Chicago Cregier Vocational H. S. “Tigers”

We are aware that the school was a member of the Chicago Public League and offered boys’ basketball  baseball, wrestling, and track, but as for other sports, there is no evidence that we have found to show that Creiger had a team in them. If anyone has information about the athletic and extra-curricular success that the school had, we invite them to contact us at the addresses listed at the end of this page.

BOYS’ BASKETBALL

The Creiger basketball program was known state-wide for its run-and-gun style of basketball, due to the fact that the school had a smaller then regulation-size floor on campus. Some folks, even some alumni, would refer to the gym as a “cracker box.”  But it was a unique place to play. As a result, a number of entries in the IHSA record book listed Creiger’s hoop successes in 2007. Among them:

–12 games of 100 or more points scored (state record, set in 1984-85…overall record was 16-4 that season),

–scoring average per game of 100.35 (only school to reach 100 per game) in 1984-85.

We should note that the IHSA only keeps records for most points scored by one team as well two-team totals, in addition to field goals made by one team, since updating their record book after 2010.

Most points scored in a game by one team: 

  152, Cregier vs. Chicago Prosser (51), Feb. 8, 1967–2nd highest total

149, Cregier vs. Chicago Juarez (91), Feb. 13, 1987–5th highest

143, Cregier vs. Chicago Roosevelt (89), Dec. 1, 1977–tied for 9th

143, Cregier vs. Chicago Juarez (73), Feb. 20, 1985–tied for 9th

143, Cregier vs. Chicago Juarez (69), Feb. 17, 1989–tied for 9th

142, Cregier vs. Chicago Lincoln Park (96), Mar. 1, 1985–tied for 13th

138, Cregier vs. Chicago Near North Career Magnet (117), Jan. 21, 1982–20th

Most points scored by two teams in a game:

255, Cregier (138) vs. Chicago Near North Career Magnet (117), Jan. 21, 1982–1st

252, Chicago Manley (127) vs. Cregier (125), Feb. 20, 1986–2nd

241, Chicago Crane (128) vs. Cregier (113), Feb. 25, 1986–4th

240, Cregier (149) vs. Chicago Juarez (91), Feb. 13, 1987–5th

238, Cregier (142) vs. Chicago Lincoln Park (96), Mar. 1, 1985–7th

235, Cregier (120) vs. Chicago Westinghouse (115) (OT), Feb. 9, 1978–8th

233, Chicago Orr (127) vs. Cregier (106), Jan. 13, 1994–10th

232, Chicago Marshall (135) vs. Cregier (97), Jan. 24, 1969–tied for 11th

232, Cregier (143) vs. Chicago Roosevelt (89), Dec. 1, 1977–tied for 11th

232, Cregier (120) vs. Chicago Young (112), Jan. 30, 1986–tied for 11th

232, Chicago Manley (118) vs. Cregier (114), Feb. 24, 1989–tied for 11th

226, Chicago Westinghouse (125) vs. Cregier (101), Feb. 19, 1980–tied for 17th

226, Cregier (120) vs. Chicago Metropolitan (106), Feb. 27, 1985–tied for 17th

225, Cregier (114) vs. Chicago Orr (111) (OT), Jan. 25, 1980–tied for 20th

225, Chicago Westinghouse (119) vs. Cregier (106), Mar. 6, 1985–tied for 20th

Most points scored in a losing effort:

125, Cregier vs. Chicago Manley (127), Feb. 20, 1986–1st

117, Chicago Near North Career Magnet vs. Cregier (138), Jan. 21, 1982–tied for 3rd

115, Chicago Westinghouse vs. Cregier (120) (OT), Feb. 9, 1978–5th

114, Cregier vs. Chicago Manley (118), Feb. 24, 1989–6th

113, Cregier vs. Chicago Crane (128), Feb. 25, 1986–7th

112, Chicago Young vs. Cregier (120), Jan. 30, 1986–8th

111, Chicago Orr vs. Cregier (114) (OT), Jan. 25, 1980–9th

106, Cregier vs. Chicago Austin (109), Feb. 21, 1984–tied for 17th

106, Chicago Metropolitan vs. Cregier (120), Feb. 27, 1985–tied for 17th

106, Cregier vs. Chicago Westinghouse (119), Mar. 6, 1985–tied for 17th

103, Chicago Austin vs. Cregier (113), Jan. 24, 1984–tied for 25th

Most players in double figure scoring in a game from one team:

