BILL DECORREVONT: A CHICAGO PREP SENSATION
Bill DeCorrevont was a legendary running back of Red Grange proportions at Austin on the West Side in the 1930s, when high school football was the biggest drawing card in town.
In 1936, DeCorrevont and Austin drew an estimated 90,000 fans to Soldier Field for the city championship game against Fenwick, which ended in a 19-19 tie.
But they outdid themselves the next season, when DeCorrevont was in full bloom. He scored 35 touchdowns in 10 games, including nine touchdowns on 10 touches in a 93-0 rout of McKinley.
And the city championship game against Leo on Nov. 27, 1937, was an event that will live in the annals of Chicago sports history. An estimated 120,000 fans jampacked Soldier Field to watch DeCorrevont and Austin beat Leo 26-0. DeCorrevont didn’t disappoint, rushing for three touchdowns and passing for another.
That was a tough act to follow and nearly impossible to top. But DeCorrevont was a productive running back at Northwestern for three seasons, leading the Wildcats in rushing in 1941, when he played in the same backfield with sophomore Otto Graham, the future Hall of Fame quarterback.
After serving in the military, he played in the NFL with the Redskins, Lions and Cardinals before joining the Bears in 1948. He was a bit player in two seasons with them, but he had his moments, including a 67-yard kickoff return against the Green Bay Packers and a 44-yard punt return against the New York Giants.
Still, he always will be best remembered as the high school sensation at Austin.