Hall of Fame
Scoring 1,233 points in one's collegiate career is a feat in itself. Tacking on 1,001 rebounds during the same span represents quite a performance. Diane Comer reached both exploits in unfathomable time, a mere three seasons. She is one of only two players in the 20-year history of the program to produce such numbers and the only player to do so in the three-year block of time. Comer and head coach Les Cox made their way to St. Francis in 1984 after leading Joliet Junior College to the finals of the regional tournament, the lone remaining step prior to nationals. Their winning ways continued with the Lady Saints in the 1986-87 campaign when the program gained its first District 20 Championship since 1982. It turned out to be the first of three straight NAIA state titles for the program. Comer, who was bestowed with Player of the Year accord from both the conference and the district that winter on her way to NAIA All-America Honorable Mention recognition, averaged career-bests in both points (16.5 ppg) and rebounds (13.1). Opposite four NCAA I programs that season, she averaged 18.0 points, 13.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists. Included was a 25-point, 22-rebound effort in a 71-66 overtime victory over Valparaiso (IN). Other numbers during that senior campaign for her comprised scoring 17 or more points in 18 of 32 games and tallying at least 10 rebounds in 27 games. Comer's 23 caroms vs. Wisconsin-Parkside on November 18 of that season still stands as a top mark in the record books as does her 418 boards for the season. Both a two-time all-district and all-conference selection, she averaged 13.1 points and 10.6 rebounds for her career as a center. Comer's name can be found in no less than seven separate Top Ten lists in both single season and career marks, including a No. 2 standing in career rebounds and the fifth spot in total points. A 1987 graduate of CSF with a bachelor's degree in Therapeutic Recreation, she also earned her master's in Counseling just this past month.
