Chicago Catholic League

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The Chicago Catholic League (CCL) is a high school athletic conference in Chicago, Illinois, USA. The schools are all part of the Illinois High School Association. The conference is made up of the male teams from the member schools.

Contents

[edit] History

The Chicago Catholic League was formed in 1912 as a way to give the all-male Catholic schools of the area interscholastic competition. The move to form the league was precipitated when the dominant high school league in the metropolitan area, the Cook County High School League, rejected the application of two Catholic high schools. Early in the fall of 1912 St. Ignatius Academy and DePaul Academy applied to join the Cook County League, and found that their applications were subject to a “delay.” The Catholic schools could smell a whiff of anti-Catholicism in the league’s rejection, and a movement began in early October to form a football league. They gathered eight schools for the groundbreaking meeting—DePaul Academy, St Ignatius Academy, St Rita’s College, St. Cyril’s College, Cathedral High, St. Philips High, Loyola Academy,, and De la Salle Institute—but could not get together on the particulars of the league to form a football league.

Finally, in the third week of November, the schools managed to form a league and drew up a schedule of games in basketball and indoor baseball. The founding members of the league were St. Stanislaus, De la Salle, DePaul, St. Ignatius, St. Cyril, St. Philips, and Cathedral. Loyola Academy did not initially join. By the spring when a baseball schedule was drawn up, Holy Trinity and Loyola had joined the league, but Cathedral dropped out, leaving an eight-team circuit. In the fall of 1913, the league introduced football. By the following year, league champion DePaul, felt feisty enough to invite St. John’s Preparatory from Danvers, Massachusetts, to Chicago to engage in an intersectional contest. DePaul narrowly lost the game, but it demonstrated to the league that its program was thriving. More schools joined the circuit before the decade was up, St. Patrick in 1913, and St. Mel in 1918.

Because the Catholic school population relative to the mainstream public secondary schools and the private school was more an immigrant and working class population, the sports that the league initially sponsored reflected this demographic makeup. For example, during the first four years of the league’s existence, only baseball, basketball, indoor baseball, and football were offered. Basketball was the most robust sport, as the league not only provided for heavyweight and lightweight schedules, but also bantamweight (added in 1919) and flyweight competition (added in the early 1920s). The Chicago Public High School League and Suburban League offered basketball only in the heavyweight and lightweight classes, after experimenting only a few years with a bantamweight class. The Catholic League added track and field in 1917, but it was not until 1924 that three “country club” sports were added to the league’s schedule—golf, tennis, and swimming. The addition of these sports brought the league up to the level of offerings by the Chicago and Suburban public leagues, which helped raise in the Catholic minds anyway that they were fully American, and fully worthy of being treated as equals. The 1920s also saw the addition of more schools to the league—St. George, Joliet De la Salle, and Fenwick.

Some of the schools that formed the league are still around today and have enjoyed great athletic and academic success. Some of the charter schools that remain as of the end of the 2006-07 school year include Chicago Mt. Carmel, St. Rita of Cascia, De La Salle HS, and St. Ignatius College Prep. Prior to 1974, when the Illinois state football playoffs began, other schools that participated in the league but have since left or have closed include Holy Trinity of Chicago, St. Mel's of Chicago, St. George HS of Evanston, St. Phillip HS of Chicago, and De Paul Academy. Also, Mendel Catholic Prep School was a long time member of the CCL until a name change in the 1990s turned it into St Martin de Porres HS; that campus is now under Chicago Public League auspices as Gwendolyn Brooks Prep. Archbishop Weber (originally St. Stanislaus) was also a long time member of the CCL until shutting down for good before the 1998 school year. St. Francis de Sales of Chicago, Hales Franciscan HS and Seton Prep are also members of the league.

The CCL has been so dominant in football that the IHSA has taken steps to try and make the road to the state championships harder for the League. The state has instituted a 1.65 enrollment multiplier to all private schools in the state. This was to try and stop football success but was applied to all sports.

[edit] Member Schools

[edit] Baseball

State Champions

  • 1982 - Providence Catholic - Class A
  • 1976 - Brother Rice

State Runner-up

  • 2005 - Mount Carmel - Class AA
  • 1989 - Bishop McNamara - Class A
  • 1981 - Brother Rice - Class AA

[edit] Basketball

Recently the Catholic League has been dominated by Brother Rice, Leo, Loyola, Hales Franciscan, and Fenwick.

