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Jack
McCloskey was a man for all seasons in
Centralia Township High School athletics.
Whether
it was football in the autumn, basketball in
the winter or track in the spring, the 1952
CTHS graduate could be found either on the
field or in the gymnasium - depending on the
season. He
also played for two legendary head coaches
in A.L Trout and Jimmie Evers. "I
had a lot of respect for Mr. Trout,"
said Jack McCloskey who will enter the
Centralia Sports Hall of Fame in the
Veterans category. "I
respected Jimmie Evers who had played
football with my dad at CTHS." Jack
McCloskey attended St. Mary's School, and
like so many Centralia youth in that time,
played basketball at the Community Center on
South Walnut Street. "That
was a great place for kids to go," he
said. In
high school he took part in all three
sports, beginning his career under Trout who
stepped down from coaching after the 1950
Holiday Tournament due to a stroke. As
a junior who was also elected class
president he started at fullback and punter
for the Orphans football team. one of
his deep kicks pinned Mt. Vernon deep in its
own territory and led to a safety in a 14-6
win over the Rams. He
also had an interception to help preserve a
shutout win over Marion and ran in a
conversion in the Orphans' 19-0 victory. That
winter he was a 6'2 starting forward for
CTHS under coaches Trout and Evers, and had
a team high 13 points in a 38-36 victory
over Mt. Vernon that ended the two-time
state champion Rams' 46 game winning streak. He
was also the leading scorer in Centralia's
65-37 victory over New Baden for the
regional title. Jack
McCloskey followed that up in the spring
with a first-place finish in the pole vault
at the South Seven Conference meet. His
senior season found him returning to
fullback and punting duties on the gridiron
and in a 49-6 win over Herrin, scored two
touchdowns, one of them on a 31 yard run. He
also demonstrated an ability to throw the
ball, connecting on touchdown passes to
Keith Kirkland and Fred Johnson in a 25-0
victory over Benton, and followed that up
with a 46-yard TD run in a 20-7 decision
over Mt. Vernon, allowing Centralia to
finish with a 6-2-1 mark. In
basketball he averaged 11 points per game
for an Orphans team that won 29 of 32
games and became the first team to win the
Holiday Tournament twice. He was named
second team all tournament after netting 17
points in a semifinal win over Champaign and
10 more in a 46-42 victory over Quincy in
the finals. He
had three games of 20 points or better, with
the best a 25 point effort against Vandalia,
and had 19 as the Orphans captured the first
ever Salem Invitational with a win over
Harrisburg. His
19 points led Centralia past Carbondale
Attucks in the sectional semi-finals before
Pinckneyville spilled the Orphans in the
sectional finals. "We
had beaten them twice [in the regular
season] so that [loss] was
disappointing," said McCloskey who made
133 of 159 free throws that season for a 77
percent mark to lead the team for a second
straight season. That
spring an injury kept him from competing the
the pole vault at the district, but he did
earn a trip to state by taking second in the
120-yard high hurdles. Upon
graduating from CTHS he attended Saint Louis
University but a military obligation to the
Marine Corps led to Jack going to Rockhurst
University in Kansas City. While there
he helped the Hawks to a 28-win season and
to the second round of the 1956 NAIA
National Tournament. His 468 points
for the season were a team high. He
also registered 156 assists. Those
numbers earned him NAIA All-American
recognition as the first Rockhurst player so
honored. Also
a pitcher for the Hawks in baseball, Jack
McCloskey ended his Rockhurst career with
1,242 points and was named to the school's
Hall of Fame in 2006. Since
then he's operated his own engineering firm
following over 20 years in the energy, oil
and gas business, which led him to the
Houston area where Jack resides today. His
business travels did allow him to connect
with a former CTHS teammate in Bobby Joe
Mason. "When
he was with the Globetrotters we'd run into
each other and go out and have dinner,"
said McCloskey. "He was a great
friend and teammate." list@mornignsentinel.com
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