3-sport athlete Sanders goes on to coach LHS basketball

• The following is part of an ongoing series of articles in celebration of Libertyville High School's 100th anniversary.

Max Sanders' association with LHS began in 1951 when his father Harvey came from Lanark High School to LHS to teach social studies and coach. Max was 10 at the time. While in high school, Max was a three-sport athlete all four years: football, basketball and baseball.

In football Max was the varsity quarterback backup his sophomore year. He was the starter his junior and senior year. He also kicked and punted his senior year. That year Max was a co-captain of a team that went 8-0 in winning LHS's first conference championship since 1943. Max would receive an All-State Honorable Mention.

In baseball Max was the starting varsity shortstop all four years of high school. His team won conference titles his freshman and sophomore years.

In basketball Max was the varsity point guard his last three high school years. He was All-Conference his junior and senior years. On a February night at Lake Forest, with Bradley University coach Chuck Orsborn in the audience, Max dropped 36 points on the Scouts. At the conclusion of the game, Orsborn offered Max a scholarship (no national signing days back then).

Bradley was always in the Top 15 in the nation in the early 1960s, led by future Chicago Bull Chet Walker. Max played on the Braves freshman team, then three years on the Bradley varsity. He also played baseball freshman and junior years.

Max's first teaching/coaching role was at Lanark H.S., the same school his dad was at 15 years earlier. Max was the head coach of football, basketball and baseball during his one year at Lanark, a school of 200 students in the northwest tip of the state.

Max accepted a biology and driver education teaching position at Libertyville the next year, becoming a football and basketball assistant coach as well for the 1965-66 school year.

Max took over the head basketball coaching position for the 1979-80 season. He had a 20-year head coaching run leading up to his retirement from LHS, a 34-year teaching/coaching career. His top basketball teams were the 1991 team that took fourth in state. His 1994 team returned to state led by All-State player Matt Heldman. Max coached his 1982 team to the Sectional finals led by Rich Stanfel, the only other LHS All-State Basketball player.

Today Max and his wife Peg (also a 1959 LHS grad) are Lakes High School Athletics grandparents, but always Wildcats at heart.