2007 All Star East
Jeremy Bednarz-Gray
Fullback
6’ 210 lbs.
High School Coach: Tom Mach
High School: Detroit Catholic Central, A
College: University of Illinois at Urbanan
Jeremy has played football since he was eight years old. He started playing in P.A.L for the Detroit Panthers where he played for six years. He attended Detroit Catholic Central HS because of it’s reputation as one of the best football programs in the state. “I wanted to be part of winning a state championship.” He started both his junior and senior years at fullback and linebacker. Catholic Central made it to the second round of the state playoffs his junior year, but due to a lot of injuries on the team his senior year the team “suffered through some challenges.” Jeremy was team captain his senior year. In his senior season he had an ankle problem after the second game of the year and fractured it during the fifth game of his senior year. Jeremy won the Rugged Jug award and the Best Defensive Linebacker award his junior year after leading the team in tackles. His senior year he won the Best Defensive Linebacker Award. During his four years at CC, he also excelled academically. He was on the school’s honor roll and earned a 3.0 gpa while participating in two varsity sports. Jeremy was a two year letter winner in both football and track and field. “I have always had a love for sports.”
Jeremy thanked his family for, “all their financial sacrifices they made for me to attend CC and for their motivation that helped me excel academically and athletically and my grandfather for being my biggest source of inspiration as well as my biggest fan.” He also thanked the CC football staff, Tom Mach, Rick Coratti, Mark Gagnon, Dan Anderson, Roy Dudas, George Kunec, Joe English, Aaron Babicz, Justin Cessante, Todd Lackey, and Dan Fortune, “for their commitment, dedication, support, care, and kindness.” He thanked, “the entire CC family, students, faculty administration, alumni, and the Basilian Fathers. It was an honor to run out on the field every weekend to the biggest and loudest fans in the state.”
Awards
All Central Division Detroit Catholic League, Detroit Free Press and Detroit News, 2005
All Central Division Detroit Catholic League Honorable Mention, Detroit Free Press and Detroit News, 2006
All Area, Novi Observer, 2005
All Metro North, Detroit Free Press and Detroit News, 2005
All State Honorable Mention, Detroit Free Press and Detroit News, 2005