Chicago Catholic League


The Chicago Catholic League is a high school athletic conference based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. All of the schools are part of the Illinois High School Association, the governing body for Illinois scholastic sports. While some of the schools are coeducational institutions, the conference only supports athletics for male teams.
The CCL is perhaps best known for its success in football, water polo, wrestling, and baseball. Since the Illinois High School Association began a state football tournament in 1974, the CCL has placed first or second more than any conference or league in the state. Since 2002 when the IHSA first sponsored a state tournament in water polo, the CCL has not failed to win the state title for boys, until Lyons in 2012. Since 1984, when the IHSA moved to a dual-team state series in wrestling, the CCL has also finished first or second more than any conference or league.
The conference's alumni include stars of the past like Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Johnny Lattner, Cy Young Award-winning pitcher Denny McLain and Basketball Hall of Fame member Moose Krause and more contemporary athletes such as former NBA player Corey Maggette and All-Pro quarterback Donovan McNabb, Antoine Walker. Perhaps the conference's most accomplished alumnus is Duke University men's basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski.

Member schools

joined the conference in 2011, however the school has since closed in 2021. Lake Forest Academy joined the conference for football only in 2011. St.Viator High School joined in 2010 to compete in the conference for lacrosse. Additionally, St. Patrick High School, Notre Dame High School, and Marist High School participate in the conference for Boys Bowling.
For those schools which are coed, most of the girls teams compete in the Girls Catholic Athletic Conference. The girls teams from Bishop McNamara, Fenwick, and Providence compete in the East Suburban Catholic Conference.
Holy Trinity was also a Catholic League team. Last Catholic League season for football was 1965.

History

The Chicago Catholic League was formed in 1912 as a way to give the all-male Catholic schools of the area interscholastic competition. The move to form the league was precipitated when the dominant high school league in the metropolitan area, the Cook County High School League, delayed the application of St. Ignatius Academy and DePaul Academy. Representatives of eight schools met at the Great Northern Hotel—De Paul Academy, St Ignatius Academy, St Rita College, St. Cyril College, Cathedral High, St. Philip High, Loyola Academy, and De La Salle Institute — but could not get together on the particulars to form a football–only league.
In the third week of November, the schools managed to form a league and drew up a schedule of games in basketball and indoor baseball. The founding members of the league were St. Stanislaus, De la Salle, De Paul, St. Ignatius, St. Cyril, St. Philip, Loyola, and Cathedral. By the spring when a baseball schedule was drawn up, Holy Trinity had joined the league, but Cathedral dropped out, leaving an eight-team circuit. In the fall of 1913, the league introduced football. By the following year, league champion De Paul, felt feisty enough to invite St. John's Preparatory from Danvers, Massachusetts, to Chicago to engage in an intersectional contest. De Paul narrowly lost the game, but it demonstrated to the league that its program was thriving. Two years later De Paul traveled to Boston and met Beverly High in Fenway Park, destroying the team 30–7. More schools joined the circuit before the decade was up, St. Patrick in 1913, and St. Mel in 1918.
Because the Catholic school population relative to the mainstream public secondary schools and the private school was more an immigrant and working class population, the sports that the league initially sponsored reflected this demographic makeup. For example, during the first four years of the league's existence, only baseball, basketball, indoor baseball, and football were offered. Basketball was the most robust sport, as the league not only provided for heavyweight and lightweight schedules, but also bantamweight and flyweight competition. The Chicago [Public High School League] and Suburban League offered basketball only in the heavyweight and lightweight classes, after experimenting only a few years with a bantamweight class.
The Catholic League added track and field in 1917, but it was not until 1924 that three "country club" sports were added to the league's schedule golf, tennis, and swimming. The addition of these sports brought the league up to the level of offerings by the Chicago and Suburban public leagues. The 1920s also saw the addition of more schools to the league—St. George, Joliet De la Salle, and Fenwick.
Some working class sports that had great appeal in some Catholic schools were boxing and bowling, and the league sponsored competition for a few years during the Depression in boxing, and much longer in bowling.
By the late 1950s some of the Catholic League members were growing restive, wanting to participate in the state tournaments sponsored by the Illinois High School Association (IHSA). The four Christian Brothers schools – De La Salle, St. George, St. Mel and St. Patrick – withdrew from the Catholic League and joined the IHSA upon its formation of the Chicagoland Prep League (CPL) on 27 February 1961. St. Ignatius would defect to the CPL two years later on 9 April 1963.
The Catholic League finally joined the IHSA in 1974, and eventually saw the return of St. Ignatius, St. Patrick, and De La Salle into the league. Because of their membership in the IHSA, the 29-year-old tradition of a Catholic League All-Star basketball game ended in 1974. In the beginning of 1996 the CCL and the East Suburban Catholic Conference and other Catholic high schools decided to make a super catholic conference. They called it the Chicago Metropolitan Conference. Every school from the East Suburban was in the conference except Nazareth Academy and Marian Central Catholic. This conference ended in the 2002–2003 season and both conferences went back to normal. Swimming and water polo founded the Metro Catholic Aquatic Conference in 1999 which included the all East Suburban Catholic and CCL teams and still hosts a conference championship for both sports. The MCAC won every state title in water polo from 1974 to 2011.

