Everything Paul Adams does, the long hours and sweat of preseason practices, is taking on a special meaning.
Welcome to the last hurrah for a legendary football coach.
After the 1992 season, Deerfield`s head coach for the last 26 years is bowing out after forging a powerful program that terrorized the north suburbs.
It got to a point where opposing coaches would often respond in preseason interviews, ”I have no idea what Deerfield has coming back, but they`re the favorite because of Paul Adams.”
When Adams, 56, arrived 31 years ago as an assistant coach, John F. Kennedy was president, the Beatles were still an unknown British band and Deerfield was everybody`s doormat. Five years later when Adams ascended to the top job, he began a legacy of molding young men that would span four decades. He was into ”power coaching,” with his imposing size and intimidating demeanor, and not even a handful of athletes in those 31 years dared to cross him. In his early days, he would physically demonstrate how to beat a trap block, a lesson his linemen needed to learn only once.
And yet he cared for his players, in some ways like a father. Through the years, those graduates who have always been a part of this ”Adams Family”
include ex-Northwestern all-Big 10 performer Jimmy Anderson, ex-Minnesota conference passing leader Mark Carlson, former Notre Dame star John Sweeney and current Irish tackle Lindsay Knapp.
In this final season, Adams will suit up only 30 players, his smallest squad ever. But in true Adams fashion, it will be led by powerful linemen such as 6-foot-4-inch, 290-pound Robert Kasparek, who is being recruited by Notre Dame, Illinois, Michigan, Iowa and Northwestern, and 6-1, 270-pound David London. Between those tackles will be center 6-2, 220-pound center Yaser Moustafa. Now Adams need only find a running back to make use of the gaping holes they will create.
”I`ve enjoyed it tremendously and people have treated me magnificently,” Adams said. ”I`ve been thinking about it for the last several years and I just feel it`s time to move on and bring some new blood and fresh ideas into the program. There are other things I`d like to pursue. I want to watch my son Mike play football at Northern Illinois.
”I`m not saying this is absolute. Two or three years down the road, I might get the urge again and maybe I`d return somewhere. I`ll keep that option open.”
– In the entire state, there may not be a better mix of brains and brawn than at St. Rita. Linebacker Neal Nawrocki is the Mustangs` No. 1 defensive player and No. 1 in the senior class with a 4.6 grade-point average on a 4.0 scale. Behind him are starting cornerbacks Bob Wagner and Jerry Sisul, with 4.2 GPAs, while starting linebacker Matt Radostits and starting offensive linemen John Nee and Sean Clince are at 4.0. Highly recruited wide receiver Tony Simmons
”lags behind” with a 3.7. Nawrocki is expected to be coach Todd Wernet`s second valedictorian in the last three years.
– Preseason picks to win state championships in November: Class 6A, East St. Louis; Class 5A, Mt. Carmel; Class 4A, Bloomington; Class 3A, Immaculate Conception. Bloomington features one of the most imposing offensive lines in the state, led by James Martin (6-7, 290), Ryan Schau (6-6, 265) and Mark Irby (6-2, 255). The Class 4A state runner-up returns 10 starters, seven on offense, led by quarterback Billy Dicken and receiver Marquis Mosely.
