# Chicago Prep Bowl

The Chicago Prep Bowl is an annual contest played between American football teams representing the Chicago Catholic League and the Chicago Public League. For most of its history, it was played at Chicago's Soldier Field.

## History

The game was first played in 1927. After a forfeit in 1928, it was not played again until 1933. It was the premier high school football event in Illinois until the IHSA formed the state championship football playoffs in 1974. The 1927 game between Mt. Carmel and Carl Schurz High School drew an estimated 50,000 fans; the largest crowd to see a prep football contest in American history up to that time.
In subsequent years, larger crowds were drawn to the annual game. General admission tickets to the charity game were sold at all of the city's fire stations, and the city's firemen were encouraged to push the sales of tickets to the game (the proceeds of which went entirely to charity), and did so with great success. The 1937 game attracted a high school football record crowd as large as 120,000. It was not until the Battle at Bristol that any match of American football surpassed 120,000 (though a 1927 college football game between USC and Notre Dame at Soldier Field similarly had an unofficial attendance count of 120,000 –and before the Battle at Bristol was often cited as the most-attended American football game of all-time).
The game was not played in either 1929 or 1930. In 1930, a Public League championship at Soldier Field effectively substituted for the inter-league matchup, with 20,000 spectators attending it. The game was made an official annual event in 1934 after receiving the backing of mayor Edward J. Kelly. In the years that immediately followed, the game was initially known as the "Mayor's Charity Game" and the "Kelly Bowl". The game took on the name "Prep Bowl" in 1947, with Kelly leaving office earlier that year having not sought reelection in the 1947 Chicago mayoral election.
Mayor Richard J. Daley was a major supporter of the game. Shortly after his 1976 death, the city ceased sponsoring the event, and attendance began to drop. Within a few years, attendance was under 5,000. Also contributing to the declining interest in the annual game was the predictability of its outcomes. Between 1953 and 1981, the Chicago Catholic League teams won 27 games while the Chicago Public League teams won a mere two games. The advent of the state high school football playoffs further contributed to the decline in interest in the Prep Bowl. In 1979, the Prep Bowl was retooled. Before this, it was a standalone game that pitted the champion of the Chicago Catholic League against the champion of the Chicago Public League. The retooled Prep Bowl game became the final game of an Prep Bowl invitational playoff. In 1979, both the finals and semifinals were held at Soldier Field.
In 1981, the IHSA membership voted to adopt a policy that prohibited member schools from participating in more than nine games (not counting the IHSA state series). The Prep Bowl was given a special exemption from this policy. With the advent of the IHSA state series, the Prep Bowl was contested by the winner of a special playoff in each league played by teams not qualifying for the state playoffs and teams that were eliminated in early rounds of the state playoffs. It is traditionally played on the Friday after Thanksgiving, which is the same day which the IHSA plays its smaller school state championships in football.
In the 1980s, there were discussions about possibly ending the annual game. The city government helped to keep the game at Soldier Field after organizers considered moving it to Gately Stadium. J. W. Smith became head of the Public League in the 1990s, he worked to revive interest in the game. Smith more intensely marketed the game it, and revived the tradition of hosting pre-game dinner for the participating teams. In 1999, Dick Jauron, coach of the Chicago Bears, promised several of his players would be present at the game. The 1990s also incidentally saw more competitive games and a more equal split in victories between Chicago Catholic League and Chicago Public League teams. This all brought about a brief period of resurgent annual interest in the game.
Before 2015, games were held at Soldier Field (except for the 2002 game, which was held while Soldier Field was under renovation). In 2015 however, with organizers unable to afford Chicago Park District rental fees for the use of Soldier Field, the game ceased being held there.

## Television coverage

The game was first televised in 1949, beginning the era of televised Prep Bowl games. Television was regularly blamed with causing as much as a 20,000 decrease in annual attendance at the games compared to the pre-television era.
In 1955, a decision was made not to broadcast that year's game on television.
Different broadcasters have carried the game of the year. In 1979, the game was broadcast by Chicago-based NBC station WMAQ-TV. In 2023, the Marquee Sports Network regional cable channel broadcast the game.
Among the commentators that have provided play-by-play for broadcasts of the game is the late Tim Weigel.

## Entertainment

In its history, some editions of the game have featured entertainment. For instance, in 1937 pre-game entertainment included a performance by Paul Whiteman.

