Marist High School’s Hall of Fame recognizes graduates who made a profound impact on Marist athletics. He or she must be at least seven years
removed from high school graduation and during his or her time as a Marist athlete would have displayed exceptional talent and ability, incredible work ethic, dedication to the team, and exemplary leadership and sportsmanship.
LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT
DAN CAPRON ’74
ACCORDING TO DAN CAPRON ’74, “some of the most golden moments of high school occur during after-school activities.” Not wanting to be a part of the “dreaded 2:39 Club,” Capron stayed well past the final bell to explore his passions and develop his talents. Although he played football his freshman year, he found his niche on the crosscountry team where he would flourish under the tutelage of Br. Rich Grenier and Ronald Horbatiuk. He also made his mark as a member of the National Honor Society, student council, and yearbook staff. Capron went on to become a respected workers’ compensation attorney – eventually co-founding Capron & Avgerinos, a prominent law firm in Chicago. Even during the hustle and bustle of building a law practice and raising four daughters with his wife Mary Anne, Capron managed to stay active at Marist – serving on the school’s board of directors as well as the Marist Brothers’ development board. While Capron never seriously pursued football as a player, he later excelled on the field as a Big Ten football official, along with fellow Marist Hall of Famer Jim “Red” Ryan ’72. Capron worked two Big Ten championship games and numerous bowl games, including the Orange Bowl, Sugar Bowl and Peach Bowl. However, the highlight of his officiating career was the national championship game in January 2018 between Alabama and Georgia. For any
college football official, that is the “top of the mountain.” Capron retired from the Big Ten at the end of the 2019 season with 20 years of fond memories.
Reflecting on entering the Marist Hall of Fame for Lifetime Achievement, Capron ponders how the school has been so formative to him over the years. “Marist has honored me with this award, but the reverse should be true,” he said. “Whatever my achievements in life have been, I owe a great debt to the Marist Brothers, to the lay teachers, and to my classmates, all of whom pushed me, challenged me, and indelibly marked me as fundamentally ‘Marist.’ The school might appear very different now, but the Marist spirit is unchanged.
To have been selected for the Marist Hall of Fame, given the thousands of brilliant and talented men and women who have traversed its hallways, is a humbling experience and one that I will cherish.”
BASKETBALL
DAVE CAHILL ’95
WHEN DAVE CAHILL ’95 thinks of Marist High School he thinks of family. “The friendships I made during school and basketball have lasted a lifetime,” Cahill said. “The Marist family has impacted my life in so many positive ways between sports and academics.” Cahill could feel that strong sense of family his junior year
when the team won conference. It was the first time in a long time that the program realized that level of success and, at least for Cahill, that was due in large part to his teammates and coaches. “It was a special group of guys,” Cahill said. “We still talk on a regular basis, and it’s never about the wins, it’s about the time we spent together.” Their bond was made stronger thanks to the tough love offered by Coach Ken Styler ’75 and Coach Brian Tucker.
The coaches expected a lot from their players – encouraging them to do more and never settle for anything less than the best. “The coaches were tough on us,” Cahill said. “But, I think they taught us the value of hard work and the meaning of the old adage that when life knocks you down, you have to get back up.”
Cahill, perhaps more than anyone else on the team, took those lessons to heart – earning all-area and all-conference honors two years in a row. Although an injury kept him off the court his senior year, he bounced back with force playing all four years at the University of St. Francis. In college, Cahill earned accolades from coaches and teammates alike, including all conference honors and most valuable player two years in a row.
Cahill, a key account manager for Lakeshore Beverage, lives with his wife Erica and their three children in Beverly. Cahill is president of the St. John Fisher Holy Name Society and a basketball and baseball coach for neighborhood teams. Cahill’s volunteer nature is a direct reflection of the people that impacted
his childhood: “When I was growing up, there were so many volunteers who coached me, gave of their time, because they loved giving back,” Cahill said. “My coaches have always meant a lot to me and helped me develop into the person I am today.”
BASKETBALL
MARY PAT CONNOLLY
MARY PAT CONNOLLY BELIEVES Marist High School is a special place because of its commitment to the
overall success of the student-athlete – academically and athletically – that paves the way for the continued success of future RedHawks. And, Connolly knows a little something about success. Having served as the girls’ basketball coach since the school went coed in 2002, Connolly has more than 400 career wins under her belt.
Over the last 20 years, her teams have captured regional, sectional, and super-sectional titles as well as a 4th place state title in 2008. “We’ve had great seasons and many memorable moments, but the 2008 season stands
out the most to me,” Connolly said. “We weren’t the most talented team, but we had a team of hardworking,
over-achievers who refused to quit.” Connolly knows first-hand what it takes to succeed on the court. In 2018, she was inducted into the National Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame for her time with the Chicago Hustle in the Women’s Basketball League (WBL) from 1979 to 1981. The following year, she was inducted into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame as a player and, in 2020, she was inducted as a coach.
Before her time in the WBL, Connolly had a decorated career at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She still remains a record leader in scoring, rebounding, double-doubles, and more. “It truly is an honor to be inducted into the Marist Hall of Fame,” Connolly said. “Starting from the first class of girls, I was fortunate to have so many former and current coaches and players help me succeed and sustain such a successful program. I feel I’m a small part of a rich tradition of athletic success that has been built at Marist since the school
first opened.”
FOOTBALL
MATT QUINN ’88
IT’S BEEN 35 YEARS, BUT MATT QUINN ’88 still holds the IHSA record for an interception returned for a touchdown. A junior at the time, Quinn intercepted a pass 4 yards deep in the end zone and returned it for a touchdown with 30 seconds left in the game. The interception enabled Marist, which had never won a playoff game before, to advance to the semifinals. The team played for the state championship that year. “The excitement of playing in state playoff games bonds a team together and makes for lifelong friendships,” Quinn said. “Those relationships with my teammates, coaches, and teachers have shaped me into the person I am today.” Quinn’s prowess on the football field was evident as a two-way starter on the 1986 and 1987 teams as well as all-area and all-conference honoree. But, his accomplishments didn’t stop there. He also was a two-year starting catcher for the baseball team, which finished third in state in 1988. An all-around sports enthusiast, Quinn loved watching other Marist teams play as well. “Supporting other sporting events truly made me feel and experience the full high school life that Marist offered and still offers to its students,” Quinn said. “The opportunities are there, you just have to enjoy them.”
The Quinn legacy is large at Marist with Matt’s three brothers among its alumni and his son Billy a current senior on the football team. Matt, a deputy commissioner for the city of Chicago’s Water Department, and his wife Debbie also have a son Ryan and daughter-in-law Mary Kate, a 2010 grad. The couple actively raise
money for causes near and dear to them, including the fight against breast cancer, research for muscular dystrophy, and scholarship opportunities through the Born N Razed Foundation. “My induction into the Marist Hall of Fame is an honor that should be shared by everyone,” Quinn said. “All my coaches, all my teammates, all my opponents, and especially my family. Without all of them this would not have been possible.”
