Six enshrined in HPHS athletic Hall of Fame

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1/13/2012 Highland Park Highland Park graduate Louise Sadowsky Brock, class of 1989, shakes hands with Highland Park assistant athletic director Matt Castle after being inducted into the Highland Park Hall of Fame on Friday, January 13, 2012. | michael jarecki ~ for Sun-Times Media

Updated: February 20, 2012 8:26AM

Louise Sadowsky Brock, a 1989 Highland Park High School grad, was among six athletes enshrined Friday night in the HPHS athletic Hall of Fame.

Brock also made history by becoming the first to make the ranks without competing in athletics after high school.

“It was a thrill to be back at Highland Park High School,” said Brock, who spent the weekend in town with her husband and two young boys from Cincinnati. “It was great having them with me to come back and see their mom’s high school.”

At 5 feet tall and 95 pounds, Brock starred on the varsity level all four years, in three sports, volleyball, basketball and softball.

The back of her playing card also includes multiple team most-valuable-player awards in each sport. She also served as a team captain and won the volleyball Giant award, was recognized for her hustle in basketball and was an All-Conference honoree in softball. She won Scholar Athlete recognitions, too.

After Highland Park High School, Brock chose to attend the University of Illinois and Michigan Law School over athletic opportunities at smaller colleges.

“I always liked sports as a little kid,” she said. “I was a classic tomboy. I was always walking around with a ball of some sort.”

Then her work ethic and focus took over, Brock explained.

“I was always really coachable,” she said. “My coaches made a big deal about that. I was there to do what they needed. I always pushed myself.”

Her two greatest and lasting memories of sports at HPHS came her senior year.

“We were playing in a volleyball tournament in Wisconsin, and we were finally a solid team,” Brock recalled. “We started winning games we had no business winning. We were still playing the next day. I don’t remember if we won, or finished in the top three, but I just felt for the first time we played to our maximum potential, and to be on the road the whole day was tremendous.”

Later that year, her final basketball game in the Giants’ gym was celebrated as Louise Sadowsky day. That kind of feeling was recreated Friday night when Brock was honored with the other inductees in front of the crowd before the varsity basketball game.

Park District Commissioner Lori Flores Weisskopf, who was a teammate with Brock in the late 1980s, nominated Brock for the HPHS Hall of Fame. Weisskopf also organized a group of other teammates and coaches to surprise Brock on her special night.

“She needed to be up on that wall,” Weisskopf said. “She meant so much to girls sports; she influenced all of us girls growing up. She was an incredible leader.”

Also inducted into the HPHS Hall of Fame on Friday were:

Robert George

The 1952 HPHS graduate was a standout basketball player, leading the Suburban League in scoring during his senior year. The 6-foot, 6-inch star broke every HPHS record, including 318 points his senior season. He was nominated to the first and second all-state teams, the All-Chicago area and All-Suburban teams. He also played for the University of Iowa from 1953-56.

Dr. Robert E.
Rosenzweig

Serving as the HPHS team doctor from 1968-1993, Dr. Rosenzweig likely spent more time prowling the Giants sidelines than any athlete in school history. He was the first orthopedic surgeon to serve as team doctor and is responsible for setting up the first athletic trainers program at HPHS.

Gene Melchiorre

Melchiorre lettered in football, basketball, baseball and golf before graduating in 1945. Then he went on to Bradley University to play basketball and baseball. He was a two-year All-American in 1950 and 1951 and the No. 1 draft pick in the NBA in 1951. Famed college coach Adolph Rupp once called him “the greatest small man in the history of basketball.”

John Robbins

Robbins was the state champion diver in Illinois during his senior year at HPHS in 1959. After moving to Highland Park his junior year, he also won the Blue Bird Invitational Medal and the Suburban League Meet title. He went undefeated during his senior year to win an “All-American Certificate” for top three in the nation.

Midio Zanotti

“Ziggy” is believed to be the first athlete at HPHS to be nominated for All-State status during his senior year in basketball in 1939. He led the Suburban League his senior year with a total of 118 points, while also being named an All-Suburban basketball selection. He also starred at first base on the baseball team. Zanotti did not attend college, opting to enter the military. During his service time, he was a member of the Fort Sheridan Army basketball team that went to the National AAU tournament. He was also named to the Highwood Sports Hall of Fame.

’82 basketball team

This team is regarded as one of the finest in school history and was coached by Jerry Wainwright. The Giants won 20 games and took home the IHSA Regional and Sectional Championships and earning a berth in the Sweet Sixteen. Members of this team are: Devoine Gibson, Veltra Dawson, Ken Hoffman, Josh Wexler, Richard Geist, Ron Schulman, Richard Bernstein, Mitch Kovitz, Ken Cohen, Morley Mathewson, Tom Ivey, Bruce Mordini, Bob Wilens, Jim Peddle and Jon Shapiro.

“It’s such a great honor to meet these alumni athletes who played such an important role in the success of our athletic programs,” said Bobbie Monroe, HPHS athletic director. “They have set great examples for our athletes today and it really brings our athletic community together.