The Chicago Catholic League (CCL) is a high school athletic conference based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. All of the schools are part of the Illinois High School Association, the governing body for Illinois scholastic sports. While some of the schools are coeducational institutions, the conference only supports athletics for male teams (the Girls Catholic Athletic Conference serves as its female counterpart).
The CCL is perhaps best known for its success in football, water polo, wrestling, and baseball. Since the IHSA began a state football tournament in 1974, the CCL has placed first or second more than any conference or league in the state. Since 2002 when the IHSA first sponsored a state tournament in water polo, the CCL has not failed to win the state title for boys. Since 1984, when the IHSA moved to a dual-team state series in wrestling (previously, the team champion was based on the advancement of individuals in the individual state tournament), the CCL has also finished first or second more than any conference or league.
The conference's alumni include stars of the past like Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Johnny Lattner, Cy Young Award-winning pitcher Denny McLain and Basketball Hall of Fame member Moose Krause and more contemporary athletes such as former NBA player Corey Maggette and All-Pro quarterback Donovan McNabb, Antoine Walker. Perhaps the conference's most accomplished alumnus is Duke University men's basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski.
St. Joseph High School joined the conference in 2011. Lake Forest Academy joined the conference for football only in 2011. St.Viator High School joined in 2010 to compete in the conference for lacrosse. Additionally, St. Patrick High School, Notre Dame High School, and Marist High School participate in the conference for Boys Bowling.
For those schools which are coed, most of the girls teams compete in the Girls Catholic Athletic Conference. The girls teams from Bishop McNamara, Fenwick, and Providence compete in the East Suburban Catholic Conference.
Holy Trinity (Tigers) (1443 W. Division St) was also a Catholic League team. Last Catholic League season for football was 1965.
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, delayed the application of St. Ignatius Academy and DePaul Academy. Representatives of eight schools met at the Great Northern Hotel—De Paul Academy, St Ignatius Academy, St Rita College, St. Cyril College (which would become Mount Carmel High School), Cathedral High, St. Philip High, Loyola Academy, and De La Salle Institute — but could not get together on the particulars to form a football–only league.
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, De Paul, St. Ignatius, St. Cyril, St. Philip, Loyola, and Cathedral. By the spring when a baseball schedule was drawn up, Holy Trinity 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 De Paul, felt feisty enough to invite St. John’s Preparatory from Danvers, Massachusetts, to Chicago to engage in an intersectional contest. De Paul narrowly lost the game, but it demonstrated to the league that its program was thriving. Two years later De Paul traveled to Boston and met Beverly High in Fenway Park, destroying the team 30-7. 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. The 1920s also saw the addition of more schools to the league—St. George, Joliet De la Salle, and Fenwick.
Some working class sports that had great appeal in some Catholic schools were boxing and bowling, and the league sponsored competition for a few years during the Depression in boxing, and much longer in bowling.
By the late 1950s some of the Catholic League members were growing restive, wanting to participate in the state tournaments sponsored by the Illinois High School Association (IHSA). The four Christian Brothers schools – De La Salle, St. George, St. Mel and St. Patrick – withdrew from the Catholic League and joined the IHSA upon its formation of the Chicagoland Prep League (CPL) on 27 February 1961. St. Ignatius would defect to the CPL two years later on 9 April 1963.
The Catholic League finally joined the IHSA in 1974, and eventually saw the return of St. Ignatius, St. Patrick, and De La Salle into the league. Because of their membership in the IHSA, the 29-year-old tradition of a Catholic League All-Star basketball game ended in 1974. In the beginning of 1996 the CCL and the East Suburban Catholic Conference and other Catholic high schools decided to make a super catholic conference. They called it the Chicago Metropolitan Conference. Every school from the East Suburban was in the conference except Nazareth Academy and Marian Central Catholic. This conference ended in the 2002–2003 season and both conferences went back to normal. Swimming and water polo founded the Metro Catholic Aquatic Conference in 1999 which included the all East Suburban Catholic and CCL teams and still hosts a conference championship for both sports. The MCAC won every state title in water polo from 1974 to 2011.
