By Joe Scarriot ‘23

The greatest achievement as a Brother Rice athlete is to be inducted into the Circle of Champions. Members of the Circle of Champions have all made a name for themselves as a Crusader. George Escobarete ‘91 joins this honorable group of very few.

George Escobarete played baseball at Brother Rice and created an impressive resume for himself as a pitcher. In the 1991 season, George was voted as team MVP by his teammates. He struck out batters left and right with 75 strikeouts. George was not only a starter, but also a closer for the Crusaders. He led the Crusaders to a 25-7 record, won the Catholic League South, and pitched in 19 of the 32 games that season. George was inducted into the Brother Rice Baseball Hall of Fame in 1997.

Longtime friend Dave Scarriot said, ¨When George was on the mound, the Crazies had to rally up. He had the potential to throw a no-hitter every game. ¨

George’s baseball career did not stop after Brother Rice. He pitched for the University of St. Francis, and even experienced a run in the NCAA College World Series.

Currently, George is a firefighter for the Chicago Fire Department. He coaches his son Joey’s travel baseball team. This past year his team was ranked No. 20 in the nation. The team has won countless tournaments through the years, including the Cooperstown tournament in 2021.

The Escobarete name lives on in the halls of Brother Rice through son George Escobarete ‘25. George plays volleyball for the Crusaders and is very proud of his father.

“I was shocked and proud of him,” said George ‘25. “I always heard he was amazing at baseball. He even coached my brother to win it all in Cooperstown last year.”

However, George ‘91 feels the Circle of Champions has a deeper meaning than just being honored as a baseball player: “I was proud with being in the Hall of Fame for baseball, but never thought I’d do anything beyond that at Brother Rice. When I received the call, I was extremely excited; not for myself, but for my two sons’ perception of me. They only know me as their father, an old man, and not someone who played a sport and excelled in it. This induction is very humbling, and hopefully my boys are beyond proud to call me dad.”

Come on out to the Brother Rice football game on October 14 at 7 p.m. George and other new members will be inducted into the Circle of Champions.