6 Individuals, 2 Teams Named To ETHS Hall Of Fame

Basketball royalty will be crowned when the Class of 2023 is inducted into the Evanston Athletic Hall of Fame.

Cage legends Nojel Eastern, Leighah-Amori Wool, James Bixby and the members of the 1983-84 Class AA state runner-up basketball team are the headliners for the newest class, which will be recognized August 25th at halftime of the varsity football game and the next day at the Hall of Fame luncheon.

The new class was chosen by a Hall of Fame committee that includes administrators, coaches, faculty and community members.

Eastern and Wool are considered at the top of the list of outstanding individual players produced by the boys and girls basketball programs. Bixby was the first basketball coach to put the program on the map, creating an invitational tournament for top teams in the Midwest back in the days when the Wildkits played their games at the local YMCA.

And the 1983-84 basketball squad won its first 32 games in a row, a school record, before falling in the state title game.

Joining them in the Class of 2023 are soccer standout Gus Eliopoulos, football/basketball star Caesar “Zip” Gayles, track coach Alvin Pierce Bradley, and the 1959-60 state champion boys swimming and diving team.

GUS ELIOPOULOS, SOCCER

Gus Eliopoulos did more than just earn All-American honors in soccer at Evanston after emigrating to the United States.

He helped create the soccer culture at ETHS, too.

Forty years after Eliopoulos came here from Greece, the Evanston boys soccer program is often referred to as a “United Nations” grouping every year that brings together all kinds of diverse nationalities, colors and faiths under one umbrella --- wearing the Wildkit Orange and Blue.

That environment had some roots among a group of 6th graders at Chute Junior High and blossomed into one of the most successful programs in the state of Illinois.

And it’s fairly certain that not many Wildkit fans ever witnessed a teen-ager who could execute the soccer “bicycle kick” that helped Eliopoulos lead the Wildkits to prominence his senior year, when he tallied 19 goals and 8 assists while pacing Evanston to an overall won-loss record of 16-2 in 1975.

“I came here when I was in 6th grade, and to me, coming to America was golden,” said Eliopoulos. “I had a great time when I was at Chute and an excellent time when I was at ETHS. Those were such fun years for me.

“Soccer is like a religion where I grew up in Greece. When I first came to Chute, I used to kick the ball around with some of the other guys at lunch time. It got to the point where they’d go straight to playing soccer --- and bypass lunch --- at lunch time.”

The 5-foot-4, 145-pounder was there at the start of something big, according to former teammate Tom Jambois, who nominated Eliopoulos for the Hall of Fame honor.

“Many Chute students who may not have otherwise played the game were inspired to start playing soccer,” Jambois noted. “And the Chute parents eventually formed the United Soccer Association in response to the enthusiasm of their children, and that team competed against the Swedish National team (in both 1974 and 1975). The Swedish players and coaches were equally impressed with Gus’ skill and knowledge of the game. That core group of players was inspired by Gus’ athleticism and leadership.”

No statistics are available on just how many goals Eliopoulos actually tallied with his bicycle kick, a maneuver he brought with him from Europe when his father decided to move the family here to the area to help with a family business started by his uncle.

But he was definitely a crowd-pleaser in addition to being a skilled athlete.

“When I was in Greece, we’d listen to soccer on the radio and you’d have to use your imagination more about the moves the players made,” said Eliopoulos. “You can do more when you rely on your imagination.

“When I watched games I’d see them do the bicycle kick and as kids we always tried everything, especially when it was something extraordinary. I wanted to be the person doing it.”

Eliopoulos moved up to the varsity by the end of his sophomore season at ETHS. He led the Wildkits in scoring as both a junior and senior and was selected to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America All-American team in 1975.

Eliopoulos scored 19 goals as a senior and thrived despite the fact that he didn’t agree with the “kick and run” style of play used by another Hall of Famer, head coach Ken McGonagle.

“I don’t think he truly understood the game,” Eliopoulos said. “Baseball was really his first love. When I played, I wanted to slow the game down and possess the ball more, move it around and control the tempo. That was the way the game was played in Europe. The most important thing was what you did when you DIDN’T have the ball, to me, and that’s what always stuck in my mind.

