Danish-born Paul Madsen enrolled at Knox in 1964 after graduating from Proviso East High School in Maywood, Illinois. Paul became a United States citizen that same year. While at Knox, Paul excelled on the basketball court where he earned three varsity letters and served as the team captain his junior and senior years.
During his sophomore year, Paul led the team in scoring, averaging 15.7 points per game, and converted an amazing 51.4 percent of his field goal attempts. He also was a Midwest Conference all-conference honorable mention selection. During Paul’s junior year he averaged 15.6 points and 7.8 rebounds per game – and again was selected to the all-conference team.
In his final year as a three-year starter, Paul continued to post consistent and impressive statistics becoming the first Knox basketball player to score more than 1,000 points in a career, breaking the record held previously by fellow Hall of Fame member Otis Cowan, class of 1964. By this point in his career, Paul also had established himself as one of Knox’s all-time best rebounders and for the third straight year averaged over 15 points per game. In addition, for the second straight year, Paul was the team’s leading defensive player, helping the Siwash earn top-20 national rankings for team defense.
Off the court, Paul was president of the senior class and vice president of the K-Club, as well as a member of the Friars Club and Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity.
Former head basketball coach and athletic director Harley Knosher described Paul’s career at Knox “as one of the most outstanding ones — especially when you consider he played only one year of high school basketball and only one game his freshman year here because of a broken wrist. Paul was one of the most consistent players I have known at Knox, and — more importantly — he was consistently very good. He was an outstanding college basketball player in all facets of the game.”
After Knox, Paul taught physics and coached at Hinsdale South High School for over 30 years. He currently teaches at Rosary High School in Aurora. Paul and his wife, Diane, a 1967 graduate of Knox who worked in the Knox athletics department at one time, reside in Downers Grove, Illinois. Their son, Erik, also graduated from Knox in 1997 -- as did several of Paul's nieces and nephews, including fellow Knox-Lombard Hall of Fame member Kjeld Sorenson.
