NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players: No. 48 - Shawn Wax, Harlem

The 48th player on our list was perhaps the most unheralded coming out of high school, but he set receiving records for the area that still stand 30 years later.

If you've just watched NIC-10 football for the last 20 years, all you know is that Harlem High School is a consistent winner. That wasn't the case in the 1980s when Shawn Wax was playing at Harlem.

The Huskies won just five games in Wax's two years on varsity (1984 and 1985) and one of those was a forfeit. Wax wasn't among the top receivers as a junior, but he was as a senior. He finished third in the conference in receptions (31) and fourth in receiving yards (436).

This was a particularly strong year for the conference with two of the players ahead of him in receiving yards (Clarence Miller and Mike Larson) being on our list of 100 greatest players and the other, Matt Bankord, played for the playoff-bound Belvidere Bucs.

So Wax had to settle for special mention All-NIC-10. That means, in our system, he received just one point for his high school career.

Wax's coach, Jerry Stalcup, played football at Wisconsin and in the AFL and NFL. He thought Wax had the size - 6-3 - and the hands to play in the Big Ten and personally lobbied Illinois coach Mike White to give Wax a look.

White liked tall receivers and he decided to take a chance on Wax. It took a while, but it worked out for both Wax and the Illini.

Wax redshirted his freshman year after breaking his collarbone. He played just a handful of plays the next year and then White resigned and was replaced by John Mackovic. Mackovic challenged Wax to take the game more seriously. In 1988, Wax played in all 11 games and had 15 catches for 260 yards and three touchdowns. He added 26 catches for 465 yards and another three scores in 1989.

In 1990, he had about as good a senior year as you can imagine. He led Illinois in receptions (60), receiving yardage (863) and touchdown receptions (6). He finished second in the Big 10 in receiving yards behind Heisman Trophy winner Desmond Howard. He even threw a 26-yard touchdown pass against Michigan.

These were good Illinois teams. The 1988 Illini went 6-5-1 and played in the All-American Bowl. The 1989 Illini were 10-2, winning the Citrus Bowl and finishing 10th in the final AP Poll. And the 1990 Illini were 8-4, playing in the Hall of Fame Bowl and ending the season ranked 25th.

Wax ended his Illinois career with 101 receptions for 1,588 yards and 12 touchdowns. That's 25 more catches and 402 more yards than the next highest on the list (Todd Jenkins).

The big senior year earned Wax an NFL shot. He signed with the Indianapolis Colts, but all of the receivers ahead of him had guaranteed deals. When he was released, his agent received offers from Canadian Football League teams. Instead, Wax decided to return to college - literally.

He's spent most of the past 30 years working in athletics or fundraising at the University of Illinois and University of Iowa. In 2017, he moved to Chicago to become vice president for development and alumni relations at Columbia College, one of the nation's top arts and media colleges.

No. 48 - Shawn Wax, Harlem
Year	Level	School	Accomplishments	Points
1984	High School	Harlem	Losing Team	0
1985	High School	Harlem	Special Mention All-Conference	1
1987	College	Illinois	Player on Power 5 Team	2
1988	College	Illinois	Letter Winner on Power 5 Team	4
			Winning Team	1
			Bowl Game	1
1989	College	Illinois	Letter Winner on Power 5 Team	4
			Starter	1
			Winning Team	1
			Bowl Game	1
1990	College	Illinois	Letter Winner on Power 5 Team	4
			Starter	1
			All-Conference	1
			Winning Team	1
			Bowl Game	1
			Career college record holder	1
1991	Pro Football	Colts	Signed as free agent	1
Total				26

NIC-10's 100 Greatest Football Players

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