Dusty, Deek, and Mr. Do-Right: High School Football in Illinois » (1st Edition)

Taylor Bell covered high school and professional sports in Illinois for more than forty years, mostly for the Chicago Daily News and the Chicago Sun-Times. His other books include Sweet Charlie, Dike, Cazzie, and Bobby Joe: High School Basketball in Illinois.

From small towns like Metamora, Aledo, and Carthage to East St. Louis and Chicago's South Side, Illinois's high school football fields have been the proving ground for such future stars as Dick Butkus, Red Grange, and Otto Graham. In Dusty, Deek, and Mr. Do-Right, longtime fan and sportswriter Taylor Bell shares the stories of the greatest players, toughest coaches, most memorable games, and fiercest rivalries in Illinois history. Drawing on dozens of personal interviews, Bell profiles memorable figures such as Tuscola's record-setting quarterback Dusty Burk, Pittsfield's brutally demanding yet devoted Coach Donald "Deek" Pollard, and Evanston's Murney "Mr. Do-Right" Lazier, who coached sternly but without prejudice in the racially charged 1960s and '70s. The book also discusses winning programs at schools such as East St. Louis, Mount Carmel, and Joliet Catholic, as well as longstanding rivalries and memorable games in the state playoff and Prep Bowl.

The ultimate book for high school football fans in Illinois, Dusty, Deek, and Mr. Do-Right is infused with Bell's own love for the game and illustrated with sixty photographs of the players and coaches who made lifetime memories under the Friday night lights.

Chapter 1 The Players 1

Heisman Trophy Winner Johnny Lattner Lattner, Johnny 3

The Ultimate Competitor Dick Butkus Butkus, Dick 5

Illinois' First Goliath Dave Butz Butz, Dave 8

Here's "Mud" in Your Eyes Mike Kenn Kenn, Mike 10

One-Year Wonder Kellen Winslow Winslow, Kellen 12

4.21? Are You Kidding? Don Beebe Beebe, Don 15

A Charmed Life Russell Maryland Maryland, Russell 17

A Future NFL Hall of Famer Bryant Young Young, Bryant 19

Riding the A-Train Mike Alstott Alstott, Mike 21

The Spread Offense Cometh Dusty Burk Burk, Dusty 24

Chapter 2 The Coaches 29

"Sculptor of People" Tony Lawless Lawless, Tony 31

Cradle of Coaches Harvey Dickinson Dickinson, Harvey 34

In the Mold of Lombardi, Bryant, and Hayes Deek Pollard Pollard, Deek 36

Mr. Do-Right Murney Lazier Lazier, Murney 39

A Wise Decision Bob Reade Reade, Bob 41

Carrying a Big Stick Gordie Gillespie Gillespie, Gordie 44

A Damon Runyon Character Pat Cronin Cronin, Pat 46

The Tradition Continues Bob Shannon Shannon, Bob 50

John The Seven-Degrees Solution O'Boyle 52

Setting a Precedent Gary Korhonen Korhonen, Gary 55

Know Your Capabilities Matt Senffner Senffner, Matt 57

Six Titles in Nine Years Dan Sharp Sharp, Dan 59

The General Frank Lenti Lenti, Frank 62

Chapter 3 The Teams 71

Mount Carmel 1950: Best Team of Its Era 73

Fenwick 1962: The Jim DiLullo Show 75

Metamora 1968: Stromberger's Gadget Play 78

St. Rita 1971: The Difference between Great and Super 80

Evanston 1971: Even without Howard Jones 83

Decatur St. Teresa, 1972: 404-6 85

Joliet Catholic 1975: Gordie's Best Team 87

Geneseo 1976: The Green Machine 90

East St. Louis 1985: Shannon's Best Team 92

Mount Carmel 1988: "No Super Stars" 95

Wheaton Warrenville South 1998: Best Offense Ever? 97

Joliet Catholic 1999: "They Had It All" 99

Providence 2001: Senffner's Best Handiwork 102

Chapter 4 The Games 109

Glenbrook North 19, East St. Louis 13 (OT): 1974 111

St. Laurence 22, Glenbard West 21 (OT): 1976 114

Wheaton Warrenville South 40, Joliet Catholic 34 (2 OT): 1992 117

Maine South 31, Mount Carmel 28: 1995 120

Driscoll 42, Mount Carmel 41 (2 OT): 2001 122

Aledo 41, Carthage 40: 2002 125

Chapter 5 Small Schools 131

Aledo: Rekindling a Tradition 133

Areola: The Monahan Brothers Ride Again 135

Bloomington Central Catholic: Building a Foundation 138

Carthage: The Unruh Era 141

Decatur St. Teresa: Decade of the 1970s 144

Galena: Not Just a Tourist Attraction 147

Pittsfield: "The Streak" 150

Sterling Newman: Building a Tradition 152

Stockton: The John O'Boyle Era 155

Woodstock Marian Central: Decade of the 1980s 158

Chapter 6 Midsized Schools 167

Eight Titles, Seven in a Row Addison Driscoll Driscoll, Addison 169

Time to Retire Belleville Althoff Althoff, Belleville 171

Stanhouse and the Hambletonian Du Quoin 174

Five Decades of Excellence Geneseo 177

Four Coaches, 13 State Titles Joliet Catholic Catholic, Joliet 180

Kankakee Rich Zinanni Era Bishop McNamara McNamara, Bishop 182

Metamora: Coming of Age 184

Morris: Darlington to Dergo 187

New Lenox Providence: The Matt Senffner Era 190

Oak Moving On Up Lawn Richards Richards, Lawn 193

Chapter 7 Large Schools 205

Chicago Mount Carmel: Frank Kiszka's Legacy 207

Chicago St. Rita: 100 Years of Football Memories 209

East St. Louis: "Common Thread Is Tradition" 212

Harvey Thornton: Football Gets Its Props 215

Mount Prospect: Team of the New Millennium 218

Park Ridge Maine South: A Coaching Clinic 221

Peoria Richwoods: The "Rich Kids" School 224

Springfield Sacred Heart-Griffin: Downstate Power 227

Wheaton North: The Jim Rexilius Era 230

Wheaton Warrenville South: Red Grange's Legacy 233

Chapter 8 Fourth Quarter 241

State Playoff 243

Prep Bowl 245

Chicago Catholic League 249

Chicago Public League 251

Index 257