Who is Stevenson?

Adlai E. Stevenson High School opened in September 1965 with 467 students, 31 teachers and three administrators. But there was no principal, and no desks for students -- the furniture had been shipped to Prairie View, Texas instead of Prairie View, Illinois by mistake. Students sat on concrete floors and shared textbooks and materials. There were no books in the library, so teachers and other community members went door-to-door asking for donations.

Tom Baumann, a member of the original faculty and the school’s first football coach, remembered trying to purchase equipment for his first team in the spring of 1965. "We went out to buy football gear, and I can still remember going into the sporting goods store," he said. "They asked, ‘What’s the name of your school?’ And I said, ‘We don’t really know.’ They asked, ‘What are your school colors going to be?’ And I said, ‘We don’t really know. Give us white.’ "
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Stevenson is located in Lincolnshire and has a current enrollment of 4,345. The school is the alma mater of many NFLers, including Brad Cieslak, former tight end for the Buffalo Bills; Drew Mormino, currently with the Miami Dolphins; Matt O'Dwyer, former offensive guard for the New York Jets and Cincinnati Bengals; Rex Ryan, head coach of the Jets; and his twin brother, Rob Ryan, defensive coordinator of the Cleveland Browns.

Ron Goldman is also an alum. He didn't play in the NFL, but was the murder victim of O. J. Simpson, who did.

Andrea Jaeger, former top-ranked professional tennis player, also attended Stevenson. She is now an Episcopal nun. (No kidding!)
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Last week the Patriots defeated Highland Park, 42-7, in Head Coach Bill McNamara's inaugural game. Sophomore running back Anthony Bozin (above) scored three touchdowns, one on a 29-yard pass from senior quarterback Kevin Earl and one on an 85-yard kickoff return to start the second half. Senior running back Joe Cassata also had two touchdown runs and junior Nathan Kahn added another.

Defensively, the Patriots forced four turnovers (three fumbles) and recorded five quarterback sacks. The Giants scored their only touchdown with less than three minutes to play.
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Stevenson boasts of several active players in the college ranks, including Ryan Keller of Minnesota and Gus Steger of Princeton.