Northfield New Trier West HS “Cowboys”

New Trier West High School

Northfield, IL

The History of New Trier West High School

Northfield (population: 5,389) is located 17 miles north of downtown Chicago, a few miles inland from Lake Michigan in Cook County. The community is small in land mass (only 2.8 square miles), but has grown since its’ incorporation in 1927 when it was known as Wau Bun (which is an Indian word for “Dawn,” to remember a Pottawatomi Indian chief who camped in the area around the late 1700’s). The name change to Northfield came that same year when an electric utility inventor by the name of Samuel Insull built a railroad station in the village called Northfield, and the residents there adopted that name for the community to show their proximity to Chicago.

The roots of Northfield go back to around 1850 when Mary Young and two of her daughters settled in farm land that was surrounded by swamps, due in part to the Skokie Lagoons & the middle fork branch of the Chicago River. Because of the difficulty of families trying to get to and from church services in neighboring communities or to the Lake Michigan beachfront, the early settlers of Northfield were called “river folks” as they had to travel thru the swampy land. Family names such as Donovan, Brachtendorf, and Metz began moving to the area as early as 1855, along with blacksmith John Happ from Winnetka when the railroad’s creation there led to a decrease in business.

Northfield grew from 320 residents in 1930 to its’ present-day total of 5,389 in 2000, with most of those folks coming in the 1950’s as the Edens Expressway (Interstate 94) was built. In addition to the Edens, US 41, Happ Road, Willow Road, the Tri-State Tollway (I-294), along with rail service from Amtrak & Metra help people come and go into the community. Northfield is known for its variety of homes to the park districts that serve the community, and over half of the homes are situated on one-acre lots, which still allows for property owners to have horses on their land inside the community.

The academic history of the community is believed to be that it has been tied to the New Trier district, based in Winnetka which opened in 1901. Due to an enrollment of over 4,000 at New Trier High School in 1962, voters approved the purchase of bonds to purchase 46 acres in Northfield for a second high school in Northfield, which would open in 1967. Freshmen and sophomores began to attend New Trier West in 1965 before the new building was built, as the school built up its enrollment in an effort to become a four-year school by the time the first class graduated in 1968.

New Trier West stayed open as a four-year institution until 1981, when the school board decided to merge New Trier East & West together, due to decreasing enrollments. It was decided to use the Northfield campus for freshmen only, while the remainder of the student body was at the Winnetka campus. This arrangement lasted thru 1985, when the enrollment continued to drop and allowed all students to be in just one building. The New Trier West building was turned into a community recreation center, and also served as a senior center, a dormitory for corporate business (such as Kraft Foods, who is headquartered in Northfield), a public swimming pool, and an alternative high school. However, the enrollment downswing turned around and in 2001, the building returned to being a freshmen-only campus for New Trier High School. It also houses the administrative offices for the New Trier school district.

QUICK FACTS ABOUT NEW TRIER WEST HIGH SCHOOL

Year opened: 1965

Building opened: 1967

First class graduated: 1968

Last four-year class graduated: 1981

Now used as: Freshmen attendance center for New Trier HS

School colors: Blue & White

School nickname: the “Cowboys”

School song: FIGHT COWBOYS, FIGHT!

Submitted by BRIAN RICE

Fight cowboys fight, Fight on for Blue and Gray,

Fight Cowboys fight, Our team will lead the way,

Join in cheers for our school, proud we’ll always be,

Loyal sons of New Trier, making History,

Fight Cowboys do your best bringing honor to New Trier West.

EXTRA CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES

Being that the school sits in a part of Cook County that is known for its wealth, New Trier West offered nearly every sport and extra-curricular activity that the IHSA offered a state title. In this writers’ opinion, if the IHSA offered a state championship in tiddlewinks, New Trier West would have had a team for that, too.

On the boys’ side, basketball, wrestling, swimming, football, tennis, track, cross-country, golf, and soccer were offered, while it had badminton, field hockey, track, tennis, swimming, and track for the girls. The school also had teams in chess, debate, and speech that also excelled.

We feel that there had to been teams in baseball, volleyball, and softball, but there was no information found on the IHSA website (www.ihsa.org) or thru a publication written by 1968 West graduate Mark Braun that chronicled the history of the school’s athletic department at the following address: http://nths.newtrier.k12.il.us/athletics/pdf/NT_Record_Book.pdf. If you have information, please contact us at the addresses listed below.

