December 27, 2006
by Bob Chmiel
For over twenty years, the Chicago Sun-Times sponsored the all-area banquet honoring prep football standouts from the greater Chicago area. Many of the Players of the year from that banquet would be familiar names to Notre Dame fans. Young guys like Robeert Farmer, John Foley, Tom Zbikowski, George Streeter, Bryant Young, Chris Zorich on and on stood proudly as they were being honored as the best of the best in the Chicago area.
I recall as a young coach many years ago attending the banquet at the Como Inn restaurant on the near north side of Chicago. In the recent past, the building which was home to The Como Inn was raised to make room for a condominium complex.
At that time the Sun-Times decided not to continue to sponsor the event. Tom Lemming who was a great part of choosing the honorees, as well as being an intricate facilitator of the event, decided to take it upon himself to seek sponsorship and continue the event. He found it important to continue honoring the great young men who play football in the storied Chicago football conferences.
The event not only honors the young men, but also the players parents and respective coaches. This banquet also attracted the attendance of all of the assistant collegiate coaches who recruit the Chicago area. Everyone in town recruiting enjoyed the banquet and used the event as a forum for showing support to high school football in Chicago.
Many recruits received a call the day after the banquet to let a recruit know that "I was there because you were being honored." To permit this wonderful gathering to have run its course would have been tragic. I salute Tom Lemming for his persistence and hard work in keeping the banquet a large part of the culture of high school football in the greater Chicago area.
In seeking a principle naming event sponsor, Tom was fortunate to receive this type of contribution from Mr. Chris Krause - founder and CEO of the National Collegiate Scouting Association. Personally, I have given recruiting presentations for NCSA and they are totally a legitimate, above-board, top of the line recruiting service.
Tom Thayer is a principle board member and very active in the policy of the organization. Mr. Krause as the naming sponsor requested that NCSA be given the opportunity to designate a young man each year for the NCSA leadership award.
Last night, the first of these wards was presented and the inaugural recipient was Aaron Nagle of Lemont high school and a young man as you know has verbally committed to Notre Dame.
I thoroughly enjoyed Mr. Krause's presentation as he described Aaron as a "four-four." I am sure most expected that to be his forty-time, but Mr. Krause indicated that it was Aaron's GPA. What an impressive young man. I am confident he will be a great fit for Notre Dame on the playing field as well as in the classroom.
Mr. John Foley spoke to the gathering crowd and his message was simply unbelievable. He talked about his visit with Coach Holtz and how Coach Holtz told him if he was not more interested in getting a degree than in playing football, he should "get out of my office."
John also spoke of the support of the Notre Dame family during a difficult time when John's dad suffered a heart attack. John then held up a copy of Under the Tarnished Dome and said there are about five chapters in this book telling you how dumb I am.
He followed that somewhat shocking visual with telling the young guys in the audience that he was able to work for a degree at Notre Dame because of all of the support that he received. He is now extremely successful in a far greater game than football - the game of life.
John's presentation was the story of things that dreams are made of. God bless John Foley, what a message to the young men in the audience.
The great John Lattner took the podium and relayed some wonderful stories about his relationship with Coach Leahy and what Notre Dame has meant to him. There might not be a better ambassador for Notre Dame, college football, the Heisman Trophy, and yes Fenwick High School, than Mr. Lattner.
Tom Lemming has named the MVP on offense and defense as the John Lattner award. Simply a great tribute to a great man. It was just one of those evenings where you did not want it to end.
Finally, the guest of honor and the featured speaker addressed the young men in attendance. That speaker was none other than Coach Charlie Weis, head football coach at the University of Notre Dame.
Coach Weis was magnificent. His message centered on his life and how it led him to his current position. He spoke of education, determination, hard work, doing what you love, never giving into anything that moves you away from your goals; and that life may takes various twists and turns, but if you stay the course and fight through difficult times, good things will come your way.
I loved his final message in that he told the young men to seek the advice of those who love him. Use them in making one of the biggest decisions of their lives, the decision as to where they would go to college.
He also relayed the fact that young people seek advice concerning many, many things in life, but when this decision comes along that they make look elsewhere or attempt this difficult decision themselves. His message was clear - the people that love you will be the people who are best suited to assist you through this process.
As they say when evaluating featured speakers, Coach Weis "nailed it."
Once again, a salute to Tom Lemming in keeping this event am important part of the Chicago high school culture, as well as to NCSA and Chris Krause for the sponsorship, to all of the young men their families, and to the great high school coaches of the area.
I wish that all of you could have been with me. I hope that you enjoy this account of a great night of honoring young football players and their families.
