Fab Five joins St. Charles East Hall of Fame
An all-conference quarterback who led his team to back-to-back state playoff appearances, an all-state wrestler who recorded a pair of top-five individual state finishes, a coach who guided his girls cross country teams to two consecutive state championships, and a two-sport standout who excelled in football and track and field, are the 2011 inductees to the St. Charles East Fighting Saints Hall of Fame.
The quartet will be honored between Saturday's St. Charles North-St. Charles East girls and boys varsity basketball games (approximately 6 p.m.) as Jodie Harrison Lifetime Achievement Award recipients.
The newest Hall of Fame honorees are Lon Erickson, David Potter, Tom Roderick and Jamie Wu.
Lon Erickson (Class of 1993)
Erickson, a two-time all-conference quarterback, directed the Saints to Class 6A state postseason appearances and a combined 18-4 record in 1991 and 1992.
The 5-10, 175-pounder was excited to hear of his selection to the school's Hall of Fame from Saints athletic director Jerry Krieg a few weeks ago.
“It was a surprise and quite an honor,” said Erickson, who currently lives in Santa Fe, N.M., with his wife/high school sweetheart, Ann, and their three children. “We're loading up the family and heading to St. Charles for the weekend.”
Erickson, who along with Jamie Wu chose former Saints football coach Buck Drach as his presenter, recalled his high school playing days with affection.
“Some of the fondest memories of my life are playing football Friday nights under the lights,” said Erickson, who attended Drach's 2006 Hall of Fame induction.
In 1991, the Saints edged Conant 13-12 in the first round of the 6A playoffs before losing a 23-13 decision to eventual state runner-up Glenbard North. The next season, St. Charles outlasted Bolingbrook 32-27 in the opening round before being ousted by Naperville Central, 23-21.
Erickson remembers both playoff years vividly, especially his senior campaign.
“I threw a late interception to end our chances,” said Erickson. “It was a tough one to swallow personally, especially since it was at our home field.”
The loss certainly didn't keep Erickson down long, however. Upon graduation from St. Charles in 1993, he headed to Illinois Wesleyan, where he became a four-year starting quarterback for the Titans and head coach Norm Eash.
“It was an eye-opening experience my first year there,” said Erickson. “We had a bumper crop of quarterbacks, probably 14-15 guys, battling for spots. Fortunately, I got some playing time and took advantage of the opportunity.”
During his senior year, the Titans advanced to the NCAA Division III playoffs before losing a second-round decision to Mt. Union. Named as the CCIW's Outstanding Offensive Player as a senior, Erickson also earned the Gagliardi Trophy as the top Division III football player.
Erickson, 35, is currently an investment fund manager with Thornburg Securities.
David Potter (Class of 1997)
The Potter name is synonymous with St. Charles wrestling.
David, a three-time all-conference wrestler and state qualifier, was the oldest of the three Potter brothers (Jason and Christopher) who made their mark on the mats.
Interestingly, David's dad and grandfather were college football players (at Western Illinois and Notre Dame, respectively). His uncle, John, was a wrestler at Glenbard West and at Eastern Illinois.
“Jason and I kind of grew up in wrestling,” said Potter, who began the sport at the age of 6 while his younger brother was 4. “It was an outlet for us to beat up on each other.”
As a freshman, Potter was a varsity starter at 152 pounds – not an easy weight to compete at against mostly juniors and seniors.
“I took some lumps,” admitted Potter, who nevertheless qualified for the state tournament.
After taking his sophomore year off due to concussions suffered during the previous football season, Potter made up for lost time with a great junior year that was capped by his third-place state showing at 171 pounds.
“It was hard to take that year off but looking back it was a smart decision,” said Potter.
As a senior, Potter took fifth place individually in Champaign at 171 pounds, while leading the Saints (22-2-1) to a third-place finish in the dual-team state tournament.
“We lost to Providence in the semifinals (29-21) with the help of controversial decision,” recalled Potter. “We had to forfeit a weight class when one of our guys supposedly missed weight.”
Potter, 31, also played football and was the Saints' leading rusher as a senior, earning all-conference honors.
“I met some of my best friends through high school athletics,” said Potter. “We had a great wrestling coach in Mick Ruettiger, who helped instill humility and sportsmanship that has carried over to today.”