(Defunct) Archbishop Weber High School Red Horde
(Defunct) St. Martin de Porres Academy Silver Eagles
(Defunct) St. George Dragons
(Defunct) Mendel Catholic Monarchs
(Defunct) St. Elizabeth Ironmen
(Defunct) DePaul Academy Blue Demons
(Defunct) St. Mel Knights
(Defunct) St. Philip Gaels
St. Francis De Sales Pioneers
Guerin College Preparatory High School Gators
Joliet Catholic Hilltoppers
St. Patrick Shamrocks
Carmel Catholic
Marist
Marian Catholic
Niles Notre Dame
Benet Academy
St. Viator
Gordon Tech (now known as DePaul College Prep)
State champions
1975–76 • Brother Rice (Class AA)
1977–78 • Providence Catholic (Class A)
1981–82 • Providence Catholic (Class A)
2012–13 • Mount Carmel (Class 4A)
2013–14 • Providence Catholic(Class 4A)
2014–15 • Providence Catholic(Class 4A)
2015–16 • Providence Catholic(Class 4A)
Prior to the 2007–2008 season, the state basketball title was contested in two classes. Since then, it is contested in four classes.
State champions
1978–79 • Providence Catholic (Class A)
1984–85 • Providence-St. Mel (Class A)
1984–85 • Mount Carmel (Class AA)
2002–03 • Hales Franciscan (Class A)
2003–04 • Leo (Class A)
2008–09 • Seton Academy (Class AA)
The 2004–05 Class A title was stripped from Hales Franciscan after it was determined that the school had not been approved by the Illinois State Board of Education between 2003 and 2005.
The Chicago Catholic League is divided into Blue, White, and Green divisions. The Blue includes Brother Rice, Loyola, Mount Carmel, St. Rita, and Providence. The White includes DeLaSalle, St. Ignatius, Bishop McNamara, (Burbank) St. Laurence, Gordon Tech, Seton Academy, Hales Franciscan, and Leo.
From 1980 to 2000, Class 6A was the largest (by school population) class in Illinois high school football. Class 7A and 8A were added in 2001. From 1974–79, Class 5A was the class for the largest schools.
State champions
1976–77 • St. Laurence (Class 5A)
1978–79 • St. Rita (Class 5A)
1980–81 • Gordon Tech (Class 6A)
1980–81 • Mt. Carmel (Class 5A)
1981–82 • Brother Rice (Class 6A)
1982–83 • Bishop McNamara (Class 3A)
1985–86 • Bishop McNamara (Class 3A)
1986–87 • Bishop McNamara (Class 3A)
1987–88 • Providence Catholic (Class 4A)
1987–88 • Bishop McNamara (Class 3A)
1988–89 • Mt. Carmel (Class 6A)
1989–90 • Mt. Carmel (Class 5A)
1990–91 • Mt. Carmel (Class 5A)
1991–92 • Mt. Carmel (Class 5A)
1991–92 • Providence Catholic (Class 4A)
1993–94 • Loyola Academy (Class 6A)
1994–95 • Providence Catholic (Class 5A)
1995–96 • Providence Catholic (Class 4A)
1996–97 • Mt. Carmel (Class 5A)
1996–97 • Providence Catholic (Class 4A)
1997–98 • Providence Catholic (Class 4A)
1998–99 • Mt. Carmel (Class 5A)
1999–2000 • Mt. Carmel (Class 5A)
2000–01 • Mt. Carmel (Class 5A)
2001–02 • Providence Catholic (Class 6A)
2002–03 • Mt. Carmel (Class 6A)
2002–03 • Providence Catholic (Class 5A)
2004–05 • Providence Catholic (Class 6A)
2006–07 • St. Rita (Class 7A)
2012-13 • Mt. Carmel (Class 8A)
2013-14 • Mt. Carmel (Class 7A)
2014-15 • Providence Catholic (Class 7A)
2015–16 • Loyola Academy (Class 8A)
The Prep Bowl is an annual contest played between the Chicago Catholic League and the Chicago Public League and is played at Chicago's Soldier Field. It was first played in 1927, though after a forfeit in 1928, was not played again until 1933, and was the premier high school football event in Illinois until the IHSA formed the state championship football playoffs in 1974. The 1927 game between Mt. Carmel and Carl Schurz High School drew an estimated 50,000 fans; the largest crowd to see a prep football contest in American history, up to that time. In subsequent years, larger crowds were drawn to the annual game.
