The Battle of the Bridge Tournament evolved from the merger of the Gordon Tech Thanksgiving Tournament and the Lane Tech Thanksgiving Tournament. Lane Tech began its tournament in 1997 under the leadership of former head coach Frank Lollino Sr. After Coach Lollino’s passing in 1999, the Lane Tech tournament was named in his honor and became one of the elite Thanksgiving Tournaments throughout Chicagoland for 18 years. There have been countless NCAA Division I, II, III, and NAIA or Junior College players to come through the event including current NBA star Iman Shumpert of the Cleveland Cavaliers (Oak Park-River Forest High School, 2008 MVP). In 2014, current head coaches Nick LoGalbo of Lane Tech and Tom Kleinschmidt of DePaul Prep (formerly Gordon Tech) met to discuss the expansion of the tournament into an eight-team round robin event played on two sites at their respective schools. The tournament would culminate in a cross-over game on the last night to name a tournament champion. Coaches LoGalbo and Kleinschmidt played for their respective schools and hold the utmost respect for the traditions of each program. With the two schools close proximity to the Chicago River's Addison Street Bridge, the Battle of the Bridge Tournament was born.