Dave Mattio, the longtime athletic director and football coach at Marian Catholic High School, died Wednesday, Sept. 7 after a battle with cancer. He was 68.
A native of Chicago Heights, Mattio graduated from Marian Catholic in 1966 and earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Northern Illinois University. He was now a resident of Grant Park.
He returned to Marian Catholic in 1971 and was named athletic director in 1974. He served as head varsity football coach from 1976 to 2012.
Teams under his leadership made 20 Illinois High School Association (IHSA) playoff appearances, and won the 1993 Class 4A State Championship, were four IHSA semifinalists and won the Chicagoland Prep Bowl Championship in 2000.
With Mattio as coach, Marian Catholic football won seven conference championships, including two in the Illini-8 Conference, four in the East Suburban Catholic Conference and one in the Catholic Metropolitan Conference Blue Division.
In 2013, Marian Catholic dedicated the Dave Mattio Field in his honor at the school’s stadium. The school also established a Mattio Family Scholarship.
Mattio is survived by his wife, Jody; their children Jennifer, Jolie, Jeannie, Jamie and Joshua; 15 grandchildren and his mother, Leonora Mattio.
Funeral services are pending.