CHICAGO - Saint Xavier University men's cross country/track and field coach Ed McAllister will be officially inducted into the Mendel Catholic Prep High School Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2011 on Friday, April 15, at the Lexington House in Hickory Hills, Ill. McAllister was a teacher and cross country/track coach at Mendel from 1970 until 1976. Under his tutelage, Mendel's cross country and track programs became powerhouses within the Chicago Catholic League, including a conference championship by the varsity track team in 1975 and a number of individual state qualifiers. McAllister has coached at Saint Xavier University since 2004 and continues to find success after winning Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) and NAIA Region VII Cross Country Coach of the Year honors following the 2005 campaign.

"I can't express how appreciative I am for the time, effort and belief that the Mendel Hall of Fame Selection Committee has exhibited in me to provide me the opportunity to become a member of its Hall of Fame," said McAllister. "There is no honor that I will ever hold in higher esteem. The years I spent at Mendel helped shape my life every bit as much as if I were a 17-year-old kid. Watching so many young men go on and become successful has been one of the great rewards of my life and this induction is truly the exclamation point."

Known as "Coach Mac" to his former and current runners, McAllister led Mendel athletes to numerous individual conference championships in both cross country and track. He also developed a great reputation with the students in his classroom as a teacher at Mendel. McAllister helped a large number of Mendel graduates select accounting as a college degree and go on to become Certified Public Accountants (CPAs) thanks to his intense accounting classes.

Mendel Catholic Prep High School joined the Chicago Catholic League in 1953, just two years after the school opened its doors. Formerly known as the "Mighty Monarchs" on the playing field, the South Side institution closed its doors in 1988. However, in an effort to preserve and protect the rich history and legacy of Mendel, a group of alumni select a Hall of Fame class every three years and also organize the Mendel All-Class Homecoming Reunion. The Mendel Hall of Fame is being remodeled, but is located in the Mendel wing at St. Rita High School in Chicago.