Most famous alums

[USD24]

After reading about the LA alum winning the Oscar, it got me to thinking, who is the most famous alum from your high school. Not a lot of football going on right now, so who is your schools most famous alum, sports and non-sports?

From JCA, I would say:
Sports-
George Mikan-basketball
Mike Alstott and Tom Thayer-football

Arts and Entertainment-
Melissa McCarthy-actress

 

[greatgig13]

CG
Sports
Quinn Priester - Pirates 1st round pick TBD
General
Jimmy John

 

[RockSoup]

St. Rita

Sports Kenny Golladay, Ed Farmer

Arts: Ray Manzerek (The Doors keyboardist)

 

[ramblinman]

LA

Sports
Freddie Lindstrom '22 (MLB Hall of Fame -- 13 year career with Giants, Pirates, Cubs and Dodgers -- lifetime avg of .311)

Tim Foley '66 (11 year career with Miami Dolphins playing safety and CB, two time super bowl winner, one time All-Pro)

Charlie Liebrandt '73 (14 year career with Reds, Royals, Braves and Rangers ... lifetime won-loss record of 140-119)

Conor Dwyer '07 (US Olympic swimmer -- won gold medal in 2012, plus a gold and bronze in 2016)

General
Bill Murray '68

 

[JolietWest89]

Joliet West

sports: Cathy Boswell, won gold medal 1984 Olympics for basketball

actors: John Barrowman, Anthony Rapp, Andy Dick, Adrianne Curry

 

[LakeCtyNewt]

Glenbrook N

Athletes
Jason Kipnis
Scott Sanderson
Anne Henning- Olympic speed skating medalist
JT Compher - Colorado Avalanche

Celebrity/TV
Dave Revsine
Laura Okmin

I’m sure there’s more

 

[crusader_of_90]

Althoff: Jimmy Connors, took 5th in 1967 IHSA tennis tourney.

*Jimmy Connors - 1971 NCAA National singles champion for UCLA and UCLA was also the team champion. Connors became an international tennis star who was world's #1 player for 160 consecutive weeks from July 1974 through August of 1977. Nine times he was the #1 ranked player in the world. He won eight Grand Slam singles titles, teamed with Ilie Nastase for two Grand Slam doubles titles and finished as runner up in mixed doubles with Chris Evert at the 1974 U.S. Open.

Locally, two grads are STL news anchors and a few others are radio personalities.

Interestingly, C/O 1987 has a big-shot Air Force colonel in intelligence, a "body man" Secret Service agent for W, two others who openly state they work for the CIA and another who disappeared after college/internship with the CIA. (This guy and the SS agent both are sons of Scott Air Base officers.)

 

[McCaravan]

LA

Sports
Freddie Lindstrom '22 (MLB Hall of Fame -- 13 year career with Giants, Pirates, Cubs and Dodgers -- lifetime avg of .311)

Tim Foley '66 (11 year career with Miami Dolphins playing safety and CB, two time super bowl winner, one time All-Pro)

Charlie Liebrandt '73 (14 year career with Reds, Royals, Braves and Rangers ... lifetime won-loss record of 140-119)

Conor Dwyer '07 (US Olympic swimmer -- won gold medal in 2012, plus a gold and bronze in 2016)

General
Bill Murray '68

Actor Chris O’Donnell is a Rambler right?

 

[crusader_of_90]

Belleville Township claims Buddy Ebsen, aka Jed Clampett.
https://www.bnd.com/living/article17686493.html

Bob Goalby - Masters Champ

and Jeff Tweedy of Wilco!

 

[McCaravan]

Mount Carmel

Football- Donovan McNabb, Simeon Rice, Chris Calloway, Jordan Lynch (for his numerous Collegiate accomplishments). Several others with short Professional careers.

Baseball- Denny McClain (last pitcher to win 30 games), John Mallee (Angels hitting coach, was Cubs hitting coach for their WS year), and Predicting Alek Thomas.

Hockey- Chris Chellios- Offically not an alum and only an honorary alum due to a family move to California his senior year but he always considers MC his Alma Mater.

Basketball- Antione Walker. Craig Robinson (former Oregon St coach, Michelle Obama’s brother)

Wrestling- US Olympian Joe Williams

Acting- Daniel Sujata (Franco Rivera on Rescue Me, known as Dan Condon, center on the MC 89 Football team, while at MC). Richard Kiley but I think MC63 may be the only one who knows who he is!

Politics- Fast Eddie Vrdolyak.

 

[Wilmatucky]

Wilmington

Sports- Tanner Roark and Damien Anderson

Television and Music- Some chick named Kiiara

 

[USD24]

Mount Carmel

Football- Donovan McNabb, Simeon Rice, Chris Calloway, Jordan Lynch (for his numerous Collegiate accomplishments). Several others with short Professional careers.