BOYS’ SWIMMING & DIVING

Without question, one of the biggest strengths at either New Trier West or East was their outstanding swimming and diving programs. Eight teams came home with top 10 finishes at the state finals & there were a number of tankmen that competed in the final event of their speciality that brought home medals. Andy Veris came home with six individual medals, three of which were for being State Champion.

1966 Dave Lopater 100 breaststroke—6th place

1967 Relay Team 200 medley relay—6th place

Byron McDonald 100 butterfly—5th place

Dave Lopater 100 breaststroke—6th place

1968 8th in State Coach Jim Spreitzer

State Final Team Standings

1 Hinsdale Central 191

2 Winnetka New Trier East 136

3 Evanston Township 127.5

4 Dolton Thornridge 110

5 Moline HS 83

6 Peoria Richwoods 81

7 Rock Island HS 69

8 Northfield New Trier West 52

9 Skokie Niles East 43

10 Danville HS 34

Relay & Individual Placers

Team Relay 200 medley relay—3rd place

Byron McDonald 100 butterfly—2nd place

**Bryon McDonald went on to the University of Michigan and swam. More notably, he swam in the 1972 Olympics in Munich against Mark Spitz. Byron swam for team Canada and took 6th in the 100m Butterfly finals!!

1972 6th in State Coach Jim Spreitzer

State Final Team Standings

1 Hinsdale Central 213

2 Peoria Richwoods 115

3 Winnetka New Trier East 99

Evanston Township 99

5 LaGrange Lyons 80

6 Northfield New Trier West 72

7 Rockford Guilford 59

8 South Holland Thornwood 38

9 Moline HS 36

10 Deerfield 27

Relay & Individual Placers

Team Relay 200 medley relay—5th place

Team Relay 400 freestyle relay—6th place

Andy Veris 200 freestyle—4th place

400 freestyle—4th place

1973 5th in State Coach Jim Spreitzer

District Champions

State Final Team Standings

1 Hinsdale Central 215

2 South Holland Thornwood 89

3 LaGrange Lyons 88

4 Moline HS 81

5 Northfield New Trier West 75

6 Winnetka New Trier East 70

7 Peoria Richwoods 66

8 Rockford Guilford 49

9 Arlington Heights St. Viator 40

10 Evanston Township 36

Relay & Individual Placers

Team Relay 400 freestyle relay—4th place

Andy Veris 200 freestyle—STATE CHAMPION!!! (Time: 1:43.368)

Andy Veris 400 freestyle—STATE CHAMPION!!! (Time: 3:42.749)

1974 5th in State Coach Jim Spreitzer

State Final Team Standings

1 Hinsdale Central 239

2 Winnetka New Trier East 92

3 LaGrange Lyons 82

4 Arlington Heights St. Viator 77

5 Northfield New Trier West 61

6 Peoria Richwoods 58

Moline HS 58

8 Rock Island HS 56

9 Peoria Central 40

10 Dolton Thornridge 35

Relay & Individual Placers

Team Relay 400 freestyle relay—4th place

Bob Chandler 50 freestyle—5th place

Andy Veris 500 freestyle—STATE CHAMPION!!! (Time: 4:47.164)

Andy Veris 200 freestyle—2nd place

1975 6th in State Coach Jim Spreitzer

State Final Team Standings

1 Hinsdale Central 307

2 Oak Park Fenwick 86

3 Winnetka New Trier East 79

4 Moline HS 74

5 Evanston Township 73

6 Northfield New Trier West 62

7 Rockford Guilford 57

8 LaGrange Lyons 56

9 Springfield HS 36

10 Harvey Thornton 34

Dolton Thornridge 34

Relay & Individual Placers

Team Relay 400 freestyle relay—5th place (Time: 3:18.711)

(Chandler, Fischer, Iida, O’Donnell)

Pete Fischer 50 freestyle—STATE CHAMPION!!! (Time: 21.621 seconds)

Pete Fischer 100 freestyle—5th place (Time: 48.588)

Bart Day 100 breastroke—6th place (Time: 1:30.703)

1978 Tied for 7th in State Coach Jim Spreitzer

State Final Team Standings

1 Hinsdale Central 190

2 Oak Park Fenwick 120

3 St. Charles HS 73

4 Winnetka New Trier East 61

5 Mt. Prospect Prospect 52

6 Wilmette Loyola 39

7 Rockford Guilford 34

Northfield New Trier West 34

9 Darien Hinsdale South 31

10 Oak Park-River Forest 30

Relay & Individual Placers

Team Relay 200 medley relay—2nd place (Time: 1:40.16)

