FB: College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin

[Mugsy]

Congrats to Steve Thonn, one of Mugsy's teammates
http://rampagefootball.com/news/pressreleases/index.html?article_id=4650

Mugsy didn't play w Thonn but his older brother did. I think they called his older brother "Stump". so "Mugsy" and "Stump" were both outside LB's on the team formerly known as Crusaders.

Steve Thonn was one of the best d3 recievers I have ever seen. a great player and he was a founding player in the arena league. has been coaching since his playing days ended. a great guy and offensive mind.

Wow... +K for you.  Not many know both "Stump" and "Mugsy"...

I do recall seeing Steve play all 3 sports at Wheaton and he was amazing.  As you say a great athlete and person.  He is the brother-in-law of one of my best friends in high school and college and college roommate (J.T. Bean).

Steve was "a scab" player during the NFL strike season in the 80's and was a free agent with the Minnesota Vikings, if I'm not mistaken.  It is scary to think of how good he could have been if he didn't struggle with seemingly chronic ankle issues - almost always had a sprained ankle. 

Another bit of trivia... 3 Wheaton football players participated in the first Arena football game ever in Chicago.  Keith Bishop, Steve Thonn and I'm blanking on the 3rd (a lineman...).

[matblake]

Congrats to Steve Thonn, one of Mugsy's teammates
http://rampagefootball.com/news/pressreleases/index.html?article_id=4650

Mugsy didn't play w Thonn but his older brother did.

Oops, my bad.  Thanks for the correction, usee.

[usee]

Congrats to Steve Thonn, one of Mugsy's teammates
http://rampagefootball.com/news/pressreleases/index.html?article_id=4650

Mugsy didn't play w Thonn but his older brother did. I think they called his older brother "Stump". so "Mugsy" and "Stump" were both outside LB's on the team formerly known as Crusaders.

Steve Thonn was one of the best d3 recievers I have ever seen. a great player and he was a founding player in the arena league. has been coaching since his playing days ended. a great guy and offensive mind.

Wow... +K for you.  Not many know both "Stump" and "Mugsy"...

I do recall seeing Steve play all 3 sports at Wheaton and he was amazing.  As you say a great athlete and person.  He is the brother-in-law of one of my best friends in high school and college and college roommate (J.T. Bean).

Steve was "a scab" player during the NFL strike season in the 80's and was a free agent with the Minnesota Vikings, if I'm not mistaken.  It is scary to think of how good he could have been if he didn't struggle with seemingly chronic ankle issues - almost always had a sprained ankle. 

Another bit of trivia... 3 Wheaton football players participated in the first Arena football game ever in Chicago.  Keith Bishop, Steve Thonn and I'm blanking on the 3rd (a lineman...).

I don't think Steve was a "scab" player. I think he was hurt during that time, went up there and didn't do it. Keith Bishop was on the Vikings during the strike. There were 2 other Wheaton players during the strike as well if memory serves.....Rothschild (DE) and another reciever? Those were on the Bears replacement team.

I don't think Keith Bishop played arena but I may be mistaken. I remember a corner on the Arizona team's roster a year or two in arena? an Asian guy.....

[Mugsy]

I don't think Steve was a "scab" player. I think he was hurt during that time, went up there and didn't do it. Keith Bishop was on the Vikings during the strike. There were 2 other Wheaton players during the strike as well if memory serves.....Rothschild (DE) and another reciever? Those were on the Bears replacement team.

I don't think Keith Bishop played arena but I may be mistaken. I remember a corner on the Arizona team's roster a year or two in arena? an Asian guy.....

You are right... Steve was hurt at the time of the strike and it was Bishop who was with the Vikings.

Rothchild was with the Bears during the strike and he also was with the Bears during training camp.  In fact if you go to Coach Swiders office there is a picture of Doug during a Bears practice with Walter Payton in the background.

Keith Bishop did play in the very first Arena game ever, along with Steve Thonn and I think Keith Cote.  It was an exhibition game.  The Arena league wasn't even officially established, in that there wasn't a season.  There were a number of exhibition games (4 I think in various cities) to explore how feasible the concept was.  You know... were there enough fans interested to support the league?  For the game in Chicago, the Rosemont Horizon was a sellout.  This was at least 1 or 2 years before an official Arena season kicked off.