Baseball- Denny McClain (last pitcher to win 30 games), John Mallee (Angels hitting coach, was Cubs hitting coach for their WS year), and Predicting Alek Thomas.

Hockey- Chris Chellios- Offically not an alum and only an honorary alum due to a family move to California his senior year but he always considers MC his Alma Mater.

Basketball- Antione Walker. Craig Robinson (former Oregon St coach, Michelle Obama’s brother)

Wrestling- US Olympian Joe Williams

Acting- Daniel Sujata (Franco Rivera on Rescue Me, known as Dan Condon, center on the MC 89 Football team, while at MC). Richard Kiley but I think MC63 may be the only one who knows who he is!

Politics- Fast Eddie Vrdolyak.

I was always under the impression that Dean of Selection was the most famous MC alum.

 

[cornerrat]

All.... Sticking with sports. Griffin/SHG. Ratsy

Ryan Held - 2016 Olympic Gold Medalist 4 x 100 Freestyle

Eric Peterman - (wo) a short stint with the Chicago Bears.

Ryan O'Malley - Played for the Chicago Cubs in 2006 went 1-1 and then the injury

Matt "meat" Mitrone - (lineman) Giants, 49ers, Vikings and I believe he still does that ultimate fighting. Saw him on tv at it. An odd sport but one has to be tough as nails.

Malik Turner - (wo) Presently playing for the Seattle Seahawks.

 

[Simon "GHOST' Riley]

From SF in Wheaton we have Kelsey Robinson who won a bronze in volleyball at the 2016 Olympics.

Eric Stout played for 4 years as a MLB pitcher for a few teams.

Jack O'Malley and John Cullerton. I don't want to get into trouble but these guys are politicians.

 

[USD24]

From SF in Wheaton we have Kelsey Robinson who won a bronze in volleyball at the 2016 Olympics.

Eric Stout played for 4 years as a MLB pitcher for a few teams.

Jack O'Malley and John Cullerton. I don't want to get into trouble but these guys are politicians.

Kelly Murphy from JCA played with her on that Olympic team

 

[brucealmighy]

Glenbrook N

Athletes
Jason Kipnis
Scott Sanderson
Anne Henning- Olympic speed skating medalist
JT Compher - Colorado Avalanche

Celebrity/TV
Dave Revsine
Laura Okmin

I’m sure there’s more

Steve Bartman?

Even though he didn’t make it as a pro, Jon Scheyer has to be the biggest high school sports name ever from GBN

 

[crusader_of_90]

John Cullerton.

And poor Tommy ... did he not go to MC with his big cousin?

 

[McCaravan]

Steve Bartman?

Even though he didn’t make it as a pro, Jon Scheyer has to be the biggest high school sports name ever from GBN

Chris Collins went there too right?

 

[greatgig13]

CG
Sports
Quinn Priester - Pirates 1st round pick TBD
General
Jimmy John

I digress. Jimmy John grew up in Cary but did not graduate from there. Paul Wertico, drummer for Pat Metheny.

 

[Kevin JCHS 81]

From JCA, I would say:
Sports-
George Mikan-basketball
Mike Alstott and Tom Thayer-football

Arts and Entertainment-
Melissa McCarthy-actress

Sports-
Bill Gullickson - baseball pitcher

Sports & Entertainment-
Mark Grant - baseball / San Diego Padres color commentator
Rudy - football / film (Rudy)
Terry Gannon - basketball / sports announcer

 

[Bowie50]

LA

Sports
Freddie Lindstrom '22 (MLB Hall of Fame -- 13 year career with Giants, Pirates, Cubs and Dodgers -- lifetime avg of .311)

Tim Foley '66 (11 year career with Miami Dolphins playing safety and CB, two time super bowl winner, one time All-Pro)

Charlie Liebrandt '73 (14 year career with Reds, Royals, Braves and Rangers ... lifetime won-loss record of 140-119)

Conor Dwyer '07 (US Olympic swimmer -- won gold medal in 2012, plus a gold and bronze in 2016)

General
Bill Murray '68

Jonathan Nolan ‘94 (a double Jesi - went to Georgetown)

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Nolan

Seriously though, can any school top Bill Murray in terms of fame? Perhaps Maine East with Hillary or Rahm and NT.

 

[Bowie50]

Mount Carmel

Football- Donovan McNabb, Simeon Rice, Chris Calloway, Jordan Lynch (for his numerous Collegiate accomplishments). Several others with short Professional careers.

Baseball- Denny McClain (last pitcher to win 30 games), John Mallee (Angels hitting coach, was Cubs hitting coach for their WS year), and Predicting Alek Thomas.

