We Heart Tyler McGill! Help His Family Get to the Olympics

All eyes in Champaign-Urbana will be on the London Olympics and Paralympics later this month. Champaign-Urbana residents/natives as well as former and current University of Illinois athletes will have a major presence, representing the U.S. as well as Great Britain, Jamaica, and Canada.

The Olympians include Champaign-Urbana native and University of Illinois graduate Gia Lewis-Smallwood, a discus thrower, as well as swimmer Tyler McGill.

Tyler McGill olympics Champaign Urbana swimmer — Tyler McGill poses for a picture with his young fans after the Olympic Trials late last month. Tyler, a Champaign native, will swim the 100-meter butterfly in the London Olympics later this month. (LIz Brunson photo)

McGill is a Champaign Central graduate who will swim the 100 butterfly. A community effort to get Tyler’s family to London is underway.

This Sunday, July 15, Pia’s (1609 W. Springfield Ave., Champaign) will be sponsoring a fundraiser to help Tyler’s family fund their trip to watch him compete. They include mom Susan, a teacher at Champaign’s Bottenfield Elementary; his three siblings; a sister-in-law; and his wife. The event will feature a beef/chicken dinner for $7 (drinks will be available for purchase. Cash donations will also be accepted.

Family friend Liz Brunson, a local sports and events photographer whose children swam with Tyler and his siblings, is leading the fundraising effort.

“I was thrilled to be at the Olympic Trials to see him qualify for the Olympics,” she said.

Brunson and Nancy Sullivan are also selling the hottest T-shirt in town. You may have seen the “I Heart Tyler McGill” shirts (see photo) on the news or around C-U. T-shirts are selling for $20, in sizes from children’s XS to XL (crew neck) and adult S to XXL (crew neck or v-neck). Send your order to Nancy Sullivan at 1206 W. Armory, Champaign, 61821.

Champaign-Urbana Tyler McGill swim London Olympics

“We’ll have T-shirts for sale at Pia’s but if those sell out we’ll be ordering those after the fundraiser,” Brunson said.

McGill plans to be back in Champaign-Urbana in the fall, when he will be inducted into the Central High School Hall of Fame. He currently trains in Auburn, Alabama.

Stay tuned in the next few weeks for more news on the Champaign-Urbana Olympians and Paralympians.