Naperville North alum turns fandom into career

Carmen DeFalco admittedly wasn't a star athlete during his days at Naperville North High School.

"Usually I joked I was the world's greatest Naperville North fan," he said.

But taking in games from the sidelines turned into a career for the 1994 North grad, whose sports observations can now be heard each night on ESPN Radio 1000.

DeFalco's success on the airwaves has earned him this year's Learners to Leaders alumni award from his alma mater.

After graduating from North, DeFalco earned a bachelor's degree in broadcast journalism from Columbia College and got his start in the industry with WLS radio.

In 1998 he moved over to ESPN and since then has been working his way up the ranks, covering a variety of Chicago sports teams including the Bulls, Bears, White Sox and Cubs.

Today, he co-hosts "The Show" on weeknights from 7:30 to 11 p.m. with Jeff Dickerson and Jonathan Hood.

"Certainly I love what I do and when the microphone is on, it's great," DeFalco said. "I love having a forum to talk about my opinions on sports, to have fun, be entertaining, interact with Chicago sports fans."

An avid White Sox fan, his favorite memory is covering their World Series championship in 2005. At the time he was doing a midday show with Marc Silverman.

"It was not only great to be covering and to be a part of a World Series, but to be a Chicago team and to be the White Sox who I love was absolutely the best," DeFalco said.

Although there wasn't a radio program available while he was at North, he said the school's high standards contributed to his success.

"Everything to be able to learn to succeed was presented there for you," he said. "It was very competitive, which I didn't realize at the time, but it pays off in the long run."

Tuesday night, he'll be back in Naperville to speak to students about his career and offer some advice to the seniors getting ready to head off to college or careers of their own.

"Find something you're really passionate about, whatever it is," he said. "Don't be afraid to do it. If you choose radio, TV, or print journalism, be prepared. It's a great challenge, it's very competitive, but if you really enjoy it, go for it and it'll pay off in the end."