1979 6th in State Coach Jim Spreitzer

State Final Team Standings

1 St. Charles HS 169

2 Hinsdale Central 88

3 Winnetka New Trier East 67

4 Darien Hinsdale South 59

5 Moline HS 57

6 Northfield New Trier West 55

7 Oak Park Fenwick 51

8 Evanston Township 48

9 Quincy Senior 46

10 Arlington Heights Arlington 34

Relay & Individual Placers

Team Relay 200 medley relay—5th place (Time: 1:41.031)

(Peter Gavin, Kevin Malak, Steve Nichols, Russell Young )

Team Relay 400 freestyle relay—5th place (Time: 3:15.063)

(Mike Leonhardt, Steve Nichols, Robert Shatkin, Russell Young)

Russell Young 100 butterfly—6th place (time: 53.190)

1980 3rd in State Coach Bruce Woodbury

District Champions

State Final Team Standings

1 St. Charles HS 165

2 Hinsdale Central 114

3 Northfield New Trier West 68

4 Naperville North 67

5 Decatur MacArthur 66

6 Evanston Township 62

7 Winnetka New Trier East 53

8 Arlington Heights Arlington 39

9 Schaumburg HS 38

10 Darien Hinsdale South 36

Relay & Individual Placers

Team Relays 200 medley relay—6th place (Time: 1:41.74)

(Paul Connolly, Maurey Dwarkin, Mike Leonhardt, Kevin Malak)

400 free relay—3rd place (Time: 3:15.39)

(Jim Byrne, Mike Leonhardt, Steve Nichols, Rob Shatkin)

Steve Nichols 200 Individual Medley—5th place (Time: 2:00.94)

Mike Leonhardt 100 freestyle—6th place (Time: 47.89)

BOYS’ GOLF

If you want to talk about dynasties, then look no further than the golf program at New Trier West. The Cowboys were among the state’s top ten schools seven times in 10 years, and placed two individuals among the top 10 medalists,

1969 Tied for 5th in State Coach Tom Timmis

District Champions

State Final Standings

1 Belleville West 628

2 St. Charles HS 630

3 Joliet West 633

4 Homewood-Flossmoor 634

5 Galesburg HS 639

Northfield New Trier West 639

7 Champaign Central 646

8 Glen Ellyn Glenbard West 647

Freeport HS 647

Park Ridge Maine East 647

Individual Medalist

Lee Gurley tied for 15th in state (156 score)

1970 Tied for 7th in State Coach Tom Timmis

District Champions

State Final Standings

1 Homewood-Flossmoor 618

2 Belleville West 628

Waukegan HS 628

4 Galesburg HS 629

Champaign Central 629

Joliet West 629

7 Northfield New Trier West 630

Park Ridge Maine East 630

9 Quincy Senior 632

10 Dixon HS 634

Individual Medalist

Phil Kenny tied for 8th (152 score)

1971 6th in State Coach Mel Sheets

District Champions

State Finals Standings

1 Belleville West 600

2 Quincy Senior 610

3 Champaign Central 612

Galesburg HS 612

5 Homewood-Flossmoor 616

6 Northfield New Trier West 621

7 Addison Trail 629

8 Deerfield 630

9 Springfield HS 631

10 Mt. Prospect Prospect 633

Individual Medalist

Phil Kenny second overall

(144 score, one stroke behind Gary Ostrega of Bensenville Fenton)

1972 2nd in State!!! Coach Mel Sheets

District Champions

Sectional Champions

State Finals Standings

1 Galesburg HS 603

2 Northfield New Trier West 607

3 Northbrook Glenbrook North 613

Pekin 613

5 Belleville West 616

6 Urbana HS 618

Naperville HS 618

8 Lombard Glenbard East 619

9 Homewood-Flossmoor 621

10 Kankakee McNamara 622

Rockford Guilford 622

Individual Medalist

Robert Beaudine tied for 15th in state (151 score)

1974 Individual Medalist

Jeff Bruce tied for seventh (158 score)

