Sports
Providence Football Backer: Grenchik a Big Fan of Wearing Green
Providence Catholic alumnus Jeff Grenchik (1991) still gets his Celtics football fix every Friday in the fall.
Once a Celtic, always a Celtic.
Jeff Grenchik can look back to his high school years and smile. Grenchik graduated from Providence Catholic 20 years ago and still finds himself cheering on the Celtics during the football season.
The 1991 alumnus already has taken in Providence’s first two games. Since he works in the Loop, taking the EL to Soldier Field for the Celtics opener vs. Morgan Park was a no-brainer.
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Last Friday, he made the trek from his home in Frankfort to Minooka to see the Celtics improve to 2-0 for the first time since 2004, which is also the last time the Celtics brought home a state trophy.
Grenchik, who spent most of his life in New Lenox before moving to Frankfort with his wife Amy, has seen many great Celtics teams.
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He spoke about having the chance to see Pete Bercich (Minnesota Vikings) play when he was a student himself, as well as Eric Steinbach (Cleveland Browns), when he returned to his alma mater to root on the Celtics.
His most lasting memory though comes from the fall of 1997 and a quarterfinal game at Geneseo.
“They had a big snowstorm just a few days before, and I drove down I-80 to this school and field, which was in the middle of nowhere,” Grenchik said. “They looked like the Packers with their team colors. The entire town was into the game with signs in their yard and everyone was fired up.
"It was freezing cold out and we beat the (daylights) out of them. I think there was a running clock for the second half.”
The Celtics beat the Maple Leafs 45-0 in that quarterfinal game and went on to win the Class 4A state title. It was their fourth title in a row as they beat Metamora, 26-12, thanks to an unforgettable David Popp TD reception.
“I try to catch some games during the regular season and go to all the home playoff games,” Grenchik said. “I’ve seen state games at ISU, back when they were there, and at the University of Illinois.”
Grenchik, who resembles Phil Simms and was given the nickname “Phil” because of it, hopes to see the Celtics play several more times this fall.
