Nazareth’s Racki back on top

CHAMPAIGN – The Gatorade bucket shower is nothing new for Nazareth football head coach Tim Racki.

Five times Racki has coached in a state championship game and five times he has walked out of Memorial Stadium with the first place trophy.

The first four occasions were from 2001 to 2004, when he was at Driscoll Catholic High School, and the fifth was Saturday when he led the Roadrunners to a 26-7 win against Lemont in the Class 6A finale.

“It is truly a blessing,” Racki said of his five opportunities in Champaign. “There are some coaches who never get to do it once.”

In the process of winning his fifth title, Racki became the first football coach in IHSA history to win state championships at two different schools. That was just the icing on the cake after the first title in any sport for Nazareth.

“Being the first time for Nazareth, no other team has done it, and just seeing all of the school spirit, it’s gratifying,” he said. “We were able to make so many people happy.”

With the talent of this year’s squad, Racki quipped that he merely had to get out of the way and let his team play. Until the final week, that is.

“I’ve stayed out of their way all year,” he said. “But this week, I told the kids that I could get in their way. I had been here before and done it so I could tell them what the experience was like. I was happy to finally contribute this year.”

As far as how he has changed since his initial state title, Racki, who now has a record of 66-39 in 10 years at Nazareth, had this.

“First off, I’m a lot older than I was back then,” he said. “But as far as enjoying it, it was a lot easier for me this time to slow down and take it all in, to watch our players and our fans celebrate. I’m really happy for the kids, this is what they wanted.”