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For old-time football fans and historians who take the game and its traditions more seriously than many others, here are lists of the most successful coaches, players and teams in Illinois history:
I wonder how many trivia fans are aware that East St. Louis' Wirt Downing is the winningest coach in state history. He was the pioneer of a program that has won more games than any other in the state and has become one of the winningest in the country under the leadership of Downing, Fred Cameron, Bob Shannon and Darren Sunkett.
The winningest team of the decades? I'll bet many fans would have bet on Mount Carmel in the 1990s or Wheaton Warrenville South in the 1990s or Maine South in the 2000s. But they aren't even close to the top of the list. The leader is Ottawa in the 1960s.
My list of the top players I covered during my 33-year career at the Chicago Daily News and Sun-Times might stir up a few arguments. But they are my favorites, not only for their skills and achievements and body of work, but for their attitude and spirit and personality.
WINNINGEST COACHES
(10 years or more, based on winning percentage)
Coach/School Years Won Lost Tie Pct.
Wirt Downing, East St. Louis 16 145 17 7 .879
Bob Reade, Geneseo 17 147 19 4 .876
Murney Lazier, Evanston 18 125 17 4 .864
Glenn Holmes, Oak Park-River Forest 19 139 19 9 .859
Bob Shannon, East St. Louis 20 202 34 0 .856
X--Frank Lenti, Mount Carmel 26 292 51 0 .851
John Wrenn, Homewood-Flossmoor 10 99 18 0 .846
X--Dan Sharp, Joliet Catholic 13 141 26 0 .844
Jim Unruh, Carthage (Illini West) 23 230 44 0 .839
X--Cullen Welter, Aledo 11 113 22 0 .837
Al Martin, Du Quoin 21 215 43 0 .833
A.L. Cronin, Leo (Chicago) 13 91 17 3 .833
Randy Hofman, Richmond-Burton 13 116 24 0 .829
Dan Darlington, Morris 28 264 55 0 .828
X--Pat Ryan, Metamora 20 199 42 0 .826
Fred Cameron, East St. Louis 16 122 22 10 .825
Ken Leonard, Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin 26 247 53 0 .823
X--Rigo Schmelzer, Bloomington 17 160 37 0 .812
Tony Lawless, Fenwick (Oak Park) 25 172 40 6 .803
X--Mike Noll, Glenbrook South 23 188 46 0 .803
Jerry Auchstetter, Geneva 19 142 35 1 .801
Denny Dieriex, Geneseo 13 120 30 0 .800
Bob Horsley, Wheaton (Central) 14 98 23 4 .800
Gordie Gillespie, Joliet Catholic 27 222 54 6 .798
X--active
WINNINGEST TEAMS
(Based on decades)
School Decade Won Lost Tie Pct.
Ottawa 1960s 81 6 3 .931
Westville 1920s 75 6 6 .926
Evanston 1960s 73 6 1 .924
Mount Carmel (Chicago) 1990s 122 12 0 .912
Maine South 2000s 117 13 0 .900
Geneseo 1970s 98 10 3 .900
Providence (New Lenox) 1990s 114 13 0 .898
Hinsdale Central 1960s 68 9 3 .883
St. Teresa (Decatur) 1970s 90 12 1 .882
Oak Park-River Forest 1930s 70 10 6 .875
Wheaton (Central) 1920s 69 10 2 .873
Tuscola 1940s 71 11 5 .866
Joliet Catholic 1970s 96 15 2 .865
Wheaton Warrenville South 1990s 110 18 0 .860
Lake Forest 1960s 67 11 5 .859
Richmond-Burton 1980s 89 15 0 .856
Jacksonville Routt 1970s 84 14 2 .856
Metamora 1970s 86 15 3 .851
Moweaqua Central A&M 1990s 102 18 0 .850
Sterling Newman 1990s 101 18 0 .848
Naperville Central 1940s 67 12 8 .848
McHenry 1990s 89 17 0 .840
Du Quoin 1990s 104 20 0 .840
Loyola (Wilmette) 1960s 79 15 5 .840
Morris 1980s 94 18 0 .839
Morris 1990s 96 19 0 .835
St. Laurence (Burbank) 1970s 89 20 0 .835
Lyons (La Grange) 1940s 60 12 4 .833
Marengo 1960s 69 14 4 .831
Flora 1940s 68 14 3 .829
Mount Carmel (Downstate) 1980s 91 19 0 .827
Mount Carmel (Downstate) 1990s 90 19 0 .826
Jacksonville 1950s 71 14 3 .825
Glenbard West (Glen Ellyn) 1970s 77 17 0 .819
Geneseo 1980s 90 20 0 .828
Virden 1990s 87 20 0 .813
Joliet Catholic 1980s 96 21 0 .812
