust grand prize package. The package includes a Golden Ticket pass providing the fan with two tickets to every Aces regular season home contest for the next three years, a custom UE Men’s Basketball jersey, exclusive UE experiences, and much more.
Levi McKinney named MVC Men’s Diver of the Week
McKinney broke two program records last week
- LOUIS – A record-breaking week for Levi McKinney got even better on Wednesday when he was named the Missouri Valley Conference Men’s Diver of the Week. The native of Boonville, Ind. set University of Evansville program records in both the 1-meter and 3-meter dives last weekend.
McKinney opened the week by setting the school record in the 3-meter dive against UIC. His score of 336.83 broke the previous record and qualified him for the NCAA Zones. He scored a 276.08 in the 1-meter dive to take third place.
One day later, McKinney broke another school mark in the meet at Southern Illinois. With a score of 335.80 in the 1-meter dive, McKinney reset the program record while earning another score that qualified him for the NCAA Zones. On top of that, he took the victory in the 3-meter event with a score of 329.05.
Aces volleyball announces addition of Savannah Gogel
Gogel is a native of Santa Claus, Ind.
EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Evansville head volleyball coach Zach Weinberg has announced the addition of Savannah Gogel to the Purple Aces program.
The native of Santa Claus, Ind. was a freshman last season at Northern Illinois University where she saw action in 40 sets while accumulating a total of 53 kills during the season.
“We’re thrilled to welcome Savannah back home to Southern Indiana! Savannah is uniquely familiar with Meeks Family Fieldhouse, having played on the same club team as our current team members Brooke, Kendall, and Hinsley,” Weinberg exclaimed. “She is a dynamic and physical middle blocker, who also can give us positional flexibility on the right side if needed. As a staff, we couldn’t be more excited to bring the quality of volleyball player and human being that Savannah is into the program!”
Gogel made her collegiate debut in August against Lamar and finished with three kills and two block assists. She posted her top effort in non-conference action against IU Indy where she tallied eight kills and four block assists.
On Halloween, Gogel had her top match of the season registering 13 kills while hitting .370. She added five block assists, two digs, and two service aces in a 5-set Mid-American Conference victory over Buffalo.
She graduated from Heritage Hills HS where she set the single-match school record for kills with 33. As a senior, Gogel accumulated 292 kills, a .314 hitting percentage, 35 aces, 150 digs, and 14 assists. She was a 4-time First Team All-Conference player while garnering All-District accolades on three occasions.
In the classroom, Gogel was equally impressive finishing in the top 10% of her class in all four years and was an Indiana Academic All-State Gold honoree.
USI to host Homecoming week January 24-31
The University of Southern Indiana will host its Homecoming Week, featuring a variety of events for USI students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends and families to enjoy Saturday through Saturday, January 24-31.
The 2026 Homecoming theme, “The Quest Less Traveled,” draws inspiration from student input, suggesting an enchanted forest look, as well as incorporating messaging from President Steve Bridges’ remarks during his Presidential Inauguration ceremony in October 2025.
Events include the second annual Homecoming Day of Service, the annual Office Decorating Contest, a Homecoming Ball and more. A full list of events and activities can be found on the Homecoming website.
On Saturday, January 31, USI Women’s and Men’s Basketball will host Southern Illinois University Edwardsville in Liberty Arena, Home of the Screaming Eagles. Games will begin at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. respectively. A Coronation Ceremony, recognizing 12 USI students selected for the 2026 Homecoming Court, will take place during halftime of the USI Men’s Basketball game. A queen and king will be crowned at the Ceremony.
During both basketball games, Alumni Engagement and Volunteer USI will offer face painting and caricature portraits. A table will be set up at the entrance of the Arena for alumni to claim a free t-shirt (while supplies last.
Homecoming is a time for our entire USI community—students, alumni, faculty, staff, and friends—to come together and celebrate the spirit of the Screaming Eagles,” says Dr. Abeer Mustafa, Vice President for Student Affairs. “This year’s theme, ‘The Quest Less Traveled,’ reflects our commitment to exploration, growth and creating meaningful connections. We look forward to seeing everyone join in the festivities to make lasting memories.”
EPD DAILY ACTIVITY REPORT
FOOTNOTE: EPD DAILY ACTIVITY REPORT information was provided by the EPD and posted by the City-County-County Observer without opinion, bias, or editing.
Otters announce first batch of returners for 2026 season
J.J. Cruz, a native of Cerritos, CA, returns to Evansville for his third season in 2026. Cruz joined the Otters midseason in 2024 and produced quietly in his 22 games, putting up a .250 average with five RBI. Last year, he emerged as one of Evansville’s strongest bats.
In his 80 games, Cruz collected a .236 average but backed it up with 10 doubles (T-6th on team), 11 home runs & 50 RBI (4th on team in both). Cruz had two multi-homer games in 2025, collecting a trio of round-trippers in Schaumburg on July 4 and putting up two in Mississippi on August 13.
Cruz played his college ball at Cal State Fullerton from 2020 to 2022 before transferring to Hope International for his final two seasons of college ball.
Nolan Thebiay, the right-handed pitcher who hails from Wilsonville, OR, is back for a second season in Evansville in 2026. In his debut professional season, Thebiay became one of Max Peterson’s go-to relievers in the bullpen, putting up the second most innings pitched out of the bullpen. Across 34 games in 2025, he put up a 2.89 ERA across 43.2 innings of work, with 48 strikeouts (3rd best among Otters relievers) to just 19 walks.
Thebiay played collegiately at Montana State-Billings for a pair of seasons before transferring to Jessup University for his final two years of college ball in 2024 and 2025.
Alex Valdez, from Las Matas de Farfan, Dominican Republic, joins the four signees from last week for a total of five Dominicans on the 2026 roster. Valdez was acquired by Evansville in 2024 in a trade with the Kansas City Monarchs of the American Association. In his 12 games with Evansville in 2024, he posted a 1.26 ERA in 14.1 innings.
Valdez saw his workload increase dramatically in 2025, serving as one of the primary back-end bullpen pieces. He saw action in 39 games and pitched a 3.40 ERA in 45.0 innings. He collected 52 strikeouts (2nd best among Otters relievers) to just 16 walks and had a team-high six saves.
Chase Waddell is primed and ready for his first full season of professional baseball. After signing with the Otters on August 25, he only made appearances in four games but hit for a .267 batting average. Waddell played collegiately at Barton College in Wilson, NC, just a few minutes from his hometown of Lucama.
In four seasons of college ball, Waddell had a .322 batting average with 136 RBI in 172 games. He averaged over a hit per game in his college career, collecting almost 200 total hits. Waddell has solid plate vision, finishing his college career with 31 walks to just 20 strikeouts in his senior year.
The Otters will continue to reveal signings for the upcoming 2026 season over the next few weeks. Season tickets and group offerings are available now for the 2026 season. Single game tickets will go on sale in February.