Hockey- Chris Chellios- Offically not an alum and only an honorary alum due to a family move to California his senior year but he always considers MC his Alma Mater.

Basketball- Antione Walker. Craig Robinson (former Oregon St coach, Michelle Obama’s brother)

Wrestling- US Olympian Joe Williams

Acting- Daniel Sujata (Franco Rivera on Rescue Me, known as Dan Condon, center on the MC 89 Football team, while at MC). Richard Kiley but I think MC63 may be the only one who knows who he is!

Politics- Fast Eddie Vrdolyak.

Tom Dart

 

[MC63]

Mount Carmel

Football- Donovan McNabb, Simeon Rice, Chris Calloway, Jordan Lynch (for his numerous Collegiate accomplishments). Several others with short Professional careers.

Baseball- Denny McClain (last pitcher to win 30 games), John Mallee (Angels hitting coach, was Cubs hitting coach for their WS year), and Predicting Alek Thomas.

Hockey- Chris Chellios- Offically not an alum and only an honorary alum due to a family move to California his senior year but he always considers MC his Alma Mater.

Basketball- Antione Walker. Craig Robinson (former Oregon St coach, Michelle Obama’s brother)

Wrestling- US Olympian Joe Williams

Acting- Daniel Sujata (Franco Rivera on Rescue Me, known as Dan Condon, center on the MC 89 Football team, while at MC). Richard Kiley but I think MC63 may be the only one who knows who he is!

Politics- Fast Eddie Vrdolyak.

Actually, it's Denny McLain, and he is probably the very last pitcher to ever win 30 games in a single season. Nowadays, 20 wins is a huge deal.

Regarding Richard Kiley, he was the original Don Quixote in " Man of LaMancha" - a role he played for six years when the play opened on Broadway in the 70s. He won two Tony awards, 3 Emmys and 2 Golden Globes.

You overloooked James T.Farrell, one of the brightest lights in American literature in the 1930s. His works include the "Studs Lonigan" trilogy.

Under "football," you should have mentioned Elmer Angsman, who led the Chicago Cardinals to their only (1947) NFL championship. In that one game, he gained 159 yards (which might still be a record). At Notre Dame, he once finished a game where he lost eight teeth.

Finally (although the list is very long), in public service, Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart.

 

[McCaravan]

Tom Dart

Eh

 

[greatgig13]

Jonathan Nolan ‘94 (a double Jesi - went to Georgetown)

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Nolan

Seriously though, can any school top Bill Murray in terms of fame? Perhaps Maine East with Hillary or Rahm and NT.

I wanna hear from some Rockford guys. Get in here and pump up Cheap Trick.

 

[Topiary]

Rice Sports - Dave Diehl former All Pro OL, Pete Mackinan - former MLB utility guy and former manager of Pirates/Reds and Phillies - Ed Olczyk - NHL - first 2 years then came back finished his last high school course during a Summer and got Rice diploma.
Rice Arts - John C Reilly, Michael Flatley, Kevin Cronin

 

[Bowie50]

Eh

Hahahahaha ha!!!!

 

[Blue Ruin]

Mount Carmel

John Timothy Keehan, aka "Count Dante," aka "The Deadliest Man Alive"

https://www.chicagoreader.com/chica...of-the-deadliest-man-alive/Content?oid=922605

 

[USD24]

Jonathan Nolan ‘94 (a double Jesi - went to Georgetown)

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Nolan

Seriously though, can any school top Bill Murray in terms of fame? Perhaps Maine East with Hillary or Rahm and NT.

How about Ernest Hemingway from OPRF?

 

[StormFire]

St. Patrick: Ray Meyer was a 1933 grad. He hit the winning shot for some kind of national Catholic high school championship for St. Pats. You can still see the trophy in the trophy case at the school.

 

[35Blackhawk42Spartan]

West Aurora
Basketball: Kenny Battle- NBA multiple teams, Billy Taylor-Notre Dame/Iowa assistant coach, Shaun Pruitt, Mike Odumuiya-drafted by Dallas Cowboys
Football/Baseball: Rich Becker-Minnesota Twins
Baseball: Preston Larrison Detroit Tigers AA, Greg Miller AAA Boston Red Sox
Television: Tom Skilling WGN, John Drury ABC
Shamed corporate exec: Jeffery Skilling-Enron
Media socialite/model: Nicole Narain

 

[McCaravan]

Rice Sports - Dave Diehl former All Pro OL, Pete Mackinan - former MLB utility guy and former manager of Pirates/Reds and Phillies - Ed Olczyk - NHL - first 2 years then came back finished his last high school course during a Summer and got Rice diploma.
Rice Arts - John C Reilly, Michael Flatley, Kevin Cronin

Author John Powers. I really enjoyed the books The Last American Catholic and Do Black Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up? which followed his life at St. Christina and BR (but by different names)

 

[Sparty Jones]

Buffalo Grove

Tom Zbikowski, ND All American and NFL player

Tim Bogar, first base coach for World Series winning Nationals and nine year MLB player

Mike Marshall, Dodgers All-Star outfielder who also dated Belinda Carlisle of The GoGos

Josh Paul, White Sox catcher

Brian McBride, soccer legend

 

[crusader_of_90]

Assumption/Central Catholic produced Jrry Costello and Dick Durbin.

