Luke doing for Danville what he did at Waubonsie
Coaches know shifting perceptions come with the territory. Win, you're great. Lose, you're a bum.
Right now, B.J. Luke may actually be like a mayor.
He was once a staple of DuPage County football, leading Waubonsie Valley to the playoffs nine times in 18 seasons with a 1992 Class 6A semifinal berth. He's in the Warriors' Athletic Hall of Fame.
Now Luke is in his fifth year as head coach and offensive coordinator at Danville, his alma mater, with his brother Steve and son R.J. coaching on the defensive side. The Vikings are 8-0 with a good chance to go 9-0, facing winless Urbana on Friday in Danville.
"You know how football coaching is, we're real popular this week," said B.J. Luke, Danville Class of 1972. "The town's excited, it's been big for the community, and it's been a lot of fun kind of seeing the school spirit come back and the crowds that we've had. We've had to put stands in the end zone."
Since arriving in Danville in 2005 - fellow veteran Paul Murphy's takeover at Waubonsie Valley made it a win-win scenario - Luke has produced records of 1-8, 5-5, 5-5 and 7-3.
This was a program that after a 6-4 playoff season in 2000 went 0-9, 1-8, 3-6, 0-9. In 2004 Danville allowed 399 points and lost 69-28 to the second-to-last team in the Big Twelve, 1-8 Decatur MacArthur.
"That was the reason why I kind of felt compelled to do this, going back and reading the newspaper every Saturday and seeing the scores, seeing that program down. I kind of made a living throughout my career taking (teams) whose programs were down," Luke said.
On the day of Waubonsie Valley's 28-25 loss to Naperville North in the first round of the 2004 Class 8A playoffs, former Danville athletic director Terry Hill called Luke to ask if he knew of any young coaches interested in rebuilding a program.
Maybe it was that hip goatee he was sporting, but Luke figured he was young enough.
"I took a weekend, and the more I thought about it the more I felt compelled to do that," said Luke, who according to IHSA records has a career mark of 186-133 in 33 seasons, starting in Heyworth, then Yorkville, Kankakee and Waubonsie.
He said the last time Danville was the undisputed Big Twelve champion was 1979. The Vikings went undefeated in a two-division format in 1995.
This resurgence has been a group effort. The coaching staff comprises men who've either played for, coached with, or coached Luke. In this depressed area of the state, one of B.J.'s former high school teammates bought cleats for the whole team.
"The support from the community has been terrific from the very start," he said. "They've kind of embraced our kids, and it's kind of like a community project to put the thing back together again."
Along with Steve Luke (Class of '75) and R.J. Luke in the program itself, daughters Ashley and Megan both teach at Danville. Ashley and husband Denny Clanton, a marriage of former Waubonsie star athletes, gave B.J. and wife Holly Luke their first grandchild, Miles, born in Danville.
"It's been great since I came home," B.J. said. "The first year was like a 30-year reunion every day."
The party rages on. One day, though, as all coaches know, it might end. It's then you find who your real fans are.
"The biggest thing," B.J. said, "is Holly likes it."
$CLASS=breakhead$Saturday night lights, camera, action
The Illinois High School Association's Football Pairings Show will be broadcast live from 8 p.m.-10 p.m. this Saturday, Oct. 24.
Announcers Dave Bernhard, Jack McInerney and Lanny Slevin will take viewers through each of the eight classes. They'll also get comments from such coaches as Glenbard West's Chad Hetlet, Wheaton Warrenville South's Ron Muhitch, Naperville Central's Mike Stine, Hinsdale Central's Mike DiMatteo and, marking its first playoff appearance in school history, Wheaton Academy's Ben Wilson.
The IHSA Football Pairings Show will be broadcast on Comcast Network 100, RCN Cable 34 and WOW Cable Channel 15 in the suburbs.
Hoops for Healing
On Oct. 28 the kickoff reception for the Hoops for Healing Basketball Tournament will be held at Edward Hospital in Naperville. Since Naperville North AD Doug Smith debuted the tourney here in 2005, it has raised $35,000 for the Edward Cancer Center.
The deadline to RSVP (at 630-527-3954) for the reception was officially Oct. 21... but donation opportunities remain through Nov. 21, at $100, $300 and $500 levels. Funds support Camp Hope, a free summer camp for children age 5-12 whose parents are in cancer treatment.
Smith, a cancer survivor, started the initial Hoops for Healing tournament in 2001 when he was at Woodstock. Still in operation over the week of Thanksgiving, that tournament has raised more than $80,000 toward cancer research. For sponsorship information, e-mail Smith at dlsmith@naperville203.org.
doberhelman@dailyherald.com