State Champions

  • 2005 - Hales Franciscan - Class A
  • 2004 - Leo - Class A
  • 2003 - Hales Franciscan - Class A
  • 1985 - Mount Carmel - Class AA
  • 1979 - Providence Catholic - Class A

State Runner-up

  • 1993 - Hales Franciscan - Class A
  • 1990 - Gordon Tech - Class AA
  • 1988 - St. Francis De Sales - Class AA
  • 1982 - Mendel Catholic - Class AA

[edit] Cross Country

State Champions

  • A CCL school has never won the Cross Country State Championship

State Runner-up

  • 1982 - St. Ignatius - Class AA

[edit] Football

The Chicago Catholic League is divided into a Blue, a White, and a Green Conference. The Blue includes Brother Rice, Loyola, Mount Carmel, St. Rita, and Providence. The White includes DeLaSalle, (Oak Park) Fenwick, St. Ignatius, (Kankakee) Bishop McNamara, and (Burbank) St. Laurence. The Green includes (River Grove) Guerin Prep, Gordon Tech, St. Francis de Sales, (South Holland) Seton Academy, Hales Franciscan, and Leo. The Blue Division is considered the best football conference in the state of Illinois.

Prep Bowl

The Prep Bowl is a contest played between the Chicago Catholic League and the Chicago Public League and is played at Chicago's Soldier Field. It was established in 1927 and was the premier high school football event in Illinois until the IHSA formed the state championship football playoffs in 1974. Thereafter the Prep Bowl was a contest of also-rans in the Catholic and Public school leagues.

State Champions

  • 2006 - St. Rita - Class 7A
  • 2004 - Providence - Class 6A
  • 2002 - Providence - Class 5A
  • 2002 - Mount Carmel - Class 6A
  • 2001 - Providence - Class 6A
  • 2000 - Mount Carmel - Class 5A
  • 1999 - Mount Carmel - Class 5A
  • 1998 - Mount Carmel - Class 5A
  • 1997 - Providence - Class 4A
  • 1996 - Mount Carmel - Class 5A
  • 1996 - Providence - Class 4A
  • 1995 - Providence - Class 4A
  • 1994 - Providence - Class 5A
  • 1993 - Loyola Academy - Class 6A
  • 1991 - Mount Carmel - Class 5A
  • 1991 - Providence - Class 4A
  • 1990 - Mount Carmel - Class 5A
  • 1989 - Mount Carmel - Class 5A
  • 1988 - Mount Carmel - Class 6A
  • 1987 - Bishop McNamara - Class 3A
  • 1986 - Bishop McNamara - Class 3A
  • 1985 - Bishop McNamara - Class 3A
  • 1981 - Brother Rice - Class 6A
  • 1980 - Gordon Tech - Class 6A
  • 1980 - Mount Carmel - Class 5A
  • 1978 - St. Rita - Class 5A
  • 1976 - St. Laurence - Class 5A

State Runner-up

  • 2006 - Mount Carmel - Class 8A
  • 2005 - Mount Carmel - Class 7A
  • 2000 - Providence - Class 5A
  • 1998 - Providence - Class 5A
  • 1998 - Bishop McNamara - Class 4A
  • 1995 - Mount Carmel - Class 5A
  • 1992 - Loyola Academy - Class 6A
  • 1986 - Mount Carmel - Class 5A
  • 1985 - Brother Rice - Class 6A
  • 1981 - Bishop McNamara - Class 3A
  • 1979 - St. Laurence - Class 5A
  • 1978 - Bishop McNamara - Class 3A

[edit] Golf

State Champions

  • 2001 - Loyola Academy - Class AA
  • 2000 - Loyola Academy - Class AA
  • 2000 - Bishop McNamara - Class A
  • 1996 - Loyola Academy - Class AA
  • 1992 - Bishop McNamara - Class A
  • 1986 - Loyola Academy - Class AA

State Runner-up

  • 1991 - Loyola Academy - Class AA
  • 1991 - Bishop McNamara - Class A
  • 1990 - Bishop McNamara - Class A
  • 1989 - Bishop McNamara - Class A
  • 1988 - Bishop McNamara - Class A
  • 1977 - Bishop McNamara - Class A

[edit] Soccer

St. Ignatius, Brother Rice, and Loyola are the traditional powers in Catholic League soccer. The best finish for a CCL soccer team in the state playoffs belongs to Providence, who was state runner-up in 2002. State Champions

  • No CCL team has ever won a Soccer State Championship

State Runner-up

  • 2002 - Providence Catholic - Class A

[edit] Swimming and Diving

Loyola and Fenwick are usually in the top five teams in the state.