“I was really just a little hot dog out there. I didn’t have the endurance, like some of the other guys. I shined because of my quickness, and if you put the ball in the penalty area --- it was mine! I didn’t care who else was in there. And whenever I scored a goal on a good shot, it was like an extra beat for my heart. I even amazed myself!”

Evanston’s 1975 squad fell short of a state championship after a 3-2 loss to Maine East in the mud and rain in the sectional tournament. Maine East went on to win a spot in the title game, while the Wildkits were voted No. 1 in the state in a coaches’ association poll conducted AFTER the state tournament ended.

“We expected to go further than we did,” Eliopoulos admitted. “It was a heartbreak for us to get beat by a weak team. I think we were too cocky going into that game. Those goals against us all came on mistakes.”

Eliopoulos played 2 seasons at the University of Illinois-Chicago (then known as Illinois-Circle) before joining the work force to help support his family. He retired following a 45-year career with Jewel Foods.

“I had a lot of offers to play after high school,” he said. “When I was at Circle we had a lot of talent, but it was hard to play because we were never a team --- more like just a group of individuals. We couldn’t bring that talent together, and after a couple of years, I decided I needed to put some money in my pockets. My family was important to me.”

LEIGHAH-AMORI WOOL, BASKETBALL

The 2023 Hall of Fame luncheon at Evanston will be a family reunion for the best female basketball player in school history.

And whether or not you agree that Leighah-Amori Wool is the GOAT --- greatest of all-time --- there’s no denying that she’s part of the first father-daughter combination to earn induction at the same time.

Wool’s father --- Steve --- and her uncle Lou will join Leighah in the newest Hall of Fame class, as both were members of the 1983-84 basketball squad that earned runnerup honors at the Illinois High School Association state basketball finals.

“I’m so excited and so surprised this happened. It’s really nice to go in with my Dad, because I love my Dad. And I love basketball, so I wouldn’t have this any other way,” Wool said. “I think my Dad probably saw my potential even before I did. He has such great basketball knowledge.”

Don’t believe that Wool was the best? She did it all for the Wildkits during her four-year varsity career. She was the first female player to surpass 1,000 points in a career, and she’s the program’s career leading scorer (1,268) points and 3-point field goal shooter. She’s a two-time all-Central Suburban League South division selection and was also named All-State as a junior.

As a collegian, Wool averaged double figures at both Western Michigan University (12.5 points per game) and Stony Brook (10.5 ppg).

Her impact was so significant at ETHS that it almost defies description. She scored, rebounded and even at her (6-foot) size often brought the ball up the court against enemy pressure.

Surprisingly, her game evolved in a way that doesn’t happen often for bigger players in the game. She began her varsity career as a 3-point sniper, then progressed to the point where she was almost unstoppable in the low post.

That goes against the stereotype for most high school players, who start out as inside threats and then try to expand their games away from the basket.

“What makes Leighah so unique is her versatility,” said Elliott Whitefield, who coached Wool in her first 3 years at ETHS. “She could score a 3-pointer, she could score in transition, she could post up and score, she’d score on offensive rebounds. Players like that sometimes tend to be less committed on defense --- but not Leighah. She really loved the game.

“I’ve had better shooters, I’ve had better rebounders, I’ve had better ballhandlers. But when you put it all together I haven’t coached a player as unique as Leighah. She had the ability to make her teammates better and she’s definitely the most talented player I’ve ever coached.”

“I always wanted to be a versatile player, maybe because I’m so competitive,” Wool said. “I knew my Dad was a great 3-point shooter so I wanted to be great, too. And I took a lot of pride in moving out and handling the ball out on the floor.

“I remember back when my Dad would run summer camps and by the end of the day, I’d have won all the medals for shooting contests. Then he’d take them back and I’ve have to win them all over again!”

“She was in 4th and 5th grade and she was beating 6th and 8th graders,” noted Steve Wool. “She was really competitive and she really hated losing. When she started playing AAU (Midwest Elite) she was coached by a no-nonsense guy named Josh Oppenheimer, who was a Milwaukee Bucks coach. He’s the one who took her game to the next level.