The DB you are thinking of was Mike Yamamoto and he played 1 year with the Arizona Rattlers in 1992.

[usee]

I don't think Steve was a "scab" player. I think he was hurt during that time, went up there and didn't do it. Keith Bishop was on the Vikings during the strike. There were 2 other Wheaton players during the strike as well if memory serves.....Rothschild (DE) and another reciever? Those were on the Bears replacement team.

I don't think Keith Bishop played arena but I may be mistaken. I remember a corner on the Arizona team's roster a year or two in arena? an Asian guy.....

You are right... Steve was hurt at the time of the strike and it was Bishop who was with the Vikings.

Rothchild was with the Bears during the strike and he also was with the Bears during training camp.  In fact if you go to Coach Swiders office there is a picture of Doug during a Bears practice with Walter Payton in the background.

Keith Bishop did play in the very first Arena game ever, along with Steve Thonn and I think Keith Cote.  It was an exhibition game.  The Arena league wasn't even officially established, in that there wasn't a season.  There were a number of exhibition games (4 I think in various cities) to explore how feasible the concept was.  You know... were there enough fans interested to support the league?  For the game in Chicago, the Rosemont Horizon was a sellout.  This was at least 1 or 2 years before an official Arena season kicked off.

The DB you are thinking of was Mike Yamamoto and he played 1 year with the Arizona Rattlers in 1992.

good call on yammamoto. i didn't know that about keith bishop. good info. thanks

[Gregory Sager]

How many athletes can say they were All-American in 3 sports at the collegiate level?  Steve was an All-American in football, basketball and baseball.

Not true, Mugsy. Steve Thonn was not an All-American in either basketball or baseball. In fact, he wasn't even an All-CCIW player in basketball. He was a student-athlete at Wheaton while I was a student at North Park, and I can tell you from my own observations that he was a fairly undistinguished member of some fairly undistinguished Wheaton teams on the hardwood. The Crusaders who made the All-CCIW list in basketball during Thonn's career were Brian Baird, Dan Fiddler, Bryan Hinton, and Donnie Nelson (who was the only major star Wheaton had during that era). Thonn was definitely a role player alongside Nelson and those others.

In baseball, Thonn did make the All-CCIW team as an outfielder in '82 and '83. But he wasn't an All-American. His name does not appear in any of the statistical categories in the Wheaton record book, which is significant in light of the fact that Wheaton's baseball history is not particularly illustrious.

[DIIIinVA]

Thonn was still legendary when I was at Wheaton in the early 90's.  He dropped by practice a time or two and ran routes with us WR's.  Thonn, who by then was probably in his mid-20's, was smooth as silk.  Great technique, quick, great hands.

I hung out a little bit with Mike Yamamoto, who was a couple years ahead of me.  Yah-mo, we called him. 

[Mugsy]

How many athletes can say they were All-American in 3 sports at the collegiate level?  Steve was an All-American in football, basketball and baseball.

Not true, Mugsy. Steve Thonn was not an All-American in either basketball or baseball. In fact, he wasn't even an All-CCIW player in basketball. He was a student-athlete at Wheaton while I was a student at North Park, and I can tell you from my own observations that he was a fairly undistinguished member of some fairly undistinguished Wheaton teams on the hardwood. The Crusaders who made the All-CCIW list in basketball during Thonn's career were Brian Baird, Dan Fiddler, Bryan Hinton, and Donnie Nelson (who was the only major star Wheaton had during that era). Thonn was definitely a role player alongside Nelson and those others.

In baseball, Thonn did make the All-CCIW team as an outfielder in '82 and '83. But he wasn't an All-American. His name does not appear in any of the statistical categories in the Wheaton record book, which is significant in light of the fact that Wheaton's baseball history is not particularly illustrious.

Sorry for the mis-information.  Though not many can say they played 3 sports at the collegiate level. 

I still hold to the opinion I can't name many over the past 25 years who would be a better athlete than Steve Thonn.

[Gregory Sager]

Thonn was still legendary when I was at Wheaton in the early 90's.  He dropped by practice a time or two and ran routes with us WR's.  Thonn, who by then was probably in his mid-20's, was smooth as silk.

