Reflection #90: The Basketball Coaches

                  At the Hall-of-Fame Induction this past September, I was introduced to Matt Monroe, the new varsity basketball coach at St. Ignatius. I wish Matt nothing but the greatest success, and, judging  from what I read in his bio on the Ignatius website,  he is destined to be successful.  He is stepping into the shadow of the coaching icon, Rich Kehoe.  This chance meeting with Matt made me think about our athletic program in general and particularly the basketball program, during my first two decades at Ignatius.

                  With the busy holiday season approaching, the idea of writing an article about those times was put on the back burner until yesterday…New Years Day to be precise… when I received a phone call from Jeffery Carter, a former outstanding Ignatius basketball player from the class of ’76, and Coach Bob Gabric, our head b-ball coach from ’68 to ’79.                 

                  I started my teaching and coaching career in September of 1961.  From 1960 until 1970, we had five different head basketball coaches.  For those of you of a certain age, and care to reminisce, or those of you who are younger but want to impress your dads and grandfathers with your knowledge, they were:

                  1960 to 1963 Ralph Hinger

                  1963 to 1964 George Lux

                  1964 to 1967 Jim Enright

                  1967 to 1968 Tom O’Connor

                  1968 to 1979 Bob Gabric

                  By contrast, since 1979 there have only been three different coaches:   Rich Kehoe (1979 to 1986), Paul Pryma(1986 to 1992), John Tracy(1992 to 2003)

Then Kehoe returned in 2003 until he retired last year.

                  My involvement with Wolfpack basketball program didn’t begin until 1968, when I became the sophomore coach.  Officially, I was Bob Gabric’s assistant, but in reality, I wasn’t.  From 1968 to 1976, Bob was the varsity coach, I was the sophomore coach and Ron Cygan (class of ’62) was the freshmen coach.  That was it.  There were three coaches for the entire program.   In reading the Ignatius website description about the present-day basketball program, I saw that there are 6 coaches.   That’s great!

                  As an aside, from the time when Bob Gabric came to Ignatius in 1964, and we coached baseball together, he has been one of my best friends and a mentor.  I learned much about coaching and about life from Bob for which I will always be grateful.  I want to add that Jim Luzzi, ’65, our first and longtime soccer coach, has also expressed his admiration and appreciation for the lessons that Rich Kehoe has taught him.  Jim said that he had learned a great deal about organizing  practices and game plans from Rich.  Since Luzzi is one of the most organized men I have ever known, that is high praise indeed. 

                  There is a great deal more that can be said about the changes in the athletic program since the ‘70’s.  Among them the football program was eliminated (for 40 years), there were several league changes, and a new gym was built, but that’s enough for now.   Happy New Year.

                                   

                 
                                                      

Reflection #89: Yesterday meets Today

            Every evening at midnight, yesterday and today bump into each other, but, at Saint Ignatius over the last month-and-a-half, on three separate occasions, yesterday and today actually over lapped.  I refer to reunions.   

             In mid-September, the 50-year reunion of the class of ’66 was held.  The class of ’66 has a special place in my memory because they were the members of the freshman football team of 1962.  I was their coach, but on a fateful day in March, the school’s president, Fr. Robert Koch, S.J., announced that St. Ignatius was dropping football and dropping out of the Catholic League.  Don Lucas, one of the varsity’s assistant coaches, was instrumental in starting the baseball team that spring, and, with his encouragement, I became the frosh-soph baseball coach.  Several of the football players made the transition to the upstart hardball program.  I must admit that, meeting men that I coached when they were freshmen and are now eligible for social security, is a little unnerving, but it was great to learn what they had done with their lives.  

Then on September 30, six individuals, all alumni, and the 1991 Women’s Basketball Team, were inducted into the St. Ignatius Athletic Hall-of-Fame.  Strictly speaking, that’s not  officially a reunion, but for all intents and purposes, it is the same, especially when all of the inductees are alumni.   This years inductees were:

 Donald Mnichowicz, ’57(football),   Dr. Paul Poskozim, ‘57(tennis), Arthur Reliford Jr. ’92 (basketball),   Patricia Ryan, ‘95(volleyball), and the entire 1991 Women’s Basketball Team, several of whom I was fortunate enough to coach in tennis.

