John Holecek, the longtime Loyola Academy (Wilmette, Ill.) football coach who created a perennial power in the state of Illinois, is stepping down. The announcement came during the school’s athletics banquet and on the heels of the Ramblers’ third state title under the iconic coach.
“It is with deep appreciation that I thank Coach John Holecek for nearly twenty years of service as head coach at Loyola Academy and wish him the best of luck as he embarks on this next chapter,” Loyola’s Genevieve Atwood said in a statement, per the Chicago Sun Times.
Holecek has been a legend in Illinois football since his time as a high school standout at Marion Catholic and then at the University of Illinois, where he was a two-time All-Big Ten linebacker.
