Jim Schwantz was born in Palatine (January 23, 1970) and feels fortunate to raise his family along with his wife Brenda, in Palatine.
Jim graduated from William Fremd High in 1988. In 1998, Fremd honored Jim with the title of “Distinguished Graduate” for his achievements in professional sports and service to the community.
Jim received a full scholarship to Purdue University, where he was a freshman All-American, All Big-Ten Player, team MVP and a recipient of the Kiwanis Citizenship Award. After earning a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology at Purdue, the Chicago Bears signed Jim to play professional football for his hometown team. In 1994, Jim was traded to the world champion Dallas Cowboys where he spent his next three seasons. Jim was a major contributor to the team’s success. While playing on the winning Super Bowl XXX team, he set a single season team high 32 tackles on special teams, and was selected to the Pro Bowl as the Special Team’s Player in 1996.
Jim also received the NFL's "Unsung Hero Award," given to those whose unselfish dedication and commitment to their community goes unrecognized. He was also the NFL Alumni's Special Teams Player of the year in 1996. The San Francisco 49ers signed Jim in 1997, and after playing there for a season, he came back to Chicago for his final season.
