Coach McAlister (Coach Mac) was\nthe track and cross country coach from 1970 through 1976. By 1972, under Coach\nMac\u2019s leadership Mendel was well on its way to becoming a Chicago Catholic\nLeague Powerhouse. In his 6 seasons at Mendel, he led Mendel to the many\nchampionships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Coach Mac led many Mendel\nathletes to numerous Individual Track and Cross Country Conference\nChampionships. His track and cross country men of the early 70s came to be\nknown as \u201cBlue Smoke\u201d, because when the Mendel athletes took to the track the\nrunners from the other teams simply saw \u2018smoke\u2019 as Mendel men burned up the\ntrack and cross country field.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\nBecause of his intense Accounting classes at Mendel, Coach Mac is responsible\nfor many of his students choosing accounting as a college degree and\nprofession.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Head Coach of the Saint Xavier\nUniversity men’s cross country and track teams. Has coached at Chicago State and\nWest Texas State Universities. Named Missouri Valley Cross Country Coach of the\nYear in 1979. Coached at Leo, Brother Rice and Joliet Township High Schools.\nGraduate of DePaul University.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Quote:<\/strong> \u201cI can\u2019t tell how appreciative I am for the time, effort and\nbelief that you have exhibited in me to provide for me the opportunity that has\nculminated in my becoming a member of the Mendel Hall of Fame. There is no\nhonor that I will ever hold in higher esteem. The years at Mendel helped shape\nmy life every bit as much as if I were a 17 year old kid. So many lessons I\nlearned about achieving things that I was not sure were even possible, except\nthat a bunch of young men felt that they were possible. With that as a\nmotivator, I couldn\u2019t afford to let them down. Watching the many young men go\non and become successful, have been one of the great rewards of my life.\nLooking back on some of the places that I have been, and things that I might\nhave done, I recognize now that the happiest and most rewarding years were\nthose at Mendel. Finally, to have Mendel say \u201cthank you\u201d to me by bestowing\nupon me this honor, is truly an exclamation point in my life. I\u2019ve gotta tell\nyou. Whenever you send me one of the letters as you have done over time, I\nalways have to take time to gather my thoughts. Especially now, as I get older,\nthe memories of happy times at Mendel flood through my mind, and the very\nthought that I might possibly have helped your generation that now basically\nleads our country, city, business world, etc. move forward, fills me with joy\nand humility. I greatly appreciate,\nfrom the bottom of my soul, your efforts on my behalf as far as the Hall of\nFame is concerned. Whatever takes place, understand that I am moved beyond\nwords to express my gratitude for all of the fine work that you do for our\nhistory, our love, our passion and our maturity base. Whether the maturity that\ntakes place between 13 and 18, or in my case the maturity of a man in his 60\u2019s,\nMendel will always be the Rock of stability and my \u2018Blue Smoke\u201d boys\u2026.now all\nmen in their 50\u2019s, will always be my family.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Coach McAlister (Coach Mac) was the track and cross country coach from 1970 through 1976. By 1972, under Coach Mac\u2019s leadership Mendel was well on its way to becoming a Chicago Catholic League Powerhouse. In his 6 seasons at Mendel, he led Mendel to the many championships. Coach Mac led many Mendel athletes to numerous Individual Track and Cross Country … <\/p>\n