“I came back (to the varsity level) as an assistant when Leighah was a senior because she wanted me to. She was a very well-rounded, extraordinarily gifted basketball player and her basketball IQ is so high. She could drive, she could pass and she could rebound. I think she’s the most gifted all-around player in the history of the program, and coaching my daughter was the highlight of my career.”

Leighah-Amori Wool led the Wildkits to four straight IHSA regional titles but the Kits couldn’t clear the sectional hurdle in any of those years.

“I remember her sophomore year when we were playing at Maine West, against Loyola, and we were down and playing pretty poorly,” Whitefield recalled. “But Leighah hit the game-tying shot with no time on the clock, and then in overtime she continued to get to the free throw line. The rest is history.

“She adjusted to the physicality when we played her down in the post right away and she did it against some of the best post players in the state. She was the reason so many of the others were wide open for 3s. She did so much to help everyone else on the team.”

“Best player ever? I don’t know about that,” said Wool. “I just played because I loved it.”

NOJEL EASTERN, BASKETBALL

Football was his sport when Nojel Eastern first considered moving from Chicago to Evanston.

Fortunately, he changed his mind and his basketball career took off and helped Evanston Township High School’s program soar to new heights.

Eastern’s induction into the Evanston Athletic Hall of Fame as soon as he became eligible for the honor was a slam dunk, especially for followers of the program who regard him as arguably the best player in school history. He ranks 3rd all-time on the career scoring list with 1,456 points --- behind only Blake Peters and Juvon McGarry --- after starting all 4 years for the Wildkits. He’s also the career assist leader with 318, is a 3-time all-conference choice, and earned All-State honors in 2015-16.

Evanston’s 92 victories during his career were a record for the program at the time. He was runner-up in the voting for Mr. Basketball in the state of Illinois as a senior, then went on to play 3 years at Purdue University.

Currently, he’s playing professional basketball in Mexico.

It all began with his participation as a linebacker/running back for the Evanston-based High Ridge Chargers, which also drew players from Rogers Park in the city of Chicago where Eastern lived.

“I was pretty good at football and people have told me that I should’ve played football,” said Eastern. “I was big for my age and I played some tight end and quarterback, too.

“My Mom wanted the best situation for me and that wasn’t in the city. So I moved to Evanston and that’s the place where I got the opportunity to show my skills. Evanston will always have a special place in my heart.”

Hard work and a basketball IQ that’s so high it probably couldn’t be measured accurately helped Eastern become the first freshman to start under head coach Mike Ellis at ETHS. From that point on, he showed the veteran coach some things --- passing, scoring and rebounding --- Ellis hadn’t seen before or since.

“Whenever you put a 9th grader on a varsity team, you want to make sure they’re not in over their heads,” said Ellis. “You want the best for them. You want them to be able to continue to love the game and continue to improve.

“I knew that Nojel was the type of person to embrace that challenge. He wasn’t intimidated or afraid. His mindset was to put his teammates first. Unselfishness is one of the strongest pieces of his game, and that enabled him to be successful at an early age.

“Nojel always seemed to be one or two passes ahead of other players. He could see the game so well and he put in a lot of work, too. I don’t know if people realize the heights he took our program to. It’s always a challenge to chose the best of all-time in any program, but he’s certainly in that conversation. He’s on that Mount Rushmore, and no one can debate that.”

After earning all-tournament recognition as a freshman at the Pekin Holiday Tournament, Eastern was sidelined for about 10 games over the second half of the year. But he came back as a sophomore to lead the Kits to Central Suburban League South division and regional championships, averaging 15.7 points, 5.3 rebounds and whipping passes all over Beardsley Gym that led to easy scores for his teammates.

That unselfish play also highlighted his junior campaign, when he averaged 14.9 points, 6.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists. He raised his profile so much that recruiters --- both high school and college --- were constantly in pursuit of the 6-foot-6 point guard.

Chicago Public League schools --- and at least one out-of-state prep school --- tried to lure Eastern away from Evanston, but he wouldn’t leave his new home.

“I wanted to bring Evanston’s program up and I didn’t want to go somewhere like Simeon or Whitney Young,” Eastern recalled. “I wanted to create my own history at Evanston. I had an amazing coach and Evanston is an amazing community. Basketball to me is a team sport and I’m all about winning. I just wanted to give my teammates the confidence that they could know they’d get the ball from me. I just wanted to play basketball the right way.”

