SSHOF Inductee Coni Staff with presenters Mayor Misty Buscher and SSHOF President Kevin O’Dea
Coni Staff, a 1970 Springfield High School graduate and a true trailblazer in women’s athletics. At a time when interscholastic competition for girls was limited, Coni showcased her athletic talent early on, winning multiple events at the Springfield Junior Sports Track and Field Meet in the 1960s.
During her time at Springfield High, she dominated in the 100-yard dash, long jump, and softball throw while anchoring the 880-yard relay. Her athletic achievements and academic excellence earned her a national E.R. Moore Scholarship to Illinois State University, where she became a four-sport varsity athlete, excelling in softball, basketball, volleyball, and field hockey. Coni played a pivotal role in ISU’s volleyball team, which won the United States Volleyball Association tournament, and helped lead the softball team to a national runner-up finish in 1973.
Coni’s impressive career continued with invitations to the World University Games and U.S. Olympic basketball training camps, before she played in the International Women’s Professional Softball Association. Her legacy expanded into coaching and teaching at several universities, including University of California-Berkeley and San Francisco State University, where she dedicated 46 years to collegiate athletics.
