Athlete of the Week: 10 questions with Gavin Vradenburg, Loyola football

Gavin Vradenburg, of Deerfield, is a recent Loyola Academy graduate who was the Ramblers leading receiver (49 catches, 572 yards, 6 TDs) in 2024. Vradenburg will attend the U.S. Military Academy at West Point.

1. Do you have any pregame rituals or superstitions?

Every time before a game I would text my mom and tell her I love her. That’s literally the one thing I did. I didn’t care about anything else. When we played against DePaul, I was out on the field and I realized I didn’t do it. I ran back to the lockerroom, grabbed my phone, text my mom and ran back out.

2. Why West Point?

My grandfather went there, and truly I’ve always felt some sort of calling to the military. Thought about going to a state school and doing ROTC, but Loyola Academy made me into a man, made me proud of who I am and this is just my calling and something I felt I needed to do. When I visited there, people at West Point who are very similar to me — athletic, go-getter type of guys … who choose to go to war for each other.

3. What was the biggest improvement for you between junior and senior seasons?

If I had to say, my mental strength. Junior year I was in my head a lot. I thought it would be easy. I had two Division I players in front of me. I was also the coach’s kid so I thought my dad would give me a little leeway, but turns out he was harder on me than anyone else on the field … and truly I’m glad for that it taught me a lot. So from junior to senior years, I realized it was up to me and nobody else and I wasn’t going to be given handouts, so I need to work for it. I grinded that whole offseason. I didn’t take a day off.

4. Your dad, Tyler Vradenburg, is Loyola’s offensive coordinator. What’s something that is surprising about that dynamic?

He was so hard on me it was ridiculous. You can ask any of the guys on that team. … If I had a bad practice, we would not talk on the way home and I would hide from him. But being on the field with him, it truly made me such a better player. I know he is hard on me for a reason. Winning state and being a big part of that with him by my side was probably the coolest moment in my life. He and I are so close, and I think throughout the season we got even closer.

5. If you could play another sport, what would it be?

Rugby. At West Point, looking to walk on for football and if that doesn’t work out, I’m trying out for the rugby team. It is similar to football, and receivers don’t get to hit that much … but I love getting hit. So rugby would be a good spot for me, especially at West Point where I heard there are a lot of guys who didn’t make the football team.

6. Who is your favorite athlete?

It’s probably Derek Jeter (MLB — retired). I grew up watching the Yankees and I admired his leadership on and off the field. He was known as the greatest leader of all time. I had a FatHead of him on my room at age 6, probably. I played baseball growing up. I didn’t start playing football until 13 or 14, so baseball was my sport and I played shortstop as well, so he was always my inspiration.

7. What’s your favorite thing to do off the field?

If I had to say, I’d say reading. I really like reading. Just started a new book about American history; that’s something I really like. I’ve also taken a bit of guitar — not that much though. Reading is up there, and I have six horses at home, so taking care of them is a big job of mine. I love going out there. … Feeding them, taking care of them and being around them. I’d probably say I like that the most.

8. If you’re in Walgreens with a couple bucks, what are you buying?

A Milky Way. I love a good Milky Way. I don’t know why, but I’ve always loved it. My favorite candy bar.

9. What’s something people don’t know about you?

Probably the horses. A lot of people don’t know I have six acres in the back of my house and a lot of time I am out there taking care of my horses (Hugo, Yankee Doodle, Petey, Ivy and Napoleon) with my mom and my dad — my sister stays far away from them. And we also have a donkey too (Shrek).

10. What does Loyola football mean to you?

Loyola football means brotherhood to me. When you talk about Loyola football, you think about the connections we had. Last year, we were lucky enough to have a number of Division I recruits and Division III recruits, but we don’t play as ones, we play together. A lot of us hadn’t known each other for long, met each other in high school. I didn’t know Ryan (Fitzgerald, quarterback), Drew (MacPherson, running back), Will (Carlson, receiver) or Conlon (Kane, receiver) until high school, but immediately we formed a bond and those guys I can say are going to carry my casket and be at my wedding. I don’t think there was a single game where I went out there that I wasn’t sure that every single guy, to my right and left, was going to do their job.

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