Football: Gene Nudo hired at Fenwick

Updated: December 16, 2011 6:42PM

At Fenwick, Gene Nudo already feels like part of the family.

His brother-in-law graduated from the Oak Park Catholic school and two of his nieces currently attend the school. Nudo, a Norridge native, was named Fenwick’s new football coach on Thursday with a well-rounded resume.

Nudo coached now-defunct Driscoll to its first state football championship in 1991 and he spent 25 years as a coach or executive in the Arena Football League. He resigned as the president and general manager of the Chicago Rush Monday with the understanding that he would become Fenwick’s coach later in the week.

Nudo will work at Fenwick in the school’s development office, athletic director Scott Thies said.

“Obviously, he has been extremely successful. It was a resume that kind of stood out from the others,” said Thies, who took over as football coach when Joe DiCanio was relieved of his duties Sept. 14.

Nudo’s wife, Mary, went to the former Immaculate Heart of Mary, but her brother Jim went to Fenwick. Jim’s daughters, Elizabeth (softball) and Mary (soccer) Mettleton, are current athletes at the school. One of Nudo’s former players, Bob O’Connor, was a longtime football coach at Fenwick.

When DiCanio, a friend of Nudo’s, was fired after a 1-2 start to the season, Nudo became interested in the position despite a long track record in the AFL. He worked with the Chicago Bruisers and won a league championship in 1997 with the Arizona Rattlers. While in Phoenix, Nudo won a state football championship as an assistant coach with Brophy Prep and he was a camp director for high school football players and youth coaches there.

Driscoll defeated Robinson in the Class 3A state championship game to win its first title. Nudo’s former star players from Driscoll, Tim Racki (Nazareth) and Mike Burzawa (Evanston), are now head coaches with their own programs.

Nudo belongs to Halls of Fame for the Arena League, Chicagoland Football, Minor League Football, Driscoll and Ridgewood.

Nudo attended Fenwick’s final game of the season, a 37-0 loss to Brother Rice, in the Prep Bowl playoffs. As a fan, he attended Fenwick’s second game of the season at Marmion, a 6-0 defeat, in order to see Marmion’s new football facility after years of coaching against Marmion while at Driscoll.

Nudo is familiar with the unusual problems dealing with Fenwick’s lack of football facilities. The school does not have an on-campus practice or stadium. The Friars bus players to practices at the Priory and the school will once again play its home games at Morton West next season.

Fenwick (4-6 last season) went 3-4 under Thies to finish the season.

Thies introduced Nudo to the team at Thursday’s season-ending banquet

“When I was at Driscoll, I always felt I was meant to be a high school coach,” Nudo said.

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