Forester Athletic Hall of Fame
Inducted 2008

Jackie Slaats was raised in Cuba City , Wisconsin , and was an all-state basketball player at Cuba City High School , which was 77-8 with three conference titles and a state championship during her four years on the team. She then played four years at Iowa State University and was a three-time Big 8 Academic Award recipient before graduating in 1986 with a bachelor's degree in physical education. She later earned a master's degree in education from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater.

Slaats began her coaching career at Lake Forest in the fall of 1986 as the Foresters' head volleyball and women's basketball coach. She directed the volleyball team for six years, winning a (then) program record 100 matches against 84 losses. The 1988 season was her most successful in the sport as she led the team to a 27-8 overall record. Slaats coached basketball at the College for 22 seasons and finished with a 386-133 overall record and 220-71 mark in Midwest Conference play . Her teams won at least 14 games in all but her first season and 20 or more eight times. The Foresters claimed conference titles in 1992, 1994, 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2007 and finished as the runner-up four more times. The team reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 1994, hosted a first round game in 2001 and reached the second round at home in 2007. Slaats was named Coach of the Year six times by the MWC and five by the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association. Her .743 career winning percentage ranked among the top 20 in NCAA Division III history at the time of her induction.