Past members

Baseball

State champions
  • 1975–76 • Brother Rice
  • 1977–78 • Providence Catholic
  • 1981–82 • Providence Catholic
  • 2012–13 • Mount Carmel
  • 2013–14 • Providence Catholic
  • 2014–15 • Providence Catholic
  • 2015–16 • Providence Catholic
  • 2018–19 • Montini Catholic
  • 2023-24. Providence Catholic
  • 2024–25 • St. Laurence

    Basketball

Prior to the 2007–2008 season, the state basketball title was contested in two classes. Since then, it is contested in four classes.
State champions
  • 1978–79 • Providence Catholic
  • 1984–85 • Providence St. Mel
  • 1984–85 • Mount Carmel
  • 2002–03 • Hales Franciscan
  • 2003–04 • Leo
  • 2008–09 • Seton Academy
  • 2010–11 • Hales Franciscan
  • 2022-23. Depaul Prep
  • 2023-24. Depaul Prep
  • 2024-25. Depaul Prep
The 2004–05 Class A title was stripped from Hales Franciscan after it was determined that the school had not been approved by the Illinois State Board of Education between 2003 and 2005.

Football

From 1974–79, IHSA had 5 classes based on enrollment for football. In 1980, IHSA expanded to 6 classes. 2001 saw the latest change, which added 2 more classes, which is what is played to date.
In 2019–20, CCL merged with the ESCC for football only. The CCL/ESCC is divided into six divisions.
BlueGreenOrangeWhitePurpleRed
Brother RiceJoliet Catholic AcademyIC CatholicSt. LaurenceSt. ViatorDePaul Prep
Loyola AcademyMaristNazarethBenet AcademyMarmion AcademyLeo
St. RitaNotre DameFenwickMontiniSt. PatrickDe La Salle
Mt. CarmelSt. IgnatiusSt. FrancisProvidence CatholicCarmelMarian Catholic

State champions
  • 1976–77 • St. Laurence
  • 1978–79 • St. Rita
  • 1980–81 • Gordon Tech
  • 1980–81 • Mt. Carmel
  • 1981–82 • Brother Rice
  • 1982–83 • Bishop McNamara
  • 1985–86 • Bishop McNamara
  • 1986–87 • Bishop McNamara
  • 1987–88 • Providence Catholic
  • 1987–88 • Bishop McNamara
  • 1988–89 • Mt. Carmel
  • 1989–90 • Mt. Carmel
  • 1990–91 • Mt. Carmel
  • 1991–92 • Mt. Carmel
  • 1991–92 • Providence Catholic
  • 1993–94 • Loyola Academy
  • 1994–95 • Providence Catholic
  • 1995–96 • Providence Catholic
  • 1996–97 • Mt. Carmel
  • 1996–97 • Providence Catholic
  • 1997–98 • Providence Catholic
  • 1998–99 • Mt. Carmel
  • 1999–2000 • Mt. Carmel
  • 2000–01 • Mt. Carmel
  • 2001–02 • Providence Catholic
  • 2002–03 • Mt. Carmel
  • 2002–03 • Providence Catholic
  • 2004–05 • Providence Catholic
  • 2006–07 • St. Rita
  • 2012–13 • Mt. Carmel
  • 2013–14 • Mt. Carmel
  • 2014–15 • Providence Catholic
  • 2015–16 • Montini Catholic
  • 2015–16 • Loyola Academy
  • 2018–19 • Loyola Academy
  • 2019–20 • Mt. Carmel
  • 2021–22 • Fenwick
  • 2022–23 • Mt. Carmel
  • 2022–23 • Loyola Academy
  • 2023–24 • Mt. Carmel
  • 2023–24 • Loyola Academy
  • 2024–25 • Montini Catholic
  • 2024–25 • DePaul Prep
  • 2024–25 • Mt. Carmel
  • 2024–25 • Loyola Academy
  • 2025–26 • Montini Catholic
  • 2025–26 • St. Francis
  • 2025–26 • Fenwick
  • 2025–26 • Brother Rice
  • 2025–26 • Mt. Carmel