With the advent of the IHSA state series, the Prep Bowl was contested by the winner of a special playoff in each league played by teams not qualifying for the state playoffs, and teams that were eliminated in early rounds of the state playoffs. It is traditionally played on the Friday after Thanksgiving, which is the same day which the IHSA plays its smaller school state championships in football. As of the 2009 game, the Catholic League holds a 51–23–2 advantage in the series.
In 1981, the IHSA membership voted on a limitation that prohibited member schools from participating in more than nine games, plus the IHSA state series. The Prep Bowl was given a special exemption from this.
State champions
1986–87 • Loyola Academy (Class AA)
1992–93 • Bishop McNamara (Class A)
1996–97 • Loyola Academy (Class AA)
2000–01 • Loyola Academy (Class AA)
2000–01 • Bishop McNamara (Class A)
2001–02 • Loyola Academy (Class AA)
Swimming and diving
State champions
1989–90 • Fenwick
1990–91 • Fenwick
1991–92 • Fenwick
Track and field
State Champions
1980–81 • Leo (Class A)
1994–95 • Leo (Class AA)
1997–98 • Leo (Class A Co-Champions)
2001–02 • Leo (Class A)
2002–03 • Leo (Class A)
2011-12 • Leo (Class A)
The IHSA began a state series in water polo with the 2001–02 school year. Prior to that, a high school state championship was sponsored by Illinois Water Polo. There was no Championship Game in 1979 as Water Polo switched from a Fall to a Spring sport.
State Champions
ISA State Champions
1974 • Fenwick
1975 • Mount Carmel
1976 • Fenwick
1977 • Fenwick
1978 • Loyola
1980 • Brother Rice
1981 • Brother Rice
1982 • Brother Rice
1983 • Brother Rice
1984 • Brother Rice
1985 • Brother Rice
1986 • Brother Rice
1987 • St. Laurence
1988 • Brother Rice
1989 • Brother Rice
1990 • Fenwick
1991 • Fenwick
1992 • Fenwick
1993 • Fenwick
1994 • Brother Rice
1995 • Brother Rice
1996 • Brother Rice
1997 • St. Patrick
1998 • Brother Rice
1999 • Fenwick
2000 • Fenwick
2001 • Fenwick
IHSA State Champions
2002 • Fenwick
2003 • Brother Rice
2004 • Fenwick
2005 • Fenwick
2006 • Fenwick
2007 • Fenwick
2008 • Fenwick
2009 • Fenwick
2010 • Fenwick
2011 • Fenwick
2013 • Fenwick
2014 • Loyola
State Champions
1977–78 • Providence Catholic (Class A)
1980–81 • Providence Catholic (Class A)
1987–88 • Providence Catholic (Class AA)
1988–89 • Providence Catholic (Class AA)
1989–90 • St. Laurence (Class AA)
1991–92 • Mount Carmel (Class AA)
1992–93 • Mount Carmel (Class AA)
1993–94 • Mount Carmel (Class AA)
1996–97 • Providence Catholic (Class AA)
1997–98 • Providence Catholic (Class AA)
1998–99 • Providence Catholic (Class AA)
1999–2000 • Providence Catholic (Class AA)
2000–01 • Providence Catholic (Class AA)
2001–02 • Providence Catholic (Class AA)
2002–03 • St. Rita (Class AA)
2003–04 • St. Rita (Class AA)
Bishop McNamara
Thomas Guynes - lineman for Michigan and Arizona Cardinals
Tyjuan Hagler - NFL linebacker, played for the Indianapolis Colts (Super Bowl XLI champions)
Brother Rice
Jim Adduci - MLB outfielder, starred collegiately at Southern Illinois
Bob Cummings - drafted #5 overall in the 1978 MLB Draft by the San Francisco Giants
David Diehl - offensive tackle for the New York Giants
Mark Donahue - former guard with the Cincinnati Bengals
Bobby Frasor - McDonald's HS All-American point guard, starred collegiately at North Carolina, where he won the 2009 national title
Phil Hicks - NBA forward, drafted #27 in 1976, starred collegiately at Tulane
Rico Hill - NBA forward, drafted #31 in 1999, starred collegiately at Illinois State
Paul Hutchins - tackle for the Green Bay Packers
Pete Mackanin - MLB infielder (1973–81), manager of Pittsburgh Pirates and Cincinnati Reds
John Meyer - AFL linebacker and NFL assistant coach, starred collegiately at Notre Dame
Ed Olczyk - NHL center and Stanley Cup champion, head coach and broadcaster with the Chicago Blackhawks and Pittsburgh Penguins