Rock Island 1940s 70 17 3 .805
Effingham 1960s 66 16 6 .805
Tinley Park 1970s 72 18 0 .800
TAYLOR BELL'S ALL-TIME TEAM
(From 1962 to 2001)
OFFENSE
Position Player, School Year
WR Jimmy Smith, Blue Island Eisenhower 1972
WR Dempsey Norman, Tilden (Chicago) 1983
L Dennis Lick, St. Rita (Chicago) 1971
L Mike Kenn, Evanston 1973
L Tom Thayer, Joliet Catholic 1979
L Jim Juriga, Wheaton North 1982
L Tim Grunhard, St. Laurence (Burbank) 1985
QB Mark Carlson, Deerfield 1975
B Billy Marek, St. Rita (Chicago) 1971
B Mike Alstott, Joliet Catholic 1991
FL Jon Schweighardt, Wheaton Warrenville South 1998
DEFENSE
L Dave Butz, Maine South (Park Ridge) 1968
L Keena Turner, Vocational (Chicago) 1975
L Chris Boskey, St. Francis de Sales (Chicago) 1978
L Bryant Young, Bloom (Chicago Heights) 1989
LB Tony Furjanic, Mount Carmel (Chicago) 1981
LB John Foley, St. Rita (Chicago) 1985
LB Clay Matthews, New Trier (Winnetka) 1973
B Jack Bastable, Wheeling 1968
B Dwayne Goodrich, Richards (Oak Lawn) 1995
B Quinn Buckner, Thornridge (Dolton) 1971
B Mike Prior, Marian Catholic (Chicago Heights) 1981
Cell Phone Alerts
Ding... Ding... Ding! I knew this answer, hell, if I did not say so I would never be allowed back in the East Boogie (E. St. Louis).
I have numerous family from the city, my Dad lived no more than a 40-yard in and out route from old E. St. Louis Lincoln High School.
Many, talked of the crime, drugs, and murder that rivaled the nation's largest cities. However, I always loved going down there to see my grandmother, sneaking out the back door after breakfast, to compete against the eastside kids.
Now, I'm no "football guy", but; playing basketball against these kids was like going to the westside of Chicago to the Marilac House, and announcing I'm from the south side and I came to serve you guys on the court...
Not a good idea!
Basketball to Chicago, is what football was to E. St. Louis- sorry Bennie Lewis). Hell, these kids would ask me; "Hey Curt, come play some tackle football with us on the. Yard behind Lincoln"? Stupidly, I went and found out that field looked to covered more with rocks, glass and gravel with only pimple size patches of grass
I did not last long, and I'd get former Lincoln basketball greats Calvin Phiefer and Tyrone Jackson to save my -ss!.
E. St. Louis suffered many of their on version of "Katrina" from the devastating floods of the Mississippi River over the years, clearing out the old John D. Shields project where my Dad and his two sisters and three brothers grew up.
My father left there with $18 dollars in his pocket, got a job at the old post office downtown slinging bags by night and going to school by day. Spent nearly 30 years teaching through the many strike years of the Chicago Public Schools system and teaching some college courses at North Park.
When I think of E. St. Louis High School Sports History importance, I think in this order:
1.) Football
2.) Track
3. Basketball
Excuse typos, traveling...
Curtis K. Jackson Sr.
Uhhh Taylor I think you missed Howard Jones running back for Evanston.
Mr. Bell, I have been a big fan of your work, and even had the honor of meeting you some years ago. Thank you for your coverage of HS athletics.
I have a question though ... I noticed that Ottawa, back in the 1960s, has an impressive record of 81 wins in 90 games. Wouldn't that give them a winning percentage of 0.900 instead of 0.931? I am not completely familiar with how football traditionally handles ties in this regard, so I am looking to be educated on this ... I was always under the impression that the winning percentage was wins/total games ... with ties counting toward total games, but not towards wins.