David L. Bacon
Men's Basketball (1989-1991)
NJCAA First Team All-American basketball player in 1990-1991
Region IV and Skyway Conference Most Valuable Player in 1990-1991
Two-time All-Region and All-Skyway selection
Waubonsee’s Male Athlete of the Year in 1990-1991
When it is cooked, bacon sizzles. But it was the Chiefs’ opponents on the basketball court who David Bacon often burnt to a crisp. Lightning quick, yet silky smooth, the 5’10” shooting guard from Aurora West High School was the marquee performer on a pair of nationally-ranked Waubonsee teams. Coach Dave Heiss recalls how Bacon “even at his height, could score from anywhere. He could post you up, or take you outside with his shooting ability, or drive to the basket with his quickness.”
After garnering All-State Special Mention status for the Blackhawks in 1989, Bacon continued to improve once he put on the Chiefs’ #20 uniform. He earned All-Region and All-Skyway Conference First Team honors as a freshman in 1989-1990, helping the Chiefs compile a 27-7 record and reach as high as fifth in the NJCAA national rankings during the season. Bacon was a key ingredient in the Chiefs’ capturing the Skyway Conference title, which in turn contributed heavily to Waubonsee winning the Skyway’s All-Sports Award that year for the second time in school history.
Bacon followed this breakout season with an even better campaign his sophomore year in 1990-1991. He averaged 23 points-per-game and was named an NJCAA First Team All-American. Bacon was selected the Most Valuable Player of both the Skyway Conference and the Region IV. He was instrumental in leading the Chiefs to another Skyway title, as well as Waubonsee’s first-ever Region IV basketball championship and a berth in the NJCAA Division II National Tournament. Waubonsee was ranked second nationally in the NJCAA’s final regular season poll, the highest ever for a Chiefs’ team in any sport. They went on to place seventh at the National Tournament, finishing the season with a school-record 29 wins. To cap off his Chiefs’ career, Bacon was chosen as Waubonsee’s Male Athlete of the Year for 1990-1991.
“He was passionate about the game, and always had that infectious smile and energy, which rubbed off on everyone else” declares Heiss. After Waubonsee, a different passion made Bacon sizzle with delight. He moved down to Mississippi for eight years, where he became an accomplished Gospel singer. Bacon has since moved back to Aurora, and now serves as the Assistant Pastor at Grace Deliverance Outreach Ministry in Aurora. He also currently works for the Weyerhaeuser Company in their production and distribution center.