    Golf

State champions
  • 1986–87 • Loyola Academy
  • 1992–93 • Bishop McNamara
  • 1996–97 • Loyola Academy
  • 2000–01 • Loyola Academy
  • 2000–01 • Bishop McNamara
  • 2001–02 • Loyola Academy

    Swimming and Diving

State champions
  • 1989–90 • Fenwick
  • 1990–91 • Fenwick
  • 1991–92 • Fenwick

    Track and Field

State Champions
  • 1980–81 • Leo
  • 1994–95 • Leo
  • 1997–98 • Leo
  • 2001–02 • Leo
  • 2002–03 • Leo
  • 2011–12 • Leo
  • 2017–18 • Marmion

    Water Polo

The IHSA began a state series in water polo with the 2001–02 school year. Prior to that, a high school state championship was sponsored by Illinois Water Polo. There was no Championship Game in 1979 as Water Polo switched from a Fall to a Spring sport.
State Champions
ISA State Champions
  • 1974 • Fenwick
  • 1975 • Mount Carmel
  • 1976 • Fenwick
  • 1977 • Fenwick
  • 1978 • Loyola
  • 1980 • Brother Rice
  • 1981 • Brother Rice
  • 1982 • Brother Rice
  • 1983 • Brother Rice
  • 1984 • Brother Rice
  • 1985 • Brother Rice
  • 1986 • Brother Rice
  • 1987 • St. Laurence
  • 1988 • Brother Rice
  • 1989 • Brother Rice
  • 1990 • Fenwick
  • 1991 • Fenwick
  • 1992 • Fenwick
  • 1993 • Fenwick
  • 1994 • Brother Rice
  • 1995 • Brother Rice
  • 1996 • Brother Rice
  • 1997 • St. Patrick
  • 1998 • Brother Rice
  • 1999 • Fenwick
  • 2000 • Fenwick
  • 2001 • Fenwick
IHSA State Champions
  • 2002 • Fenwick
  • 2003 • Brother Rice
  • 2004 • Fenwick
  • 2005 • Fenwick
  • 2006 • Fenwick
  • 2007 • Fenwick
  • 2008 • Fenwick
  • 2009 • Fenwick
  • 2010 • Fenwick
  • 2011 • Fenwick
  • 2013 • Fenwick
  • 2014 • Loyola

    Wrestling

State Champions
  • 1977–78 • Providence Catholic
  • 1980–81 • Providence Catholic
  • 1987–88 • Providence Catholic
  • 1988–89 • Providence Catholic
  • 1989–90 • St. Laurence
  • 1991–92 • Mount Carmel
  • 1992–93 • Mount Carmel
  • 1993–94 • Mount Carmel
  • 1996–97 • Providence Catholic
  • 1997–98 • Providence Catholic
  • 1998–99 • Providence Catholic
  • 1999–2000 • Providence Catholic
  • 2000–01 • Providence Catholic
  • 2001–02 • Providence Catholic
  • 2002–03 • St. Rita
  • 2003–04 • St. Rita
  • 2017–18 • Montini Catholic
  • 2018–19 • Montini Catholic

    Prep bowl

The Prep Bowl is an annual contest played between the Chicago Catholic League and the Chicago Public League and was long for most of its history played at Chicago's Soldier Field. It was first played in 1927, though after a forfeit in 1928, was not played again until 1933, and was the premier high school football event in Illinois until the IHSA formed the state championship football playoffs in 1974. The 1927 game between Mt. Carmel and Carl Schurz High School drew an estimated 50,000 fans; the largest crowd to see a prep football contest in American history, up to that time. In subsequent years, larger crowds were drawn to the annual game.
With the advent of the IHSA state series, the Prep Bowl was contested by the winner of a special playoff in each league played by teams not qualifying for the state playoffs, and teams that were eliminated in early rounds of the state playoffs. It is traditionally played on the Friday after Thanksgiving, which is the same day which the IHSA plays its smaller school state championships in football. As of the 2009 game, the Catholic League holds a 51–23–2 advantage in the series.
In 1981, the IHSA membership voted on a limitation that prohibited member schools from participating in more than nine games, plus the IHSA state series. The Prep Bowl was given a special exemption from this.

