Lake Forest College Lake Forest, Illinois
The Lake Forest College Contact Football Camp is a camper favorite. With top-notch instruction, premier competition, and the opportunity to attend a camp that incorporates full contact drills campers leave camp ready to compete at the next level!
Jim Catanzaro has been directing Contact Football Camps for the past six summers and heads into his seventh camp as a Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year Finalist. Along with a reputable coaching career, Coach Catanzaro demonstrates a high level of enthusiasm, passion, and energy.
Highlights Include
- Individual Camp ages 8-18
- Grouping by age, weight and ability
- Contact Drills and Scrimmages
- Contact Football Camp T-shirt and Prizes
- Great exposure to college coaches
- Daily training to develop speed, strength and agility
Lake Forest College is a coeducational undergraduate institution located just 30 miles north of Chicago in the small city of Lake Forest, Illinois. One of the most beautiful suburbs on Chicago’s North Shore, Lake Forest provides a secure, supportive environment for the College. The beautiful 107-acre campus sits just a few blocks from Lake Michigan and is within walking distance of the train station and the shops, cafés, and restaurants of downtown Lake Forest.
Meet your coaching staff
Camp Director
Jim Catanzaro
The 2013 season will be the fifth as Lake Forest College's head coach for Jim Catanzaro, who will also serve as the team's defensive coordinator for the eight straight year.
Catanzaro's 2012 team went 8-2 overall, claimed a share of the Midwest Conference championship with a league mark of 8-1, and won eight consecutive games, the longest single-season streak in program history. Catanzaro was named MWC Coach of the Year and running back Al Mitchell was selected as the league's Offensive Player of the Year. Linebacker Jordan Cruz, cornerback Ed Dobernig, defensive end Jake Rotkvich, tackle Will Savor, and wide receiver Austin Sobey joined Mitchell as First Team All-MWC selections and Lake Forest had a league-high 13 players overall earn all-conference honors. Quarterback Pete Scaffidi finished his career with the most touchdowns and the highest completion percentage and pass efficiency rating in school history. Mitchell and Scaffidi were selected by the American Football Coaches Association to play in the Tazon de Estrellas All-Star Game and Catanzaro was the defensive coordinator for the Stars and Stripes team.
The 2011 Foresters set or tied 26 school records, including single-season team marks for points and yards per game. Scaffidi and wide receiver Kevin Davis shattered the previous program records with 2,910 passing yards and 1,282 receiving yards, respectively. Safety Luke Butts led the defense with 80 tackles and moved into fourth place in program history with 329 stops in his career. Butts and Davis were First Team All-Midwest Conference selections while four other Foresters were named to the second team. Davis and Scaffidi earned All-American honors from Beyond Sports College Network. The Academic All-Midwest Conference honorees were announced in the spring of 2012 and a program record-tying 11 Foresters made the list, raising the three-year total with Catanzaro as head coach to 31.
The 2010 team's offense was also led by Davis, who caught 46 passes for 688 yards and 11 touchdowns. Dobernig tied for second in the Midwest Conference with six interceptions and Butts ranked fifth with 90 tackles. Tim Gruzwalski was 6-for-7 on field goals and was one of the squad's six All-MWC selections.
A dozen Foresters earned All-MWC honors and nine program records were broken or tied in 2009, Catanzaro's first year as the team's head coach. The offense was led by First Team All-MWC wide receiver Dan Carter, who caught a team record 77 passes for 999 yards and 11 touchdowns and is the program's career leader in all three categories. The defense tied for 18th in the country in turnovers forced per game and had three players earn Second Team All-MWC recognition and four others receive honorable mention.
Under Catanzaro's direction, the 2008 Lake Forest defense had a pair of First Team All-MWC selections and four others earned honorable mention. The team ranked second in the league in pass defense and red zone defense and tied-for-fifth in total defense. Five Foresters ranked among the top 20 in the conference in tackles and the unit was represented among the top five in the league in sacks, tackles for loss, and interceptions.
Lake Forest ranked third in the MWC against the run in 2007 and individual Foresters ranked among the top four in the league in tackles, interceptions, and passes defended. Six Foresters on that side of the ball earned all-conference honors, including a pair of first team selections.
Lake Forest led the league in total defense and ranked 17th in the country in pass efficiency defense in 2006. Seven players on the defense were named all-conference, including a first team lineman, linebacker, and defensive back.
Read Full BioCatanzaro came to Lake Forest from NCAA Division II Wingate University, where he was the defensive line coach for three seasons. The Bulldog defense tallied 86 sacks, led the South Atlantic Conference in turnovers twice, and helped the 2004 team post the best single-season record in the program's history. In addition, a pair of Wingate players earned All-American honors under his direction. He was also the head strength coach for all Wingate sports.
Prior to his time at Wingate, Catanzaro served as the defensive line coach, recruiting coordinator, and head strength coach for three seasons at Glenville State College. The Pioneers claimed the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title in 2001 and he was a member of that year's SAC Coaching Staff of the Year.
Catanzaro graduated from Greenville College where he started every game of his career and earned all-conference honors on both sides of the ball. He also handled all the long snapping duties. The team captured a conference championship his senior season.
While at Greenville, Catanzaro also lettered twice in basketball and once in tennis.
Catanzaro, his wife Catherine, and their son Caden reside in Zion.
Sample Daily Schedule
- Day 1
- 8:30 a.m. Clinic Campers Check In
- 11:00 a.m. All Skills Camp Check In/Rules/Orientation
- 2:00 p.m. Regular Camp Schedule
- Days 2-4
- 7:15 a.m. Wake Up/Stretch/Run
- 7:45 a.m. Breakfast
- 9:00 a.m. Practice #1, Offensive Emphasis
- 11:30 a.m. Lunch/Free Time
- 2:00 p.m. Practice #2, Defensive Emphasis
- 4:00 p.m. Day Campers Depart
- 4:30 p.m. Free Time/Dinner
- 6:45 p.m. Practice #3, Competition
- 815 p.m. Evening Activities, Meetings, Speakers
- 9:00 p.m. Extended Day Campers Depart
- 10:00 p.m. Lights Out
- Day 5
- 7:15 a.m. Stretch/Run
- 7:45 a.m. Breakfast, Warm Up, Drill Recap
- 9:00 a.m. Games
- 12:00 p.m. Camp Check Out
Great coach to player ratios
The coach to player ratio exceeded my expectations. It allowed more reps as well as individual attention to improve my technique at my position. The coaching staff was very knowledgeable and professional. It was rare to have so many Head Coaches of football programs participate in a football camp
Outstanding football camp, Superb Coaches
Football camp was outstanding! Coaches were superb. A sports camp, especially football, could NOT have been better!!
The campers included all ages
My son was the youngest camper at the Contact Football Camp at Lake Forest. Initially I was nervous about him participating, but the camp counselors made sure he was in a group with kids around his same size. He was easily immersed into the games/drills by all. The kids were great and he had a wonderful time. We will be sending him again next year.
I learned so much
I had a great time! I played the offensive and defensive positions that I wanted. Thank you! The coaches seemed tough at first, but in the end I learned so much. I really appreciate the time the coaches spent with me! I met new friends who will be coming back next year and so will I.
Parent
Coaches and Counselors were fantastic role models!
We were so impressed with the professionalism, dedication and organization of the camp. The coaches and counselors were fantastic role models for our son. We were more than impressed! Thanks!