ATHLETICS
We know that the boys of Evanston Academy played football, basketball, golf, track, and baseball. Their great
success in these sports will be listed below. We believe that other sports were a part of the Evanston Academy athletic
program. School team nickname, uniform colors, fight song, season records, coach's names, and individual accomplishments are
all items we are seeking. According to historian Robert Pruter, the school was a member of the North Shore League during the
early part of the 1900's, and also competed as a member of the Academic & Western Academic Leagues before the school closed
in 1917.
BOYS' BASKETBALL
We only have insight to three seasons in Evanston Academy's hardwood court history. But one of them was
for the ages!
The boys of 1913-14 earned a FOURTH PLACE FINISH in the IHSA State Basketball Tournament that year. They earned
a District Title and competed in the IHSA's quarter-final round, beating Galesburg 49-23. They followed that up with
a final four loss to Hillsboro (37-31) and a consolation loss to Normal University (31-23). Hillsboro would go on to
win the IHSA State Championship that year!
The school also claimed the 1907-08 North Shore League regular season championship, as well as the league tournament
that year, and followed up the feat by taking the league tournament in 1908-09. Any further information about this team or
any others in Evanston Academy history is welcome.
1907-08 North Shore & Academic League Champions coach unknown
North Shore League Tournament Champions
1908-09 North Shore League Tournament Champions coach unknown
Academic
League Champions
1909-10 Academic League Champions coach
unknown
1910-11 Western Academic League Champions
1911-12 Western Academic League Champions
1912-13 Western Academic League Champions
1913-14 IHSA TOURNAMENT - FOURTH PLACE!!
District Champions
Elite 8 Finalist
Beat Galesburg 49-23
Final Four Finalist
Lost to Hillsboro 37-31
Third Place Game
Lost to Normal University HS 31-23
BOYS' TRACK & FIELD
The thinclads of Evanston Academy hold the distinction of having the ONLY IHSA State Meet Championship in Class
'C' in Illinois history (
http://www.ihsa.org/activity/trb/records/team1-2.htm). Class 'C' was added for the 1915-16 season to accomodate the private schools of Illinois and even some from surrounding
states.
The boys of 1915-16 cleaned house, winning the Class 'C' Championship by a score of 48-25 over its nearest competitor,
Lake Forest Acadeny. Several individual athletes led the way for Evanston Academy. This great season is chronicled
below, as seen on the IHSA web address of
http://www.ihsa.org/activity/trb/records/ybysch5.htm.
In addition, the school also won three indoor conference titles as a member of the North Shore League, and two outdoor
titles in the Academic League.
1895-96 Academic League Champions
1896-97 Academic League Champions
1907-08 North Shore League Indoor Champions
1908-09 North Shore League Indoor Champions
1912-13 North Shore League Indoor Champions
1915-16C IHSA STATE 'C' MEET CHAMPIONS!!
Final
Team Standings
Individual
Medalists
RELAY
TEAM 880 Yard Relay
STATE CHAMPIONS!!
H. Armstrong High Jump
STATE CHAMPION!!
120 Yard Hurdles 2ND Place
E. Burgess 1 Mile Run
STATE CHAMPION!!
Ken Cram 220 Yard Dash STATE CHAMPION!!
Long Jump STATE CHAMPION!!
F. Hamm 440 Yard
Dash STATE CHAMPION!!
Mueller 880
Yard Run STATE CHAMPION!!
Faylor 220
Yard Hurdles 2ND Place
Pole
Vault 2ND Place
C. Jackson Hammer
2ND Place
Discus
3RD Place
S. Olson 440
Yard Dash 3RD Place
GOLF
We are certain if the sport of golf was offered at the school, and one of the great amatuer golfers in
the United States of the early 1900's came from Evanston Academy.
According to the IHSA website address of
http://www.ihsa.org/initiatives/hstoric/golf_boys_early.htm, the infamous Charles "Chick" Evans Jr. was a graduate of Evanston Academy who would go on to win several amateur tournament
championships in the 19-teens. He would also lead Evanston Academy to a local high school golf league championship in
1908.
FOOTBALL
Evanston Academy scored a number of successes on the gridiron with five conference titles. During that span, the school
dropped the sport for a time at the request of Northwestern University in 1907 due to the brutal nature of the game at the
time.
1902 Academic League Champions
1903 Academic League Champions
1911 Western Academic Champions
1914 Western Academic Champions
1915 Western Academic Champions
BASEBALL
Evanston Academy had more than one successful sport in the springtime, taking home nine conference titles between 1898-1916
on the diamonds of the Academic & Western Academic Leagues.
1898 Academic League Champions
1903 Academic League Champions
1904 Academic League Champions
1906 Academic League Champions
1910 Academic League Champions
1911 Western Academic Champions
1912 Western Academic Champions
1913 Western Academic Champions
1916 Western Academic Champions
TENNIS
The boys at Evanston Academy also enjoyed getting on the tennis courts during the spring against other area schools,
coming home with one conference title in 1902.
1902 Academic League Champions
NOTABLE ALUMNI AND FORMER STUDENTS OF EVANSTON ACADEMY
--Louis N.
James—a recent graduate when the institution was known as Northwestern Academy, 19-year old James at the USGA national amateur
golf tournament in Chicago in 1902 astonished the field by winning it all.
--Robert Foster (class of
1908)—just following graduation from Evanston Academy, Foster was selected for the 1908 Olympic swimming team, but did
not place in the three events he entered.
--Charles “Chick” Evans (class of 1909) – at Evanston Academy was a leader in Illinois high school golf, winning the Western Interscholastic in 1907
and 1908. He eventually entered the golf hall of fame, for his achievements in winning the USGA amateur in 1916 and 1920,
and the USGA open in 1916.
--Frank Loomis—began his
high school career at Evanston Academy
but in the fall of 1915 joined Sherman Landers in moving to Oregon High. At Oregon, the two became the greatest two-man high
school track team in history, winning in 1916 interscholastic meets at Northwestern, Minnesota, Kansas, and University of
Chicago. In the 1920 Olympic Games, Loomis took first in the 400-meter hurdles.
EXTRA-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
We are certain that Evanston Academy had some very tough academic standards. There were probably several activities
offered to the students, besides sports, that made their educational experience a well-rounded one. Please
contact us to add them to this page.
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