Women's Soccer Alums Gather to Celebrate Alumnae/Senior Day

Beautiful weather, funny stories, and laughter were all displayed as the women’s soccer alums gathered to celebrate Alumnae Day.

Jill Litowski (class of ’98) set the tone as she “snaked” down the field while being announced during the half-time presentation. This act was just a minute part of the enthusiasm and excitement the alums displayed as Jean Lenti Ponsetto, Director of Athletics, and Kathryn Statz, Associate Director honored them for their dedication, commitment and support of the program.

After the game, the alums enjoyed lunch with the current players and their families, and watched the current seniors, Molly Borchardt, Kelly Semko, and Dominique Locascio, honored for their outstanding accomplishments.

A special thanks to all of the alums in attendance. Your continued support of the women’s soccer program and DePaul athletics is greatly appreciated!

Men's Soccer Alumni Day

Rain and cold temperatures weren’t enough to keep men’s soccer alums from participating in Alumni day!

At 9:30 a.m. more than 25 alums gathered on Wish Field to participate in their annual alumni game. Cold, blistering temperatures didn’t stop these alums from giving their all on the field; in fact, it actually propelled them to play harder. The alums split into even teams and went at it for over an hour. After the game the alums were invited to eat, drink, and fellowship until the start of the DePaul/Syracuse match-up.

Reminiscing; sharing of new happenings; and amazement over the development of the campus since the “old” days, were common topics addressed during this time.

During halftime, all alumni were honored at mid-field by Jean Lenti Posetto, Diretcor of Athletics, and Kathryn Statz, Associate Director of Athletics.

Following the Men’s soccer victory over Syracuse, all alums, players, and parents gathered in the Hall of Fame Foyer to celebrate the seniors and to thank the alumni for their unyielding support of the program.

Thanks to all of the alums who helped make this day so special! It was great seeing each of you; and we look forward to your continued support of the men’s soccer program!

World Series Special - Uncovering a Blue Demon Baseball Legend - Part I

Tonight as I sat watching the World Series, I thought how many major league baseball players had DePaul produced? Wouldn't that make a great blog entry or possibly a good trivia question on our Twitter account.

Little did I know what I would find with a little Google work.

In fact, DePaul University has had five student-athletes play major league baseball. My search began with pitcher Grant Bowler (DePaul 1927-31) pitched in 17 games in 1931 and 1932 for the White Sox. His best performance a September 17, 1931 complete game loss to the Cleveland Indians – his only career decision.

Art Bramhill (DePaul 1934-34) was an infielder that played in a “Moonlight” Graham-like two games with one single career at bat for Philadelphia Phillies in 1935.

When I saw Tony Murray (DePaul 1922-23) played for the Cubs in 1923, I knew my assistant Marge Mazik would be so proud when I returned with this gem in the morning. An outfielder, Murray played two games in the final two days of the 1923 campaign, but he did amass one career hit. Murray’s lone hit came batting ninth behind a young catcher Gabby Harnett who was batting eighth. Harnett would become a Hall of Famer. Murray would become a policeman and attorney.

Bill Steinecke (DePaul 1926-31) caught in four games in 1931 for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Unfortunately he went hitless in four at bats with a strikeout in his four-game major league career. Steinecke didn’t quit with his four at bats. Steinecke would become one of baseball’s lifers, toiling for a total of 23 years in the minor leagues as a player. He would then coach and serve as a scout for another 17 years.

I saw that Joe Wilhoit (DePaul 1906-11) was my final Blue Demon to play in the major leagues. His stats clearly indicated that he was going to outdistance his Royal Blue peers, having an accomplished four-year career from 1916-1919. The outfielder donned a uniform for four different teams (Boston Braves & Boston Red Sox, Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Giants).

It wasn’t until I googled that I realized the treasure that I found – Joe Wilhoit.

My first gem was that he played in the 1917 World Series for Hall of Fame manager John McGraw – and of all teams, against the Chicago White Sox. Ultimately, Joe lined to “Black Sock” Buck Weaver to start a double play and earned a walk in two plate appearances in the Giants loss to World Series Champion White Sox.

The World Series info was truly just the beginning of the excitement. Wilhoit actually has the distinction of owning the longest hitting streak in the history of organized baseball, which includes major leagues, minor leagues and college. He is even featured in Ripley’s Believe it or Not!.

