what TF SOUTH means to me BY CURTIS GRANDERSON
TOP SPORTS MOMENTS A Rebel legacy of all-around success
It seems like we were always laughing, always finding ways to joke around.
It seems like we were always laughing, always finding ways to joke around.
Our group was so big; we were always in honors classes and whatnot. It was boys and girls, it encompassed more than one grade level. I had known some of them since first grade, guys like Joe Lacy, Adam Lewis and Billy Lebeter.
(Jean Lachat/Sun-Times)
Our group was so big; we were always in honors classes and whatnot. It was boys and girls, it encompassed more than one grade level. I had known some of them since first grade, guys like Joe Lacy, Adam Lewis and Billy Lebeter.
Mr. Spargur in honors physics had a very difficult course -- he forced you to learn -- as did Mr.Powell in honors chemistry.
They were tough courses, but at the end of it, if I had an ''A,'' I had an ''A'' for a reason.
The T.F. North-T.F. South series was great in basketball. Billy Lebeter's mom couldn't get into a game once because it was sold out.
Our basketball team was not necessarily the best, but it was such a big group of family and friends. We got along then; we still get along.
Football was great. You watch the movies with Texas football or Florida football. We had the same thing in south suburban Chicago.
Baseball coach Bill Anderson did a tremendous job of scheduling good opponents year in and year out. When we had to play Providence, they were ranked No. 1. And we played Andrew; three or four of those guys got drafted.
South is very diverse, very athletically talented in all sports. Every sport had somebody going to state. I'll brag about that to my teammates now. It's always about who had the best team growing up.
It seemed like it was fun every day, every week. You looked forward to going to school.
Location: 18500 Burnham, Lansing Conference: SICA East
1With a cannon going off near the north end zone to mark each Rebel score, and fans packing the home stands every Friday night, football is definitely king at South. Veteran coach Tom Padjen, entering his 32nd year at the helm, has guided the Rebels to 13 playoff berths in the last 14 seasons, including trips to the state semifinals in 1994 and 2002.
2 The T.F. South baseball field is named for Illinois Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Famer Bill Anderson, who is tied for 15th on the state's all-time victory list with a 578-375-13 record in 34 seasons. He guided South to six regional titles, one sectional championship and an Elite Eight berth in 1990. His teams averaged 22 wins from 1990 to '99.
3Bill Beckwith came to T.F. South as an assistant football coach in 1967. He was known for his drill-sergeant crew cut and a booming voice to match. Beckwith stayed at the Lansing school as a teacher and coach for 30 years, finding his greatest success with the girls bowling program. His 1990 squad won the school's only team state championship.
4 After spending years in the shadow of the more successful football and baseball teams, the boys basketball team enjoyed its best season in the recently completed 2007-08 campaign. The 22-5 Rebels broke the 43-year-old school record for wins. Leading the way was senior standout Paris Carter, who finished second in the Class 4A slam-dunk contest.
5Before Richards left the SICA Orange after the 2005 season, the Bulldogs and Rebels had one of the state's top football rivalries. The teams met six times from 2001-03, including T.F. South's 32-14 upset of the previously unbeaten Bulldogs in the 2002 state quarterfinals. Pierre Thomas' 268 rushing yards and 96-yard touchdown keyed that win.
TF SOUTH
State titles: 1, girls bowling in 1990Behind the name: Thornton Fractional became 2 schools in 1959
Colors: Red and gray Nickname: Rebels
Enrollment: 1,870
* Tom Baldwin: Former defensive lineman for the New York Jets.
* Chris Clopton: Former Arena Football League player, current Purdue assistant coach.
* Ellen Fogel: Writer (''Saturday Night Live'').
* Kendall Kremer: Former Kansas City Chiefs defensive lineman.
* Jim O'Heir: Film and TV actor (''Ed,'' ''Harvey,'' ''Welcome to Paradise'').
* Chris Rassel: Three-time state champ in track.
* Ralph Seymour: Actor; (''Equus'' on Broadway; ''Rain Man'').
* Harry Smith: Anchor, CBS' ''The Early Show.''
* Dave Smith: Former Bengals tackle.
* Pierre Thomas: New Orleans Saints RB.
* Barbara Trent: Academy Award winner (1992, Best Documentary, ''The Panama Deception'').