Thonn played for Wheaton from 1980-84, so he would've been in his late twenties and early thirties during the early '90s.

Sorry for the mis-information.  Though not many can say they played 3 sports at the collegiate level.

It's certainly a very hard thing to do, probably as much for academic reasons as for athletic reasons. I can only name three or four NPU alumni who have copied Thonn's football-basketball-baseball trifecta. Dennis Prikkel could probably name every Viking who has ever accomplished that feat. Achieving All-American status in more than one team sport is even tougher. There was a discussion a few months ago in one of the basketball rooms as to how many student-athletes have been named a D3 All-American in both football and basketball. The only two that we could find were Pete Metzelaars of Wabash and Jeff Gibbs of Otterbein.

[Mugsy]

Thonn was still legendary when I was at Wheaton in the early 90's.  He dropped by practice a time or two and ran routes with us WR's.  Thonn, who by then was probably in his mid-20's, was smooth as silk.

Thonn played for Wheaton from 1980-84, so he would've been in his late twenties and early thirties during the early '90s.

Sorry for the mis-information.  Though not many can say they played 3 sports at the collegiate level.

It's certainly a very hard thing to do, probably as much for academic reasons as for athletic reasons. I can only name three or four NPU alumni who have copied Thonn's football-basketball-baseball trifecta. Dennis Prikkel could probably name every Viking who has ever accomplished that feat. Achieving All-American status in more than one team sport is even tougher. There was a discussion a few months ago in one of the basketball rooms as to how many student-athletes have been named a D3 All-American in both football and basketball. The only two that we could find were Pete Metzelaars of Wabash and Jeff Gibbs of Otterbein.

Would be interesting to check what positions they played in football.  My first guess would be TE, followed by LB.  TE's usually translate well to a power forward position.

Thanks for the info.

[Mr. Ypsi]

FINALLY got my internet connection restored after three weeks down.  I've decided that Comcast must be an acronym for Criminals On Meth Cheating All Subscribers Totally.

While I certainly would welcome other nominations from y'all, I believe the CCIW's greatest ever 3-sport athlete has got to be Steve Laub (1963-67).  He went for the leadership positions: qb in football, pg in basketball, and catcher in baseball.  I don't know about AA selections, but I'm pretty sure he was first team all-conference on more than one occasion in each sport, and is STILL near the top of the conference lists in at least one category in each sport.  And perhaps the ultimate credential: Dennis Prikkel, perhaps the ultimate anti-green-weenie poster and one of the few of us still around who actually saw Steve play, once said on these pages (paraphrased, since I couldn't find the years-old post) that he was the toughest s.o.b. he ever saw on a basketball court - he just WOULD NOT lose.

[usee]

Thonn was still legendary when I was at Wheaton in the early 90's.  He dropped by practice a time or two and ran routes with us WR's.  Thonn, who by then was probably in his mid-20's, was smooth as silk.

Thonn played for Wheaton from 1980-84, so he would've been in his late twenties and early thirties during the early '90s.

Sorry for the mis-information.  Though not many can say they played 3 sports at the collegiate level.

It's certainly a very hard thing to do, probably as much for academic reasons as for athletic reasons. I can only name three or four NPU alumni who have copied Thonn's football-basketball-baseball trifecta. Dennis Prikkel could probably name every Viking who has ever accomplished that feat. Achieving All-American status in more than one team sport is even tougher. There was a discussion a few months ago in one of the basketball rooms as to how many student-athletes have been named a D3 All-American in both football and basketball. The only two that we could find were Pete Metzelaars of Wabash and Jeff Gibbs of Otterbein.

Would be interesting to check what positions they played in football.  My first guess would be TE, followed by LB.  TE's usually translate well to a power forward position.

Thanks for the info.

metzelaars was definately a TE. he played in the NFL for several years for the Bills I think.

[usee]

North Park's season preview is up:  http://www.northpark.edu/home/PDF/athletics/football/2007seasonpreview.pdf

does anyone recall the last time NPU had 17 returning starters? I think that is great. I really like what Scott Pehtel is doing on Foster Avenue. If he can keep bringing in good numbers and retain them, NPU will be surprising some people very quickly.