Finally, two inductees in the list are close friends of mine and both were inducted because of their coaching careers.  They are Jim Luzzi, class of ’65, who was the first and only head soccer coach at SICP from 1970 to 2014, and tennis coach Rychelle (Kitty) Hooper, ’87.   As a senior, she was the captain of the tennis team, and, at her graduation, was named Ignatian of the Year, an honor given by the vote of the senior class.   

 Last but not least, in mid-October, the 16^th to be exact, the reunions for the classes of  ’86, ‘81, ’76 and ’71 were held.   Again, it was my pleasure to meet up with alumni I had coached and/or taught.  I admit that, at this point in my life, my memory isn’t as sharp as I would like it to be, but then, it never was.   I am more likely to remember former athletes better than math students because there is an aspect to athletics that isn’t as common in the regular classroom setting.  It is emotion.

 Finally, how about the Wolfpack Football Team?  Going into the playoff game, their record was 7 wins and 3 loses.   Looking back to the fall of 1962, that record is magnificent. Granted, they lost to Br. Rice by a sizeable margin, and while the present-day players and coaches likely aren’t satisfied with their record, I am proud of how far we’ve progressed.

Reflection #88: Sports in the Early ‘60’s

           As a north-sider, before I signed the contract to teach at St. Ignatius High School, I didn’t even know that there was a high school named St. Ignatius.   I was a “public” and the Catholic high schools with which I was familiar were Loyola, St. George, DePaul, Gordon Tech and several parish high schools in the area.  Now DePaul and St. George no longer exist, and Gordon is now DePaul Prep.  Of course, Fenwick, Mount Carmel and a couple of others were known city-wide for their athletic accomplishments.                                                       *So when I arrived at St. Ignatius in Sept. of 1961, I had no idea what to expect with the athletic programs.  Tom O’Hara’s (class of  ’60) name was still spoken around the school in hushed tones.   In 1961, he was running for Loyola U., and in 1964 he broke the indoor 4-minute mile record just prior to becoming a member of the U.S.A. track team in the ’64 Tokyo Olympics.                                                                                                                                            In tennis in 1964, Mike Sheehan either won or came in 2^nd (memory is a little fuzzy on that) in the Illinois State Tennis Tournament.  The following year, Fred Hogan won, and set the state record in swimming in the 50 yard free style, and came in 2^nd in the 100-yard free-style event.

             It is easy to identify outstanding athletes in individual sports like track, swimming, tennis, golf and bowling.  If they won they were better.  Track men like George Sajewycz, ’62, and Bill Stevens, ’65, who made a name for themselves at Ignatius come to mind.  But the quality of a player can be lost in a team sport due to a mediocre team record and the skill set of his/her teammates. 

            Such was not the case in the fall of 1960.  In May of ’61.  Don Hogan was an outstanding football player who earned a scholarship to play at Notre Dame.  Joe Fisher, ’67, told me that he was the best athlete he ever saw at Ignatius and that seeing Hogan play actually convinced Joe that Ignatius was the school for him.  The yearbook that year said, “After the season’s 1^st  six games, the followers of the Wolves were excited about the stellar play of Don Hogan who led the league in scoring”, but the record at that point was an unimpressive 2 wins and 4 losses.  The best that the Ignatius fans could hope for was a “gracious” loss to league-leading Mount Carmel.  However, in that game, Hogan scored 2 touchdowns to earn a very unexpected 12-12 tie.

             As I became more familiar with, and involved in, St. Ignatius athletics, I saw many wonderful athletes which I am reluctant to name for fear of missing those who may be equally or more deserving of mention.  Of course, they didn’t participate so that some old man, 50 years later, could identify them.  They did what they did for the love of the sport and the spirit of competition.

            As a post script to this reminiscence, On Friday, Sept. 16^th, the class of 1966 held their 50-year reunion, and I was pleased to have visited with some of the freshmen football players that I coached from the 1962 team…which was the last one before the 40 year hiatus that Ignatius took from football until it was reinstated in 2003.                                        (*I apologies for the "strange" paragraph alignment.  Such is the level of my computer skills.) 

