Chicago, IL (November 14, 2019) – On Saturday, November 9, Saint Patrick High School inducted seven individuals and three teams into the Shamrock Hall of Fame. The seven individuals and three teams joined St. Pat’s prestigious class of athletes during a Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony at the school. The Induction Ceremony was held in the Lowell I. Stahl Family Theatre prior to the school’s All-Inclusive Class Reunion where there were over 300 alumni, family and friends in attendance.
This year’s class of inductees are:
Dan Bolger ’04 (Basketball, Football) – Dan was a four-year basketball and football player at Saint Patrick who went on to become a four-year letterman for Saint Xavier University Basketball. He was a member of the 2002 Shamrock football conference championship and state qualifying team and led the basketball team to back-to-back Regional Championships in 2003 and 2004. He left St. Pat’s as the 5th leading rebounder in school history. Bolger, a firefighter and paramedic for the last 10 years, including six years with the City of Chicago, attended St. Juliana on the Northwest side and now resides in the Mt. Greenwood neighborhood with his wife, Mary, and their three children.
John Coen ’09 (Volleyball) – John, a three-time All-Conference volleyball player and All-State selection at Saint Patrick, led the 2009 team to its first ever IHSA State Tournament. He remains the career leader in kills, aces and digs in school history. After high school, Coen went on to play for Springfield College, one of the premier Division III volleyball programs in the country, where his team won three NCAA titles in his four years. John attended St. Pascal’s in Chicago and now lives in West Hartford, CT where he works as a Sales Engineer for T.F. Melia Associates.
Brian Glorioso (Athletic Director, Coach) – Brian Glorioso has served Saint Patrick since 1977, starting as a Physical Education Teacher and the Swimming & Water Polo Coach and becoming Athletic Director in 1992. Coach Glorioso, the longest tenured Athletic Director in the school’s history, will retire at the end of the 2019-2020 school year with 27 years as Athletic Director and 42 years at St. Pat’s. He is the recipient of the Illinois Water Polo Coach of the Year, the prestigious Phil Stelnicki Award, Illinois Water Polo’s Lifetime Achievement Award, the Illinois District Athletic Director of the Year and is a member of the East Suburban Catholic Conference (ESCC) Hall of Fame. Brian’s two sons, John and Anthony, are both teachers at Bartlett High School and hold various coaching positions.
Pat Leyden ’89 (Football) – Pat Leyden is a Chicago Police Department (CPD) SWAT Team Sergeant with two sons, Mickey ’20 and Emmett ’22, currently at Saint Patrick. Leyden was a four-year (including three years on varsity) football player at St. Pat’s and earned All-Conference his senior season. He served as an Assistant Football Coach at St. Pat’s from 1997-2004 and has coached at St. Thecla, where his children attended school, since 2010. Leyden attended St. Edward and now lives in the Saint Thecla parish with his wife, Erin, two sons and daughter, Clare.
Matt Marino ’04 (Basketball) – Matt Marino, the starting guard for Saint Patrick for three seasons, was named First Team All-Conference, Honorable Mention All-State and team MVP his junior year when he led the 2003 team to an ESCC Conference Title and Regional Championship. As a senior, he was First Team All-Conference, team MVP and runner up ESCC Player of the Year leading the 2004 team to a Regional Championship. Marino, a member of the National Honor Society (NHS) at Saint Patrick, earned an Athletic/Academic Scholarship to play basketball at Saint Xavier University NAIA Division I Men’s Basketball Team and Lewis University Men’s NCAA Division II Basketball. He attended Queen of All Saints and still lives in the parish with his wife, Hannah, and two daughters.
Joe Rau ’09 (Wrestling) – Joe Rau was a three-year Varsity starter on the wrestling team at Saint Patrick. During his time as a Shamrock, he had 110 wins, two Conference championships, a Regional title, qualified for the State Tournament and led his team with 26 pins his senior year. In the summer after graduation, Rau won a Greco-Roman National title and finished as an All-American in Freestyle before going on to wrestle at Elmhurst College. He’s a two-time World Team Member and has ranked as high as 6th in the world at his weight class. He was an Olympic Team member in 2016 after winning the US Open and took silver in the World Team Trials in 2017. He’s also had a decorated Freestyle career, qualifying for the World Team Trials in 2017, earning silver in the US Open and placing 4th at the World Team Trials in 2018.
Chris Rydelski ’98 (Water Polo, Football) – Chris Rydelski was a three-sport athlete at Saint Patrick, including three years on varsity football, swimming and water polo. He served as team captain for all three sports and was named Athlete of the Year as a senior. He was named All-Conference and Defensive Player of the Year in football and went on to play at Elmhurst College. In addition, Rydelski was a two-time All-State Water Polo player, named Second Team his junior year and First Team as a senior. He was named Illinois Player of the Year and an All-American his senior year. Chris, who grew up in the Saint Paschal parish, is a City of Franklin Patrol Officer and a member of the SWAT Team of the Year in Wisconsin. He and his wife, Bonnie, live in Brookline, WI with their two children.
“Max Kurland’s Legacy Teams” (1961-62, 1973-74 & 1979-80 Basketball Team) – Max Kurland coached Shamrock basketball from 1959 to 1994. During his tenure, which spanned over five decades at Saint Patrick, 31 of his 35 teams finished with winning records. Coach Kurland’s career record at St. Pat’s was 658- 275 (over a 70% winning percentage) and he still ranks 27th for wins in Illinois basketball history. The 1961-62 team finished undefeated in conference play and are one of two teams under Coach Kurland with only one regular season loss. The ’61-’62 team was crowned Conference, Regional and Sectional Champions and became Coach Kurland’s only team to qualify for the IHSA Super Sectional Sweet 16. The 1973-74 basketball team was undefeated in their conference and finished the regular season ranked #14 in the state. The 1979-80 team was undefeated in the conference and became the second team during Coach Kurland’s era to have only one regular season loss. With a 92% winning percentage, the 1979-80 team was the winningest of Coach Kurland’s career and finished the regular season 6th in the state, the highest ranking in school history.
Visit www.stpatrick.org, call (773) 282-8844, like Saint Patrick on Facebook or follow @SaintPatrickHS on Twitter for more information.
ABOUT SAINT PATRICK HIGH SCHOOL
Now in its’s 159th year, Saint Patrick is the oldest all-male Catholic high school in Chicago. Its mission is to provide an educational experience of the highest quality which enables young men to develop their maximum potential as lifelong learners and assets to society and the Church. Saint Patrick welcomes students of other religious beliefs, varying academic abilities, and diverse ethnic and economic backgrounds. Students reside in the city of Chicago and nearby suburbs and come from more than 128 different elementary schools
MEDIA CONTACT
Jennifer Sloan
Director of Communications
773.282.8844 ext. 231
jsloan@stpatrick.org
