Joliet Catholic inducts 2023 Hall of Champions class

Joliet Catholic honored its 2023 Hall of Champions class before last Friday night’s football game against St. Rita.

The school welcomed seven new individual members and four state champion football teams to the illustrious group honoring the greatest athletes from JCA and the preceding schools that make up its history – De La Salle, Joliet Catholic and St. Francis Academy.

Kathy (Mondrella) Major, a 1974 SFA alum, played college volleyball at Creighton and returned to Joliet Catholic to become the varsity girls volleyball coach from 1996 to 1999. She led the team to a fourth-place state finish in 1998.

In 1997, she also took on the roles of Girls Athletic Coordinator/Dean of Students, where she instituted the Angel golf program. She coached the girls golf team from 2009 to 2013, qualifying for state in 2011 to become the first JCA coach to take teams in two different sports to state.

Lindsey Major, a 2007 JCA graduate, was a three-sport athlete for the Angels, earning three varsity letters in volleyball, four in basketball and four in softball. She was a four-time all-area and all-conference selection in softball, an all-state and Super 60 all-tournament selection in softball, had numerous all-area and all-conference selections for volleyball and basketball and was a Wendy’s High School Heisman Award finalist.

Lindsey Major helped JCA win two state medals in volleyball and went on to play softball at the University of Iowa.

Cory McLaughlin was a longtime teacher and coach who started as a lower-level football coach at Joliet Catholic in 1977 and coached in various roles until 2021.

McLaughlin also took over as an assistant wrestling coach in 1977, eventually moving up to be the head coach, and he continued his career as Ryan Cumbee’s associate coach in 2020 as the Hilltoppers emerged as a state powerhouse.

Leo Michalak coached football on the lower levels at Joliet Catholic from 1989 to 2015 and was an assistant baseball coach from 1989 to 2015. He was an assistant coach for state championship baseball teams in 1994, 2009 and 2013.

Michalak, who also is a member of the Joliet Hall of Fame for Bowling, currently is an assistant baseball coach at the University of St. Francis.

James Randle, a 1997 JCA graduate, held the football team’s single-season record for rushing yards for several years before it was broken by Ty Isaac. Randle topped 2,600 rushing yards in a season and earned all-state honors.

Rick Thayer, a 1977 JCA graduate, played running back and on the defensive line for back-to-back Class 4A state championship teams under the guidance of Gordie Gillespie.

After playing football at the University of Miami and Carroll College, Thayer was the general manager/owner of T&T (Thayer & Tomczak) Restaurant and Pub in Joliet along with his brother, Tom, and friend Mike Tomczak, both standout players for the Chicago Bears at that time. Ricky then opened Thirty Buck Restaurant and Bar with former Hilltoppers teammate Eric Beltzhoover.

Maggie (Karges) Watson, a 2004 JCA graduate, was a three-sport athlete for two years at JCA, then put her focus on volleyball. She was co-captain of the girls volleyball program’s first state championship team. She ranks third in program history in career service points, first in career serve-receive, sixth in career kills and fifth in career blocks. She went on to play volleyball at Bowling Green.

The 1975, 1976, 1977 and 1978 football teams also were inducted. These teams created an iconic run of four straight Class 4A state championships while finishing with an amazing 51-1 record.