Bleeding Rocket Blue, Einwich will take his place in Burlington Central HOF

The years 1985 and 1986 were memorable ones for Burlington Central graduate Mark Einwich.

He recalls the old Central High School gym burning down as well as that being the time frame of the Challenger space shuttle explosion (in January of 1986). Einwich graduated from Central in the spring of 1986.

A football player for the Rockets, Einwich's departure from the school would be extremely short-lived.

"I needed some help with (public address) announcing," said former Central and Dundee-Crown athletic director John Noyes, now retired, but still coaching basketball at Genoa-Kingston (volunteer assistant) and in the midst of a long-term substitute teaching assignment at Hampshire.

"We really didn't have anyone that was a full-time announcer. It seemed like we had two or three different people for football. One of the first people I thought of was Mark. He was so excited about it."

Thirty years later, Einwich still is going strong as the voice of Rockets football and boys and girls basketball.

Synonymous as anyone associated with Central athletics, Einwich's contributions will be celebrated Sunday at Elgin Community College when he enters the Burlington Central Athletic Hall of Fame as a friend of the program. Another eight individuals as well as three teams will also be inducted.

"It's very humbling," said the 48-year-old Einwich, whose parents, Otto and Judy, will attend Sunday's ceremony. "I'm very honored to be inducted. Thirty seasons is a long time to have been doing what back in 1986 I would never in my wildest dreams have thought I still would be doing 30 years later. For them to think enough of me to want to induct me into the Hall of Fame means a lot to me."

Noyes, who taught Einwich in history and coached him in football and basketball, had plenty of reasons to pursue him for the announcing position.

"He was a great kid and was a hard worker in the classroom and in football," he said. "He gets along so well with people. He was a natural at it. He's so outgoing and he had a great knowledge of the game. He fit right in. It has to be such a relief for the athletic director to know they have someone there to announce every day and every game. Mark became the voice of the Rockets."

Einwich, the deputy fire chief in Geneva and a part-time firefighter for the town of Burlington, estimates he's missed "a couple" football games over the years.

"I enjoy the heck out of it," he said. "I'm fortunate that I've been able to work with a bunch of great athletic directors, principals and administrative staffs. They always have treated me like I was on the staff at the school. I've always felt welcome."

Einwich said his early days of announcing provided a nice bridge off the athletic fields.

"It filled a gap," he said. "I wasn't going on to play in college. It made me feel like I was still involved. As a football player, most of us would give anything to strap on the pads and play one more game. I've been able to have 30 more seasons, not as a player, but still being involved. It's a way to stay connected to it. It filled a void."

Einwich has seen the Central football program span the spectrum from an 0-9 season to going into an early 2000s playoff game against now-closed Driscoll High School with an 11-0 record. He's seen plenty of great players on both benches compete in Big Northern Conference contests and is looking forward to Central's foray into the Kishwaukee River Valley Conference next school year.

He was on the microphone for a Central-Byron game where the first three plays of the game were kickoffs returned for touchdowns. "It was 14-7 with about 11:20 left in the first quarter," he remembered.

Einwich, who noted the biggest 50-50 pot he's seen in all his years was more than $500 during a Rockets' playoff game, said he takes great care in making sure players' names are pronounced correctly during games.

"I don't have the easiest last name to pronounce," said Einwich, who has been married to his wife, Angie, for 16 years (they have 6 children). "I've always made sure to give the opposing players the courtesy of pronouncing their names correctly."

He also takes his general responsibility as a public-address announcer seriously. "My job is to keep everybody informed on what is going on," he said. "I'm very into the games, but still as respectful as I can possibly be when I switch on that microphone. I like to get the enthusiasm going in the crowd a little bit."

Einwich, a St. Charles resident, ticked off a number of Rocket football greats he noted could make things happen when they touched the ball and was equally complimentary of the Central coaches he's watched over the years.

"The players and coaches at Central have been great," said Einwich, who pointed out he has announced a player that went on to win a Super Bowl ring (Byron alum Sean Considine with the Baltimore Ravens). "I don't know if it would be fair to single anybody out. I've been fortunate as an announcer to watch some very good players, coaches and teams. I don't think there have been very many losing seasons. We've had some amazing athletes come through here. They all start to blur together."

The fact he's been able to contribute to his alma mater for three decades is something Einwich carries close to his heart.

"I wore the Rocket blue," he said. "This is where I grew up. It's a place that always has been special to me. I've been doing this now for more than half my life and am honored to still be a part of it. I'm proud to be a Rocket."

•Also being inducted at Sunday's ceremony will be: Shane Burke (wrestling), Josh Gminski (football and track), Stephanie Holthus (volleyball), Austin Jarvis (baseball), Erica Maisto (softball and golf), Kayla Oranger (softball), Cameron Ostrowski (track and soccer), Molly Turk (volleyball) as well as the 1952 and 1953 football teams and the 2008 state runner-up girls volleyball team.