1975 (sprg) District Champions Coach Mel Sheets

1975 (fall) 4th in AA State Coach Mel Sheets

State Final Standings

1 Rockford Guilford 638

2 Belleville West 640

3 Mundelein Carmel 649

4 Northfield New Trier West 655

5 Aurora West 656

Hinsdale Central 656

7 Skokie Niles North 661

Decatur MacArthur 661

9 Chicago Heights Bloom 668

10 Lisle Benet 670

Homewood-Flossmoor 670

1976 3rd in AA State Coach Mel Sheets

State Final Standings

1 Mt. Prospect Prospect 632

2 Homewood-Flossmoor 637

3 Northfield New Trier West 644

4 Naperville North 646

5 Buffalo Grove 649

6 Lombard Glenbard East 650

7 Joliet West 652

8 Hillside Proviso West 653

9 New Lenox Lincoln-Way 655

10 Quincy Senior 662

Individual Medalist

Jeff Bruce tied for 10th in state (158 score—six strokes back)

1977 9th in AA State Coach Mel Sheets

State Final Standings
1 Winnetka New Trier East 616

2 Palatine Fremd 620

3 McHenry 625

4 Moline HS 626

5 Freeport HS 628

6 Hinsdale Central 633

7 Springfield Griffin 635

8 Homewood-Flossmoor 637

9 Northfield New Trier West 639

10 Franklin Park East Leyden 645

Individual Medalist

Jeff Bruce tied for 13th in state (154 score)

GIRLS’ TENNIS

NT West’s tennis team was a contender for the state title, year-in and year-out, from the time that the IHSA offered a state tournament until the school closed its doors, and they didn’t close until they won the state championship in the school’s final year of existance.

1972 Individual Medalists Coach Vivian Frazier

Sue Graham singles—STATE CHAMP!!!

Mary Brower & Kathy Karzen doubles—2nd place

1973 2nd in STATE!!! Coach Vivian Frazier

State Final Team Standings

1 Oak Park-River Forest 17

2 Northfield New Trier West 12

3 Hinsdale Central 10

4 Lake Forest HS 9

Winnetka New Trier East 9

6 Rock Island HS 8

South Holland Thornwood 8

Aurora West 8

9 Arlington Heights Arlington 7

10 Dixon HS 6

Individual Medalists

Kathy Karzen singles—2nd place

Donna Crane & Debbie Mautner doubles—5th place

1974 4th in State Coach Vivian Frazier

State Final Team Standings

1 Oak Park-River Forest 19

2 Hinsdale Central 14

3 Rock Island HS 12

4 Northfield New Trier West 9

5 Aurora West 8

Winnetka New Trier East 8

7 Kankakee Eastridge 5

Park Forest Rich East 5

Lake Forest HS 5

Barrington 5

Individual Medalists

Kathy Karzen singles—2nd place

Colette Bennett singles—3rd place

1975 3rd in State Coach Vivian Frazier

District Champions

State Final Team Standings

1 Oak Park-River Forest 17

2 Rock Island HS 10

3 Northfield New Trier West 9

4 Hinsdale Central 6

Crystal Lake HS 6

Aurora West 6

Barrington 6

Evanston Township 6

9 Lake Forest HS 5

10 Elmhurst York 4

Wheaton-Warrenville 4

Park Forest Rich East 4

Winnetka New Trier East 4

Oak Lawn Community 4

Individual Medalist

Colette Bennett singles—2nd place

1976 Tied for 7th in State Coach Vivian Frazier

District Champions

State Final Team Standings

1 Hinsdale Central 14

2 Winnetka New Trier East 9

Crystal Lake HS 9

4 Lake Forest HS 7

5 Arlington Heights Arlington 6

Lincolnshire Stevenson 6

7 Oak Lawn Community 5

Northfield New Trier West 5

Peoria Richwoods 5

Elmhurst York 5

1979 4th in State Coach Vivian Frazier

State Final Team Standings

1 Hinsdale Central 19.5

2 Lincolnshire Stevenson 15.5

3 Winnetka New Trier East 13.5

4 Northfield New Trier West 13

5 Galesburg HS 12.5

6 Park Ridge Maine East 8.5

Lisle Benet 8.5

8 Rockford Guilford 8

9 Sterling HS 6.5

Springfield HS 6.5

Individual Medalists

Mary DeBartolo & Cathy Van Pelt doubles—4th place

1980 STATE CHAMPIONS!!! Coach Vivian Frazier

District Champions

State Final Team Standings

1 Northfield New Trier West 20.5

2 Hinsdale Central 19

3 Barrington 10

4 Lisle Benet 9

Galesburg HS 9

6 Homewood-Flossmoor 8

Libertyville 8

8 Northbrook Glenbrook North 7

Arlington Heights Arlington 7

10 Chicago Mather 6.5

Individual Medalists

Maeve Quinlan singles—2nd place

Mary DeBartolo & Lisa Gollub doubles—3rd place

Carrie Bruce & Debbie Wise doubles—5th place

BADMINTON

In only five years of IHSA-sponsored competition, New Trier West wound up with a top 10 finish at the state finals four times, on the strength of their doubles play. As you can tell, four teams wound up in the quarterfinals at state.

