Mike Tracey and I grew up a couple blocks from each other on the east side of Savanna. We went to different grades schools and junior highs, but ended up together at Savanna High School.
We were project partners in Ron McCready’s World History class where we solved many of the world problems when we weren’t talking about sports.
We were teammates in football. He was a lineman, and I was a defensive back and a wide receiver. During those rainy, muddy games, I had the clean jersey that all of them could wipe their hands off on. I had a huge impact on his later coaching career. I am convinced my inability to block helped him develop a strategy on how to hide a weak player in his lineup.
Unfortunately our youth came before video games so we could only play sports board games. None of us could beat Mike in football. While we threw lots of long passes, he kept going with the runs up the middle and moved the ball up and down the field on us.
It has been great to remain friends thru adult life. With both of us coaching in the WB6, there were numerous times that I have reached out to pick his brain. I think most of the time my conversations started with,”Have you ever had this happen…”
I have reached out to some of Mike’s coaches and players to share their thoughts about him.
David O’Keeffe
Years played for Coach Tracey at Alleman High School: 1984-85, 1985-86, 1986-87
I think there were many things that made Coach Tracey successful but I think the main things were his competitiveness and focus on discipline, fundamentals and team over individual. He also had a great strength with game planning week to weekand putting us in the best position to win. As an example, in 1984 in our first playoff game we played a very tough game at Sterling in which threw the ball three times and I think with no completions. In the next game, our passing offense was a main part of our gameplan and we threw 20+ times with a high completion rate which helped us beat a good New Lenox Providence team.
I recall that our practices were planned out and very structured. We started every practice with a warm-up/stretch then we would have offensive practice that would be broken down into individual drills (i.e, QB, RBs, TEs, etc) then group drills(Backs/WR, OL, etc) then team offense. The same for defense. We would end many practices with special teams and conditioning/weights. This allowed for coaching fundamentals and assignments and player development.
Coach Tracey had a very positive impact on me. I think some of the key impacts he had on me were the importance of preparation, that fundamentals matter and if you show up prepared and work hard positive things will happen.
We had a lot of success under Coach Tracey so a lot of great memories. The couple of memories I’d like to highlight happened in my senior year (1986). The first memory was against UT during the regular season. UT was very good and our main competition to win the Western Big 6. In an effort to charge us up, when we came back into the locker room there were blue and gold jerseys ready for us to change into. We came out fired up and took an early lead and went on to win the game. It was a huge win for us and set us up to win the conference.
Steve Ebner
I coached with Mike Trace for 17 years. 14 years with Mike as the head coach and me as his d-coordinator.
Dr. Matt Copeland
Alleman High School Class of 1991
I played under Mike Tracey for four years from Halloween Night 1987 during my freshman year in LaSalle-Peru until the State Championship game against Belleville Althoff on November 23, 1990.
What did you feel made this coach successful?
If you asked the fourteen year old me, I would tell you that Coach Tracey was the first adult outside of my inner circle that told me I was good at something. He told my dad when I was in 8th grade that I would be the starting varsity quarterback at Alleman and I would have a chance to be better than Dave O’Keefe. In those times, being compared to O’Keefe was a big deal. It wasn’t an ordination, it was a challenge to me.
I didn’t play football in 8th grade because I thought I was going to be a basketball star. I remember the first time Coach Tracey communicated to me and the entire team that I was a quarterback: summer football camp 1987. He called me out at an early camp practice and asked me why I had my hand down running sprints instead of taking turns barking out a cadence like the other quarterbacks. It was the first time anyone other than me knew that I was going to be a quarterback. That was his way of putting it out there; barking it out in front of everyone and seeing how I responded.
During my freshman year, Coach Tracey already knew we were going to be good when we all grew up. I believe we had 6 college football players out of our class alone. (That Kevin Ahern kid turned out to be a special diamond in the rough.) Sometimes during our freshman year Coach Tracey would come down on the sidelines while we were playing and give lessons during halftime to help us be successful.
