Last week on Sept. 10, editorial director, Kevin Hoffman, of Coach and Athletic Director magazine and three other national magazines walked into Hinsdale Central seeing something special.

“Each year for the past four or five years, we try to find one high school athletic program that has done really great things; not just on the field or on the court, but off as well, like academics,” Hoffman said.

The magazine looked at a variety of different schools across the nation including states such as Mississippi, Montana, and Minnesota. What particularly drew the magazine towards the Red Devils was the impressive eight state championships that the students and coaches worked so hard towards last school year.

“What we want to do for our readers is take that program, describe its individual parts so that other readers out there, other athletic directors can kind of see the model of a great athletic program. They can take some of these ideas and implement them in their own programs,” Hoffman said.

While the eight state championships certainly caught the magazine’s attention, what drew it closer was the dedication of students. Central’s academics are stellar, showing that not only can the students excel in sports, but also their school subjects. The school really does make sure that its graduates leave prepared for college, showing again how dedicated the staff is.

Some of the coaches this year were recognized as coaches of the year by the state and many are certified. In addition, the athletic director, Dan Jones, is a certified athletic administrator, a special distinction.

Many of the coaches run the “double duty” of being a coach of a sport and also a physical education teacher. As a result, many directors had to do a lot of searching for teachers willing to do double duty. All these factors together helped Central be recognized for this national honor.