On June 14, 1919, playing for the Wichita Witches of the Western League, Wilhoit began the streak with an unassuming single. No one could have guessed that he would hit safely for the next 10 weeks – a total of 69 games. Only Joe DiMaggio would challenge his mark, hitting in 61 straight while playing for the Pacific Coast League’s San Francisco Seals.

Wilhoit was simply unstoppable during the streak, hitting .512 with 153 hits in 299 at bats. He didn’t set the record quietly, picking up two or more hits in 50 games.

This research on Wilhoit is just beginning. I have emailed Bill Rabinowitz, the researcher from the Columbus Dispatch, that scoured the papers of the Midwest to document Wilhoit’s exploits.

Then I found a website dedicated to the “Wichita Wonder”.

http://www.joewilhoit.com/joe.htm

It was written by a relative David Wilhoit. Next step was finding this relative to see if I can find out even more about this new Blue Demon treasure. Little did I know that David is the CEO of Siltronic-Samsung Wafer in Singapore. A quick e-mail through LinkedIn hopefully will provide the next step in the fast-paced research.

Other Joe Wilhoit sites
http://bioproj.sabr.org/bioproj.cfm?a=v&v=l&pid=15190&bid=30
http://www.independent.com/news/2009/aug/11/where-have-you-gone-joe-wilhoit/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Wilhoit

I only wonder where this research will lead… stay tuned!

Blue Demon Track Alum Dave Behof Honored with Coaching Award

DePaul Track Alum Dave Behof ('93-96) was honored as The Frank J. Amato Excellence in Coaching Award at Loyola Academy's annual Hall of Fame Banquet on October 23. The award is presented annually to the Loyola Academy coach whose outstanding performance on and off the field represents the highest traditions of Loyola Academy athletics as well as the core values and ideals of the school's Ignatian mission. The final selection from the list of nominees is made by the President, the Athletic Director, Coach Frank Amato,and benefactor Tim Haggerty '81.

Behof remains active in his support of DePaul Athletics serving on statistics crews, assisting with the game production for men's basketball games and managing the timing system for Blue Demon cross country events.

Below is the text from the program, recognizing Behof's efforts and achievement.
To the track and field and cross country teams of Loyola Academy, he is indispensable and irreplaceable.With an uncompromising commitment to getting the job done right and an unwavering dedication to the young people he serves, David A. Behof has been for fourteen years the quiet force behind the scenes, one whose tireless work on behalf of Loyola and its

athletes has for too long gone unrecognized and unheralded.

Demanding and caring, Dave couples a comprehensive knowledge of the sport with an uncanny ability to connect with his athletes. Armed with a wealth of experience and expertise as well as a keen understanding of the high-school athlete, Dave has demonstrated again and again those qualities fundamental to coaching excellence.

Meticulous and thorough in his preparation for practice and meets and attentive to each athlete under his watch, he has proven himself a young master of the coaching arts. Simply put, his impact as an assistant coach for the cross country and track programs has been profound. In cross country, Dave has had a hand in twenty-three championship teams, including eight as the head coach of the freshman team. In track, he has helped guide Loyola to twenty-two team championships, and is responsible for coaching four Ramblers to individual conference titles and one to an All-State performance.

His work as a meet administrator has earned Dave a reputation for reliability and efficiency throughout the CCL, the GCAC, and the IHSA, where he is recognized for his painstaking professionalism in organizing, seeding, and scoring track and cross country meets. His expertise in using the FAT (Fully Automatic Timing) system has even brought calls from state track officials requesting his services at the state track meet. That the reputation of Loyola Academy has been burnished in the process has been a significant yet ancillary benefit. However, his primary motivation has always been to serve the needs of his athletes, and to give them the best athletic experience possible. In the end, the perfectionism that defines Dave's approach to meet organization is ultimately about the athletes themselves, about the obligation to provide the finest environment in which to compete. It is about giving his kids the competitive playing field that they deserve and that he feels responsible for providing as their coach.

