Mike Berman

1 month ago | nbcchicago.com | Mike Berman

Northwestern men’s basketball coach Chris Collins is smiling ear-to-ear after agreeing to a contract extension that will keep him in Evanston for several more years. Collins, the only men’s coach in school history to lead his team to the NCAA Basketball Tournament, is 43 wins shy of setting the program record for victories, and is coming off a third straight winning season with the Wildcats.

1 month ago | nbcchicago.com | Mike Berman

Days after announcing he was stepping down as head coach of the DePaul women's basketball team following 38 years at the helm, Doug Bruno is sharing his story after a stroke caused him to miss the entire 2024-25 season. After suffering a stroke last August, Bruno faced a daunting road to recovery. "I was not aware of anything that was going on around me the entire month of September, the entire month of October and a couple weeks into November," Bruno said.

Jan 13, 2025 | nbcchicago.com | Mike Berman

Once upon a time, Mark Gronowski was a lightly recruited quarterback at Neuqua Valley High School in Naperville. “In high school, I was pretty under-recruited,” Gronowski remembers. “I only had the one scholarship offer to South Dakota State.”Things worked out okay for him there, as he led the Jackrabbits to a pair of national championships and won 49 games as a starter, tied for the most in FCS history.

Jul 24, 2024 | nbcchicago.com | Mike Berman

For 15 seasons in the NFL, from his position on the interior of the defensive line, Steve McMichael made life miserable for opposing offenses. Twice, his play earned him a spot on the NFL’s All-Pro First Team. He was also chosen to play in two Pro Bowls. He racked-up 95 sacks, including 92.5 with the Bears, and he helped Chicago’s venerable 1985 team capture the Super Bowl. Inside the home he shares with his wife Misty in Homer Glen, mementos from that decorated career are everywhere.

Jul 20, 2024 | nbcchicago.com | Mike Berman

A little more than a decade ago, Max Strus was roaming the halls of Stagg High School in Palos Hills. Despite only receiving one Division I scholarship offer, Strus had big dreams for his future. “High schools always have career planner classes and all those things, and professional athlete was always my thing,” Strus remembers with a laugh. “The teacher was always like, ‘Okay, can you give me something else?’ I was like, ‘That’s really all I want to do’.”Strus graduated from Stagg in 2014.