7, Cregier vs. Chicago Prosser, Feb. 8, 1967–tied for 3rd

7, Cregier vs. Chicago Juarez, Feb. 17, 1989–tied for 3rd

Most points scored by a team in one half of play:

78, Cregier vs. Chicago Prosser, Feb. 8, 1967 (2nd half)–14th

77, Cregier vs. Chicago Juarez, Feb. 13, 1987 (1st half)–15th

76, Cregier vs. Chicago Wells, Jan. 18, 1985 (2nd half)–tied for 21st

76, Cregier vs. Chicago Juarez, Feb. 20, 1985 (2nd half)–tied for 21st

76, Cregier vs. Chicago Manley, Feb. 20, 1986 (2nd half)–tied for 21st

75, Cregier vs. Chicago Orr, Feb. 22, 1985 (2nd half)–27th

Most points in one half by both teams:

140, Cregier (76) vs. Chicago Manley (64), Feb. 20, 1986 (2nd half)–1st

136, Cregier (74) vs. Chicago Young (62), Jan. 30, 1986 (2nd half)–2nd

133, Cregier (68) vs. Chicago Near North Career Magnet (65), Jan. 21, 1982 (1st half)–3rd

125, Chicago Near North Career Magnet (67) vs. Cregier (58), Feb. 26, 1985 (1st half)–tied for 6th

125, Cregier (72) vs. Chicago Juarez (53), Feb. 13, 1987 (2nd half)–tied for 6th

124, Cregier (66) vs. Chicago Tuley (58), Feb. 23, 1966 (2nd half)–tied for 9th

124, Cregier (76) vs. Chicago Wells (48), Jan. 18, 1985 (2nd half)–tied for 9th

124, Chicago Crane (69) vs. Cregier (55), Feb. 25, 1986 (Public League playoff, 1st half)–tied for 9th

123, Cregier (71) vs. Chicago Lincoln Park (52), Mar. 1, 1985 (Public League playoff, 2nd half)–13th

122, Cregier (70) vs. Chicago Near North Career Magnet (52), Jan. 21, 1982 (2nd half)–14th

121, Chicago Westinghouse (69) vs. Cregier (52), Feb. 19, 1980 (2nd half)–15th

120, Cregier (67) vs. Chicago Juarez, Jan. 19, 1988 (2nd half)–17th

Most points scored by a team in a quarter:

44, Cregier vs. Chicago Prosser, Feb. 8, 1967 (1st quarter)–20th

Most points scored in a quarter by both teams:

78, Cregier (43) vs. Chicago Young (35), Jan. 30, 1986 (4th quarter)–4th

77, Cregier (43) vs. Chicago Manley (34), Feb. 20, 1986 (4th quarter)–5th

74, Cregier (42) vs. Chicago Near North Career Magnet (32), Jan. 21, 1982 (4th quarter)–7th

72, Cregier (40) vs. Chicago Wells (32), Jan. 18, 1985 (4th quarter)–8th

70, Cregier (42) vs. Chicago Near North Career Magnet (28), Jan. 21, 1982 (1st quarter)–13th

68, Chicago Westinghouse (38) vs. Cregier (30), Feb. 27, 1987 (Public League playoff, 3rd quarter)–tied for 17th

68, Chicago Metro (38) vs. Cregier (30), Jan. 20, 1989 (4th quarter)–tied for 17th

75, Cregier (152) vs. Chicago Prosser (51), Feb. 8, 1967–1st

70, Cregier (143) vs. Chicago Juarez (73), Feb. 20, 1985–3rd (NOTE: 111 shot attempts for Cregier in that game was the fourth best, as is the 72 rebounds for Cregier.)

67, Cregier vs. Chicago Juarez, Feb. 17, 1989–tied for 5th

66, Cregier (149) vs. Chicago Juarez (91), Feb. 13, 1987–tied for 7th

Most Field Goals made by two teams in a game:

107, Cregier (60) vs. Chicago Near North Career Magnet (47), Jan. 21, 1982–1st

105, Chicago Manley (54) vs. Cregier (51), Feb. 20, 1986–tied for 2nd

105, Cregier (66) vs. Chicago Juarez (39), Feb. 13, 1987–tied for 2nd

101, Cregier (70) vs. Chicago Juarez (31), Feb. 20, 1985–4th

100, Cregier (51) vs. Chicago Westinghouse (49), Feb. 9, 1978 (OT)–tied for 5th

100, Cregier (52) vs. Chicago Crane (48), Feb. 25, 1986 (Public League playoff)–tied for 5th

