|
North Park Academy’s Original Gymnasium |
 |
Athletics
“North Park Academy was a member of the Private School League. It had men’s softball, baseball, basketball, tennis, track, golf and swimming teams. Football was added in 1943.” (This information, and many of the season records provided below, were submitted by John Peterson.)
One interesting item supplied by alumnus Marion Stone King is in regards to the 1949-50 school year. North Park Academy won the Private School championship in both football and basketball. The Vikings went undefeated in both sports becoming the only high school in Illinois to make this claim that year.
One of the best players to grace the hardwood for North Park Academy was Bobby Mattick, who played in the late 1940s to early 1950s. In a January 27, 1950 game against Francis W. Parker High School (in Chicago), Mattick scored 57 points, shooting 27 successful shots from the field. Surely, there are many more outstanding players from basketball, and not just basketball but other sports as well. Let us know of any other great players from North Park Academy.
One of NPA’s more famous coaches was Ted Hedstrand while one of the better athletes to don the Blue and Gold was Robert Mattick in basketball.
Football
Some of the better football teams produced at North Park High School are listed below. Thank you to Tom Sikorski for supplying this information!!
1949 8-0 Private School League Champs Coach Ted Hedstrand
1950 8-0 Private School League Champs Coach Ted Hedstrand
1951 6-2 Private School League Co-Champs Coach Ted Hedstrand
1956 4-3
1959 4-3
1961 4-3-1
1963 6-1-1 Private School League Red Division Champs Coach Dan McCarrell
1964 8-0 Private School League Red Division Champs Coach Dan McCarrell
1966 Coach Dan McCarrell
NPA won 15 games in a row between 1963 and 1965. They fielded their last football team during their final year of existence, 1968-69.
Basketball
There were some good teams that took the hardwood court for NPA. If you have some information you can share regarding the NPA basketball program, please send it to us.
1945-46 Private League Champion (9-1) Coach Harold Swanson
1949-50 25 – 0 Private League Champion Coach Ted Hedstrand
|
NPA 1950 Team Photo and Coach Hedstrand |
 |
|
Submitted by Joseph Hogan (left click on photo for larger version) |
|
NPA Schedule Results and Photos 1950 |
 |
|
Submitted by Joseph Hogan (left click on photo for larger version) |
1957-58 Private League Champion (11-1) Caoch Val Erickson
1960-61 17 – 7 Private League Champion Coach Ted Hedstrand
1966-67 Coach Ted Hedstrand
Baseball
Coach Ted Hedstrand was a multi-faceted coach, bringing home a Private School League Championship in baseball in 1957!
1957 8 – 2 Private League Champion (8-2) Coach Ted Hedstrand
Wrestling
This program was started in 1965 and had only one coach curing its brief run.
1965 Coach Bob Williams
1966 Coach Bob Williams
1967 Coach Bob Williams
1968 Coach Bob Williams
Men’s Softball
Wilbur Anderson coached the men’s softball team to the Private League championship in 1935, 1937, 1938, 1939 and 1940.
Thoughts & Memories
Clifford Ocheltree (Class of 1968) remembers this from his HS days at NPHS:
“Classes for the Academy were held in “Old Main”. The University still refers to the building as such. The gym and chapel building, a much newer structure was to the immediate left as you faced “Old Main”. The majority of our classes were held in those two locations though some activities were held in various other buildings on the campus.
You mention Ted Hedstrand who was overall athletic director during the years my brother and I attended [1964-1969] but just as notable, at least to those of us who played football, was Dan McCarrell who was the head coach for both that sport and basketball. After the Academy closed McCarrell and Hedstrand [and several other faculty members] were absorbed by the college staff. Dan McCarrell went on to be an extremely successful NCAA Division 3 basketball coach with three consecutive titles in 1978, 1979 and 1980. See:
http://www.d3hoops.com/features/05/northpark.htm
In all fairness I also need to mention Bob Williams our wrestling coach. The year of 1965 was the first year that the Vikings had a wrestling team and Bob was the coach until the school closed. Good coach and all around great guy.”
From Steven A. Williams (Class of 1967):
“Most classes were conducted in Old Main and Wilson Hall during the 1960s. Ted Hedstrand was the head coach of the varsity basketball and baseball teams. Dan McCarrell was the head coach of the varsity football team and the track team. He also was head coach of the frosh-soph basketball team for a time. Other sports of NPA were golf, tennis, wrestling and swimming during the 1960s. Wilbur Anderson was an outstanding teacher and coach at NPA from sometime in the 1930s until the school closed. He taught driver education, academic courses, and coached teams at the Academy. He was also involved with the North Park Junior College before it became a four year college. He coached tennis at NPA during the 1960s and was the Secretary of the Private School League during the same period. This is what I can recall from my years as a student 1963 through 1967.”
Notable Alumni
John Peterson shares with us that multi-term Illinois Governor James Thompson is a graduate of North Park Academy! (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_R._Thompson)
Seeking Further Information
If you have ANY information you can add regarding North Park Academy High School in Chicago please write to us. Athletics were only part of the experience. Any information on the many accomplishments and successes of North Park Academy are welcome. Photos and information can be e-mailed to us at ihsgdwebsite@comcast.net. You can also write to us via real mail at:
Illinois HS Glory Days
6439 N. Neva St.
Chicago, Il. 60631
|
North Park Academy “Old Main” Building 2000s |
|
|
|