## List of results

* Number of CCL victories: 63
* Number of CPL victories: 28
* Number of tied games: 2
Chicago Prep Bowl results :
| Year | CCL team | CPL team | Score | Winner (CCL or CPL) | Attendance | Notes | |
| 1927 | Mount Carmel | Schurz | 6–0 | CCL | 50,000 | | |
| 1928 | DePaul Academy | Tilden | 12–0 | CPL | | | |
| 1931 | Mount Carmel | Harrison | 44–6 | CPL | | | |
| 1933 | Mount Carmel | Harrison | 7–0 | CCL | | The event was made official for the first time, and was promoted by Chicago Mayor Edward Joseph Kelly | |
| 1934 | Leo | Lindblom | 6–0 | CPL | 50,000 | | |
| 1935 | Leo | Lindblom | 6–0 | CPL | 75,000 | | |
| 1936 | Fenwick | Austin | 19–19 | Tie | 75,000 | | |
| 1937 | Leo | Austin | 26–0 | CPL | 120,000 | The most-attended high school football game of all-time | [2][30][7][8][31][32][33][34] [35][36][37][38][39][40][41] [42][28][29][43][44][45][46] [47][48][49] |
| 1938 | Mount Carmel | Fenger | 13–0 | CPL | 80,000 | | |
| 1939 | Mount Carmel | Fenger | 13–13 | Tie | 75,000 | | |
| 1940 | Leo | Fenger | 13–0 | CPL | 75,000 | | |
| 1941 | Leo | Tilden | 46–13 | CCL | 95,000 | Leo would be named High School Football National Champions this year | |
| 1942 | Leo | Tilden | 27–14 | CCL | 75,000 | | |
| 1943 | Saint George | Phillips | 19–12 | CCL | 80,000 | | |
| 1944 | Weber | Tilden | 13–7 | CPL | 65,000 | | |
| 1945 | Fenwick | Tilden | 20–6 | CCL | 80,000 | | |
| 1946 | Weber | Fenger | 13–7 | CPL | 85,000 | | |
| 1947 | Leo | Austin | 13–12 | CPL | | | |
| 1948 | Fenwick | Lindblom | 13–7 | CPL | | | |
| 1949 | Fenwick | Schurz | 20–7 | CPL | | | |
| 1950 | Mount Carmel | Lane Tech | 45–20 | CCL | | Mount Carmel was coached by Terry Brennan and led by quarterback Tom Carey | |
| 1951 | Mount Carmel | Lindblom | 19–6 | CCL | | Mount Carmel was coached by Terry Brennan | |
| 1952 | Mount Carmel | Austin | 27–19 | CCL | | Mount Carmel was coached by Terry Brennan | |
| 1953 | Saint George | Austin | 38–12 | CCL | | | |
| 1954 | Mount Carmel | Fenger | 20–13 | CPL | 46,728–54,000 | | |
| 1955 | Weber | Chicago Vocational | 6–0 | CPL | | | |
| 1956 | Leo | Calumet | 12–0 | CCL | | Jim Arneberg, who was a star lineman for the 1941 and 1942 Leo teams coached the Leo Lions in this Prep Bowl, becoming the first person to both play and coach in the Prep Bowl | |
| 1957 | Mendel | Calumet | 6–0 | CCL | 71,157 | Mendel scored the game's only points with a Hail Mary pass in the final play | |
| 1958 | Fenwick | Austin | 20–7 | CPL | 53,000 | | |
| 1959 | Fenwick | Lane Tech | 19–0 | CPL | | | |
| 1960 | Mount Carmel | Taft | 27–8 | CCL | 71,178 | Mount Carmel was coached by Tom Carey (former Prep Bowl quarterback, and the older brother of the team's current quarterback Tony). Carey became one of the first individuals to both play and coach in a Prep Bowl, having won it as a quarterback exactly ten years earlier | |
| 1961 | Weber | Lane Tech | 14–12 | CCL | 83,750 | Weber defeated Lane Tech after a muffed punt snap in the last minute after Lane fumbled the ball far in its own territory with only minutes remaining. | |
| 1962 | Fenwick | Schurz | 40–0 | CCL | 91,328 | This was the third most-attended Prep Bowl to date. The game ended a 10–0 season for Fenwick (in which they outscored their opponents 317–32). In the game, Fenwick's Jim DiLullo ran for 224 yards and scored five touchdowns on just 12 carries. | |
| 1963 | St. Rita | Chicago Vocational | 42–7 | CCL | 81,270 | St.Rita halfback John Byrne scored five touchdowns and six extra points | |
| 1964 | Weber | Chicago Vocational | 34–13 | CCL | | Critical to the success of Weber's 1964 season and Prep Bowl victory was defensive back Rich "Chico" Kurzawski | |
| 1965 | Loyola Academy | Chicago Vocational | 33–13 | CCL | 75,400 | By the time of the preceding Chicago Catholic League championship game Loyola was down to their third-string quarterback (Ken Krakovich) and a sophomore running back (Jack Spellman) due to injuries of quarterback Tim Foley and all-state running back Randy Marks, but Loyola nonetheless won both the Catholic League championship and Prep Bowl under these circumstances | |
| 1966 | Loyola Academy | Chicago Vocational | 20–14 | CCL | 61,133 | | |
