MSL to MLB: Hard Hitting Runs in Crow-Armstrong Family
Father of Cubs Top Prospect was Star Linebacker for Naperville Central
A junior linebacker from Naperville Central named Matt Armstrong would have been prominently featured in Conant coach Dave Pendergast’s scouting report for their 1989 Class 6A playoff opener. The hard-hitting Armstrong was on the way to earning consecutive defensive player of the year awards in the prestigious DuPage Valley Conference.
Naperville Central and the 5-foot-11, 200-pound Armstrong would play stifling defense and lead deep into the fourth quarter. But touchdown passes in the game’s final 4:37 from Rick Michael to Vic Pariso and Vaurice Patterson, who played football and basketball at Northern Illinois, propelled Conant to a 20-13 victory which started a run all the way to the semifinals in East St. Louis.
So, what’s the significance 34 years later? Armstrong is the father of Cubs outfielder Pete Crow-Armstrong, one of baseball’s top prospects who was called up from the minor leagues Monday and made his big-league debut in Denver. There has been a lot of mention of his parents’ careers as actors, and particularly his mom Ashley since she had a major role as the mom in the 1994 baseball movie “Little Big League.”
Matt Armstrong was getting his share of acclaim in his junior and senior seasons as a Daily Herald All-Area pick. He led the team with 104 tackles as a junior for legendary Naperville Central head coach Joe Bunge, who won 171 games in 20 years and a 6A state title over Schaumburg in 1999. Bunge said in Armstrong’s All-Area capsule, “To be our signal-caller as a junior - that’s very special.”
In his senior year, Naperville Central faced Wheaton Central in a Week 4 titanic tussle of evenly-matched unbeaten teams at Red Grange Field. Lindsey Willhite, who had a long and distinguished career at the Herald covering preps, colleges and pros, billed it as the state’s best defense and Armstrong against the state’s best running back in Marvell Scott.
Armstrong showcased a litte humor with Willhite.
“I think if Marvell Scott had a wooden leg, he would still get 100 yards,” Armstrong said. “He’s just so talented.” Willhite also wrote that a teammate labeled Armstrong “a psychotic killer.”
Scott, who played at Illinois and Delaware, came up 5 yards short of 100 but Wheaton Central came away with a 10-8 victory. Naperville Central would finish the regular season 6-3 and Willhite wrote a feature story on Armstrong before the playoff opener with unbeaten Downers Grove North and its quarterback named Dan Marino. Even though Armstrong was on the way to another top DVC defender award he wasn’t enamored with a season that would end with first-round loss.
“To be honest I haven’t been real pleased with my playing this year,” Armstrong told Willhite. “I don’t feel I’ve played to my potential so far.”
Bunge hoped Armstrong could get a Division I-AA (now Football Championship Subdivision) scholarship. But Armstrong seemed to realize his football days were nearing an end.
“Nobody’s been pounding down my door,” Armstrong told Willhite. “I’m not what you’d call a blue-chip prospect. I’m not 6-3, 230.”
Pete Crow-Armstrong’s hard-hitting ability at 5-11, 184 translates just fine on a different field. And he’s hoping to help the Cubs in a playoff push similar to the ones his dad experienced for Naperville Central more than 30 years ago.