The adult in me would now say he was micromanaging, not letting his coaches coach. However, at the time Coach Tracey imparted wisdom on the lowly freshman class. One game in particular played at Almquist Field, Coach Tracey came down at halftime and inserted the veer/keep concept to us in order to take advantage of the crashing end that caused us trouble in the first half. We all knew he was a smart coach that was able to get the most out of his teams. At the time, I don’t think we knew our potential, but he could see it and he knew what he had coming up. The fall of 1987 was less than a year removed from the great 1986 Pioneer squad. Deep down, I think Coach Tracey knew we could be better. Looking back, he was preparing us 14 year olds to be ready to win a state championship as 17/18 year olds.
Coach Tracey would be the first to tell you that he had great coaches around him that helped him and our teams be successful. The number of head coaches that were on staff during my four years was crazy: Steve Ebner could have been a HC but was the right hand man DC; Dave DeJaegher; Marty Sojko; Dan Maguire; Dana Just; Todd DePoorter. Did I miss anyone from ‘87-’90? More than that though, we believed we had the smartest football coaches on our side coaching for us. I can remember many scouting reports when he would explain how poorly an opposing team’s front was coached and exactly how we were going to exploit them on Friday. More times than not, it was exactly what Coach Tracey told us would happen. We believed he knew more about football than any other coach around and that made us feel invincible.
During this era, Mike Ditka was the coach du jour. Ditka was tough, demanding and didn’t take shit from anybody. Our version of “Iron Mike” was just like that. Coach Tracey was tough and demanding. He made us do it again until we got it right. That toughness resonated with us. We believed we were tougher than everyone else, and it was mostly due to the mentality of our head coach. He coached us hard and he would grimace if we didn’t get it just right. Part of it was fear, no doubt. But mostly it was respect. The players didn’t love how hard the practices were, but we all knew it was the price to pay to be successful. I didn’t know the term at the time, but Coach Tracey was instilling grit in us as a football team, a football player, and as a person. Times sure have changed; very few high school athletes would be able to play for a Coach Tracey-like coach today. Quite frankly, many would be too soft. Not acceptable to “Iron Mike”.
As I got older during high school, the tough, demanding side of Coach Tracey allowed us to see him for who he really was: just one of the guys, a positive role model, good husband, and eventually a good father. I believe his oldest boy was born while we were in high school around ‘87 or ‘88. One time, Coach Tracey’s good nature and playfulness showed. I had to report for an early August one-on-one quarterback meeting with Coach Tracey. The problem was that the meeting was right in the middle of the cramped coach’s office which was normally off limits to players.
A young, up-and-coming coach, Bob Tyrell, who was a teacher turned Dean of Students who was the low man on the coaching staff was on staff. Coach Tyrell had a mean Joliet accent and his favorite word was ” pissant”. When I entered the meeting room, the older coaches were ribbing the young coach Tyrell. They were trying to get him to say out loud what summer work he did in order to make a few extra bucks that summer. He kept refusing since I was in the room, until he finally relented and said, “Imma Lumberjack” in the Joliet/south Chicago way. This was an insight that the tough exterior of our coaches and Coach Tracey was really just a shell of the men they were when they were not coaches. Really, not any different than we were as kids; always ready to bust somebody's balls if the time and mood was right. Coach Tracey and the other coaches were human after all.
Finally, I think it is clear after all these years that Coach Tracey had a plan. He knew what it took to execute a practice, a game, a season, and an off-season. He followed the process long before it was chic to say so. He understood the time it took from youth football, to the weightroom, the summer workouts, 2-a-days, and game week was necessary to be successful. He articulated it and when it was not met, he corrected in the way he knew how: Working hard and getting it done right to the standard he set before us during the 1980s.
Was there a practice/game routine, policy or quote this coach used that has stuck with you?
My high school teammates would say his quotes are more than we could count. Let me see if I can come up with a couple of gems.
For me, personally: “Come on, Matt. You’re better than that, Matt” Say that but make my name last 2-3 seconds long. Coach Tracey had high expectations for me and was disappointed if I didn’t meet his standards. Understandably, I heard this more than once.
