Meaney steps down at Bartlett

From its awe-inspiring cliffs and stunning coastlines to its rolling hills of green, Ireland is considered one of the most beautiful countries in the world to visit.

Or so Bartlett football coach Tom Meaney has been told.

"My family has gone several times," he said. "I've never been there."

That's because Meaney has spent the last 31 summers coaching football in Elgin Area School District U-46, the last 13 as Bartlett's head coach.

His summer schedule gained a lot more flexibility Monday when his resignation from coaching was accepted by the school.

Meaney, 56, a business teacher for 30 years before he switched last fall to Bartlett's physical education department, will teach two more years before retiring fully.

"You put so much time into it, so many years into it that it's time to move on," Meaney said. "Maybe I'll coach something else or whatever, but I don't want to be the man in charge anymore. I just want to kind of sit back and enjoy the last two years of teaching.

"It tires you out. It's a lot of work. Remember that Philadelphia Eagles coach who burned out (Dick Vermeil)? Sometimes things get to you after awhile. I want to spend more time with my wife, Nancy. There's a lot I want to do."

Meaney steps down as the most successful coach in modern District U-46 history and one of its most successful of all time. In 13 seasons at Bartlett, his teams went 80-53 and won 4 Upstate Eight Conference or division titles despite never playing a home game on campus. Bartlett plays its games at Streamwood's Millennium Field.

His winning percentage of .602 is the highest of any U-46 coach with at least two years of service since Elgin's Emery Ebbert went 65-24 (. 725) in 10 seasons between 1947-48 and 1956-57. Larkin hall-of-famer Ray Haley went 151-99-3 in 28 seasons (. 597).

Meaney began his coaching career in 1985, when Elgin principal Larry Nemmers hired him as the school's sophomore football coach. He coached various levels of Elgin football, basketball and baseball for 13 years.

He and fellow coach Mark Williams became friends and spent nine seasons as assistants under Elgin head coach Dick Stephens. Both moved with their mentor to Bartlett in 1997, when Stephens accepted the head coaching position at the district's new high school.

Bartlett athletic director Dan Kallenbach hired Meaney as Bartlett's head coach five years later when Stephens was forced to step aside due to health reasons.

With Williams as his trusted assistant, Meaney led Bartlett to the playoffs 10 of the next 13 seasons, including this fall, when the Hawks overcame a 1-4 start by winning their final 4 regular-season games to snap a two-year postseason drought.

Meaney set a new U-46 coaching record with his 10th playoff appearance. Former Larkin and South Elgin coach Dale Schabert, who retired three years ago, led his teams to the playoffs nine times.

Meaney fielded his most successful team in 2008, when the Hawks went 12-1 and hosted a Class 8A semifinal, which they lost to eventual state champion Maine South, 23-6.

"It's been nice. I think we had a lot of good years," Meaney said. "Coach Stephens turned it over to me and, hopefully, we'll find the guy to keep it going. I had a lot of good coaches in the past, starting with coach Williams. The administration always backed me. They always respected my decisions and let me run my own program."

Bartlett athletic director Jeff Bral said the search for a successor will begin in January but finding someone like Meaney won't be easy.

"What's going to be hard to replace with Tom is that old-school work ethic when it comes to watching film, working on Saturdays and Sundays, living, eating, breathing football," Bral said. "That's the part that's going to be hard to replace because in today's society people aren't as much like that. I don't know that there ever has been a person and staff that put more hours into preparing for the next opponent, preparing for the next practice. Tom learned that from Dick Stephens and it's a testament to those guys because they put in the work."

Bral said Williams might return as an assistant depending on who succeeds Meaney. Asked if longtime assistant coach Eric Ilich is a likely successor, Bral said "If Eric applies, and I'm sure he will, he'll be considered as will whoever else applies. I'm sure it will go to an ETA member (Elgin Teachers Association) because in our contract it pretty much has to be unless you can prove someone is not qualified. Eric is definitely qualified along with a lot of other guys who have been through the program. This will be a very high-profile job. People are going to want it. We have to give everyone an equal chance and that's what we'll do."

As for Meaney, he's looking forward to a summer of fewer responsibilities. So what does the veteran coach have planned for his first true off-season since the Reagan administration? A vacation to the Emerald Isle, of course.

"We have a trip for 10 of us going over there in July," he said. "It'll be interesting. It'll be nice to have some free time for a change and not have to worry about 150 kids, you know? I can relax and not have to worry about hiring people and equipment and all that stuff. It's going to be kind of nice to do some traveling, attend some family events. It's going to be neat."