 

[Wilmatucky]

I'll throw in a Minooka one too since that's my second school.........

Sports- Mike Foltynewicz

TV- Nick Offerman

 

[johnndoe]

This thread could take a dark turn by going down the road of INFAMOUS alums, but I suspect both content and posters could risk the dreaded flush. I'll stop right now.

 

[headballcoach14]

St Joseph

Andy Frederick (class of 1973) was an offensive tackle in the National Football League (1977–85) and was a member of the Super Bowl XIIchampion Dallas Cowboys and the Super Bowl XXchampion Chicago Bears.
William Gates (class of 1991) basketball player; subject of the documentary film Hoop Dreams Steven Harris is a professional actor.
Wood Harris is a professional actor and younger brother of Steve Harris.
Demetri McCamey (class of 2007) was a basketball guard for the Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball team; he currently plays professionally in Japan Amal McCaskill was a professional basketball player, playing in the NBA (1996–97, 2001–04). Cameron Meredith (class of 2010) is a former NFL wide receiver for the New Orleans Saints and Chicago Bears
Isiah Thomas (class of 1979) NBA player, coach, executive, member of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History team
Evan Turner (class of 2007) is a former All-American, 2010 John Wooden Award winner and National Player of the Year at Ohio State (2007-2010); he currently plays guard/forward for the Portland Trail Blazers
Glynn Watson (class of 2015) is a college basketball player for the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and the younger brother of Demetri McCamey
Pierre Walters, former NFL player for the Kansas City Chiefs and current Mixed Martial Artist

 

[headballcoach14]

• Morton East
• Harold R. Côllier was a United States Congressman (1954–75).
• Lu Gambino was a running back (1948–49) with the Baltimore Colts of the All-America Football Conference.
  Bill Hapac was an All-American basketball star at Illinois in 1940 and would later play professionally for the Chicago Bruins.Dave Kocourek was a tight end in the American Football League (1960–68), playing most of his career for the Los Angeles/San Diego Chargers. A four time all-star, he was the only player to appear in seven AFL championship games.
• John Kriza was a ballet dancer and a longtime principal dancer with the American Ballet Theatre.
• Joe Mantegna is a Tony Award-winning actor (Glengarry Glen Ross) also known for his work in film (The Godfather Part III) and television (Criminal Minds and voice of Fat Tonyon The Simpsons).
• Carmen Mauro was a Major League Baseball outfielder(1948, 1950–51, 1953).[48]
• Bob Miller was a Major League Baseball pitcher (1953–62), played primarily for Detroit Tigers.
• Arthur C. Nielsen Sr. was the founder of ACNielsen a research marketing company best known for the Nielsen ratings for television.
• Jim Robinson, posthumous recipient of the Medal of Honorin 1966
• Miro Rys was a soccer player who played for the United States men's national soccer team and for the Chicago Sting of the NASL.[51]
• Clarence Self was an NFL running back (1949–55).
• Bob Will was a Major League Baseball outfielder (1957–63), playing his entire career for the Chicago Cubs.
• Chuck Clark (music) Southern Gospel singer who has won multiple awards including GCGMA and TCGMA Male Vocalist of the year - CD of the year twice with his CD “I Found Freedom” Named ACGMA Entertainer of the year and had 2 of the prestigious National Male Vocalist of the Year awards from the North American Country Music Association (NACMAI). A 1980 graduate he now lives with his wife of 30+ years in Mississippi. They have 3 daughters and 7 grandchildren.
• Morton West
  
  Jim Peterik is a guitarist, songwriter, and singer known for his work with the bands The Ides of March and Survivor.
• Jerry Wainwright coached the men's basketball team at DePaul University from 2005 to 2010.
• Luke Gregerson, World Series Champion (2017) and MLB pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals

 

[USD24]

Author John Powers. I really enjoyed the books The Last American Catholic and Do Black Patent Leather Shoes Really Reflect Up? which followed his life at St. Christina and BR (but by different names)

Agree. Both great books.

 

[USD24]

Joliet West

sports: Cathy Boswell, won gold medal 1984 Olympics for basketball

actors: John Barrowman, Anthony Rapp, Andy Dick, Adrianne Curry

Can't believe you didnt include Jimmy Chamberlin, drummer for The Smashing Pumpkin's, on your list.