98, Cregier (53) vs. Chicago Metro (45), Feb. 27, 1985–7th

97, Cregier (50) vs. Chicago Young (47), Jan. 30, 1986–8th

96, Cregier (57) vs. Chicago Lincoln Park (39), Mar. 1, 1985 (Public League playoff)–9th

95, Cregier (57) vs. Chicago Clemente (38), Feb. 23, 1978 (Public League playoff)–tied for 10th

95, Chicago Farragut (54) vs. Cregier (41), Feb. 11, 1986–tied for 10th

Most points scored in a game by a player:

56 by Jesse Chism, Cregier vs. Chicago Lake View, Dec. 15, 1964

53, Reggie Murray, Cregier vs. Chicago Metro, Jan. 20, 1989 (19 FG, 1 three-pt. FG, 14 FT)

BASEBALL

Although there are no win-loss records to be found about the school’s history, we are aware that one Creiger player was drafted by the Major Leagues. In 1973, Elbert Coutter was a 29th round selection of the hometown White Sox. He never appeared in a big league contest.

WRESTLING

Dennis Crosby tells us that Creiger excelled in the sport of wrestling in the late 60’s and early 70’s as well.  Please contact us if you have further information to provide on this or any other activity at Creiger High School.

FAMOUS ALUMS

Milton Johnson (class of 1971) tells the Glory Days staff that Creiger also had bowling and track teams in addition to being a student manager with basketball and track, plus competed in wrestling and bowling. He later went on to become an executive producer and on-air personality at radio station WVON in Chicago. Two of his classmates were NBA referee Danny Crawford and Meddie Ivory Clark, who was a pilot and a member of the Civil Air Patrol Mobile Squadron, graduating from the University of South Alabama.

MEMORIES

From Joseph LaPalombara (aka Joseph Marcello, dated 5/19/2021):

“I went to Creiger for two years, from September 1940 to June 1942. I then transferred to Harrison High, because Creiger was still a junior high. I almost then went to Manley High.

“I won’t go into details. I must almost certainly be the only graduate from Creiger to wind up a professor at Yale, and earlier at places like Oregon State, Michigan State, and abroad at the universities of Florence, Bergamo, and Catania.

“It was tricky then to be enrolled at Creiger. I remember it being off Lincoln Street. There were ‘bouncers’ in the halls. If you were male, you would not want to be caught by one of them without a pass. The drug dealers were on the street outside (I think) about one block away.

“Given the poverty of the West Side neighborhood, Creiger was basically a vocational junior high. We took print shop, upholstery shop, wood shop, machine shop, mechanical drawing, etc. Most students who spent four years in high school (I did not ) took those courses. They followed them in senior high school, at places like Crane Tech, Manley High, etc.

“A couple of Creiger teachers inspired me. One was a Mr. Vandenberg, who taught math. I took algebra and geometry course. He had me buy ‘Mathematics for the Million.” Partly because of him, I went on for more education.

Theresa Ciancio, who taught langauges, was another teacher, and it is to her that I (as a high school dropout) found my way to Urbana (University of Illinois) and then to Princeton for a Ph.D. I wanted to date her daughter, Laura. Mrs. Ciancio confided that no boy who failed to go to college would ever marry her daughter.

“Mrs. Ciancio had me enroll at Crane Tech, where she taught night school. She arranged that I take some courses by mail. It was she discovered that if I were to pass an entrance examination, I could get into the University of Illinois (on probation), and stay on if I succeeded the first year. Thanks partly to the nuns at St. Charles Borromeo, then a few blocks from where I live, I managed to get ‘A’ grades my first year, and I went on from there.

“I retain pleasant thoughts about that place. I think of the learning I had there, and the teachers, too, were one reason why I have had the career I have followed ever since.”

IF YOU HAVE MORE INFORMATION ABOUT CREIGER HIGH SCHOOL….

please let us know. We’d like to find out more in order to tell the story about the history of the school, its’ students, and distinguished alumni. Information such as school colors, nickname, school song, and more are what we’re looking for. Please contact us by either clicking on this CONTACT US link, or by emailing us at dr.veeman@gmail,com. We’ll also accept your submissions at the following address:

Illinois High School Glory Days

6439 North Neva

Chicago, IL  60631