1977 4th in State Coach Flo Malizola

District Champions

State Final Team Standings

1 Arlington Heights Arlington 23

2 Oak Lawn Community 19.5

3 Winnetka New Trier East 14

4 Northfield New Trier West 9.5

5 Mt. Prospect Prospect 8

Orland Park Sandburg 8

7 Riverside-Brookfield 7

Elmhurst York 7

9 Oak Park-River Forest 6

Carol Stream Glenbard North 6

1978 Tied for 9th in State Coach Flo Malizola

District Champions

State Final Team Standings

1 Arlington Heights Arlington 19

2 Park Ridge Maine South 12

3 Deerfield 11

4 Winnetka New Trier East 10

5 Hinsdale Central 8

6 Elmhurst York 7

7 Homewood-Flossmoor 6.5

8 Mt. Prospect Prospect 6

9 Rolling Meadows 5.5

Waukegan East 5.5

Northfield New Trier West 5.5

Palatine HS 5.5

1979 Tied for 6th in State Coach Flo Malizola

State Final Team Standings

1 Arlington Heights Arlington 19

2 Deerfield 14.5

3 Winnetka New Trier East 10.5

4 Palatine HS 9.5

Riverside-Brookfield 9.5

6 Northfield New Trier West 7

Elmhurst York 7

8 Oak Forest 6.5

9 Waukegan East 6

Springfield Sacred Heart 6

Chicago Lourdes 6

Burbank Reavis 6

Barrington 6

Individual Medalists

Dede Alstrom & Emily Kirsch doubles—5th place

1980 Individual Medalists Coach Flo Malizola

Sara Lenhart & Stefanie Nelson doubles—3rd place

1981 6th in State Coach Flo Malizola

District Champions

State Final Team Standings

1 Arlington Heights Arlington 17.5

2 Elmhurst York 13

Winnetka New Trier East 13

4 Deerfield 11

5 Oak Park-River Forest 10.5

6 Northfield New Trier West 9.5

7 Palos Heights Shepard 7.5

8 Palatine HS 7

Oak Lawn Community 7

10 Oak Lawn Richards 6.5

Hinsdale Central 6.5

Individual Medalists

Anne DiCesare & Kathryn Scannell doubles—4th place

Shannon Wilson & Carrie Bruce doubles—5th place

BOYS’ BASKETBALL

The Cowboys had just one coach in their school’s history and it was under Mel Sheets’ tutelage that New Trier West succeeded as one of the state’s better class AA schools, especially from 1977-80 with four consecutive trips to the Sweet 16. NT West compiled a record of 228-131 (.635 percentage) in the 15 years it was open as a separate school from New Trier East.

1966-67 6- 9 first season Coach Mel Sheets

1967-68 11- 9 Coach Mel Sheets

1968-69 16- 5 Coach Mel Sheets

1969-70 9-11 Coach Mel Sheets

1970-71 13-11 Coach Mel Sheets

1971-72 8-13 Coach Mel Sheets

1972-73 14-10 Coach Mel Sheets

1973-74 18- 8 Coach Mel Sheets

1974-75 15- 7 Coach Mel Sheets

1975-76 14- 8 Coach Mel Sheets

1976-77 21- 6 AA Elite Eight Finalists Coach Mel Sheets

AA Regional Champions

Waukegan East AA Sectional Champions

Evanston Supersectional Winner

Defeated Chicago Gordon Tech, 69-55

Elite Eight Finalist

Lost to Springfield Lanphier in state quarterfinals, 62-59

1977-78 28- 3 AA Elite Eight Finalist Coach Mel Sheets

AA Regional Champions

Waukegan East AA Sectional Champions

Evanston Supersectional Winner

Defeated Chicago Gordon Tech, 77-63

Lost to Collinsville in state quarterfinals, 71–56

1978-79 23- 5 AA Sweet Sixteen Qualifiers Coach Mel Sheets

AA Regional Champions

Waukegan East AA Sectional Champions

Lost to Maine South in Evanston Supersectional, 65-64

(Maine South eventual AA champions)

1979-80 25- 4 AA Sweet Sixteen Qualifiers Coach Mel Sheets

AA Regional Champions

Waukegan East AA Sectional Champions

Lost to Chicago Gordon Tech in Evanston Supersectional, 58-51

1980-81 11-12 Last season Coach Mel Sheets

BOYS’ SOCCER

For the first four years that the IHSA offered a state tournament, the Cowboys were there to contend for the title three times, bringing home one title along with a second place finish, and advancing to the final four in a third tournament under legendary coach Robert “Sandy” Swan.