Last winter, after a summer of painstaking research involving countless hours of sifting through fifty years of meet results, Dave delivered one of the most important off-the-field contributions ever made to Loyola track and field: a record book of the top fifty all-time performances in each event, indoor and outdoor, beautifully and carefully arranged. The motivating effect on the athletes was instantaneous-here it was in black and white, a history, a record of a tradition that they could aspire to be a part of. With his book, Dave has produced an historical record of athletic achievement that will have a lasting impact on Loyola's track athletes long after he is gone from the scene.

In his tenure at Loyola, Dave has left an indelible mark on the cross country and track programs of Loyola Academy, and the on the athletes with whom he has worked. With an unstinting dedication to his vocation and an abiding loyalty to Loyola and its athletes, he has coached with honor and integrity. Weariless in his devotion to his school, his athletes, his fellow coaches, and his sport, Dave has proven himself a worthy and fitting recipient of the Frank J. Amato Excellence in Coaching Award.

A 1992 graduate of Loyola, Dave returned to his alma mater to teach mathematics after earning his B.S. in mathematics from DePaul University in 1996, and his M.Ed. from DePaul in 2000. An elite miler at Loyola who went on to a fine running career at DePaul, he understands what it takes to compete at the highest level. Recently, Dave completed the Chicago Marathon in a personal record of 2 hours, 52 minutes.

DePaul Loses Hall of Famer Ron Sobie

DePaul lost one of its great when Hall of Famer hoops legend Ron Sobie passed away on October 23. The esteemed Blue Demon cager amassed 1,222 career points and ranks No. 4 all-time at DePaul in career scoring average at 18.2 points per game, trailing only Mark Aguirre (24.5), Howie Carl (20.0) and George Mikan (19.1).

"We lost a true DePaul legend today," Athletic Director Jean Lenti Ponsetto said. "I think the fact that he was inducted into the first class of DePaul's Hall of Fame with names like George Mikan and Ray Meyer speaks volumes of his impact as a Blue Demon."

Born on September 21, 1934, Sobie attended Saint Bonaventure Academy in Sturtevant, Wisconsin before matriculating to DePaul University. He played as Blue Demon from 1953-56. Sobie was only the second Blue Demon to amass more than 300 points in each of his varsity seasons.

"I knew him from way back. When I was coaching high school he killed us," said DePaul Hall of Famer Jim Seri. "Ron was a great ball player, but more importantly, he was a great man."

The captain of the 1956 squad finished 29th in the country in scoring and propelled DePaul into the NCAA Tournament. Additionally he finished the season ranked 13th in free-throw shooting and ninth in rebounding.

After completing his senior year, Sobie was tabbed to play in the World Series of basketball, a 21-game tour of games between the Harlem Globetrotters and a team of College All-Stars coached by DePaul legend Ray Meyer. Sobie was named MVP of the 1956 Series. He would later return to court against the Globetrotters as a member of the Washington Generals.

Sobie was drafted by the Fort Wayne Pistons in the first round with the sixth overall selection of the 1956 NBA draft. On draft day, he was traded to the New York Knicks for Gene Shue. The 6-4 guard played parts of four seasons for the New York Knicks, appearing in 192 games and scoring more than 1,600 career points. Sobie's best NBA season statistically was in 1957-58 when he averaged 11.5 points and 4.8 rebounds. He finished in the NBA's top ten in free-throw percentage, shooting .820 for that season. His NBA career was cut short by a knee injury.

"He was a great player," Said DePaul Hall of Fame Center Jim Flemming (1958-61). "He was a big guard and he could shoot from anywhere."

In addition to his skill as basketball player, Sobie was a first-rate softball player. He owned a renowned sports bar in Cicero called Sobie's Bar and Grill which often sponsored one of the top 16-inch softball teams in the country. Sobie's won the ASA Major 16" National Championship in 1966, 1967 and 1968.

Sobie was inducted into the inaugural class of the DePaul Athletic Hall of Fame in 1976 and was added to the Chicagoland Sports Hall of Fame in 2007.

The wake for Ron Sobie will be held at Chapel Hill Gardens West in Oakbrook Terrace (17 West Roosevelt Road) from 3-9 p.m. on Mon., Oct. 26. The funeral will be held Tues., Oct. 27 at 10 a.m. at St. Joseph's Church, 4801 Main Street, Downers Grove, IL 60515.

Ron Sobie also will be memorialized as a part of the 2010 Hall of Fame Memorial Mass on January 31.