Scholarships

The Plainfield Highschool Alumni Association wants to partner with you in awarding scholarships.

Call us at 815-436-7300 or email at: phsalumniassoc@comcast.net

Matthew T. Wiley Football Scholarship

Matthew touched so many lives on so many levels. He was literally loved by people all over the world. And he LOVED people! He was dedicated to his friends and family and also in his work ethics.

Matt’s passion for playing football showed by the many awards he received in high school. He had the ‘energizer bunny’ attitude that helped to keep ‘the team’ going strong. Although he didn’t play football his junior year because of a knee injury, he made up for lost time his senior year. In his senior year in 2000 ‘the team’ went 9-0 and took the conference. They advanced to the quarterfinals losing to Glenbard North high school. That was a very exciting season!

The Beacon and The Star newspaper voted Matt in to their ‘All Area’ football team and The Joliet Herald voted him in to their ‘All Area’ runner up team. He also received the “All Conference’ offensive lineman award. And last but not least winning the Jeff Hiller award along with Nick Turvey for ‘best offensive’ linemen was the award he treasured the most.

Matt received a football scholarship to McKendree College and played for 1 season. After attending 2 years of college Matt decided to join the Army and was stationed in Korea. When he got out of the Army, he became a certified B class EMT and a volunteer firefighter for the Plainfield fire department while working as a union laborer. His life ended due to injuries sustained in a car accident at the age of 24.

Because of Matt’s love for the game of football, his family has set up a football scholarship in his honor and memory. This scholarship will be awarded to a college bound Plainfield Central High School football player in his/her senior year that shows the same passion and drive that Matt had for the game.

The Wiley Family