Eastern’s individual profile couldn’t have been higher --- he was the most recruited player in the program dating back at least a couple of decades --- and he returned the favor to his teammates, who earned shootout invitations they likely wouldn’t have attained without his presence in the lineup.

Evanston earned an invitation to the Beach Ball Classic in December of Eastern’s senior year and the Wildkits dazzled the crowds at the event featuring nationally-ranked teams at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

ETHS defeated teams from Florida, Kentucky and Georgia before bowing to a charter school from Pennsylvania, Imhotep, in overtime in the championship game.

Eastern was at his best during that week-long tourney, pouring in 90 points in those four games, including 28 in the title contest.

“Lots of times we played in front of packed stands because we had Nojel,” Ellis pointed out. “We don’t get that opportunity to play in Myrtle Beach without Nojel, either. He really did a lot for our program. It gave the other players a chance to be seen (by college scouts) and I think it really solidified the bond between Nojel and his teammates.

“We were down 3 against Imhotep, he gets fouled on a 3-point shot with 7 seconds left --- and Nojel makes all 3 shots to tie it. He scored 6 points in the final minute of regulation to keep us in it. That’s a game I’ll always remember.”

“We lost to Montverde (another nationally ranked basketball factory from Florida) earlier that year, and I really wanted to prove that a suburban team could compete with any team in the nation,” Eastern said. “And I wanted my teammates to be seen on a national stage next to me. For sure, that was my best week of basketball at ETHS, no question about it.”

The Wildkits were eliminated from state tournament play with a supersectional loss to Whitney Young at Chicago State. Eastern’s star shined through one more time as he netted 31 points on 13-of-19 shooting from the field.

“Every part of his game was important to Nojel. He wanted to put his fingerprint on every area of the game, not just on scoring,” said Ellis. “Just put it this way. He’d be in in my starting 5 on my all-time team. No one’s taking his spot.”

CAESAR ‘ZIP’ GAYLES, FOOTBALL/BASKETBALL

The Hall of Fame resume for Caesar Felton “Zip” Gayles is a list almost as long as his storied career in athletics.

As a coach, he won national championships in both football and basketball, including a 51-game winning string in basketball, at Langston University, a black college in Langston, Oklahoma.

As a player, he was selected to “half century” all-star college team in 1956 and was an All-American in both football and basketball at Morehouse College.

He is a member of the Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame, the Langston University Hall of Fame, and the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame.

He even coached the first college basketball team ever to beat the Harlem Globetrotters.

Gayles was born in Mississippi, then moved to Evanston as a youngster when his father was named pastor of the Second Baptist Church. A member of the Class of 1920 at ETHS, he excelled in both football and basketball.

He was chosen all-Cook County in football --- “Caesar Gayles, a highly capable flank man both for pivoting on defense and offensive foolery” according to the Chicago Tribune newspaper --- and started for the varsity basketball squad --- “Caesar usually out-jumped the opposing center and started things moving for Evanston. He won his place by hard work and deserves a great deal of credit” according to The Evanstonian.

Gayles played both sports at Morehouse College and also lettered in track, before deciding to make coaching his life’s work. Following brief stints as head football coach at Tennessee A&I and Arkansas Agricultural Mechanical and Normal College --- now Arkansas Pine-Bluff --- Gayles found a home in Oklahoma, where he led the Langston football and basketball programs to prominence in the days when all-black schools only competed against each other.

Between 1930 and 1965, Gayles guided the Langston basketball teams to a won-loss record of 571-281. In football, he amassed a 146-78-18 mark. The gymnasium/fieldhouse at Langston now bears his name in honor of his accomplishments at the school.

“Zip Gayles was a trailblazer and a role model for athletes and coaches,” said one official upon his induction into the Collegiate Hall of Fame in 2015. Seven years earlier, Gayles was selected to the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame with the plaque there noting that “in 36 years, Gayles carved a permanent place for himself in American athletic history and was dubbed ‘a master of champions and molder of coaches. He was fair, not showing favoritism no matter how good the player. With a personal philosophy that the purpose of sports was constructive citizenship, Zip was active in professional, civic, church and charity activities.”

