St. Rita mourns

[RockSoup]

Jack Quinn has passed away. I knew I would have to type those words one day but that does not make this any easier. He coached for 58 years at the South Side Parishes, Nativity, Visitation, St. Rita Grammar School and with the St. Rita HS Varsity in the 1970s under Coach Pat Cronin and led St. Rita's Freshman Football teams for 20 years in the 90's and 2000's with his great friend Gene Schaller.

The Quinn family is St. Rita royalty. Coach Quinn's impact to St. Rita's incredible, consistent, sustained success for the past 50 years on the football field and his impact on thousands of young men's lives cannot be overstated. I am devastated. My fall Saturday mornings and Friday nights started with his hugs, smiles, winks and stories. His beautiful wife, Ellen, would be in the stands at every St. Rita game. If you attended a St. Rita game, you probably heard her in the stands imploring the team to "BLOCK".

God needed a Coach for His Turkey Bowl in heaven and He picked one of His best followers. St. Rita Pray for US!

 

[tomloner]

This is sad news. Got at text message yesterday from Dr. Geiero about coach. My thoughts and prayers are with his family. I have several college friends that went to Visitation that went to Leo, De La Salle, and Mount Carmel high schools that played for coach. He touched the lives of many young men around the greater Southside of Chicago and the Catholic League. He will be remembered and he will be missed.

 

[RockSoup]

This is sad news. Got at text message yesterday from Dr. Geiero about coach. My thoughts and prayers are with his family. I have several college friends that went to Visitation that went to Leo, De La Salle, and Mount Carmel high schools that played for coach. He touched the lives of many young men around the greater Southside of Chicago and the Catholic League. He will be remembered and he will be missed.

Yes TL. It was amazing to watch his old players from the visitor sides that did not go to St. Rita HS come over to him to hug him and say hello. They were all his boys still.

 

[Bowie50]

Prayers to the Rita community Rock.

 

[McCaravan]

I had the pleasure to meet him and his family a few times and had some great Catholic League Football conversations. I believe he is a MC Alum if I’m not mistaken? Thank you for helping so many Coach. He had a good full life and may God Bless his family. 2020 can’t end soon enough.

 

[RockSoup]

I had the pleasure to meet him and his family a few times and had some great Catholic League Football conversations. I believe he is a MC Alum if I’m not mistaken? Thank you for helping so many Coach. He had a good full life and may God Bless his family. 2020 can’t end soon enough.

Correct. Here's the article Scott Fredericks wrote for The Beverly Review when Coach Quinn and Coach Schaller retired after the 2014 season.

https://www.beverlyreview.net/news/featured_news/article_b43a8040-74c8-11e4-8cfc-bb1f32fe386d.html

 

[Prep writer]

That was a fun one to write. He was a great man and I always enjoyed seeing him on the sidelines or at one of his grandkids games elsewhere.

RIP, Coach.