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A Tribute to Jack Pierce

February 22, 2010       Editor: Dave Uphoff
Former MDR Coach and High School Principal Jack Pierce of Peotone died last week at a hospital in Hindsdale. He was 83.

Jack Pierce was originally known for his athletic ability but later in life became known for his civic activities. He played halfback for the University of Illinois football team that went to the Rose Bowl in 1947. His best game was against Iowa on 11/10/1945 when he rushed for 178 yards. His longest touchdown run was 70 yards against Western Michigan on 11/8/1947 which was the 27th longest run in U of I history. In the Illinois State Track Meet in 1944 he finished 5th in the 100 yard dash.

Jack Pierce came to Minonk in 1950 as head basketball and football coach. His 1951 team had a 25 - 3 record having won 20 games in a row during the season. They were defeated by Depue in the first game of the Sectional Tournament at Ottawa. One of the star players on that team was Duane "Moose" Woltzen, who went on to coaching fame at Lakeland College in Wisconsin. Duane's mother, Hazel Woltzen, died at the age of 96 the same week that Jack died.

Jack went on to become the High School Principal at MDR.  In 1964 he left Minonk to become a school administrator at Metamora and then in 1968 became the Superintendent at Peotone, a position he held for 20 years.


Jack Pierce in 2005

In 2005 Jack was named citizen of the year at Peotone where he had become an active volunteer in the community after his retirement. His accomplishments were recognized in an article on this web site.

Even though Jack Pierce had left Minonk many years ago he still remembered the town where he started his career in education when he and his wife Gerry gave a donation to the Westside Park Pavilion fund that provided the money to build the pavilion in the Westside Park in 2004. He was an active member of the Minonk community during his stay here.

Anyone who lived in Minonk back in the 1950's and 60's remembers Jack Pierce. I wrote an article about my remembrances of him in 2005. Even though Jack was a great athlete, you would never know it. He did not have a large ego. He was one of the boys. He commanded respect yet treated everyone with fairness and was able to mingle with everyone. He seemed to have that sixth sense of understanding an individual.

An MDR schoolmate of mine agreed that Jack Pierce had an indefinable quality that made him stand out in a crowd. Great athlete that he was, in the end he is remembered for his humanity.

Jack Pierce in 1962

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