Potter went on to be a four-year starter at Northern Illinois, where he was the 2000 Mid-American Conference champion (184 pounds) and an NCAA Tournament qualifier.
He returned to STC East as a volunteer coach and helped train younger brother Christopher during his state title run (2003 and 2004). Jason also was a 2-time state champ (1998 and 1999).
“It was more exciting to watch them win state titles than compete myself,” said Potter, who still lives in St. Charles with his wife, Sylvia, and is a national sales manager with Gemini Coating.
Tom Roderick (Teacher/Coach)
As a high school freshman at T.F. South, Roderick had no intention of trying out for swimming until meeting the team's coach, Jim Kijewski.
“He talked me into coming out for the swim team once day in homeroom,” said Roderick. “I was still learning how to swim.”
Four years later, Roderick, who also was a high jumper on the track squad, went on to Eastern Illinois where he became a four-year varsity member of the swim team.
“Coach Kijewski was a fabulous teacher and coach,” said Roderick. “There were a lot of little things I learned from him and the time he spent with the team. He'd wait until the last kid was picked up from practice. He'd have the entire team over to his house. It felt like family.”
Those lessons stayed with Roderick during his high school coaching career, which included stops at Tinley Park, T.F. North and Elk Grove before being hired by then athletic director Paul Bergeson at St. Charles in 1983.
“That's the way I knew how to coach,” he added.
Roderick, who coached boys track (1984-2002), girls track (1987-1988), and girls cross country (1989-2001), guided Saints track teams to 17 conference titles during his tenure.
In 1997 and 1998, his girls cross country team earned back-to-back state championships, led by Tera Moody, Carrie DiPiazza, Kelly Tetzlaff, Denise Hefferin, Carrie Phelps and Christine Wampach.
“It is a tremendous honor to be recognized by my hometown here,” Roderick said of the Hall of Fame accolades. “It's special because it involved all of the kids.
“I got to know Jodie Harrison and shared his philosophy. He always said teach in five (classes) and coach in two (sports) every year. I was very content with the job I did over the years.”
Roderick currently serves as assistant men's track coach and volunteer cross country coach at North Central College.
Jamie Wu (Class of 1995)
For a guy who didn't play football until his sophomore year of high school, Wu was a quick study.
“I was always bigger than the other kids when I grew up in Schaumburg but the youth football teams had a weight limit I couldn't reach,” said Wu.
Moving to St. Charles after middle school, Wu hurt his knee as a high school freshman.
The next year, his path changed dramatically.
“One day I was sitting in health class with Coach (Mark) Gould and he asked me to try out for football,” said Wu. “I didn't pick it up right away.”
Through hard work, Wu developed into one of the Saints' greatest football players. The defensive end served as team captain and was named Upstate Eight Conference Most Valuable Player in 1994.
“My junior year, we had a great team and won the conference championship,” said Wu. “My senior year, we started out 1-2 before rallying to win out and make the playoffs. We had a great team with guys like Kurt Wilderspin and Jon Goldie, and we had great coaching under Coach Drach and Coach (Brian) Wegley.”
Wu also was a standout track and field athlete who earned all-state honors as a senior after placing second in the state in the shot put (57-9¾). He added fifth- and eighth-place discus state finishes during his junior and senior seasons.
After receiving a scholarship to the University of Maryland, Wu became a four-year track and field letterman and offensive lineman on the Terrapins' football team.
As a senior, the 6-2, 285-pound guard earned the school's Lineman of the Year award as well as the Cook Memorial Award for the highest grade-point average.
“The biggest adjustment switching from defense to offense was learning a different mentality,” said Wu, who lives in the Washington D.C. area with his wife, Christy. “Defense is all reactive where you need to be more protective on the offensive line. We ran the ball a lot.”
Wu, who currently works in sales with a software firm (Good Technology), spent one summer in training camp as a free agent with the Atlanta Falcons before ending his athletic career.
“It was one of the greatest experiences I've ever had,” said Wu. “I gained so much appreciation for their talents.”
Wu acknowledged the tie-in he shares with the other 2011 Hall of Fame inductees.
“I played with two of the nominees and was coached by the other,” he said.