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Inducted 1974   Growing
up in Rockford, Illinois, Tom attended East Rockford High School where
he participated in football, basketball, and track. Captain and All-Conference
in basketball, he also placed second in the high jump at the High School
State Championship meet.
He entered Lake Forest in 1957 and went on to become one of the finest athletes to ever attend the College, lettering all four years in basketball and track and three years in football. In basketball he was selected the Most Valuable Player, led the team in scoring and rebounding all four years and established a new school scoring record. He was All-Conference three consecutive years and received Little All America honors his sophomore season. As a freshman on the track team, Tom broke the high jump, long jump and discus records and continued to establish new records every year, eventually breaking the javelin record. Twice he won the high jump, long jump, and javelin events at the Conference track meet. An outstanding punter in football, Tom was second in the nation as a sophomore with a 45.4 yard average. He received All-Conference honors for his kicking ability and for his performance at tight end. After graduating with a degree in political science, he was drafted by the Chicago Majors pro basketball team and the Detroit Lions pro football team. He also tried out for the Houston Oilers and the St. Louis Cardinals football teams, but ultimately ended up playing basketball at the semi-pro level for the Rockford Majors. He entered the teaching profession shortly after graduation. The majority of his career was spent at Lincoln Way High School in New Lenox, Illinois, where he retired as Athletic Director in 1994. He was also a member of the New Lenox Park Board for many years and served a term as president.
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