Franson a natural addition to Downers Grove North hall of fame
On a cold and gray January day there is no better attitude adjustment than a conversation with Paul Franson.
They say positive thoughts yield positive results. If so, hearing the retired Downers Grove North coach and teacher's genuine, uplifting thoughts on people, places and events, it makes perfect sense that Franson was inducted into Downers North's Athletic Hall of Fame on Saturday along with two former Trojans athletes.
"I enjoyed what I did. I feel so fortunate," said Franson, a 2000 inductee into the Illinois High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame after leading the Trojans to 334 wins in 16 seasons with three West Suburban Silver titles and two regional titles. An assistant football coach, Franson was on John Wander's staff for the squad that won the 2004 Class 8A title.
"It's a wonderful school and wonderful young people with outstanding parents," he said. "You know what, here's the other thing I loved at Downers Grove North - we had a faculty and coaching staff from sport to sport that I felt really and truly cared about the success of their athletes and their abilities."
Franson, joined at the school ceremony by his wife, Mickey, daughters Kim and Melissa and others among his "gigantic family," was inducted along with former Trojans baseball player Eric Jagielo (Class of 2010) and swimmer Adrienne Bicek (2009).
Bicek, who swam at Georgia and Michigan, was the Trojans' first girl to win a state swimming title, the 200-meter individual medley in 2008, when she was named Illinois Swimming's female swimmer of the year and "Breakthrough" swimmer of the year. The 10-time high school All-America held the IHSA mark in the 500 freestyle for 10 years until Neuqua Valley's Rachel Stege eclipsed it in 2018.
Jagielo, all-state his senior season, was the Big East player of the year in 2013 for Notre Dame and was drafted by the New York Yankees. (He was initially drafted by the Cubs but instead chose college.) Jagielo is soon bound for spring training with the Miami Marlins.
"He comes from a wonderful family," Franson said.
Franson has one of those, too. His late mother, Mary, was the first of 15 children. When in 1943 she became a freshman at Lyons Twp., it started a run of 76 years, and counting, of relatives either attending or employed by the high school. Paul graduated from there in 1975. His brother, David, is a special education aide; Paul's niece, Laura Villanueva, teaches Spanish.
A ballplayer at Eastern Illinois, Franson's first high school job was at Romeoville. Teaching physical education and health, in 1983 he began his 30-year stint at Downers North, also Trojans head baseball coach at age 26.
"It was a blessing," he said.
Living with Mickey in Deerfield and working a part-time job as a product specialist for Titleist, Franson's optimism is a blessing.
"The one thing I learned the most about being retired," he said, "is what it boils down to is what we do as teachers and coaches is all about relationships. It's all about personal interactions and it's really what drives life, if you ask me."
Mazz the magnificent
Slightly less than a year ago we wrote about retired Naperville North teacher and dive coach Steve Mazzarella beginning treatments to combat a malignant brain tumor.
For those who hadn't heard, the 62-year-old Mazzarella passed away Sunday at his home in Naperville. Daily Herald writer Marie Wilson wrote a wonderful story remembering Mazzarella - husband, father of three and, as it ironically often happens, the picture of health before illness struck.
He touched thousands of people. Our condolences.
A class act
A midweek item about a Saturday football coaches clinic may be late notice, but the intended audience would probably drop everything to learn more about their favorite sport, especially in the off-season.
Wheaton North assistant and former Fenwick and North Central College head football coach Paul Connor offers his 24th Falcon Football Clinic from 8 a.m.-noon Feb. 19 at Wheaton North.
His hand-picked clinicians: Glenbard West defensive line coach Rick Heckman; Western Michigan University quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator Eric Evans; Northern Illinois University assistant director of sports performance Jacob Ricketts; and Clint Hartman, head coach at Lee High School in Midland, Texas.
Plus, there'll be an address by Connor, a man's man and a true gentleman.
Cost to attend is $100 for an entire coaching staff if preregistered, $25 for a single coach if preregistered and $30 per coach at the door. Registration is no big thing - contact Connor at Wheaton North, (630) 687-4779 or by email at paul.connor@cusd200.org.
College news
The College Conference of Illinois-Wisconsin will add men's volleyball in the 2019-20 school year. In addition, the CCIW will add Loras College of Iowa and Greenville University in Illinois as associate members in men's volleyball. They'll join North Central, Augustana, North Park, Millikin and Carthage.
He's out of Tyler, Texas, but Wheaton College junior guard Aston Francis is on an amazing run in men's basketball. On Saturday he broke a 64-year-old record to set the Thunder single-game scoring mark of 54 points in a 99-77 win over Wisconsin-Platteville. On Monday he was named CCIW men's player of the week for the sixth time in nine weeks. It's Francis' 13th weekly honor in three seasons.
North Central junior guard Connor Raridon, out of Neuqua Valley, also won that award this season. On Tuesday the 1,000-point scorer and assists guru was named to the Top 100 Bevo Francis Award Watch List; the award honors the top individual season for a player outside of Division I. Monthly cuts will be made until the winner is named April 8.
Paul Krohn was Elmhurst College's football coach for 11 seasons starting in 1993. He's in his 15th year as athletic director. In July he'll take on a different role, having accepted a new position in Elmhurst's Office of Institutional Advancement. As such, the Villa Park resident will lead efforts to raise money to improve the college's athletic and recreational programs and facilities.
doberhelman@dailyherald.com
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