‘First of all, it means I’m old’: Naperville Central’s Nussbaum reaches coaching milestone
When asked about major milestones, veteran coaches have a stock answer.
Naperville Central’s Andy Nussbaum was ready.
“First of all, it means I’m old,” said Nussbaum, who by beating Plainfield Central in an April 8 softball game earned his 1,500th victory spanning Redhawks softball and girls basketball.
His 758 softball wins entering Wednesday rank eighth all-time on Illinois High School Association records. His 746 basketball wins also rank eighth.
Like coaches always do, Nussbaum thought more about it.
“Honestly, it’s pretty gratifying,” he said. “It just gives me the opportunity to remember all the players we’ve ever had who have played here, both softball and basketball,” Nussbaum said Tuesday on the team bus bound for St. Charles East.
“I just hope that I’ve been a positive influence not only as far as softball and basketball are concerned but as an educator, that I’ve been a good example. At least that’s what I hope,” he said.
If he weren’t, the first baseman on his first softball team in 1984, Mary Baumgartner, wouldn’t have come up to say hello at a recent game.
And Naperville Central principal Jackie Thornton and athletic director Jeff Plackett likely wouldn’t have bothered to watch Nussbaum get win No. 1,500 last month.
“The relationships, really, are what endure,” said Nussbaum, also an assistant Redhawks football coach since 1981.
His back-to-back Class AA girls basketball titles in 2003 and 2004 are memorable, too, with arguably the best female player ever, Candace Parker.
He has yet to hoist the big trophy in softball, but his 1989 team finished second in Class AA and his 2009 team was fourth in Class 4A.
Nussbaum coaches a third team, too, his seven children: Christian, Joe, Carly, Jessica, Amy and the twins, who will graduate from Naperville Central on May 18, Aaron and Daniel.
All of them played one or more sport all four years in high school, and Daniel is a 12-season athlete. Except for Joe, who is in the Air Force, all the older Nussbaum children are teachers and/or coaches.
They keep their dad young. So does being around high school students, which is why Nussbaum hopes to continue coaching at Naperville Cental after his scheduled retirement as a teacher in 2028.
“We’ll take that bridge when we come to it, I guess,” he said. “I love doing what I’m doing. I love teaching statistics, I love coaching. Just walking through our hallways … there’s life in our hallways.”
Way up there
Megan Brownley also achieved a coaching milestone — 300 victories as Hersey’s girls water polo coach.
Up to 310 entering Wednesday’s match against Libertyville, that stands as No. 5 all-time on IHSA records.
At 15-4-1, the Huskies are ranked No. 6 in the state by illpolo.com. (Stevenson is No. 1, Naperville North No. 2, York No. 5.) Sectional champions each of the last four seasons, Hersey placed fourth at the state tournament in 2021 and 2023.
The secret of Brownley’s success: “Working with the girls and building your program, your family, team-first. The wins come after that,” she said.
“At the end of the day, I’ve been really lucky in my 17 years of coaching, I’ve just had real nice groups of girls. Talent and winning has come kind of secondary to that.”
One sign of a quality coach and that family atmosphere is when former players stay in the game. Brownley has 2018 graduate Madison Burkhalter as an assistant. After volunteering at Hersey last season, Claire Lutz is now assisting at Prospect.
Hersey practices and plays its home games at Prospect. Brownley’s 310 wins have come without a pool at Hersey.
“People don’t believe me,” said Brownley, married to Hersey baseball coach Walter Brownley.
It’s not the pool that makes it happen.
“It’s all of them in the pool and putting it all together,” she said. “Kudos to them and the great groups of kids I’ve been able to have. It doesn’t come without that. They come first.”
Dig route
Judson University in Elgin is breaking ground this Saturday on the Scislowski Family Football Facility, a complex next to the university’s Lindner Fitness Center.
The Scislowski Facility will replace Judson’s original football offices and provide locker rooms, position meeting rooms, a team film room and player lounges.
“This is a game-changer for our program,” Judson coach Quintin Demps said in a release.
Beforehand, Judson will dedicate the Flynn Football Offices, inside its university building. Named in honor of alumnus and university trustee Shawn Flynn, these new offices will be the headquarters of Eagles football.
Also, at 1 p.m. the Eagles will play their spring football game at Judson’s own Dawson Field. Judson plays its regular-season games on Saturdays at Streamwood High School’s Millennium Field.
doberhelman@dailyherald.com