Gayles and a future Globetrotter he coached at Langston --- Marques Haynes --- pulled a 74-70 upset over the Harlem Globetrotters in March of 1946 in an exhibition game played in Oklahoma City..

That same year, Gayles and legendary coach Hank Iba (Oklahoma A&M) tried to blaze a trail for integration of the sport after both programs won their respective national basketball championships.

“We won the black version of the national championship and they won the white version,” said Haynes when Gayles was named to the Collegiate Hall. “Zip Gayles and Hank Iba got to know each other pretty good. So Iba offered to play one game, at least, and maybe two-out-of-three, and Zip was for it. They agreed to play the game and Iba said ‘let me get back to you’ regarding the details.” But the idea was rejected by the Board of Regents at Iba’s university as segregation still ruled the roost.

Newspaper stories reporting Gayles’ inductions and honors often referred to his nickname “Zip” coming from the speed he showed on the football field.

The true story? That nickname originated in Evanston and didn’t exactly reflect one of his proudest moments. It did, however, have something to do with sports.

According to a column authored by sportswriter Frank Boggs, “he got that name in the eighth grade at Evanston, Illinois. Several of the boys played hooky and went into Chicago to see the Cubs play baseball. Zip Zabel was pitching. The year was 1915.

“The next day the teacher called on young Mr. Gayles to explain the whereabouts of those who had been absent. The teacher called on him because he always had the reputation for telling the truth, even when it hurt.

“Well, he got so nervous and stuttered around so he had an awful time saying ‘Zip Zabel’, so the rest of the kids started calling him Zip that day.”

1983-84 BASKETBALL TEAM

The 1968 Evanston basketball state champions are still regarded as one of the best teams ever to capture the Illinois High School Association title in the history of the event.

They certainly cast a large shadow over the teams that followed them at ETHS, and no Wildkit team has been able to match that feat.

But the 1983-84 squad has finally escaped that shadow after becoming only the third boys basketball team to earn induction into the ETHS Athletic Hall of Fame. Both the 1968 and 1917 cage teams have been honored previously.

Led by co-captains Lou Wool and Tony Mason, and star Everette Stephens, that team rolled to a school record 32 wins in a row before losing to Chicago Simeon 53-47 in the state title game at the University of Illinois in Champaign.

“We were in the shadow of that ’68 team. They were very supportive and came out and encouraged us during our run,” recalled Brian Brown, a reserve on the 1984 club. “But ours was a once-in-a-lifetime type of team. One more win --- and they probably would have made a movie about us.

“We had 16 guys on that team who were all winners in different ways. We had a great coach (Herb Williams) who was always encouraging us to better ourselves and the seniors set a great example for us. Those guys were serious, and they supported each other. I think the leadership we had really made the difference for us that season.”

A starting lineup that featured All-Stater Stephens (18 points per game), Derrick Brown, 6-foot-9 Steve Kling, Wool (11.8 ppg) and Mason (10.5 ppg) was backed by a strong bench that included Brian Brown, Kevin Ackles, Francois Jean-Paul, Mike Cobb and Jim Finucane, among others.

Following the 1983-84 Evanston team wasn’t for the faint of heart if you were a fan. Williams’ team won a remarkable 11 games by 4 points or fewer during that run, including close calls in the supersectional (71-67 over Buffalo Grove), state quarterfinals (65-53 in overtime against Benton) and state semifinals (58-56 over Saint Joseph).

Evanston was ranked No. 1 in the state of Illinois for most of the year and climbed as high as a No. 12 ranking in the country according to the newspaper USA Today. The Kits captured the Niles West Thanksgiving tournament title and at Christmas time conquered four south suburban teams --- Bremen, Eisenhower, Bloom and Bloom Trail --- to rule the Rich South Big Dipper tourney.

“Those guys took care of business --- and we had fun, too,” Williams said. “The seniors took the others under their wings and it’s their brotherhood that really sticks in my mind today. They really cared for each other.

“We did a lot of good things in the summer (in fact going undefeated in both spring and summer competition prior to the season) but I didn’t think we could go all year without a loss. I just knew we’d be pretty good. We had two great leaders in Lou Wool and Tony Mason. When they said something everyone listened, and we just continued to grow and build as a team during the season. There was no jealousy and they all worked together. It all just fell into place for us.”