Notable alumni

Bishop McNamara
Brother Rice
  • Jim Adduci – MLB outfielder, starred collegiately at Southern Illinois
  • Bob Cummings – drafted #5 overall in the 1978 MLB Draft by the San Francisco Giants
  • David Diehl – offensive tackle for the New York Giants
  • Mark Donahue – former guard with the Cincinnati Bengals
  • Bobby Frasor – McDonald's HS All-American point guard, starred collegiately at North Carolina, where he won the 2009 national title
  • Phil Hicks – NBA forward, drafted #27 in 1976, starred collegiately at Tulane
  • Rico Hill – NBA forward, drafted #31 in 1999, starred collegiately at Illinois State
  • Paul Hutchins – tackle for the Green Bay Packers
  • Pete Mackanin – MLB infielder, manager of Pittsburgh Pirates and Cincinnati Reds
  • John Meyer – AFL linebacker and NFL assistant coach, starred collegiately at Notre Dame
  • Ed Olczyk – NHL center and Stanley Cup champion, head coach and broadcaster with the Chicago Blackhawks and Pittsburgh Penguins
  • Lance Ten Broeck – PGA golfer currently on the Senior Tour, won 1984 Illinois Open Championship, starred collegiately as an All-American at Texas
DeLaSalle
DePaul Academy
Fenwick
Gordon Tech
  • Chris Bourjos – MLB player for the San Francisco Giants in 1980
  • Gregg Bingham – – former Houston Oilers linebacker
  • Larry Langowski – wrestler who represented Mexico in the 2008 Summer Olympics – Men's freestyle 120 kg|120 kilogram weight class] at the 2008 Summer Olympics
  • Robert Meschbach – professional soccer player who set the national high school record with 71 goals in one season; remains an Illinois state record.
  • Ron Plantz – offensive lineman for Notre Dame 1982–1986 and Indianapolis Colts 1987–90
  • Frank Santana – 1977 NCAA wrestling national champion and three-time wrestling All-American at Iowa State; first Cuban-American to win a collegiate wrestling national championship
  • Jitim Young – basketball player who played at Northwestern University and professionally in Europe and the Dominican Republic
Hales Franciscan
Holy Cross
Leo
Loyola Academy
Mount Carmel
St. George
St. Ignatius
  • Tom O'Hara – Olympian and former world record holder for indoor mile and NCAA champion in Division I cross country
  • Mark Dalesandro – MLB catcher and infielder.
St. Laurence
St. Mel
St. Rita
Providence Catholic
Weber
Beginning in 1912, the Chicago Catholic League competes in 11 boys, 13 girls and 13 coed sports and activities within the IHSA.
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id:Full value:rgb # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in all sports
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id:AssocOS value:rgb # Use this color to denote a team that is a member in some sports, but not all
id:OtherC1 value:rgb # Use this color to denote a team that has moved to another conference
id:OtherC2 value:rgb # Use this color to denote a team that has moved to another conference where OtherC1 has already been used, to distinguish the two
id:OtherC3 value:rgb # Use this color to denote a team that was a member of the Upstate Illini Conference