During one of the rare losses in high school to UT in 1988 ( a good UT team by the way that had a few DI and IAA athletes): We were getting beat at the end of the game and a super positive backup football player named Richard Rodts kept yelling positive words of encouragement to our team out on the field despite the outcome already decided: Rodts: “Come on guys, it’s not over!” Coach Tracey turned toward him and deadpanned, “It’s over.” To this day, everyone in my family, my kids and my close friends, knows when Richard Rodts-time shows up in any game that we watch together. When the final outcome is certain, “It’s over.”
After a particularly tough loss, Coach Tracey delineated the level of punishments based on the skillfulness of the player: “Grenier. Ahern. I’ll kick you off. Matykiewicz, I’ll make ya run.” There was no way Coach Tracey would boot All-State and Southern Illinois-bound Mark Matykiewicz. Grenier and Ahern, eh.
A few extra nuggets from the Class of 1991:
“Get ‘em up” The players knew that up/downs were on the way.
“Knock off the damn barking and animal noises!”
“Hey, Hay Fever”
“Get those gloves off. You’re not on the Chicago Bears.
“He never plays another damn down again.”
“The four stooges…”
“Hey Kearney, you got the mentality of a 4th grader.”
“Hey Neubauer, I sold your ass.” A particularly tough comment after an all-conference selection meeting in 1989.
“Woods, Matykiewicz: you made All-State. Now everyone else, get the hell outta practice.”
All of these quotes have a story attached. These are some of the best ones that old timers like us now share whenever we get together and discuss the past.
What impact did this coach have on you?
I was fortunate to grow up around several positive male role models during my youth at Seton Catholic School and Alleman. I was always around father figures, good husbands, and positive men of character. Other than my father, Mike Tracey was, and has been, one of the most impactful men in my life.
My father taught me hard work and dedication, and how to place your family over your individual needs and goals. These values have stayed with me throughout my life. Coach Tracey instilled in me confidence and a belief in myself that was immeasurable. He noticed something in me growing up and put into words the vision that he saw for me, long before others did. He told me I was a high school quarterback; He told me I wasn’t a college quarterback, but a college tight end; He told me I was a college football player and not a candy-assed basketball player; He told me I would continue to get bigger and stronger in college; He told me I was going to be a good college football coach. Coach Tracey told me all the things he saw in me long before they actually happened. Fortunately, they all manifested into reality.
The other thing that Coach Tracey instilled in me was the grit and toughness to be a man; Get knocked down and get your ass back up. Coach Tracey taught me with tough love two times during my high school career that put me in my place. My sophomore year coach Tracey benched me at quarterback because he believed the team needed someone else at quarterback. I endured the benching, not knowing exactly what to do. I knew what you didn’t do–quit and feel sorry for yourself. That benching, although hard to swallow, pushed me to another level of competitiveness and work ethic. I became more vocal and demonstrated more leadership qualities over my next two years than my sophomore year. Ultimately, I think that’s what Coach Tracey was trying to get out of me.
The other time I learned a tough lesson from Coach Tracey was during my senior year. I was supposed to be the nominee for the Don Morris Award, one of the highest honors a WB6 athlete could receive, especially as an Alleman grad. However, my soon to be but not yet wife of 34 years and I started the pro-creation process a bit early. He met me at the classroom door and just told me that I was not going to be nominated for the award. He didn’t have to say why, but I knew that I didn’t live up to a certain standard and that small award was going to be taken away. I don’t think he liked doing that to me, but it was what needed to be done, especially at a Catholic school in 1991. This incident taught me to be righteous, but direct; firm, but caring.
The imprint of Coach Tracey on my life is vast. He impacted my thoughts and my actions. His presence is still felt even as I approach my mid-fifties. Who would think that the three and a half years working under him would influence me to this day?
Do you have any favorite practice or game memories?
Most of my favorite memories about football and high school revolve around my teammates and friends. I probably remember more locker room and post game stuff than actual practices or games.
But what I do remember is that Coach Tracey trusted me to be an important part of our teams over the four years I played under him. He purposely worked me into varsity action as a 14-year freshman against LaSalle-Peru. I got two series and threw an interception. That was his way of telling me I was going to be the guy and announcing it to the rest of the community.
