August 2010 Archives

(Note: My fourth book, "Dusty, Deek, and Mr. Do-Right: High School Football In Illinois," published by University of Illinois Press, is currently available online through University of Illinois Press, Borders, Barnes & Noble and Amazon and at your local bookstore. To my knowledge, it is the only book ever written on the subject. So I wanted to cover everything. I wrote 150,000 words. The publisher wanted closer to 100,000. So, regrettably, I had to delete several stories from the first manuscript. Beginning last week and continuing for the next several weeks, I will print those stories. I hope you enjoy them--and the book, too.)

To this day, Mike O'Neill hasn't gotten over it. He is retired after coaching football for 20 years at Andrew High School in Tinley Park but he still remembers that day in 1977 when, as an assistant at St. Laurence, the heavily favored Vikings lost 14-0 to Deerfield in the semifinals of the state playoff and coach Tom Kavanagh quit.

I've visited communities from Cobden to Waukegan, from Warsaw to Paris, during my 50-year career of covering high school sports in Illinois. And I've often wondered why more schools don't construct Halls of Fame to honor their distinguished coaches, athletes and teams of yesteryear.

There are a few noteworthy exceptions. Centralia hung the retired jerseys of Lowell Spurgeon, Dike Eddleman and Bobby Joe Mason amid dozens of trophies, plaques and team pictures in the hallway of old Trout Gym. Quincy and Collinsville have recognized their great traditions. Even old West Rockford, now a middle school, has a room devoted to coach Alex Saudargas' state championship years of 1955 and 1956.

But nothing compares to the Lou Boudreau Room at Thornton in Harvey.

Henry Thomas was a 5-6 point guard at Harlan High School in Chicago who proved he could play at the major college level. Now is he is of the most high powered agents in professional basketball with a stable of clients that once included Tim Hardaway and now features Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh, Michael Finley, Anthony Parker, Devin Harris, Shaun Livingston, Ronnie Brewer, Udonis Haslem and Dee Brown.

Thomas, 57, is 1970 graduate of Harlan and a 1974 graduate of Bradley. He attended DePaul's law school and obtained a master's degree in taxation in 1984. He was influenced into representing professional players by Joe Napoli, who taught a business law course at Bradley and also represented former Westinghouse star Hersey Hawkins. He also taught a sports law seminar at DePaul for 23 years.

(Note: My fourth book, "Dusty, Deek, and Mr. Do-Right: High School Football In Illinois," published by University of Illinois Press, is currently available online through University of Illinois Press, Borders, Barnes & Noble and Amazon and at your local bookstore. To my knowledge, it is the first book ever written on the subject. So I wanted to cover everything. I wrote 150,000 words. The published wanted closer to 100,000. So, regrettably, I had to delete several stories from the final manuscript. Beginning today and continuing in the next several weeks, I will print those stories. I hope you enjoy them--and the book, too.)

High school football has changed a lot since Red Grange played at Wheaton in the post-World War I era. And the game has changed a lot since Scott Dierking played at West Chicago in the early 1970s.

Glenbard West's Tommy Schutt has been described as "a freak of nature" by scouts and coaches who have observed him. The 6-3, 285-pound defensive tackle is the No. 1 player in the class of 2012, one of the top 25 juniors in the nation, according to Chicago-based recruiting analyst Tom Lemming. Nobody seems to be arguing the point.

"Freak of nature" is putting it mildly. As a sophomore, Schutt was listed as 5-11 and 185 pounds on the game program early in the season and for the state championship. It must have come as a big surprise to rival coaches who were evaluating game film.

"They messed up. I was really 6-3 and weighed 275 pounds at the time. But they never changed it," Schutt recalled.

All of the controversy regarding his recruitment notwithstanding, 6-10 senior Anthony Davis Jr. of Chicago Perspectives by all accounts is a special basketball player. The fact that virtually nobody heard about the once obscure youngster until a few months ago only adds meat and potatoes to what could be a saga of legendary proportions.

There may have been doubts and skepticism early. But no longer, certainly not from anyone who has seen him play more than once or twice. Syracuse had barely seen Davis work up a sweat before becoming the first school to offer a scholarship. Kentucky, Ohio State, Duke and North Carolina called. His three-year-old high school, buried in the Public League's Blue-West Division, quickly attracted invitations to three major events.

So how good is he? Is he the best big man Illinois has produced since Kevin Garnett? Is he better than Hall of Famer Dan Issel? Is he better than Russell Cross?

Practice for the 2010 high school football season in Illinois begins Wednesday and nobody is looking forward to his first tackling session than James Adeyanju, Curie's 6-3, 245-pound defensive end.

Adeyanju is one of the leading college prospects in the state and one of the few who remains uncommitted and insists he won't make a decision until after the season. Glenbard West's Jordan Walsh has committed to Iowa, Vernon Hills' DaVaris Daniels is hoping Notre Dame will accept him, Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin's Ryan Klachko chose Nebraska, Naperville North's Nick Lifka is pledged to Boston College and Fremd's Brian Bobek and Vernon Hills' Evan Spencer will attend Ohio State.

But Adeyanju isn't in a hurry to make one of the biggest decisions of his life.

Football fans in Illinois and the Chicago area who have followed the high school game for years and annually are caught up in the college recruiting process ought to enjoy two books that became available this week.

They are "Dusty, Deek, and Mr. Do-Right: High School Football In Illinois," my fourth book and second for University of Illinois Press, and Tom Lemming's Prep Football Report, evaluations by the Chicago-based recruiting analyst of more than 1,200 prospects from 50 states in the class of 2011.

My book, the first historical study of high school football in Illinois, can be obtained online at University of Illinois Press, Borders, Barnes and Noble and Amazon or at your local bookstore.

For years, whenever the subject of the best high school basketball teams in Illinois history is entertained, Marshall's unbeaten 1958 squad is always included among the top five--usually with Thornridge 1972, Quincy 1981, Collinsville 1961 and Taylorville 1944.

But Spin Salario, Marshall's coach, and George Wilson, the Commandos' three-time All-Stater, insist that the 1960 team was better than 1958.

"I think the 1960 team was better because of their outstanding defense and offense," Salario e-mailed to me from his home in Wheeling. "An interesting point: When we won in 1960, we were so far ahead in the championship game that I substituted my starters with at least five minutes to play.

"Jerry Holtzman of the Sun-Times made the comment: 'What is he doing? Marshall can break the all-time scoring record.' My answer was that I would never demean a coach by running up a score."

The Chicago area recently lost two of the most prolific high school basketball players in history, Gene Jendra of Chicago Vocational and Chet Strumillo of Morton in Cicero. Old-timers recall their feats with awe. Strumillo was an All-Stater while leading Morton to the 1941 state championship. Jendra was a two-time All-Public League selection in the 1950s.

Strumillo died on July 27. He was 86. In 1941, as a junior, he captained coach Norm Ziebell's Morton team to a 23-4 record and a 32-31 victory over Urbana in the state final. His teammates included Ray Leitner, Joe Demkovich, Bob Hoffman and Fred Ploegman.

In the semifinals, Morton scored one of the major upsets in tournament history, edging Dike Eddleman and Centralia's celebrated Wonder Five 30-29. It was only Centralia's second loss in 46 games.