Career Coaches

Don Rowley

Year Inducted: 2007

Category: Career Coaches

Schools / Organizations:
(Arlington Hts) John Hersey High School
Wheeling High School
Lake Zurich High School

Biography:

Don was a boys’ basketball coach at (Arlington Heights) John Hersey High School from  1971 through 2007.  His 36 years were evenly split between being an underclass assistant coach and as the Head Boys’ Varsity Coach.  His underclass teams for 18 years achieved an overall record of 193 wins against just 120 losses.  As the Head Varsity Coach at Hersey for 18 years his teams achieved 290 wins against 205 losses, overall.
Don then served as the underclass boys’ coach at Wheeling High School from 2007-2012.  His record there was 60-48.
He finished his career as an assistant coach at Lake Zurich High School from 2012-2018 where his teams were 84-36.
Don’s Total Coaching Record was 627 wins against 409 losses over 47 seasons.

Don was not able to stay away from the game and continued as a volunteer coach at Hersey HS from 2018-2023.

His teams won 8 MidSuburban League Division titles and 3 MidSuburban League Championships.
Don was selected as the MidSuburban League Coach of the Year three times:  1992, 1995, 2006.
In 1995, his Hersey squad was an IHSA Elite 8 team qualifier.  This earned Don an Illinois Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame District 6 Coach of the Year Award.