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bar:1 color:Full from:1912 till:1963 text:St. Ignatius
bar:1 color:OtherC1 from:1963 till:1974 text: Chicagoland Prep League
bar:1 color:Full from:1974 till:1982 text:
bar:1 color:Full from:1982 till:end text:
bar:2 color:Full from:1912 till:1999 text:St. Stanislaus/Weber
bar:2 color:white from:1999 till:end text:School Closed
bar:3 color:Full from:1912 till:1961 text:De La Salle
bar:3 color:OtherC1 from:1961 till:1969 text: Chicagoland/Chicago Prep
bar:3 color:OtherC2 from:1969 till:1974 text:
bar:3 color:Full from:1974 till:1980 text:
bar:3 color:Full from:1980 till:end text:
bar:4 color:Full from:1912 till:end text:St. Cyril/Mount Carmel
bar:5 color:Full from:1912 till:end text:DePaul Academy
bar:6 color:Full from:1912 till:1970 text:St. Philip
bar:6 color:white from:1970 till:end text:School Closed
bar:7 color:Full from:1912 till:end text:St. Rita
bar:8 color:Full from:1912 till:1913 text:Cathedral
bar:8 color:white from:1925 till:end text:Entered the league but dropped out before competing in any activity
bar:9 color:Full from:1913 till:1961 text:Holy Trinity
bar:9 color:OtherC1 from:1961 till:1969 text: Chicagoland Prep League
bar:9 color:OtherC2 from:1969 till:1980 text:
bar:9 color:OtherC2 from:1980 till:end text: Chicago Prep
bar:10 color:Full from:1913 till:end text:Loyola
bar:11 color:Full from:1913 till:1961 text:St. Patrick
bar:11 color:OtherC1 from:1961 till:1969 text: Chicagoland Prep League
bar:11 color:OtherC2 from:1969 till:1980 text:
bar:11 color:OtherC2 from:1980 till:end text: Chicago Prep
bar:11 color:Full from:2026 till:end text:
bar:12 color:Full from:1918 till:1961 text:St. Mel
bar:12 color:OtherC1 from:1961 till:1969 text: Chicagoland/Chicago Prep
bar:12 color:OtherC2 from:1969 till:1974 text:
bar:12 color:FullxF from:1974 till:1980 text:
bar:12 color:FullxF from:1980 till:end text: All sports but football
bar:13 color:Full from:1920 till:1948 text:Joliet De La Salle/Joliet Catholic
bar:13 color:OtherC2 from:1948 till:2026 text: Suburban Catholic/East Suburban Catholic Conference
bar:13 color:Full from:2026 till:end text:
bar:14 color:Full from:1926 till:end text:Leo
bar:15 color:Full from:1927 till:1961 text:St. George
bar:15 color:OtherC1 from:1961 till:1969 text: Chicagoland Prep League
bar:15 color:white from:1969 till:1980 text:
bar:15 color:white from:1980 till:end text:School Closed
bar:16 color:Full from:1929 till:end text:Fenwick
bar:17 color:Full from:1946 till:1967 text:St. Elizabeth
bar:17 color:white from:1967 till:end text:School Closed
bar:18 color:Full from:1954 till:1988 text:Mendel
bar:18 color:white from:1988 till:end text:Conolidated in to St. Martin De Porres
bar:19 color:Full from:1958 till:end text:Brother Rice
bar:20 color:Full from:1962 till:1966 text:Carmel
bar:20 color:OtherC2 from:1966 till:1974
bar:20 color:OtherC2 from:1974 till:end text: East Suburban Catholic Conference
bar:20 color:Full from:2026 till:end text:
bar:21 color:Full from:1963 till:1968 text:Marist
bar:21 color:OtherC2 from:1968 till:1974
bar:21 color:OtherC2 from:1974 till:end text: East Suburban Catholic Conference
bar:21 color:Full from:2026 till:end text:
bar:22 color:Full from:1963 till:end text:St. Laurence
bar:23 color:Full from:1970 till:2023 text:Hales Franciscan
bar:24 color:Full from:1976 till:end text:St. Francis De Sales
bar:25 color:Full from:1988 till:1997 text:St. Martin De Porres
bar:25 color:white from:1997 till:end text: School Closed
bar:26 color:Full from:1993 till:2006 text:Bishop McNamara
bar:26 color:OtherC2 from:2006 till:2008
bar:26 color:OtherC2 from:2008 till:2023 text: Metro Suburban Conference
bar:27 color:Full from:2003 till:2006 text:Holy Cross/Guerin Prep
bar:27 color:OtherC2 from:2006 till:2020
bar:27 color:OtherC2 from:2022 till:2020 text: Metro Suburban Conference
bar:28 color:Full from:1993 till:end text:Providence
bar:29 color:Full from:2011 till:2021 text:St. Joseph
bar:29 color:white from:2022 till:end text:School Closed
bar:30 color:Full from:2014 till:end text:Marmion
bar:31 color:Full from:2014 till:end text:Montini
bar:32 color:Full from:2014 till:2018 text:St. Francis
bar:32 color:Full from:2023 till:end text:
bar:33 color:Full from:2023 till:end text: IC Catholic Prep
bar:34 color:FullxF from:2023 till:end text: Aurora Central Catholic
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text:^"Chicago Catholic League Membership History"
  1. > If the chart uses more than one bar color, add a legend by selecting the appropriate fields from the following six options Leave a blank line after the end of the timeline, then add a line with the selected values from the list, separated by a space. <#