Former Chicago Athletes: Where Are They Now?
What do star athletes do after their playing days are over? We tracked down a onetime Bears cornerback who’s now a practicing dentist and a missionary; a former Blackhawks star who copilots jetliners; an ex-Cub who became a jazz trumpeter; and more
(page 11 of 17)
by Shane Tritsch
ERIC NESTERENKO
THEN Forward, Chicago Blackhawks (1956–72)
NOW Ski instructor
Eric Nesterenko was a stalwart defenseman for the Blackhawks for 16 seasons, earning two All-Star berths and helping the team win the 1961 Stanley Cup. Yet it’s been so long since he suited up that he finds it almost hard to believe he used to play. “It’s so far removed from my life,” he says from his home in West Vail, Colorado. “People know me very much as a skier now.” And that’s fine with him. “If you’re an ex–professional athlete, people are always asking about this game and that game, and you have a bit of a celebrity tinge,” he says. “I don’t find the role that interesting.”
After hanging up his Blackhawks skates at 38, Nesterenko spent a season coaching semiprofessional hockey in Lausanne, Switzerland. While there, he and his family took up skiing, and he fell in love with its beauty, speed, and freedom. Over the next five years, he tried his hand at other pursuits, including teaching, but he couldn’t shake the skiing bug. Finally, in 1979, he left Chicago for Colorado. “I wanted to do something new and different,” he says. “I basically became a ski bum.”
First he worked ski patrol. After a few years, he started giving lessons. He spent 30 years as a full-time instructor, cutting back to part time recently. At 77, he admits, his body is slowing down. After knee-replacement surgery three years ago, he gave up ice-skating. Still, he remains vigorous. “If we don’t move, we die,” he says. In winter, he skis every day. “The mountain is my gymnasium,” he says. “And I say this not as a braggart but as a categorical statement: I can ski most men half my age into the ground.”
Perfection for him is a powder day. “Here I am in my late 70s,” he says. “I wake up and see it’s snowing in the morning, and I am genuinely excited. I am genuinely thrilled. How many guys my age are thrilled?”
This article appears in the April 2011 issue of Chicago magazine.
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You'd think this guy growing up in Gary, Indiana and playing for the White Sox and he appeared as being a small town guy who found suucess and that he would be a decent guy but from all the accounts I've heard this guy is a total a**hole! Jerk!!!
It's interesting that I came across this article, because it had recently crossed my mind as to what had become of some college athletes. In particular, Mark Aguirre, Teddy Grubbs and Terry Cummings from DePaul's NCAA glory days. Maybe you could do a follow-up story on these guys and other college and high school phenoms that did not complete a pro career, but were still a part of Chicago's sports history. As for this article, I am very impressed and pleased at the way you have taken several excellent role models for young athletes and shown them in a positive light. Please continue the good work.
What about Tom O'Hara, the first native of the U.S. state of Illinois to break the four-minute barrier for the mile run. He accomplished this feat in 1963 when he ran the mile in 3:59.4.
He also held the world record for fastest mile in indoor track, which was set when he ran the mile in 3:56.6 on February 13, 1964. He later beat that record on March 6 of the same year with a time of 3:56.4, a world record that stood for fourteen years.
THANE OF CAWDOR: you are a buffoon. An individual as uneducated (look at your grammar) and uninformed (White Sox?) should not be permitted to post comments to any blog. Carmen was a fan favorite and player's player because of his generosity and fiery competitiveness, among many other great qualities. It is obvious you have some personal ax to grind, and I doubt you you have ever held as much as a minimum wage job. Carmen was the ultimate in class as Cub, and he is certainly all of that as a human-being. Several friends of mine and I know this from personal experience.
@THANE OF CAWDOR...u must be talking about a different Steve Trout...the one I know who pitched for the Cubs/White Sox/Yankees and Seattle,is a classy gentleman and one of the nicest guys I have ever met. One I am proud to call a friend!