Quentin Richardson - NBA guard drafted #18 in 2000 NBA Draft, starred collegiately at DePaul
Lance Ten Broeck - PGA golfer currently on the Senior Tour, won 1984 Illinois Open Championship, starred collegiately as an All-American at Texas
DeLaSalle
Brian Bogusevic - Houston Astros outfielder
Jocko Conlan - Hall of Fame baseball umpire
George Connor - Chicago Bears, 1948-1955
Moose Krause - Basketball Hall of Famer
LaRue Martin - Loyola basketball star, No. 1 NBA draft pick
Lou Pote - pitcher for Anaheim Angels
Renaldo Wynn - defensive end for the Washington Redskins and Jacksonville Jaguars
DePaul Academy
Bill Muellner - played football for the Chicago Cardinals as well as for the Los Angeles Bulldogs, Cincinnati Bengals, and New York Yanks
Bill Steinkemper - played football for the Cincinnati Bengals and Chicago Bears
Dick Evans - played football for the Green Bay Packers and Chicago Bears
Steve Juzwik - played football for the Washington Redskins, then had three seasons in the All-American Football League with the Buffalo Bisons (1946–47) and Chicago Rockets (1948)
Joey Meyer - head coach of DePaul men's basketball
Fenwick
Johnny Lattner - Heisman trophy winner for Notre Dame
Corey Maggette - NBA player
Mike Rabold - NFL player
Ken Sitzberger - gold medalist diver, 1964 Summer Olympics
Marques Sullivan - NFL player
John Teerlinck - NFL player
Gordon Tech
Chris Bourjos - MLB player for the San Francisco Giants in 1980
Gregg Bingham - (Class of 1969) – former Houston Oilers linebacker
Larry Langowski - wrestler who represented Mexico in the 120 kilogram weight class at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Robert Meschbach - professional soccer player who set the (then) national high school record with 71 goals in one season; remains an Illinois state record (as of 2008).
Ron Plantz - (Class of 1982) offensive lineman (center) for Notre Dame 1982–1986 and Indianapolis Colts 1987-90
Frank Santana - (Class of 1974) 1977 NCAA wrestling national champion (190 lbs.) and three-time wrestling All-American at Iowa State; first Cuban-American to win a collegiate wrestling national championship
Jitim Young - basketball player who played at Northwestern University and professionally in Europe and the Dominican Republic
Hales Franciscan
Rich Gardner - defensive back for the Tennessee Titans
Jerome Randle - player in Turkish Basketball League
JaVale McGee - NBA player
Holy Cross
Garrett Wolfe - Northern Illinois and Chicago Bears player
Leo
Chris Watson - NFL player for the Denver Broncos
Harold Blackmon - Northwestern and NFL player
Jason Jefferson - NFL player for the Buffalo Bills
Andre Brown - former forward for NBA's Memphis Grizzlies
Loyola Academy
Bert Metzger - member of College Football Hall of Fame
Matt Cherry - played football for the Cincinnati Bengals
Conor Dwyer - 2012 gold medalist USA 4x200-meter freestyle relay swim team
Dave Finzer - NFL punter for the Chicago Bears and Seattle Seahawks
Christian Friedrich - first-round pick of the Colorado Rockies in the 2008 Major League Baseball Draft
Charlie Leibrandt - played baseball for the Cincinnati Reds (1979–1982), Kansas City Royals (1984–1989), Atlanta Braves (1990–1992), Texas Rangers (1993)
Tim Foley - played football for the Miami Dolphins
Paul McNulty - played end for the Chicago Cardinals
Nick Rassas - last two-way player at the University of Notre Dame, NFL player
John Scanlan - played guard and halfback for the Chicago Cardinals and Louisville Colonels
Bob Skoglund - played football for the Green Bay Packers
Freddie Lindstrom - member of the Baseball Hall of Fame
Al Montoya - first-round (6th overall) selection of NHL's New York Rangers in 2004
Mount Carmel
Elmer Angsman - played halfback for the Chicago Cardinals
Denny McLain - Cy Young Award winner for 1968 World Series champion Detroit Tigers