1972 16- 1-1 2nd in State!! Coach Robert “Sandy” Swan

District Champions

Sectional Champions

Final Four Qualifier

Defeated LaGrange Lyons in semifinals, 3-2 in overtime

Lost to Granite City in championship match, 2-1 in two OT

1973 District Champions Coach Robert “Sandy” Swan

1974 18- 3-1 STATE CHAMPIONS!!! Coach Robert “Sandy” Swan

Sectional Champions

Elite Eight Qualifier

Defeated Granite City North in quarterfinals, 2-0

Edged Chicago Quigley South in semifinals, 3-2

Shutout Wheaton Central, 1-0 in four OT of title match

1975 16- 4 Final Four in State!! Coach Robert “Sandy” Swan

Sectional Champions

Elite Eight Qualifier

Defeated Villa Park Willowbrook in quarterfinals, 1-0

Edged by Hinsdale Central in semifinals, 2-1

FIELD HOCKEY

New Trier West not only hosted the first IHSA field hockey championships in 1975, but they were also one of the top teams in the state in subsequent seasons by winning a state title and finishing second in the six-year history of the IHSA offering a state championship.

1976 14- 2 STATE CHAMPIONS!!! Coach Jane McNamara

Sectional Champions

Edged Farmer City-Mansfield 3-2 in quarterfinals (penalty shots)

Shutout Barrington in semifinals, 1-0

Blanked Edwardsville in championship match, 3-0

1977 8- 6 2ND IN STATE!!! Coach Frances Camp

Sectional Champions

Edged Edwardsville in quarterfinals, 2-1 (penalty shots)

Shutout Farmer City-Mansfield 1-0 in semifinal

Lost to Schaumberg in title match, 3-0 (penalty shots)

BOYS’ TENNIS

During the late 1960’s and early ‘70s, the Cowboys made their name by placing in the state’s top 10 twice, and Jerry Karzen took second in singles in consecutive years. We would like to find out more about the NTW netters, and hope that an alumnus or interested fan will contact us with additional details.

1968-69 Tied for 8th in State Coach John Schneiter

State Final Standings

1 Oak Park-River Forest 8

2 Hinsdale Central 7

Winnetka New Trier East 7

4 Ottawa Township 6

Rock Island HS 6

6 Evanston Township 5

Libertyville 5

8 Arlington Heights Arlington 4

Peoria Richwoods 4

Northfield New Trier West 4

Individual Medalist

Jerry Karzen Singles—2nd in State!!

1969-70 District Champions Coach John Schneiter

Individual Medalist

Jerry Karzen Singles—2nd in State!!

1970-71 7th in State Coach John Schneiter

State Final Standings

1 Oak Park-River Forest 14

2 Hinsdale Central 12

3 Highland Park 10

4 Ottawa Township 9

Winnetka New Trier East 9

6 Evanston Township 8

7 Peoria Richwoods 7

Northfield New Trier West 7

9 Rockford West 6

Sterling HS 6

Individual Medalists

Rick Fink & Brad Spak Doubles—tied for 5th in State

Jerry Karzen Singles—tied for 5th in State

GIRLS’ SWIMMING

The Cowboy swimming program’s successes were not limited to the boys…in fact, the girls also made some waves at the state meet with some medals won and a top 10 finish in the team standings one season. Even before the IHSA sponsored a state meet, NTW’s girls took third in the 1971 state postal meet behind Evergreen Park & Moline.

1975 Individual Medalist

Karen Askey—2nd place—500 freestyle

1979 (Feb.) Individual Medalist

Barb LeBuhn—6th in 100-yard backstroke

1979 (Nov.) Tied for 6th in State Coach Bruce Woodbury

State Final Team Standings

1 Hinsdale Central 178

2 Winnetka New Trier East 157

3 Joliet West 91

4 Wheaton St. Francis 62

5 St. Charles HS 45

6 Northbrook Glenbrook North 44

Northfield New Trier West 44

8 Macomb 42

Glenview Glenbrook South 42

10 Evanston Township 35

Relay Medalist

200-yard Medley Relay—6th place

1980 Individual Medalist

Grier McCurdy—5th place—100 freestyle

WRESTLING

Not to be forgotten, but the Cowboy wrestlers also had something to show for their winters of work in the gym as they had five tanglers win medals, one of which was for being a state champion. Outside of the two season records listed below along with the state medalists, very little is known.

