Local products from 1974 Western Illinois baseball team honored
A neat where-are-they-now item came into the Off at College Lake County newsroom recently regarding the 1974 Western Illinois University baseball team.
That team, recently inducted into the Western Illinois University Hall of Fame and considered the best team in that program's history, was loaded with Daily Herald coverage area players/residents (current and past).
"When I got the call from the Western Illinois athletic director, I was going through the emotions Hawk Harrelson (retired White Sox announcer who will be inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame next summer) experienced," Libertyville resident and Western team member Connie Kowal said. "And like (the late) Jim Valvano of North Carolina State when they won the NCAA basketball title in 1983, I was looking for someone to hug."
Western went 31-12 that year, setting 30 school records at the time, including leading the nation in stolen bases with 136 swipes in 43 games. The Leathernecks earned an at-large NCAA Division II tournament bid for the first time in program history and were a finalist in the NCAA Mideast Regional - in other words one game away from the College Division II World Series. Western lost to Ohio Northern 1-0 on a game-ending base hit in the region final.
Kowal, now the director, recreation-Sports Complex for the Village of Libertyville who also enjoyed a distinguished career in professional sports with such entities as the Chicago Cubs, Chicago Sting and New Orleans Saints, was one of 19 players on the 30-man roster who attended the recent Hall of Fame ceremonies in Macomb. They were honored at halftime of a Western football game.
Kowal, a 1970 graduate of Glenbard West, started at third base. Gerry Grybash, a 1969 Fremd graduate, was a co-captain and catcher on the team. Hoffman Estates resident Rick Wolfgram, a 1973 Maine West grad, was a reserve infielder, while Mount Prospect resident Randy Jespersen, a 1972 graduate of Forest View High School in Arlington Heights, also was a reserve infielder on the squad.
Willowbrook graduate Don Brodt, now deceased, was a starting pitcher for Western. He was represented by his son, Wheaton resident Steve Brodt, and daughter Kristyn Cochrane-McElligott.
The program also had an Elgin tie-in with 1972 Western graduates Terry Whipple (2B) and Jeff Meek (catcher). Both were starters on the 1972 team and both graduated from Larkin High School and starred there for the Royals.
"They both were teammates with many of the players on the 1974 team and helped develop some of their younger teammates and know firsthand the talent on that 1974 team," Kowal pointed out.
Kowal provided a ton of statistical data on that team, but said stats would not do justice to the true meaning of what those 30 players accomplished some 45 years ago.
"I could provide you a ton of individual statistics and postseason individual awards, but this is about team success that was produced by all the players contributing as a team to a great year and a hall of fame honor," he said.
McInerney earns high honor: Libertyville product Jordan McInerney recently was named to the AFVA Division III coaches All-America team. McInerney is a senior defensive lineman at Lake Forest College.
He led the Midwest Conference and was ranked second in the nation with 14.5 sacks and 22 tackles for loss this season. McInerney earned Midwest Conference defensive line MVP honors, leading Lake Forest with 76 total tackles. He also had 1 forced fumble and 1 block.
McInerney recently received even more good news, earning a nomination for the Cliff Harris Award, which is given to the nation's small college (Division II, III and NAIA) defensive player of the year.
Comerford racks up gridiron accolades: Grayslake Central product Noah Comerford, now playing football at Robert Morris University-Illinois, recently was named to the 2019 College Sports Information Directors of America 2019 academic all-district team for the fall sports season.
Comerford was named to the CoSIDA NAIA District 2 first team with a cumulative grade-point average of 3.60 - a mark he established over four years of attendance at the university. He was instrumental in Robert Morris' 2019 turnaround, catching a team-high 37 passes for 415 yards and 3 touchdowns in 10 games. He averaged 11.2 yards per catch and was the Eagles' primary punt returner, averaging 5.6 yards per return. He caught 61 career passes for 638 yards and 4 touchdowns in 21 games.
Comerford also earned Mid-States Football Association all-Midwest League second-team honors this fall.
Off at College wants your help: Send information and/or statistics on Lake County-area athletes playing collegiately to Mike Miazga at mjm890@gmail.com. Winter sports submissions are highly encouraged. When Off at College returns in early January, we'll jam as many former athletes into that installment as possible.