Lewis University Athletics

Dan McCarthy graduated from Lewis in 1974 with a degree in Business Administration. McCarthy played baseball for four seasons for the Flyers and was an outfielder on the 1974 national championship team. 
 
McCarthy said he was fortunate to learn from the coaches he played for. He played for Frank Mariani and Vic Capron at Holy Cross High School, who were Lewis graduates. While at Lewis he was coached by three Flyer Hall of Famers: Gordie Gillespie, Tom Kennedy and Tony Delgado.
 
After graduating from Lewis, McCarthy spent two years in retail management before transitioning to education and coaching where he dedicated the rest of his career. McCarthy spent 40 years as an educator, 20 years in public schools and 20 years in the private sector. 
 
In 1976, McCarthy began his coaching career as the assistant varsity coach for Joliet Catholic Academy's baseball and basketball programs. 
 
As the assistant varsity coach for basketball under Mike Gillespie in 1979 the team lost in the super-sectional to No. 1 ranked Quincy by one point. In 1988 as head coach, Joliet Catholic lost by two points in the super section contest to Bloom Trail. 
 
McCarthy was the varsity assistant baseball coach from 1978-1990 under Jack Schimanski and Carl Huncker. In 1977 the team team advanced to the IHSA State Semifinals and lost to Glenbard East 2-1. Three of those teams advanced to the IHSA State Finals including the 1983 team, who set the IHSA record for the most wins in a season with 53. 
 
McCarthy was at Joliet Catholic until 1990 and the last year was memorable as the head coach was Joe Rodeghero, Lewis alumnus, as the team advanced to the IHSA State Championship Game and lost in extra innings to Edwardsville High School. 
 
McCarthy then coached at Marquette High School for six years and spent 20 years at West Chicago High School. 
 
During the 2003 season at West Chicago, McCarthy was honored as the assistant coach of the year by the Illinois Baseball Coaches Association. From 2004-2008 McCarthy became the business manager at West Chicago so he had to pause his coaching career. In 2009, McCarthy began coaching baseball again until his retirement in 2016. 
In 2015, the Daily Herald recognized McCarthy as the "Behind the Bench" recipient for his Sports Marketing class at West Chicago High School in their efforts to raise money for the Jimmy V Foundation supporting cancer research. 
 
McCarthy's next endeavor was coaching collegiate women's basketball for the University of St. Francis in Joliet, Illinois where he was an assistant coach for five seasons working under Samantha Quigley-Smith, who later became the Lewis women's basketball coach in 2017.
 
In 2017, USF finished 34-2 and advanced to the NAIA Final Four before losing to eventual national champion, Marian.
 
In 2017-18, he followed Quigley-Smith to Lewis as an assistant coach for the women's basketball program for one season. The team finished 24-8 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament.
 
"It was a tough game to lose since it was my last game coaching," McCarthy said. "I came here as a Flyer and I left as a Flyer and I enjoyed every minute of it."
 
In all, McCarthy recorded 456 wins coaching basketball, 666 victories in baseball and had a 73 percent winning percentage in his career. His teams accumulated 15 regional championships and seven sectional championships. In the college ranks McCarthy had two NAIA Tournament and one NCAA Tournament appearances. 
 
McCarthy has been married to his wife Debbie for 49 years, whom they have four children together and six grandchildren.