| 1967 | Mount Carmel | Dunbar | 37–0 | CCL | 58,354 | This was the final year of Frank Maloney's tenure as Mount Carmel's coach (he began his collegiate coaching career thereafter) | |
| 1968 | Mendel | Chicago Vocational | 41–19 | CCL | | | |
| 1969 | Loyola Academy | Lane Tech | 26–0 | CCL | 67,483 | | |
| 1970 | St. Rita | Lane Tech | 12–8 | CCL | 65,735 | Members of the St. Rita team included Billy Marek and Dennis Lick; the team was coached by Pat Cronin | |
| 1971 | St. Rita | Morgan Park | 18–12 | CCL | | Members of the St. Rita team included Billy Marek and Dennis Lick; the team was coached by Pat Cronin. Despite Morgan Park losing, its coach (Joe Stepanek) won the vote for the "Coach of the Year Award" (an award which had in practice always been received by one of the two coaches whose team had competed in the Prep Bowl game, but for which all coaches in the two leagues were eligible) | |
| 1972 | St. Laurence | Taft | 24–7 | CCL | 41,371 | | |
| 1973 | St. Laurence | Phillips | 40–24 | CCL | 40,000–55,385 | | |
| 1974 | St. Laurence | Chicago Vocational | 34–0 | CCL | | | |
| 1975 | Brother Rice | Chicago Vocational | 26–0 | CCL | | | |
| 1976 | St. Rita | Chicago Vocational | 13–6 | CPL | | First CPL victory since 1959 | |
| 1977 | St. Rita | Lane Tech | 20–8 | CCL | | | |
| 1978 | St. Laurence | Sullivan | 34–8 | CCL | 23,000 | | |
| 1979 | Joliet Catholic | Julian | 30–22 | CPL | | | |
| 1980 | Brother Rice | Julian | 39–6 | CCL | | | |
| 1981 | Mount Carmel | Robeson | 14–6 | CCL | | Mount Carmel were defending IHSA champions, having won the state title in 1980 | |
| 1982 | Gordon Tech | Julian | 24–0 | CCL | | | |
| 1983 | Mount Carmel | Simeon | 28–6 | CCL | | | |
| 1984 | De La Salle | Julian | 25–20 | CCL | | | |
| 1985 | Mount Carmel | Lane Tech | 19–14 | CCL | | | |
| 1986 | Loyola Academy | Simeon | 14–12 | CCL | | | |
| 1987 | Gordon Tech | Julian | 29–14 | CCL | | | |
| 1988 | Loyola Academy | Julian | 21–6 | CCL | 2,500 | | |
| 1989 | Fenwick | Julian | 48–14 | CPL | | First CPL victory since 1979. | |
| 1990 | Gordon Tech | Robeson | 48–14 | CPL | | | |
| 1991 | Fenwick | Bogan | 27–0 | CCL | | | |
| 1992 | Brother Rice | Mather | 15–6 | CPL | | | |
| 1993 | Mount Carmel | Bogan | 34–14 | CCL | | | |
| 1994 | Brother Rice | Lane Tech | 28–22 | CCL | | | |
| 1995 | Loyola Academy | Julian | 15–14 | CCL | 1,100 | | |
| 1996 | Loyola Academy | Dunbar | 28–8 | CCL | | | |
| 1997 | Marian Catholic | Dunbar | 28–21 | CPL | | | |
| 1998 | Joliet Catholic | Hubbard | 28–16 | CPL | 6,273 | | |
| 1999 | De La Salle | Hubbard | 20–13 | CPL | 35,000 | | |
| 2000 | Marian Catholic | Simeon | 23–14 | CCL | 18,000 | | |
| 2001 | Mount Carmel | Morgan Park | 50–0 | CCL | | Last game before the 2000s renovation of Soldier Field | |
| 2002 | Carmel (Mundelein) | Dunbar | 50–20 | CCL | | Played at Hanson Field | |
| 2003 | Loyola Academy | Simeon | 22–14 | CCL | | | |
| 2004 | Brother Rice | Lane Tech | 25–14 | CCL | | | |
| 2005 | Brother Rice | Morgan Park | 13–14 | CPL | | Overtime win | |
| 2006 | Brother Rice | Hubbard | 24–14 | CCL | | | |
| 2007 | Saint Rita | Morgan Park | 31-7 | CCL | | | |
| 2008 | Loyola Academy | Lane Tech | 17–0 | CCL | | | |
| 2009 | Saint Rita | Simeon | 34–20 | CCL | | | |
| 2010 | Fenwick | Curie | 6–0 | CCL | | | |
| 2011 | Mount Carmel | Simeon | 34–20 | CCL | | | |
| 2012 | Brother Rice | Simeon | 14–12 | CPL | | | |
| 2013 | Saint Rita | Simeon | 35–20 | CCL | | | |
| 2014 | Loyola Academy | Curie | 14–7 | CCL | | | |
| 2015 | Mount Carmel | Curie | 49–15 | CCL | | Held at Gately Stadium | |
| 2016 | Mount Carmel | Simeon | 42–28 | CCL | | Held at Gately Stadium | |
| 2017 | St. Ignatius | Simeon | 19–16 | CPL | | Held at Gately Stadium | |
| 2018 | St. Rita | Taft | 56–6 | CCL | | Held at Gately Stadium | |
| 2019 | St. Laurence | Simeon | 35–34 | CCL | | Held at St. Laurence's home stadium | |
| 2021 | Notre Dame | Kenwood | 35–6 | CCL | | Held at Gately Stadium | |
| 2022 | Fenwick | Simeon | 33–30 | CPL | | Held at Lane Stadium | |
| 2023 | St. Rita | Kenwood | 21–7 | CCL | | Held at Lane Stadium | |
| 2024 | St. Ignatius | Whitney Young | 47-8 | CCL | | Held at St. Ignatius | |