State Champions

  • 1992 - Fenwick
  • 1991 - Fenwick
  • 1990 - Fenwick

State Runner-up

  • 1993 - Fenwick
  • 1989 - Loyola Academy
  • 1985 - Fenwick
  • 1982 - Fenwick
  • 1978 - Fenwick
  • 1977 - Fenwick
  • 1975 - Fenwick

[edit] Tennis

No CCL team has ever placed first or second in the state in Tennis.

[edit] Track and Field

State Champions

  • 2003 - Leo - Class A
  • 2002 - Leo - Class A
  • 1998 - Leo - Class A (Co-Champions)
  • 1995 - Leo - Class AA
  • 1981 - Leo - Class A

State Runner-up

  • 2004 - Leo - Class A
  • 2000 - Leo - Class A
  • 1978 - Brother Rice - Class AA

[edit] Volleyball

No CCL school has ever placed first or second in the IHSA State Volleyball Tournament which originated in 1992.

[edit] Water Polo

The first IHSA water polo state tournament was held in 2002 and has been won by a CCL school every year.

State Champions

  • 2008 - Fenwick
  • 2007 - Fenwick
  • 2006 - Fenwick
  • 2005 - Fenwick
  • 2004 - Fenwick
  • 2003 - Brother Rice
  • 2002 - Fenwick

State Runner-up

  • 2002 - Brother Rice

[edit] Wrestling

The conference has won more AA State Wrestling titles (dual) than any other conference.

State Champions

  • 2004 - St. Rita - Class AA
  • 2003 - St. Rita - Class AA
  • 2002 - Providence Catholic - Class AA
  • 2001 - Providence Catholic - Class AA
  • 2000 - Providence Catholic - Class AA
  • 1999 - Providence Catholic - Class AA
  • 1998 - Providence Catholic - Class AA
  • 1997 - Providence Catholic - Class AA
  • 1994 - Mount Carmel - Class AA
  • 1993 - Mount Carmel - Class AA
  • 1992 - Mount Carmel - Class AA
  • 1990 - St. Laurence - Class AA
  • 1989 - Providence Catholic - Class AA
  • 1981 - Providence Catholic - Class A
  • 1978 - Providence Catholic - Class A

State Runner-up

  • 2008 - Providence Catholic - Class AA
  • 2006 - St. Rita - Class AA
  • 2004 - Providence Catholic - Class AA
  • 2003 - Providence Catholic - Class AA
  • 2002 - Mount Carmel - Class AA
  • 1998 - Mount Carmel - Class AA
  • 1990 - Providence Catholic - Class AA
  • 1982 - Providence Catholic - Class A
  • 1980 - Providence Catholic - Class A

[edit] Notable Alumni

Brother Rice

DeLaSalle

  • Brian Bogusevic, Houston Astros Starting Pitcher
  • George Connor (American football) - Chicago Bears, 1948-1955.
  • Moose Krause, Basketball Hall of Famer
  • Lou Pote, former Anaheim Angels pitcher

Fenwick

Holy Cross

Leo

  • Corey Rogers, football running back, Chicago Sun Times player of the year (1990) and Big Ten Freshman of the year (1991).
  • Chris Watson, former Denver Bronco
  • Harold Blackmon, former Seattle Seahawk
  • Jason Jefferson, former Buffalo Bill
  • Andre Brown, forward for NBA's Memphis Grizzlies
  • Matthew Keane, Baseball coach De La Salle

Loyola Academy

Mount Carmel

St. Laurence

  • Tim Grunhard - Notre Dame - Kansas City Chief Center, Pro Bowl Center
  • Stan Smagala - Notre Dame - Dallas Cowboys
  • Kevin Bracken - (Olympic Greco Roman Wrestler)

St. Rita

  • Dennis Lick - Former Chicago Bears OL.
  • Tony Simmons - Former University of Wisconsin and NFL wide receiver
  • Ahmad Merritt - NFL wide receiver (Arizona Cardinals), former Chicago Bears and Chicago Rush (Arena League) player
  • Billy Marek - Former All-American running back for the University of Wisconsin.
  • Ed Farmer - Former MLB pitcher and current play-by-play voice of the Chicago White Sox

Providence Catholic

Weber

[edit] Sources