[Gregory Sager]

Thonn was still legendary when I was at Wheaton in the early 90's.  He dropped by practice a time or two and ran routes with us WR's.  Thonn, who by then was probably in his mid-20's, was smooth as silk.

Thonn played for Wheaton from 1980-84, so he would've been in his late twenties and early thirties during the early '90s.

Sorry for the mis-information.  Though not many can say they played 3 sports at the collegiate level.

It's certainly a very hard thing to do, probably as much for academic reasons as for athletic reasons. I can only name three or four NPU alumni who have copied Thonn's football-basketball-baseball trifecta. Dennis Prikkel could probably name every Viking who has ever accomplished that feat. Achieving All-American status in more than one team sport is even tougher. There was a discussion a few months ago in one of the basketball rooms as to how many student-athletes have been named a D3 All-American in both football and basketball. The only two that we could find were Pete Metzelaars of Wabash and Jeff Gibbs of Otterbein.

Would be interesting to check what positions they played in football.  My first guess would be TE, followed by LB.  TE's usually translate well to a power forward position.

Thanks for the info.

metzelaars was definately a TE. he played in the NFL for several years for the Bills I think.

Metzelaars, who began with the Seahawks but played the bulk of his career (including four Super Bowl appearances) with the Bills before finishing up with the Lions and the Panthers, not only was a TE, he is the all-time NFL leader in games played at the tight end position. He played for sixteen seasons in the NFL, which is a pretty remarkable career in terms of duration. He's currently an assistant coach with the Colts, which means that he finally won the Super Bowl ring that continually eluded him when he wore the blue, red, and white of the Buffalo Bills.

Like Metzelaars, Gibbs was a tight end in college. And also like the big Dutchman from Wabash, Gibbs led his basketball team to a D3 national title. Both Metzelaars and Gibbs were named tourney MVP in the process of leading their respective teams to the Walnut and Bronze.

FINALLY got my internet connection restored after three weeks down.  I've decided that Comcast must be an acronym for Criminals On Meth Cheating All Subscribers Totally.

While I certainly would welcome other nominations from y'all, I believe the CCIW's greatest ever 3-sport athlete has got to be Steve Laub (1963-67).  He went for the leadership positions: qb in football, pg in basketball, and catcher in baseball.  I don't know about AA selections, but I'm pretty sure he was first team all-conference on more than one occasion in each sport, and is STILL near the top of the conference lists in at least one category in each sport.  And perhaps the ultimate credential: Dennis Prikkel, perhaps the ultimate anti-green-weenie poster and one of the few of us still around who actually saw Steve play, once said on these pages (paraphrased, since I couldn't find the years-old post) that he was the toughest s.o.b. he ever saw on a basketball court - he just WOULD NOT lose.

Three-sport stars were as common as dirt back in the day, Chuck. Given the dearth of octogenarian posters in any of the respective CCIW rooms on d3sports.com, I don't think we can hand out absolutes such as "greatest three-sport star ever" with any sense of authority.

North Park's season preview is up:  http://www.northpark.edu/home/PDF/athletics/football/2007seasonpreview.pdf

does anyone recall the last time NPU had 17 returning starters? I think that is great. I really like what Scott Pehtel is doing on Foster Avenue. If he can keep bringing in good numbers and retain them, NPU will be surprising some people very quickly.

Oh, I certainly like what Scott Pethtel's doing as well -- improving the retention rate was his first task as head coach. But now it becomes a matter of quality. He needs to get the program to the point where in a given year he's returning not only 17 starters, but 17 good starters. And when he's getting both quality and quantity in terms of his returnees, we'll begin to see that turnaround in NPU's fortunes that Vikings fans are seeking.

[football2007]

North Park's season preview is up:  http://www.northpark.edu/home/PDF/athletics/football/2007seasonpreview.pdf

does anyone recall the last time NPU had 17 returning starters? I think that is great. I really like what Scott Pehtel is doing on Foster Avenue. If he can keep bringing in good numbers and retain them, NPU will be surprising some people very quickly.

I am wondering in D3 how many players do not show up for camp and a coach thinks they are coming.  I noticed a player mentioned on the north park site as a new recruit that has changed his mind.