INDIVIDUAL STATE FINAL MEDALISTS

1972 Mickey Rossetti 105 pounds—5th place

1974AA Mickey Rossetti 112 pounds—3rd place

1976AA Lee Goldsmith 105 pounds—STATE CHAMPION!!!

1977AA Lee Goldsmith 112 pounds—5th place

1978AA 8-12 Coach Chuck Rossetti

Individual Medalist

Steve Rosenstein 132 pounds—5th place

1979 9-11 Coach Chuck Rossetti

FOOTBALL

The Cowboys were competitive in the Central Suburban League while they were a member of the conference, winning two titles under long-time coach Bob Naughton. The best seasons in school history are listed below.

1966 First season Coach Bob Malinsky

1967-68 Coach Bob Naughton

1969 4-4 Coach Bob Naughton

1970 8-0 Central Suburban League Champs Coach Bob Naughton

1972 7-0-1 Cent. Suburb. League No. Champs Coach Bob Naughton

1977 6-3 Coach Bob Naughton

1980 Last season Coach Bob Naughton

BOYS’ GYMNASTICS

New Trier West was competitive along with a number of other Chicagoland schools that offered gymnastics, sending several individuals to the state finals and coming back home with some medals after the scores were posted.

INDIVIDUAL MEDALISTS

1973 Larry Pattis free exercise—3rd place

1974 Brewster McFarland trampoline—tied for 5th place

1975 John Corritore parallel bars—4th place

1975 Brewster McFarland trampoline—3rd place

1980 Mike Ehrlich floor exercise—tied for 5th place

BOYS’ TRACK & FIELD

New Trier West made their mark on the cinder tracks of the state and brought home medals against the best in Illinois at the state finals. Even in its final year, one athlete representing the school brought home a medal from Charleston for New Trier West, which was the Cowboys’ best finish ever at state.

TEAM & INDIVIDUAL MEDALISTS

1967 Jeff Morrison pole vault—4th place

1968 Tom Langston 440-yd dash—4th place

1971 Relay 880-yd relay—5th place

1971 Chris Standefer 220-yd dash—6th place

1976AA Jim Prine long jump—8th place

1977AA Jim Prine long jump—4th place

1977AA Phil Darrow 1-mile run—8th place

1977AA Rob Savage 2-mile run—7th place

1981AA Jeff Lande 300-meter hurdles—3rd place

BOYS’ CROSS-COUNTRY

New Trier West’s harriers made a name for themselves in the northern suburbs of Chicagoland as they won three district titles in four years. Very little is known about the program outside of the information we found on the IHSA website.

1970 District Champions Coach Jerry Kates

1971 District Champions Coach Jerry Kates

1973 District Champions Coach Jerry Parsons

GIRLS’ TRACK

The NT West lady tracksters did compete for the blue and white, although there is very little information known about their program history. According to the IHSA website, we are aware that one athlete did medal at the state meet in the school’s final year.

1981AA Ann Fisher 400-meter dash—5th place

FENCING

The New Trier West Fencing team in the 1977/78 season was runner-up ( 2nd place in state ). Thank you to Brian Rice for this bit of information!

1977-78 Team Placed 2nd At State Meet!

Individual Medalists

Tom Rice 3rd in Epee

Larry Cohen 6th in Foil.

DEBATE

New Trier West could argue with the best of them and made their cases compelling enough to win two state titles, two seconds, a fourth, and a fifth at the state finals over a nine-year period. Mike Shepard was a medalist as a debate champion in consecutive years, even though he was paired with different partners each time.

1968-69 STATE CHAMPIONS!!! Coach Bill Sanders

State Final Team Standings

1 Northfield New Trier West 11-1

2 Peoria Richwoods 10-2

3 Arlington Heights Arlington 9-3

4 Highland Park

5 Oak Lawn Richards

Individual Medalists

Lawrence Kahn-Mike Shepard Debate Champions!!

1969-70 STATE CHAMPIONS!!! Coach Bill Sanders

State Final Team Standings

1 Northfield New Trier West 8-0

2 Winnetka New Trier East

3 Park Forest Rich East

4 Chicago University

5 Highland Park

Individual Medalists

Mike Shepard-Bruce Wolfson Debate Champions!!

