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Ex-Bear Kozlowski seizes opportunity to coach at North Chicago High

"I've always wanted to coach at North Chicago."

Those are the words of former Chicago Bear and Wauconda High School football coach Glen Kozlowski. And starting next week, the hankering will become reality.

Playing against the Warhawks in North Suburban Conference Prairie Division clashes for the last seven years, Kozlowski has long admired the kind of talent the small school regularly produces.

"I also watched them play against Warren when my sons were there," said the Gurnee resident. "And although Warren would beat them, you could see the high level of talent. I always thought that as a head coach, I could help them pay attention to the little things; the things that turn losses into wins."

"That's one thing that always struck me about Glen," said North Chicago athletic director Jim Hentschel. "He's always been a very prepared coach; someone who knows exactly how everything breaks down. He's ready for every situation."

Kozlowski put the thought of coaching at North Chicago into the air two years ago when he mentioned it off-handedly to a friend. That buddy happened to know Hentschel, who filed the information away for possible future use. Kozlowski was then contacted when the search for a permanent head coach began at North Chicago. He was recently hired from a field of six candidates.

Somewhat ironically, Kozlowski used North Chicago's team as a yardstick for the progress of his Wauconda Bulldogs squad.

"Three years ago, when we beat North Chicago, that was the signature win for the program," Kozlowski said. "Kids were riding around honking their horns. That win gave our kids the belief that what we were doing, all the hard work, was leading us in the right direction."

Prior to that, Wauconda and its head coach suffered through two 0-9 campaigns at the outset of his tenure before finally winning a game. The team's record then improved every year for the next three years, peaking with a 7-3 playoff campaign in 2007. The Bulldogs were 4-5 last season.

Kozlowski said the time was right to leave Wauconda.

"I probably accomplished all I could there," he said, adding that he's a naturally restless person who likes new challenges.

"And really, I believe this is a better fit for me."

A self-proclaimed "intense" coach, Kozlowski does not plan to change his style with the move to North Chicago.

"Football is football," he said. "A lot of people can do the job, but I'm just going to outwork everybody else. It helps that I was a Bear, naturally, because it helps them believe in what I'm saying from the start. I'm intense because I care about my kids. I love the kids. I want the kids of North Chicago to be successful."

Accomplishment, to Kozlowski, is more about education than gridiron victories.

"Getting them on track toward going to college is going to be most important," he flatly stated. "I will demand more from my football players in the classroom. I want them all to go to college."

Toward that end, he said he will pursue an NFL grant similar to the one obtained at Wauconda.

"We'll try to get an academic coach to work with all the boys and girls athletes here," he continued. "We want to eventually start at the grade-school level and give the kids and their parents an exact understanding of what it takes and how a student can go to college, step by step."

Kozlowski, who is not a classroom teacher, will nevertheless be a constant presence at the school.

"I believe you have to immerse yourself in the community," he said. "I will be here every day."

The Kozlowski Era will begin with weight training, four days a week beginning next week, using a program that builds speed, quickness and strength -- one used by many NFL players. Once it's time for the team to hit the field, his practices "will be hard, but will be hard in a smart way."

A believer in running the ball down an opponent's throat, the new Warhawk coach has great expectations for his team.

"If we can get on a roll in (Class) 4A we can really so some damage," he said, smiling.