The story didn’t have a happy ending. The Wildkits were so banged up by the time they reached the state championship game that they had trainer Bruce Romain working overtime. And Stephens had to sit out much of the second half with foul trouble in the season-ending defeat.

“We had guys with bad knees, bad ankles, but there were no excuses for them. They gritted it out and kept playing,” said Williams.

“After the game I remember that their heads were down. So I asked them why? I said do you realize that you just won second place in the state of Illinois? Get your heads up and smile. It’s something you’re going to remember for the rest of your life. This was a team that brought all the elements together and set a standard for years to come.”

1959-60 BOYS SWIMMING AND DIVING TEAM

Ask any athlete about the head-to-head rivalry with New Trier and then ask if they’d prefer to beat the Trevians during the regular season --- or win a state championship.

That choice is probably obvious now. But ask the swimmers and divers who battled it out in the pool over a stretch from 1950 to 1962 and you might get an unexpected response.

In an era where the two schools placed 1-2 at the Illinois High School Association state finals an amazing 10 times --- including a tie for the title in 1956 --- winning the regular season dual meet was at least AS important as whatever happened in the postseason.

The members of the latest boys swim team to be inducted into the Evanston Hall of Fame enjoyed a sweep during the 1959-60 season, using a 52-34 dual meet triumph over their highly-regarded neighbors to provide the momentum to also end New Trier’s 3-year stranglehold on the state championship a couple of weeks later.

Led by individual state champions Tom Gibson (400-yard freestyle), Gregg Skalinder (50 freestyle), Jeff Moore (100 butterfly) and John Pringle (100 breaststroke) the Wildkits ruled the pool at the IHSA finals by outscoring New Trier 86-69. It marked the last state title for ETHS --------- under legendary coach Dobbie Burton --- until the Wildkits won it all again in 2001.

Burton’s teams had topped New Trier in dual meets in 1950, 1952, 1956, 1957 and 1958 but the Green Wave --- as the Trevians were known at the time --- bounced back to capture state crowns in every one of those seasons.

And a highly-touted junior class during that 1959-60 school year prompted a headline on a story leading up to the January 22nd dual meet in the Chicago Tribune that asked “Will New Trier ever be beaten in prep swimming?”

Evanston answered with a 52-34 triumph in front of a crowd of 1,200 spectators, as Moore and Skalinder combined with Peter Hammer and Rick Mayer to set a national record in the 200 medley relay in 1:44.4 seconds. That was one of 6 first place finishes recorded in the meet by the Kits. “Our boys were keyed up almost out of their minds,” said Burton after his squad rose to the occasion, and also won the New Trier Relays for the second year in a row.

The two-day state finals were definitely life in the fast lane. A total of 12 state records were set in the preliminaries and finals in a two-team race between the Suburban League powers.

Moore, who was named to the ETHS Hall of Fame in 2020, established a new butterfly mark of 54.7 in the prelims, then matched that effort in the finals. Gibson was clocked in 4:11 flat in the 400 freestyle --- another record --- and Skalinder rose to the occasion with a record effort of 23.2 in the 50 free, bettering the record set by New Trier’s Chip Laird in the prelims.

John Pringle topped the existing mark in the breaststroke prelims on Friday, with a time of 1:07.4, then earned the gold medal in 1:07.9 the next day.

The Wildkits also counted 2nds from Moore in the 200 individual medley, Gibson in the 200 freestyle, Hammer in the 100 backstroke, the 200 medley relay team and diver Terry Fish; 3rds from freshman Tom Pringle in the 100 freestyle, John Pringle in the 200 IM, and George McBean in the 50 freestyle; 4ths from diver Dick Schroeder, Rick Mayer in the 100 breaststroke, Bob Johnson in the 100 backstroke and George Grommes in the 100 butterfly; and 5ths from Jerry Overson in both the 400 freestyle and 200 freestyle.

“That senior year was a pretty intense year,” recalled John Pringle. “We really wanted to beat New Trier in that dual, with all the terrific juniors they had. It was very satisfying to beat them at the dual --- and at State. I was just going through a scrapbook with my brother a couple of weeks ago and what he did as a freshman really helped us beat them at State. We didn’t expect him to finish 3rd. Every point mattered at that meet.”

