Nazareth Academy head football coach Tim Racki gladly attended another special NFL draft party this past weekend. Chaddrian “CJ” West, a 2020 Nazareth graduate, was selected in the fourth round by the San Francisco 49ers with the 113th overall pick Saturday. The 49ers were 6-11 in 2024 after losing to the Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII the previous season.
West, a 6-foot-1, 316-pound defensive tackle, is coming off an outstanding season for Indiana University.
West continues the Nazareth tradition of NFL selections. In 2024, quarterback JJ McCarthy was the No. 10 first-round selection by the Minnesota Vikings. In 2019, Julian Love, a 2016 graduate, was selected in the fourth round by the New York Giants and currently plays for the Seattle Seahawks.
“Oh yeah, it’s special. They’re not only obviously great football players but great people,” said Racki of the trio.
“[West] knew from his agent [about being drafted]. I knew from the year he had and from the [NFL] combine he had that it was going to be coming.”
This year, Racki attended the draft party in Lemont at the home of a friend of West. The party continued Friday and Saturday because there was speculation West might go as early as the third round.
“He’s a great kid, very kind. Teammates loved him. Very grounded because of his mother,” Racki said. “You see him on the football field and he’s this imposing physical monster with a high motor, but once he takes that helmet off, he’s a kind person, the best smile you’ve ever seen.”
As a senior transfer for Indiana, West tied his career-best with 40 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, and two sacks. He’s the highest-drafted Indiana defensive player since 2008.
West played at Kent State (Ohio) his first three college seasons and started 35 games. For his college career, he had 150 tackles (68 solos) with 27 for loss and nine sacks plus two forced fumbles and fumble recoveries.
The Hoosiers (11-2, 8-1 in Big Ten) made their first College Football Playoff, losing their first-round game at Notre Dame 27-17.
West and McCarthy were teammates on the Roadrunners’ 2018 Class 7A state championship team. West was a three-year starter who was all-conference as a senior and honorable mention as a junior.
“He always had the mindset. What really helped was when he got to Kent State, the colleges have much more specialized nutrition, speed training and weight training. He embraced that tenfold,” Racki said.
“The first time he came back [and visited], he was chiseled, an adonis, and kept putting in the time. He put in the physical traits because he always had the mental attributes.”
Nazareth baseball
Mike Spidale, a 2000 Nazareth graduate, became the program’s first baseball player to have his uniform number (No. 10) retired during ceremonies, April 8.
The 2000 All-Midwest and All-State Spidale was drafted in the 12th round by the Chicago White Sox in 2000. He played 13 seasons with the White Sox and Philadelphia Phillies’ Class AAA and AA affiliates.
For Nazareth, Spidale had career totals of .497 batting average (.548 senior year), 19 home runs, 13 triples, 19 home runs and 47 steals in 48 attempts.
Now living in Reading, Pennsylvania, Spidale is owner/coach of the Berks County Bulls baseball program and a hitting coach for Penn State Schuylkill Baseball (ECAC).
“I was a first-year head coach in 2000 when Michael was a senior. Besides the obvious baseball talent that Michael showed on a daily basis, his work ethic was elite for a high school student-athlete,” said current Nazareth coach Lee Milano in a statement.
“Michael strived for perfection. He carried that same work ethic into professional baseball where he was known as a grinder and blue-collar player. We have had many talented individuals in the program over the last 30 years, none more accomplished during their high school and pro careers than Michael. He is very deserving of this honor and a great representative to be the first individual to have his number retired in the program.”
Spidale was inducted into the Nazareth Athletic Hall of Fame in 2008. He joins boys basketball’s Sean Pearson (No. 21) and football’s Julian Love (No. 20) in having their numbers retired by the school.