Former Jacobs, Loyola Star Cameron Krutwig Gets Bobblehead Honor

ALGONQUIN, IL — Even before he became a fixture with the Loyola-Chicago men’s basketball team, Cameron Krugwig had made a name for himself at Jacobs High School.

The former two-time All-State selection finished his career as the school’s fourth all-time leading scorer and led Jacobs to a sectional championship and a 30-2 campaign. That's when the stage got bigger for Krutwig, who headed off to Loyola, where he helped guide the Ramblers to a Final Four appearance in 2018.

Now, Krutwig has been honored in a different form after the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum released a bobblehead bearing the former Rambler star on Tuesday as Loyola prepares for its NCAA Tournament appearance Friday against Ohio State in Pittsburgh.

The Krutwig bobblehead is being released on a limited basis and is the second Loyola bobblehead the Milwaukee-based Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum has released. The first, bearing the likeness of long-time Loyola chaplain Sister Jean, has been a fan favorite since the now 102-year-old chaplain has found an international stage.

For Krutwig, the bobblehead notoriety is just settling in. The Krutwig bobblehead is expected to be released in June and retails for $30 and will ship for $8. The bobblehead is only available through the Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum's online store.

The museum also announced the Sister Jean bobblehead is back in stock. The likeness of the fan-favorite is the Hall of Fame's top seller as the chaplain's popularity only continues to grow.

“I never thought I would have been on a bobblehead, but it’s a culmination of a lot of hard work and success,” Krutwig, who now plays professionally in Belgium, told Patch on Tuesday. “I don’t think mine will ever reach Sister Jean’s level, but we can try.”

In his four years at Loyola, the 6-foot-9 center started 130 of his 134 career games and averaged 13.7 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game while shooting 59 percent. He finished his college career with 1,833 points and 946 rebounds, which ranks fifth and seventh all-time on Loyola’s list. He also won three Missouri Valley Conference titles as a player and was the league’s Most Valuable Player during the Ramblers’ run to the Final Four.

He is one of four Missouri Valley Conference players to finish with 1,500 points, 800 rebounds and 300 assists joining Hall of Famers Oscar Robertson, Larry Bird, and former Bradley star Hersey Hawkins.

But while Krutwig is accustomed to the accolades, he along with Jacobs basketball coach Jimmy Roberts agree the newest honor is unique.

“Without question (the bobblehead) is very cool,” Roberts wrote in a text message to Patch. “Krutwig) became a bit of a cultural icon of sorts around this time last year and it doesn’t happen to a lot of guys.”

He added: “(The bobblehead) is nothing I would have ever thought about nor thought would ever happen. But Cam just keeps doing things you’d never think a former player would do….so nothing is shocking at this point with him.”

Krutwig said he worked through a long process with Hall of Fame founder Phil Sklar to make sure the bobblehead looked as realistic as possible. Sklar told Patch that each bobblehead is hand-crafted from clay and creators use several images of the person to make sure the likeness is "just right." Part of his most recognizable features became his facial hair, which he said started as something to do during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, but that quickly took on a life of its own. Sklar said making sure the mustache was on-point was key to nailing the Krutwig bobblehead.

Now, a year after Krutwig was part of a team that knocked off top-seeded Illinois to reach the Sweet 16 in last year’s NCAA Tournament, the former Jacobs standout is enjoying seeing himself in a new way — albeit in a form he never expected.

“It’s all good fun,” Krutwig told Patch, adding, “I think the ‘stache looks great.”