1962 - 1963 All Conference Baseball

1963 - 1964 All Conference Baseball

1962 - 1963 All State Baseball

1963 - 1964 All State Baseball

1964 Most Valuable Player of Illinois State Tournament Baseball

Ed (Edward) Bruksch is a 1964 graduate ofNiles West High School. He is a throwback; a three sport athlete. Ed was a standout football, basketball, and baseball player for the Indians. He was a two year varsity guard on the basketball team. He was a two year starter on the varsity football team as a quarterback and safety.

Ed was team captain his senior year, racking up All Conference and All Area honors. He was recruited by the United States Air Force Academy, where he was their starting quarterback on the freshman team. His already impressive Niles West athletic career was highlighted by his accomplishments on the baseball field.
Ed was a three year starter on the baseball team as a shortstop and pitcher. He was the team MVP in 1963 and 1964, his junior and senior years. Both those years, Ed was nominated All Conference and All Area. In his senior year, Ed earned All State honors as a shortstop. In 1964 he led the Indians to a second place finish in the state tournament, where he was selected the Most Valuable Player of the state tournament.

After Ed’s freshman year at the Air Force Academy, he transferred to the University of Minnesota. Here he earned All Big Ten honors in 1966 as a sophomore. It was also in 1966 that Ed was chosen as a 6th round draft choice of the Chicago Cubs. Two years later, Ed earned a spot on the Cubs 1968 Major League Roster.