The story begins back in 1987. While most young men were hiding their older brother’s Playboys under their bed, Dylan had a secret stash of Volleyball Monthlys. Day and night he would study the finer details within, in his mind running drills and memorizing complex strategies. He knew that one day the time would come when the sands of beach volleyball would come calling.

Years later Dylan emerged from Notre Dame with three things in mind. First, he wanted to find a charming wife who could support him for many years and provide him with children who could support him for many more. Second, he wanted to find employment that would send him all over the country to exotic places like Providence, Rhode Island. And third, he wanted a famed beach volleyball career.

The first two goals speak for themselves, but the third is where Dylan became legendary. Playing alongside cab drivers, doctors, therapists, TV producers, real estate agents, and a bevy of other characters, Dylan emerged as a force on Chicago’s North Avenue Beach. Crowds would gather to watch him play, in awe of his awkward left-handed approach to the game.

Most memorable was his Steve Timmons volleyball, a relic from days gone by, and the 1987 shorts that he swore he’d wear forever. Bystanders came from far and wide – some even as far as Evanston – to witness his ritual-like arrival at North Avenue, soaring along the bike path from Fullerton at lightning speed. Hours would pass as gawkers came and went, all hoping for just a glimpse of Hogan himself.

Then in 2004, with his charming wife Patsy, The Mighty Nicholas, and little Karch & Kent, Dylan’s beach presence came to a screeching halt. Together they departed the familiar stretch of Lake Michigan for a state of the same name.

And just like that he was gone. But in his absence, a roster of wanna-be competitors gathered together to keep the competition at a fever pace. New stars were shining. New legends in the making. The Dylan Hogan Memorial Volleyball Circuit was born.