There was no doubt in Mike Hebert’s mind who the University of Illinois volleyball program’s most important player was in his early years as UI’s head coach.

In his 1993 book entitled “The Fire Still Burns”, Hebert wrote about the young woman from Lockport named Denise Fracaro who he called “the catalyst for our success.”

Now married for 31 years to former Illini football star Jim Juriga — a former Denver Bronco who eventually became a veterinarian — Denise’s teams improved from 5-25 as a sophomore in 1983 to 39-3 as a senior in 1985.

“Denise represented the transition from the old system to the new,” Herbert wrote. “And she’d resisted it at first; she hadn’t been eager to buy into our new system. She was more comfortable doing things the old way in 1983. In 1984, she started to come around and was kind of on the fence about how we were doing things. But when she came back in ’85, she came back as our captain and had a terrific season. She was our emotional and spiritual leader, and our performance leader on the floor. More than any other player, Denise embodied the transition of the Illini program from celler-dweller to contender.”

Hebert especially remembered his senior’s efforts in a 1985 match when the unbeaten Illini (19-0) traveled to Minnesota to play the host Gophers in Minneapolis.

“It came down to game five, and we were losing 10-2, with the winning streak on the line. Worse than that, as far as Denise was concerned, we were getting beaten up at Minnesota again,” Hebert wrote. “We took our second timeout and gathered around the bench. Denise came to the huddle and was absolutely possessed. I’ll never forget her words: ‘I’m a senior this year and I am not losing to this team again,’ she said. ‘I am not leaving this building without beating Minnesota.’ And she made good on her vow, bringing us back for a 16-14 victory.”

“That is my strength,” said Fracaro Juriga, a four-time Illini letterwinner. “That’s still me. I am an emotionally-charged person. I really believe that when you have your mind focused, it’s amazing what happens. It’s amazing to see the other team start to tank. When you are believing what you’re doing, you can see in their eyes that they’re starting to fold, they’re starting to back down. And then that fires you even more. You’re looking through that net and you’re like ‘Oh, yeah, this is happening.’ You’ve got to have the players, too, and we did. We had smart players, really smart. We were not the most athletic. We were not the tallest. But when you have chemistry and you’re smart … oh my gosh, it’s amazing. Fun was the key. Mike let us have a lot of fun out there.”

Denise Fracaro Juriga’s name is still prominent in the Illini volleyball record book. Thirty-five years after last wearing the Orange & Blue, she still holds UI’s single-season records for solo blocks (44 in 1985) and total blocks (227 in ’85).

She’ll celebrate her birthday this coming Thursday in Batavia with her husband, a daughter (Kimberly, who’s currently getting a doctorate in veterinary medicine at UIUC) and two sons (Jake, an instructor at the Naval Academy, and Luke). Following an superb college career at Western Michigan, Luke is currently a free agent center with the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles.

Here are some of Denise’s memories about her coaches, teammates and events:

On Mike Hebert: “Mike knew what he wanted to establish. His attitude was, ‘Clean house, set the tone and get rid of whoever couldn’t cut the mustard.’ I really bought into the things he was trying to do. I didn’t care that much for volleyball until Mike came. I went to Illinois for the education and Mike made volleyball real. He made a huge impact on me.”

On assistant coach Don Hardin: “I loved the combination of Mike and Don. Don had to play a role that did not make him the most liked, but he had a great way of occasionally letting you know that you really mattered.”

When did she see things were going to turn around? “It was the European trip before our senior season. We started to really bond.”

On becoming campus celebrities: “It was special because even our professors acknowledged (our success). We were getting noticed by not only the fans, but also the faculty. It was great to see Mike White and Lou Henson come to our games.”

On winning at then-powerhouse Western Michigan in UI’s first NCAA tournament appearance: “They had the most fans we had ever played in front of — I think it was 10,000. I remember seeing Western’s coach before the match with this condescending look on his face and I could not wait to wipe that smirk off his face. He definitely had more athletic players than we did, but we played smart and it made them play worse.”

On teammate Mary Eggers: “What made her even better was that she gave me all the praise. Mary was a freshman when I was a senior and she looked up to me. That just blew me away. She always treated me like I was way ahead of her, but skill-wise I was not.”

On teammate Sandy Scholtens: “She was feisty and had energy and spirit. She wouldn’t back down.”

On teammate Disa Johnson: “Disa was so smart. She made an average hitter great.”

On former UI administrator Karol Kahrs: “It all would not have happened without her. What a commitment she had for women’s sports.”

Illini Birthdays

Sunday: Jakari Norwood, football (21)

Monday: John Groce, basketball coach (49)

Tuesday: Trent Frazier, basketball (22)

Wednesday: Tristin Nowlin, golf

Thursday: Joe Corley, track & field (88)

Friday: Mike Price, basketball (72)

Saturday: Jennifer DeBellis, track & field

By Mike Pearson, author of Illini Legends, Lists & Lore (Third Edition now available in stores). Get more Illini birthdays, trivia and historical tidbits daily on Twitter @IlliniLegends and @B1GLLL. His website is www.SportsLLL.com.

Also, if you’ve got an Illini SuperFan in your family who will soon be celebrating a ‘milestone’ birthday, we’d love to try and include them in our weekly birthday list that always runs with our ‘Legends, Lists and Lore,’ entries. Email their name, age and hometown to Mike Pearson at pearsonmlpp1@roadrunner.com.