The CCIW

I often wonder how much of the CCIW (College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin) rubbed off on Assistant FBI Director Skinner, aka my daughter Clare.  Why?  Because the CCIW has produced some interesting athletes since its beginnings in 1946.

For openers, there’s former center Jack Sikma, just inducted into the NBA Hall of Fame; Sikma played for Elmhurst rival Illinois Wesleyan.  So did Doug Rader of the Astros.  Quarterback Kenny Anderson went from Augustana (where the softball field was bordered by a rocky bluff on one end and railroad tracks on thet oother) the Super Bowl with the Bengals.  And let’s not forget Wheaton College, which pretty much claims to have sent half a million football players to the pro ranks.

Part of the CCIW’s mystique, if you will, is that it’s D-III sports; nobody’s playing their game for anything but love.  Mix that with a chip-on-the-shoulder attitude of players who could’ve been D-I but for some reason weren’t; Assistant Director Skinner definitely fits into that category as someone who was invited to walk on at two D-I programs.  I’ve seen football and softball games where the intensity matches anything ESPN televises on a Saturday afternoon, with players just as skilled (if not at every position).  Clare holds a number of offensive records at Elmhusrt.  Because of the conference, that counts for something.

Too bad female athletes don’t get the same kind of chance to turn pro the way male athletes do.  That would really add to the CCIW’s already oversized reputation.