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Inducted 2006   Dan Vacco grew up in Schaumburg, Illinois, and attended Schaumburg High School, where he graduated in 1987. He played four years of varsity hockey and earned All-State honors three times. He also played baseball for two seasons.
Vacco enrolled at Lake Forest College in the fall of 1988 and began his stellar collegiate hockey career that winter. The Foresters posted a 56-38-4 record with 11 shutouts over the next four years. Vacco was in goal for the majority of those contests and his 1,326 career saves ranked fourth in team history when he graduated and eighth at the time of his induction. His .876 career save percentage was third at the time and is still among the best marks in team history. His finest season came in 1990-91 when he was 12-6-2 with a .901 save percentage and surrendered just 2.74 goals per game. Lake Forest reached the NCAA Tournament that season and Vacco earned Team MVP and Second Team All-American honors. He captained the team as a senior and was an Academic All-American. In addition to his exploits on the ice, Vacco was an extremely successful student. The Business major and four-year winner of Lake Forest’s Scholar Athlete Award graduated Summa Cum Laude in 1992 with honors in Business Theory & Financial Analysis and Senior Thesis. He earned many other academic awards and was a member and leader of numerous committees and organizations during his time on campus. Vacco went on to receive a Master’s Degree from the University of Chicago in 1999 and pursued a prominent career in sales. He lists being a father as his most rewarding experience.
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