Maryville celebrates youth organization's 80th
The Maryville Catholic Youth Organization celebrated CYO's 80th anniversary Saturday, Dec. 4, with a “Meet the Stars” event at the Stevens Center on the Maryville Des Plaines Campus.
The event featured appearances by star athletes of the past, including 1953 Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Lattner; former New York Yankee Moose Skowron; John Egan, a member of Loyola University's 1963 National Champion basketball team; and Dick Devine, 1961 City Lightweight Champions, Loyola Academy.
Founded in Chicago in 1930, the CYO was organized to provide young men in gangs with an alternative to the streets.
The Maryville CYO sponsors organized athletic programs throughout the year, including basketball, cross country, track and field, and cheerleading. Each year approximately 2,000 youth, ages 8-19, participate in CYO events in the Chicago area.