John Klasen
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- Year:
- 1996
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- Hometown:
- Wonder Lake, Ill.
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- High School:
- Marian Central Catholic
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- Major:
- History, Education
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- Team:
- Football
John Klasen grew up in Wonder Lake, Illinois, and attended Marian Central Catholic High School. He earned all-conference, all-area, and team Most Valuable Player honors as a senior football player and was also an all-conference selection in baseball that year.
Klasen entered Lake Forest College in the fall of 1992 and lettered four years in football. He was a second team all-conference selection as a sophomore after setting a program record with 877 rushing yards. He shattered that mark with 1,352 yards the following season and also set team records with 285 carries, 15 rushing touchdowns, 17 overall touchdowns, 30.6 yards per kickoff return, and two kickoff return touchdowns (tied the record). Klasen was named First Team All-Midwest Conference that season and again as a senior, when he ran for 1,003 yards. He was voted the team’s Most Valuable Player following each of his final three seasons, becoming the first player in program history to accomplish the feat three times. He also served as a team captain his junior and senior years. Klasen finished as the Foresters’ career leader with 3,389 rushing yards, 646 carries, 24.1 yards per kickoff return, 29 rushing touchdowns, 32 overall scores, and 192 points. His marks in the first three categories were still program-highs at the time of his induction. He also amassed more than 200 yards receiving and threw a pair of touchdown passes during his career.
While on campus, Klasen was a member of the Brotherhood fraternity and volunteered for Habitat for Humanity and Misericordia. The history and education double-major became the first person in his family to earn a college degree in 1996.
Klasen taught history for a year at his high school alma mater and worked for the College as an admissions officer for three years. He earned a master’s degree in counseling from Northeastern University and served as a high school counselor and coach.