Benedictine Military School
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (July 2007) |
| Benedictine Military School | |
| Location | |
|---|---|
| Savannah, Georgia Chatham, | |
| Information | |
| Type | Private, all-male, military |
| Established | 1902 |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Enrollment | 300 |
| Nickname | Cadets |
| Accreditation(s) | Southern Association of Colleges and Schools |
| Yearbook | The Sabre |
| Affiliations | Roman Catholic, Benedictine |
| Website | www.bcsav.net |
Benedictine Military School (also referred to as Benedictine or more commonly, just BC) is a Benedictine, military, all-male high school located in Savannah, Georgia, United States. It was founded in 1902 by Benedictine monks. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Savannah.
Contents |
[edit] Academics
Students at the school must take two years of JROTC. The last two years are optional. The school dropped its military tradition of uniforms only requiring them twice a week and students wear standardized school attire the rest of the week.
[edit] History
The Benedictine monks landed at Priests' Landing near Modena Island, led by Bishop Leo Haid, off the coast of Savannah in 1874. The monks were mostly of German descent, and shortly began missionary work amongst newly freed slaves. Later, under the control of Belmont Abbey of North Carolina, the Benedictines established an abbey at 31st and Habersham Streets. Recognizing the need for a Catholic boys' school in Savannah, they established Benedictine College in 1902. In 1906, the groundbreaking ceremony was performed on the ground that would become the school's campus on Bull Street. In 1920, the school changed their name to Benedictine School because of the confusion that Benedictine was a college. However, the nickname "BC" stuck regardless. In 1964, the school moved to its current campus located on Seawright Drive on the southside of Savannah.
Shortly after moving to the new loaction, the Benedictines of Belmont Abbey turned the school over to St. Vincent's Abbey in Latrobe. Along with this change came the removal of the four year mandatory military program.
Leo Haid's coat of arms, a lion with ten stars above (symbolizing the ten priests that first arrived), is still used to this day at Benedictine.
[edit] Student activities
[edit] Athletics
| Fight Song |
|---|
| The school's fight song, sung to the tune of the Washington and Lee Swing, references BC's age-old rivalry with cross-town rival Savannah High School, or simply "High School":
(A speaker or leader will usually say "Hut 1 Hut 2" to begin the song) Come fall in line you men of ole BC, And we will win another victory For when we meet that High School team today, We're gonna beat them well and now we say, we say We're gonna fight, fight, fight for every yard, Circle the ends and hit that line right hard, We're gonna drive old High School off the sod, off the sod For ole BC! |
Benedictine has won state championships in baseball (1961), golf (1983, 1985, 1993), and inline hockey (2004). Benedictine's football program receives more fan participation than any other sport at the school. Games are held at municipal stadia (BC, nor any of Savannah's public high schools except for Groves, have on-campus stadiums). Memorial Stadium has traditionally hosted the Cadets' home games.
[edit] Football
- The Mell Era (1940s - 1960s)
Former graduate Vic Mell headed the program for over twenty years and led the school to its the first region title.
- The Walsh Era (1970–1994)
It was announced in 1970 that Jim Walsh of Pacelli Catholic in Columbus would be the Cadets' next coach, replacing head coach Mike Coburn, a 1964 graduate of Benedictine. Walsh is credited for having turned around BC football seemingly instantaneously. There were certainly other factors at play that made Walsh's transition easier than most (regional realignments in the late 60's no longer forced BC to play state powerhouses like Albany, Coffee Co., and Richmond Academy during the regular season, and public busing changed the face of once powerful city teams), but Walsh was clearly responsible for bringing a fresh attitude that balanced his quieter demeanor with a no-nonsense approach. He introduced the wishbone and led the Cadets to numerous playoff appearances in the 70s and 80s, including 4 undefeated regular seasons (1977, 1980, 1981, and 1982) and a state semifinal run in 1978. There were some down years in the late 80s and early 90s, but by 1993 the team was back above the fold, as signaled by a miracle last-second victory over 6th-ranked Savannah High. Walsh announced his retirement after another 8-win season in 1994, leaving behind an astounding 185-82-1 record as head coach.
- The Brackett Era (1995–2005)
Coach Tom Brackett took the reins of BC Football from the legendary Coach Walsh in 1995. In his first season, he led BC to its first state playoff appearance since the mid-1980s. In his second year, he coached one of the greatest teams in the school's history, leading the Cadets to the third round of the state playoffs. An overtime victory over Northside, a dramatic upset of #1-ranked La Grange on the road, and a heartbreaking 14-13 loss to Lowndes made for arguably the most exciting run in BC playoff history. Four fumbles and a missed extra point was all that kept the Cadets from playing in the Georgia Dome that year. Several additional successful seasons followed, including 4 more playoff appearances and a region championship in 2000, the school's first in nearly 20 years. The Cadets failed to make the playoffs from 2001 to 2006. For the first time since 1992, the Cadets suffered a losing season, going 4-6 in 2003. That same year, Brackett helped make the risky decision to switch classifications, dropping down from AAAAA to AAA. The Cadet struggled through a demoralizing 2-8 season in 2004. They did manage to improve to 5-5 for the 2005 season, but Brackett resigned at the end of the year.
