What happened to Curie?

[HotBeer]

They never quite broke out like Simeon, MP, Phillips, but for a while they were a wagon in the public league.
Under Jay McDonagh from 2012 - 2017 they played in multiple prep bowls, beat Argo, Bremen, Lyons, Gary Westside, Main East (not that any of those teams are dynasties but impressive volume for a CPS team). They lost to New Trier by a single point in the '14 playoffs and to Loyola by just a touchdown in the Prep bowl.

How did they collapse so badly? The school has ~3,000 kids. Not the best facilities, but at least a full-size practice field (unlike Phillips). They've won 4 games in the past 4 years.

In other news, anyone know where Jay McDonagh is now?

 

[McCaravan]

Flash in the pan like so many other CPS teams….Only CPS team that has been consistently competitive for the last few decades is Simeon. Just have had a a few good years then fade away, normally when their coach moves on, like Phillips. Morgan Park is close to Simeon with consistency. Julian was great under Smith and Robeson under Curry but then they moved on so did their programs. Kenwood is the new Phillips with less success. Before Phillips it was Hubbard.

 

[MIKEFTB]

Flash in the pan like so many other CPS teams….Only CPS team that has been consistently competitive for the last few decades is Simeon. Just have had a a few good years then fade away, normally when their coach moves on, like Phillips. Morgan Park is close to Simeon with consistency. Julian was great under Smith and Robeson under Curry but then they moved on so did their programs. Kenwood is the new Phillips with less success. Before Phillips it was Hubbard.

Yep. Hubbard faded when Elton moved on .

 

[crazylegs777]

Yep. Hubbard faded when Elton moved on .

Lane had some good runs but would always lose some heartbreakers.Mather had a short run.I remember watching them win the Prep Bowl vs Brother Rice

 

[Coach Percy]

After 25 yrs in CPS, I can honestly tell you that the biggest downfall for most schools is coaching. There is no succession plan if coach leaves and they normally end up replacing good coaches with friends of the principal or AD instead hiring the best candidate

 

[McCaravan]

Curie did have a couple successful seasons under MC Alum Arthur Ray but he left after a couple seasons to coach in College and they have been downhill since.

 

[mc140]

Curie did have a couple successful seasons under MC Alum Arthur Ray but he left after a couple seasons to coach in College and they have been downhill since.

He was there one year and they went 3-6. The next year they went 5-4 with another guy who was one and out. The last four years have been horrendous.

 

[McCaravan]

He was there one year and they went 3-6. The next year they went 5-4 with another guy who was one and out. The last four years have been horrendous.

I thought they did better under him, especially with him going on to to a College gig, but I really didn't pay any attention to them so I stand corrected I guess.

 

[gw86]

Tyson LeBlanc was there 2007-2011. Made the playoffs each year I believe along with a cpl championship. It seemed like he had things humming pretty good.

 

[GhostOfTheGhhost]

After 25 yrs in CPS, I can honestly tell you that the biggest downfall for most schools is coaching. There is no succession plan if coach leaves and they normally end up replacing good coaches with friends of the principal or AD instead hiring the best candidate

100% agreed. It is coaching. I can't speak to the friends of the principal thing, but to succeed in the CPL, in any sport, you need coaches that go above and beyond to build and sustain programs. The biggest problem is, great coaches in CPS realize pretty quickly that the juice isn't worth the squeeze. At minimum, you can put the same work in at most suburban schools and get paid significantly more money. You most likely have more staff. You most likely have more resources. In short, you have more help. I was at a CPL championship wrestling tournament a few years ago and overheard a conversation a few of the top team coaches were having. Basically, they were commenting how they will have kids wrestling for the next month in the state tournament, while the majority of the other coaches will be done after the CPL tournament, or at least be done when their kids get eliminated in regionals. All this after putting in off season work, and scheduling significantly more matches, all while getting paid the same as the coaches doing the bare minimum. In football, the head coach of Morgan Park or Simeon gets paid the same as a coach of a team that does nothing in the off season, has no freshman or JV team, and doesn't qualify for the state or city playoffs. Granted, coaches aren't typically in it for the money, but time after time, the successful coaches with no ties to the city move on to different jobs, leaving a vacuum of not only good coaching talent, but a vacuum of people that are willing to put in the work it takes to build a program.

 

[Schwab54]

Think the 4 head coaches in 4 years did them in.

 

[mc140]

Tyson LeBlanc was there 2007-2011. Made the playoffs each year I believe along with a cpl championship. It seemed like he had things humming pretty good.

He is at Oswego East now. They had a rough year this year but have been competitive just about every year.

 

[crusader_of_90]

The one thing I know about curry is that the smell never goes away.

 

[HotBeer]

No word on where Jay McDonagh is? It looks like prior to Curie he coached at Chicago Hope. Weird that he is pretty much nowhere on the internet - you would think that Curie run could have sparked a solid move.

 

[Schwab54]

No word on where Jay McDonagh is? It looks like prior to Curie he coached at Chicago Hope. Weird that he is pretty much nowhere on the internet - you would think that Curie run could have sparked a solid move.

He was coaching his son at Ignatius last I heard

 

[ignazio]

Great player, great coach, out of the Gordon Tech coaching tree. His son finished at Notre Dame. Great free agent if anyone needs to resurrect a program.

 

[Quags57]

After 25 yrs in CPS, I can honestly tell you that the biggest downfall for most schools is coaching. There is no succession plan if coach leaves and they normally end up replacing good coaches with friends of the principal or AD instead hiring the best candidate

Say it ain't so! Nepotism in the CPS? Nahh....Never seen it.

 

[RameyJacoby]

As far as Curie They not getting them tough kids no more, demographics have changed for sure I would consider them a Baseball or Soccer school but they don't do that well either. I can say They pretty consistent in Basketball
The Head Coach they had in 2014-2018 exited maybe if he's Eligible for re-hire call him back, He was successful in the CPL whatever that means.

 

[mullin17]

I loved Lou Acevedo when he was there. What a fireball of a coach.

 

[crazylegs777]

I loved Lou Acevedo when he was there. What a fireball of a coach.

They were competitive vs privates & suburbs

 

[bronco man]

Curie's first football coach, Pete Hester, was a Loyola Academy Grad and a football coach at Loyola, St. Pats, Lane Tech and then Curie, a Great man.
You can read his biography at the LA link

Peter J. Hester '49 (1999)

Loyola Academy strives to be the leading Jesuit college preparatory faith and education center in the United States. We are a diverse and committed community responding to our God-given call to become women and men for others who are religious, intellectually competent, physically fit, loving...

www.goramblers.org

 

[ignazio]

Wow - thanks Bronco.
Interesting to note that “he is a member of the Halls of Fame of the Illinois Football Coaches' Association, the Chicago Catholic League, St. Pat's, and McGuire University.”
Prestigious institutions all.

 

[HotBeer]

Wow - thanks Bronco.
Interesting to note that “he is a member of the Halls of Fame of the Illinois Football Coaches' Association, the Chicago Catholic League, St. Pat's, and McGuire University.”
Prestigious institutions all.

Too bad McGuire could never field a football team!

 

[bronco man]

Too bad McGuire could never field a football team!

McGuire Univ was able to hold classes for several years at Elston and Montrose. The Dean at that location was Coach Gleason from LA.