1970-71 2nd in State!!! Coach Bill Sanders

State Final Team Standings

1 Evanston Township

2 Northfield New Trier West

3 Evanston Township

4 Homewood-Flossmoor

5 Freeport HS

1973-74 2nd in State!!! Coach Bill Sanders

State Final Team Standings

1 Homewood-Flossmoor

2 Northfield New Trier West

1975-76 4th in State Coach Bill Sanders

State Final Team Standings

1 Dolton Thornridge

2 Glenview Glenbrook South

3 Wheaton North

4 Northfield New Trier West

5 Winnetka New Trier East

1976-77 5th in State Coach Bill Sanders

State Final Team Standings

1 Lake Forest HS

2 Skokie Niles West

3 Wheaton North

Winnetka New Trier East

5 Northfield New Trier West

CHESS

Score not one, not two, but three top two finishes and a state title to boot for the Cowboys. The school certainly knew its way around the chess board, but names of team members are unknown.

1975AA 2nd in State Coach Bob Koonze

State Final Team Standings

1 Winnetka New Trier East

2 Northfield New Trier West

1977AA Tied for 2nd in State Coach Bob Koonze

State Final Team Standings

1 Chicago Lane

2 Downers Grove South

Chicago St. Patrick

Northfield New Trier West

1979AA CO-STATE CHAMPIONS!!! Coach Bob Koonze

State Final Team Standings

1 Northfield New Trier West 5.5, 45.0

1 Evanston Township 5.5, 43.5

3 Hillside Proviso West 5.0, 39.5

Homewood-Flossmoor 5.0, 46.0

Granite City South 5.0, 36.0

6 Chicago Carver 4.5, 43.5

Riverside-Brookfield 4.5, 40.0

8 Chicago Lane 4.0, 38.5

Edwardsville HS 4.0, 39.0

Downers Grove North 4.0, 41.5

SPEECH

The NTW Speech and Drama Department was responsible in having a competitive speech program, placing in the top five of the state finals in consecutive years. One individual wound up third twice in their event as Allen Ury made them laugh in the Original Comedy category. Linda Oddo (NTW alumnae) advises that the coach of this accomplished program was, through 1977, Mr. Bill Sanders.

1969 Tied for 4th in State Coach Bill Sanders

State Final Team Standings

1 Homewood-Flossmoor 14

2 Bensenville Fenton 13

Peoria Richwoods 13

4 Wheaton Central 10

Northfield New Trier West 10

Arlington Heights Arlington 10

Dolton Thornridge 10

8 Highland Park 9

9 Chicago St. Ignatius 8

Berwyn Morton West 8

1970 SECOND IN STATE!! Coach Bill Sanders

State Final Team Standings

1 Dolton Thornridge 26

2 Northfield New Trier West 13

3 Wheaton Central 12

4 Pekin 10

Park Forest Rich East 10

Palatine Fremd 10

7 Park Ridge Maine South 8

Winnetka New Trier East 8

9 Evanston Township 7

10 Harvey Thornton 6

INDIVIDUAL EVENTS

1970 Allen Ury original comedy—3rd place

1971 Allen Ury original comedy—3rd place

THEATRE

The Illinois Theatre Festival is the largest, non-competetive high school theatre festival in the world. It was organized in 1976 by teachers from the Chicago suburbs. This festival is still going strong as they perform at the University of Illinois (Champaign-Urbana) and Illinois State University every other January. New Trier West High school participated in this festival from 1976 to 1981. In 1979, they performed their All-State performance Tale Spinners, and was directed by Michael and Gael Routenberg.

Other Sports

**From Brian Rice (Class of 1981):

There were Girls Softball and Volleyball teams as well as Boys Baseball but the Softball and Baseball teams seasons run so late their is not much record of them in the yearbooks. I was also Co-Captain of the Cross Country team (1980) and also Track.”

Special Thank You

To Sandy Swan and Linda Oddo for providing most of the coaches names on this page.

PLEASE TELL US MORE…

about the history of New Trier West High School and its activities. We’d love to hear from anyone who had information about the school, names of coaches and star athletes, prominent graduates, words to the school fight song, or even your recollections of the time you spent wearing the Blue & White of New Trier West. Please contact us by email at ihsgdwebsite@comcast.net or by USPS at the following address. Your help is greatly appreciated in helping us preserve history.

Illinois High School Glory Days

6439 North Nava

Chicago, IL 60631

Northfield New Trier West HS “Cowboys”

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