I remember Coach Tracey putting the ball in my hands and allowing me to make decisions with the football–mostly good. One playoff game against Dunlap, I undercut an end on a read option and should have kept the ball for a nice gain. Instead, I got down field a bit and then pitched to the back for a touchdown. I remember running off the field and going directly to him; “Nice play; don’t ever do it again.” Always coaching because he knew it would matter at some point in a game down the road.
I remember Coach Tracey being so hot at an official and kicking the sideline yardage marker. He was competitive as hell and always fighting for his boys. We never had a reason to talk to officials; Coach Tracey would take care of everything for us.
I remember Coach Tracey spending time talking with my mom and dad whenever he would bump into them around town. He’d chat for a minute and two; ask about how things were going; and move on. I was sure to be told that someone had bumped into Coach Tracey and talked. That was instant news in my family’s world. That demonstrates the importance others saw in the relationship that he built with me, but, more importantly, all the football players that he coached.
Coach Tracey came back to Alleman when our 1990 state championship runner-up team was inducted into Alleman’s Hall of Fame. He joked that most of us were losing our hair, but he also put into perspective the passage of time by explaining that, at that time, he was about the age we were when he was coaching us. Honestly, he was just a young man. We got the thirties version of Coach Tracey–still hungry and grinding, still tough as hell and competitive. That’s the version of him I will always remember.
Dave DeJaegher
Mike got me into coaching in 1987. I had no coaching experience when he asked me to join his staff. He taught me so much on every aspect of coaching. I will always be thankful for his patience and knowledge he instilled in myself and all the coaches that were on his staff.
I think there were a couple of things that made Mike such a great coach and set him apart. One was he tremendous work ethic. He simply was not going to be outworked. It didn’t matter if it was during the season or the offseason he was always thinking and analyzing ways to make his team & program better. The second was his relationships he had with his players. He was demanding and tough on them but always fair. Because of that he had total respect from his players. All his players are extremely loyal to him because they all realized the impact he had on them.
Game nights were awesome, but what really made Mike so successful as a coach was the preparation he demanded during practice. Every minute was planned out with a purpose. Fundamentals were the cornerstone of his program. Practices were demanding both physically and mentally. Success in game competition was a product all the preparation put into daily practice.
Mike had great impact on his players and coaches. My entire coaching career I knew I could count on him for great advice and friendship. I was so lucky to learn from the best! Mike is still a good friend and when we get together it is so fun to look back and remember such a special time.
Assistant coach 1988-92
First game I ever coached, I was supposed to do a defensive chart for the varsity. At halftime the coaches are all talking about adjustments that they need to make. Coach Tracey has decided to insert a certain player in the defensive backfield. One of the other coaches says, "Are you sure you want to put him in?" Coach responds with, "I'm running out of ..... options."
My name is Paul Ackerman and I played football at Alleman from 1983-87. So the last two years were under Coach Tracey.
I remember him as being tough on us but fair. He made us play good, solid football. He told us we weren’t the biggest, fastest or most talented team out there so we had to be smarter and more disciplined than our opponents.
I definitely was afraid of him and didn’t want to screwup. I remember one situation in double-sessions our senior year. I was still learning the tight-end position and it was extremely hot. I was struggling with the heat and I remember running the wrong route and hoping he didn’t see me. But then I heard him screaming and I knew it was for me.
He said something like “Ackerman, get over here, you ran the wrong route.” And as I said I was having some heat related issues and everything went black and I literally couldn’t see much of anything for about 10 seconds. I could still hear, though, and I just walked towards the yelling and eventually I started seeing shapes and people and Coach Tracey standing in front of me yelling.
Another thing I remember well were the up-downs. Boy did we do a lot of up-downs. I always took a look at Coach Tracey to try and get a feel for how many we could expect. If we had been screwing up a lot that usually meant more up-downs of course. But I always figured if he was standing we probably only had to do 20-30. But if he was kneeling or crouching down we probably had 100 coming our way.
Great article, Evan. All the glowing memories of Mike coaching don’t surprise me at all. I remember in PE class in HS, Mike always took charge when we chose teams, and came up with successful plays! I was never surprised when reading of his championship seasons!!!
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