## Game MVPs

Chicago Prep Bowl MVPs :
| Year | MVP | Team (league) |
| 1951 | Rich Finger | Lindblom (CPL) |
| 1952 | Frank Penn | Mount Carmel (CCL) |
| 1953 | Tom Akroid | Saint George (CCL) |
| 1954 | Jack Delveaux and Ron Nietupski | Fenger (CPL) |
| 1955 | Bob Guillen | Chicago Vocational (CPL) |
| 1956 | Rich Boyle | Leo (CCL) |
| 1957 | Mike Lind | Calumet (CPL) –losing team |
| 1958 | Larry Preo | Austin (CPL) |
| 1959 | George Bunda | Lane Tech (CPL) |
| 1960 | Tony Carey | Mount Carmel (CCL) |
| 1961 | Jim Gruber | Lane Tech (CPL) –losing team |
| 1962 | Jim DiLullo | Fenwick (CCL) |
| 1963 | John Byrne | St. Rita (CCL) |
| 1964 | Rich "Chico" Kurzawski | Weber (CCL) |
| 1965 | Ken Krajchovich | Loyola Academy (CCL) |
| 1966 | Jack Spellman | Loyola Academy (CCL) |
| 1967 | Dave Zuccareili | Mount Carmel (CCL) |
| 1968 | Rich Wyatt | Mendel (CCL) |
| 1969 | John Foran | Loyola Academy (CCL) |
| 1970 | Neil Sullivan | St. Rita (CCL) |
| 1971 | Billy Marek | St. Rita (CCL) |
| 1972 | Steve Malley | St. Laurence (CCL) |
| 2003 | Liam Stanton | Loyola Academy (CCL) |
| 2016 | Michael Kennedy | Mount Carmel (CCL) |
| 2021 | Frankie Ricciardi | Notre Dame (CCL) |
| 2022 | Luke D'Alise | Simeon (CPL) |
| 2024 | Jack Wanzung | St. Ignatius (CCL) |

## Winning coaches

Chicago Prep Bowl winning coaches :
| Year | Coach | Team (league) |
| 1950 | Terry Brennan | Mount Carmel (CCL) |
| 1951 | Terry Brennan | Mount Carmel (CCL) |
| 1952 | Terry Brennan | Mount Carmel (CCL) |
| 1956 | Jim Arneberg | Leo (CCL) |
| 1960 | Tom Carey | Mount Carmel (CCL) |
| 1964 | Joe Sassano | Weber (CCL) |
| 1965 | Bob Naughton | Loyola Academy (CCL) |
| 1966 | Bernie O'Brien | Loyola Academy (CCL) |
| 1967 | Frank Maloney | Mount Carmel (CCL) |
| 1968 | Loui Guida | Mendel (CCL) |
| 1969 | Bob Spoo | Loyola Academy (CCL) |
| 1970 | Pat Cronin | St. Rita (CCL) |
| 1972 | Tom Kavanaugh | St. Laurence (CCL) |
| 2003 | Carl Favaro | Loyola Academy (CCL) |
| 2021 | Mike Hennessey | Notre Dame (CCL) |
| 2024 | Matt Miller | St. Ignatius (CCL) |