Pringle moved to Evanston after attending Lyons Township as a freshman, where he was cut from the freshman basketball team (“and that was the right decision by the coaches there.”) But during a summer vacation he found a spot on a small swim club team at the Indiana Dunes and joined the squad at ETHS the following winter.

“Gus Stager was the one who ran that summer program. He recommended me to Dobbie, and Dobbie gave me a chance,” Pringle said. “It became clear to me that I had found a sport where I could be good.

“I found a niche swimming the breaststroke. I made a commitment, and I fit right in. I had high hopes in the IM at State, and it was a close race but I was worn out emotionally (after winning the breaststroke) and I didn’t have a lot left by then. There was a lot of pressure on me, and it was internal pressure. I didn’t have it all figured out back then.”

A.P. BRADLEY, TRACK COACH

Alvin Pierce Bradley built the foundation for success in the Evanston boys track program.

A pioneer who thrived as an athlete, running on cinder tracks himself as a member of one of the first track and field teams at ETHS, Bradley led the Wildkits to their first Illinois High School Association state championship in any sport when the Kits claimed the 1922 track title.

A product of ETHS, and Northwestern University, Bradley graduated from Evanston in 1905 after having set school records in both the 60 and 100-yard dashes. He placed third at the state finals in 1905 in the 100, making him one of the first Wildkit athletes ever to score at the IHSA meet. He was preceded only by Billy McLean, 3rd in the mile run in 1903, and J.L. Barker, 1st in the 400 in 1904.

Bradley put the Wildkits on the map after taking over the track program in 1917. He guided them to top 10 state finishes in 1919 (7th), 1921 (tie for 4th), 1923 (4th), 1924 (10th), 1925 (tie for 6th), and 1928 (3rd) during his tenure, in addition to the 1922 team title.

The IHSA conducted the state finals in two classes in 1922, with Evanston dominating the Class A field with 35 points to 17 for runnerup Deerfield-Shields (later to become Highland Park). John Cameron won both the 100 and 220-yard dashes for the Kits, who also counted first place finishes from Joe Swan in the 440, Bill Reeves in the 880, pole vaulter Oliver Barker, and the 880-yard relay team.

Also scoring top 4 finishes were Horace Secrist, 2nd in the long jump and 4th in the 50, and Frances Mewell, 4th in the 120 high hurdles.

JAMES BIXBY, BASKETBALL COACH

James W. Bixby’s “real” job was the post he held in Evanston, where he served as general secretary of the YMCA --- Young Men’s Christian Association --- for 33 years.

And he instituted a learn-to-swim program there that provided an estimated 22,000 children in the city an opportunity they wouldn’t have had if he hadn’t moved here from Iowa to join the YMCA staff.

But in his spare time, Bixby put Evanston Township High School basketball on the map. His resume includes a winning percentage of 78 percent in a coaching career that spanned 14 seasons from 1906 to 1920. He’s a “slam dunk” choice to join the Evanston Athletic Hall of Fame even though there was no dunking back in his day.

The Wildkits won three straight titles in the North Shore League --- their first real conference affiliation --- and also captured Suburban League crowns in 1914 and 1918. Bixby guided ETHS to its first Illinois High School Association state tournament appearance, bowing in the quarterfinals in 1908 against Rock Island by a 31-23 margin. That tournament was held at the Oak Park YMCA.

Evanston never qualified for the IHSA finals again under Bixby. Instead, he created what became known as the “Central States Tournament” that was held at the YMCA and attracted cage powers from all over the Midwest.

Evanston won that inaugural tournament in 1911, sweeping past Grundy Center of Iowa (38-20), Evanston Academy (24-1), Sioux City of Iowa (33-17) and Abingdon (28-18) to claim the first place trophy. The Kits also ruled the tourney in 1912, 1913, 1914 and 1915 as the sport grew in popularity.

The Central States tourney was the forerunner to the National Prep Tournament created by legendary coach Amos Alonzo Stagg of the University of Chicago. Evanston won the title in 1917, outlasting Freeport 27-22 in overtime in the championship game.