Reflection #87: A Confluence of Communiques

           As I mused about the next “reflection” subject, I received a  confluence of 3 communiqués from school.  The first was an invitation to the Saint Ignatius College Prep Claver Society Summer Soiree honoring Arthur J. Reliford Sr., class of ’72.   I didn’t know Art very well when he was a student, but other teachers, notably Fr. Link, talked of him in glowing terms.  I got to know Art better in the mid-‘80’s when he came back to Ignatius to teach science.  While he was teaching, he was also working diligently for the betterment of his community on the near southwest side.  I became even better acquainted with him when he volunteered to help me coach tennis in the mid-90’s.  Since then it has been my honor to have known him, worked with him and called him my friend. In the late ‘90’s, Art left Ignatius and eventually became the principal of Hales Franciscan High School.

            The second communiqué was a phone call from John Tucci, class of ’15, asking for some assistance in publicizing the expansion of the Monogram Club.  John, who is a college student, has been working during the summer with Pat Singler, in charge of Constituent Relations.   When I asked John for a “policy statement”, this was his response:   “The slogan for the Monogram Club is “COME BACK TO THE PACK!”  The Monogram Club aims to foster enduring relationships among current and former athletes, parents, and friends of SICP to perpetuate the legacy and rich tradition of Saint Ignatius Athletics.  We will host several social events during home games throughout the year to show our pride and support for current athletes. In addition to this, we will provide you with season updates on current athletic teams. All members of the Saint Ignatius Family are invited to participate in any of our events, or programs. Whether you are a former athlete, a parent or a friend of SICP, we have something for everyone.  Learn more today by visiting www.ignatiuschicago.org/monogramclub.

            I think this is a grand idea.

            Finally. Ryan Bergin posted an article written by Justin Breen, a reporter for DNAinfo, about Tom O’Hara, Ignatius class of 1960.  The point of the article was that Tom, Chicago’s greatest miler, was the “forgotten hero”.  In the article, Breen points out that O’Hara “became the first Illinois runner to break the 4-minute barrier, clocking a 3:59.4 in 1963.  He set the indoor mile world record at Chicago Stadium on March 4, 1964, with a 3:56.4 — a mark he held until 1974.”

            That article prompted me to remember some other great Ignatius athletes of that era…the early 60’s.   In my next “Reflection”, I will recall some of the other Ignatius athletic “greats” and their coaches from the 60’s.

Reflection #86: May Flowers

            May has always been an exciting month in schools…at least in private schools.  Things are coming to completion.  Whether or not all of the subject material has been covered, term papers will be due and final exams will be given.  Grades will be handed in and plans for the summer will have been made.

            It is also the time of year when individuals will be recognized for their achievements and awards will be presented.  This year was no exception.  On May 7^th, at the Chairman’s Dinner, Drs. Ivan and Swat Pacold were presented the Pope Francis Transformation Award for their service and generosity to St. Ignatius College Prep.  It gave me the chance to catch up with their 6 children, all of whom are alumni and successful in their own particular fields of endeavor.

            On the May 20^th, the end-of-the-year student Mass was held.  It is now referred to as the “Jubilarian Mass” because alumni who graduated at least 50 years ago are invited to attend.  The Mass is followed by a reception on the 4^th floor of the school in what use to be called the “Jesuit Library”.  If you were a student in the ‘60’s or ‘70’s, you weren’t allowed to go there.  Now it is often the site for receptions and dinners at reunions and other important school events.

This Mass is also the occasion for recognizing students who will be going on summer service projects, generally working in communities where folks are in need.  It is also at the end of this Mass that students, one per class, who have distinguished themselves through the school year, are given a special award.

            The freshman award is named for Fr. Florian Zimicki, S.J., a Jesuit who taught Latin at SICP for many years.   The sophomore-of-the-year award is named after Ron Jemiola, an outstanding student who was struck and killed by a car as he crossed Roosevelt Road following his last exam of his sophomore year.

            The Junior-of-the-Year award holds a special significance for me personally.  First of all, because it is named for a very good friend of mine, Carmen Pintozzi, who passed away suddenly in January of  ’70.  Carm was an alumnus(class of ’56), outstanding teacher (head of the history department) and coach for 10 years.  It was particularly meaningful to me this year, because my granddaughter was allowed to make the presentation.   I’ll admit that grandpa had trouble holding back the tears that day.  Actually I didn’t hold back the tears; only the sobbing.

            That’s all for now.  Have a great summer.