North Central College Athletics

A lifelong interest in a variety of sports made it easy for John C. “Jack” Nothacker '61 to become a jack of all trades at North Central College, becoming one of the Cardinals' top performers on the football, baseball and track and field squads.
A resident of Mooseheart Child City from age 6, Nothacker received encouragement to participate in multiple sports once he reached the high school level and wound up becoming a four-time letter winner in football, basketball, baseball and track and field. His senior track season at Mooseheart proved he was quick study in multiple disciplines.
“I ran the 440-yard dash and we had two guys come along who were faster, so my coach asked me to throw the shot put and discus,” he said. “I had never done either event before, but I was able to qualify for the state finals in both.”
Nothacker's options when it came to attending college ranged just as widely. He considered Florida State University and the University of Colorado before deciding on North Central.
“I knew I would get a solid education at North Central and that was very important,” he said. “Jesse Vail was in his first year as the football coach, and he told me he felt I would be happy at North Central.”
Nothacker earned a starting spot on the football team as a halfback his first year. He set a freshman record and placed fourth in the College Conference of Illinois (CCI) Championships in the discus throw while competing for the track and field team in the spring. As a sophomore, Nothacker broke his ankle early in the football season but recovered quickly enough to serve as the top pitcher on the baseball team the following spring.
As a junior, he switched positions on the football field and started at both fullback and linebacker, earning a Second Team All-CCI selection on defense. Once again, he was the Cardinals' top pitcher during the baseball season.
Nothacker switched positions once again prior to the start of his senior football season in 1959, playing both offensive and defensive end. The move proved beneficial, as he was voted the Cardinals' Most Valuable Player by his teammates and received First Team All-CCI honors on both sides of the ball, in addition to a selection to the NAIA Little All-America First Team.
Following the season, Nothacker also received an invitation to compete in the All-American Bowl in Tuscon, Ariz. Nothacker was on a team of “Minor College All-Stars” playing against the nation's premier collegiate talent.
“(Louisiana State University halfback) Billy Cannon, who won the Heisman Trophy that year, was there, and I think about 20 of those guys wound up playing in the NFL (National Football League),” Nothacker recalled. “We got beaten pretty decisively, but it was a wonderful experience at the time.”
After graduation, Nothacker served as an assistant coach with the Cardinals' football program for two seasons before beginning a career as a principal and superintendent in the Darien School District. He retired in 1996 and splits his time between Naperville and a winter home in Florida. He was named to North Central's All-Century Football Team in 1998.