- The Herndon Era (2006-present)
After Brackett's resignation in January 2006, it was announced that former South Effingham Coach Bob Herndon would take the helm. Herndon, a 1970 graduate of Benedictine, has a prestigious 30-year record as one of the winningest high school coaches in Georgia history. Herndon immediately returned BC to its triple option roots. Thin and injury-plagued, the Cadets went 3-7 in 2006. The team improved to 6-5 in 2007 and made the playoffs for the first time in six years, only to fall to eventual state title runner-up Cairo in the first round. In 2008 the Cadets moved to Region 2-AA.
[edit] Athletic rivalries
- Savannah High
The Cadets have a long-standing rivalry (the oldest in the state of Georgia) with the Savannah High School Blue Jackets. For generations, the schools' football teams would face each other at Grayson Stadium on Thanksgiving Day. The day before the game, BC traditionally held a parade full of students and alumni on Broughton Street downtown. The city split into two factions, with the city's Catholics and Jews associated with BC clashing with the Protestants of "High School." Fights and pranks between fans and students of the schools were common in what was known as the "Catholic vs. Cracker" rivalry. The rivalry was also often referred to as "The Crackers vs. The Irish", because, regardless of whether a B.C. Cadet was Irish, Jewish, German, Italian, Greek, or Chinese, all B.C. Boys were considered "Irish" in Savannah. The intensity culminated on Thursday afternoon, when all of Savannah would pack the stands to cheer on their team. Before movie theaters, TV, and video games, it was for a long time the largest, most anticipated family/social event of the year in the city.
A confluence of factors has severely dampened the rivalry in recent decades. In 1959, Memorial Stadium was completed, and the two teams would no longer face each other at Grayson. This coincided with the explosive growth of the city's southside, which diluted the traditional, non-Catholic "High School" fan base via the creation of new public schools like Jenkins and Windsor Forest and private schools like Savannah Christian and Calvary. Finally, the creation of a mid-November playoff schedule has prevented a Thanksgiving Day matchup.
- Glynn Academy
Another traditional rival of the Cadets are the Red Terrors of Glynn Academy from Brunswick. Glynn is especially known for its strong, rowdy fan base. Loyal Terror fans compete with Cadet fans as the most loyal and cocky in the Coastal Empire. When the two teams square off against each other in football, basketball, or soccer, there is usually tension between players and fans. Such heated animosity and fan support is rare among other schools in the region.
[edit] Student traditions
- St. Patrick's Day
Savannah's St. Patrick's Day parade is the second largest in the nation. The Corps of Cadets has marched in every parade since 1903. Many BC alumni have been elected Grand Marshall of the parade. Another St. Patrick's Day Parade tradition is for St. Vincent girls, clad in bright red lipstick, to run up and kiss cadets on the cheek.
- Commissioning
The school's senior military cadets are commissioned as JROTC officers at a school-wide ceremony on a Saturday night in late September. Freshmen Cadets are required to bring dates for the ceremony and dance afterwards. For many young ladies throughout the city, being invited to commissioning is a huge deal. One tradition is for each senior's date to fervently try to put on his newly-acquired ranks on his epaulets as quickly as possible once instructed. The officer whose date takes the longest time to fulfill this task is usually responsible for buying the entire senior class a round of Coca-Colas.
- Gannam Day
George K. Gannam, a 1938 Benedictine graduate, was killed at Pearl Harbor and was the first Savannah resident to die during World War II. The school holds a military review and formal ceremony on or around Pearl Harbor Day (December 7) each year to commemorate Staff Sergeant Gannam. The American Legion Post 184, named in his honor, presents the Gannam Award to the most outstanding sophomore cadet and the God and Country Award to an outstanding senior cadet. The school also presents the Gannam family an American flag which, in turn, the Gannam family gives back to the school to fly on the flagpole for the following year.
[edit] Notable Alumni
| Name | Class year | Notability | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Josh Mallard | 1997 | While a senior at Benedictine, Mallard led the 1996 football squad (arguably the best in the school's history) to the state quarterfinals as a defensive lineman, with 168 tackles and 36 sacks. He went on to play for the University of Georgia, leading the Bulldog defense in number of sacks as well. He then played for the Indianapolis Colts during the 2002–2003 season, and followed by the Atlanta Falcons. Currently, Mallard is a DT with the Denver Broncos who signed the UGA alumnus out of free agency earlier in 2007. | |
| Stratton Leopold | 1961 | Stratton is currently a producer in Hollywood with credits in over 20 movies. Some of his more famous works were being the co-producer for The General's Daughter and The Sum of All Fears. Most recently he was the executive producer for Mission: Impossible 3. He has also remained active in the Savannah business community, returning the family run Leopold's Ice Cream to the historic district. | |
| Ken "Hawk" Harrelson | 1959 | Professional baseball player for a number of teams including the Kansas City Athletics, Boston Red Sox, and Cleveland Indians. His best year was in 1968 when he led the American League in RBIs with 109. Currently he is a broadcaster for Chicago White Sox |
[edit] References
[edit] Additional reading
"GHSA Boys Golf Champions". Retrieved on 2008-08-25.
[edit] External links
- www.bcsav.net -- Official web site
|
|||||||||||
