Inducted 2003. More than 30 Years After Graduating from High School, Jansen’s Remarkable Records for Tackles on the Football Team are Still Unmatched.
More than 30 years after graduating from high school, Jansen’s remarkable records for tackles on the football team are still unmatched.
Jansen, a 1971 graduate of Christian Brothers, was a three-year letterman on the football team, starting as a junior and as a senior at linebacker on defense and fullback on offense. He was a co-captain for two years. He set a school record for tackles in a single season as a junior with 125 in 1969, and he topped that mark with 166 tackles (an average of 16 per game) in 1970. His 291 career tackles are also a school-best mark. His single-season and career tackle totals rank among the best efforts by any defensive player in the history of the Illinois High School Association.
He was named to the all-conference team and was earned all-state honors in his senior season, and he was presented with the outstanding athlete award at Christian Brothers for the 1970-71 school year. Jansen was recruited by 16 colleges in four states before deciding to go on to Western Illinois University on a football scholarship.
Jansen is now executive director of the Quincy Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, and he has been general manager of the Quincy Gems of the Central Illinois Collegiate League since their inception in 1996. He has two children, Ryan and Natalie.
A thank you is inadequate for the deep appreciation I feel to be inducted. I wish to thank the Quincy Notre Dame Hall of Fame Committee for this very prestigious and humbling honor. A special appreciation goes to my coach, Chuck Budde, who taught me the game of football and the lessons of life, and to all my fellow players, with whom I share this award today. My biggest thank you goes to my parents, Butch and Evelyn Jansen. They bore the financial expense so I could graduate from Christian Brothers High School. They provided a strong example of how life should be lived, and they were always my inspiration and a strong support system through my years at Christian Brothers. Most of all, to all of you, thanks for the memories.