Stan Gruszka

Class of 2003

Naperville (North)

Stan Gruszka graduated from Argo Community High School in 1963 while winning multiple letters in football, wrestling and track. He was All-Conference in football and track and captain of the football team his senior year.

While at North Central College, Stan played football and threw the weights in track. He was the Conference Champion in javelin in his junior year and All-Conference in football his senior year. Stan was a tri-captain on the football team and named All-Around Senior, Athlete during his senior year, winning the William Shatzer Award. His major was political science and physical education. He was listed in the Who’s Who in American Colleges and Universities in 1967. Stan graduated from North Central in 1967.

In 1967, Stan started his teaching and coaching career at Lincoln Junior High School in Naperville. His duties included coaching football, head wrestling coach and head track coach. His junior high coaching record was 111-7. During his teaching tenure at Lincoln, Stab received his Master’s Degree in Guidance.

Stan was hired as the Head Wrestling Coach at Naperville North School in 1977. His tenure as head wrestling coach lasted from 1977 to 1990 and his final dual meet record was 171-81-2. His teams won three DuPage Valley Conference titles, five Regional championships, three sectional crowns and placed second in the Dual Team State Championship in 1987. He coached twenty-seven state qualifiers and six state place winners.

In 1991, he gave up the head wrestling position to follow his son’s wrestling career. He continued to coach football and track. Stan coached in the Naperville School system for thirty-four years.

Stan was named the Naperville Sun and DuPage Daily Herald Coach of the Year in 1987. He was selected as Naperville North Distinguished Educator in 1987 and then again in 2000.

In 2002, Stan was inducted into the Illinois Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

Currently retired and living in Northern Wisconsin, Stan serves as the Vice-President of the lake association and does water testing for the Department of Natural Resources.

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