Frank Cornish - offensive lineman for Super Bowl champion Dallas Cowboys of 1992 and 1993
Mel McCants - former Purdue and Los Angeles Lakers forward
Chris Calloway - former New York Giants wide receiver
Hal Cherne - played offensive line for the Boston Redskins
Bob Davis - played guard for the Los Angeles Rams
Simeon Rice - played defensive end for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Arizona Cardinals
Joe Williams - six-time U.S. national champion and 2004 Olympian
Donovan McNabb - five-time all pro quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles, currently with the Washington Redskins
Antoine Walker - three-time NBA All Star
Matt Cushing - Pittsburgh Steelers tight end, 1999-2005
Chris Chelios - NHL player for Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks
Steve Lawson - played offensive line for the Cincinnati Bengals, Minnesota Vikings, and San Francisco 49ers
Matt Kerrigan - played quarterback for the New England Patriots
Dan Goich - played defensive tackle for the Detroit Lions, New York Giants, and New Orleans Saints
Darrell Hill - Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver
Bob Gonya - played offensive tackle for the Philadelphia Eagles
Tony Furjanic - Notre Dame and NFL linebacker
Steve Edwards - Chicago Bears and New York Giants offensive tackle
St. George
Tony Barone - head basketball coach at Creighton University, Texas A&M, and the Memphis Grizzlies
St. Ignatius
Tom O'Hara - Olympian and former world record holder for indoor mile and NCAA champion in Division I cross country
Mark Dalesandro - MLB catcher and infielder (1994–1995, 1998–1999, 2001).
St. Laurence
Jim Dwyer - 17 seasons of Major League Baseball, member of Baltimore Orioles 1983 World Series champions
Tim Grunhard - Notre Dame and Kansas City Chiefs center, Pro Bowl center
Stan Smagala - played football for the Dallas Cowboys
Kevin Bracken - Olympic Greco-Roman wrestler
Jeff Kacmarek - played nose tackle for the Detroit Lions
St. Mel
Walt Barnes - played football for the Washington Redskins and Denver Broncos
Tom Bettis - played football for the Green Bay Packers, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Chicago Bears
Tom Keating - played football for the Buffalo Bills, Oakland Raiders, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Kansas City Chiefs
Bernie Leahy - played football for the Chicago Bears
Frank Quilici - Major League Baseball player, second baseman in 1965 World Series for Minnesota Twins; manager of Twins 1972-75
St. Rita
Chuck Brodnicki - running back for the Brooklyn Dodgers
Matt Conrath - plays for the St. Louis Rams
Dennis Lick - offensive lineman for the Chicago Bears
Tony Simmons - NFL wide receiver
Ahmad Merritt - NFL wide receiver (Arizona Cardinals) and Chicago Rush (Arena League) player
Ed Farmer - MLB pitcher and play-by-play voice of Chicago White Sox
Tom Flaherty - played for the Cincinnati Bengals
Darius Fleming - plays for the New England Patriots
Nick Etten - MLB All-Star first baseman
Bruce Gaston - plays for the New England Patriots
Jim Clancy - former MLB All-Star pitcher
Ron Weissenhofer - linebacker for the New Orleans Saints
Bob Zimny - tackle for the Chicago Cardinals
Mike Kafka - played at Northwestern University and quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles
Ryan Donahue - kicker for the Detroit Lions
Providence Catholic
Pete Bercich – NFL linebacker (1995–98, 2000) for Minnesota Vikings
Brad Guzan – goalkeeper for Chivas USA and Aston Villa of English Premier League; starting goalkeeper for 2008 U.S. Olympic team
Carmen Pignatiello – pitched for Chicago Cubs (2008)
Bryan Rekar – Major League Baseball pitcher (1995–2002)
Eric Steinbach – NFL offensive lineman
Weber
Mike Krzyzewski ("Coach K") – Duke University and Team USA basketball coach
William Joseph "Moose" Skowron Jr. – first baseman for New York Yankees, five-time AL All-Star (1957, 1958, 1959–61)
