Christian Brothers College High School
History
Early years (1850–1916)
The school was founded in 1850 under the name St. Joseph's Academy by three French-speaking Christian Brothers who had come to St. Louis the previous year from Montreal, Quebec. In 1851, the school moved from its original location at 16th and Market Streets to 8th and Cerre Streets in downtown St. Louis, and the name changed to the "Academy of the Christian Brothers." In December 1855, the school was granted a college charter, becoming the Brothers' first U.S. institution to operate at the collegiate level.
In 1882, due to lack of space, the school moved to the "Cote Brilliante" campus in north St. Louis on the northeast corner of Easton Ave. and N. Kingshighway, where it served as a primary, secondary, and college boarding school for boys. At one point in the 1890s, more than half of St. Louis' clergy were graduates of CBC.
The Summer Olympic Games were held in St. Louis in 1904, the first Olympics to feature a competitive soccer (association football) tournament and to award medals in the sport. Concerns regarding team travel from Europe, and a lack of amateur players of the sport, were addressed when the Cadets of Christian Brothers College (along with the Raiders, a soccer team made up from members of St. Rose Parish Church Athletics Association) were invited to represent the United States in the association football tournament of the 1904 Summer Olympic Games. The only other entrant in the competition were the then-champions of Canada, from Galt, Ontario. The tournament was held in Francis Field in mid-November. The Canadians easily won the gold medal, but Christian Brothers College came second, and each member of the team was awarded a silver medal. Those remain the only Olympic medals awarded to a school or college. The second-place finish remains the best result achieved by a United States men's soccer team at the Olympic Games. The 11 members of the school team included three brothers, John, Thomas, and Charles January, and the youngest of the siblings was just 16 years old at the time. Charles, the last surviving member of the team, died in 1970.
On October 5, 1916, a fire destroyed the school, killing seven firefighters, two sick Brothers, and a nurse. Washington University in St. Louis allowed CBC to use the former Smith Academy building for the rest of the academic year.
Clayton Campus (1922–2003)
For several years, the brothers taught in parochial schools until a new "Christian Brothers College High School" was built at University Lane and Clayton Road in Clayton, Missouri. The school building was opened in 1922 and expanded several times over the following decades to accommodate increasing enrollment.
CBC long hosted an Army JROTC program; students were required to participate. Later, it became a voluntary program, and was disbanded in 1993.
In 1998, the CBC Board of Directors announced the school would move eight miles westward to a new campus in West St. Louis County.
West County Campus (2003–present)
The current campus is located at the northwest corner at the intersection of I-64 and I-270, close to Missouri Baptist University. The first academic year at the new location was 2003–04. In January 2006, CBC announced plans to begin drug testing all students during the 2007-08 academic year. The school became the first private school in the West St. Louis area to implement such testing, and the proposal received widespread press coverage.
Athletics
School mascot
The mascot from the inception of inter-collegiate athletics at CBC until 1916 was the Collegians. The team was known as the Hi-Pointers during the early years on Clayton Road through the 1950s; the name derives from the Hi-Pointe neighborhood in Clayton where CBC was located from 1922 to 2003. The team was unofficially renamed the Cadets after the students when CBC began mandatory JROTC training in the 1930s. The name became official in 1958 and the Cadets logo was created in 1993 by Jason Buford (class of 1994). An alternative nickname that was deemed from the students of CBC, called it “bub”. They use this term as a chant and a general nickname for their school. Such chants include Roll BuB or alternatives.
Athletic grounds
A. Spinelli 86' Field at W. Michael Ross '66 Stadium Prominently viewed off of I-64 on the Town and Country campus is W. Michael Ross Stadium, a 3,000 seat Multi-Purpose stadium hosting Football, Soccer, Lacrosse and Ultimate. Carved into the southern hill of the campus, Ross Stadium is known for its dusk time shadows and sun rays during early season football games. It also prominently features a rock "CBC" on the grandstand hillside, similar to the University of Missouri "M". Spinelli Field in 2012 became a "Championship Field". The turf that was used to replace the original surface is from the Mercedes-Benz Superdome and hosted the BCS National Championship and several Bowl Games.
Cadet Park
CBC's practice fields are called "Cadet Park"; it has enough room for about 2 football fields. CBC's baseball field and tennis courts are also here.
Mike Shannon Stadium at Cadet Park
Mike Shannon Stadium is CBC's baseball stadium. The team began playing games there for 2013. Before, the project began CBC's varsity team played at Missouri Baptist University.
Metro Catholic Conference
CBC is a chartered member of the Metro Catholic Conference (MCC). The MCC, sometimes known as "The Big 5," was formed in 1992 and includes Chaminade College Preparatory School, De Smet Jesuit High School, St. John Vianney High School, and SLUH.
Championships
- National collegiate championships
- Soccer: 1890, 1891, 1892, 1893, 1894, 1895, 1896, 1897, 1898, 1899, 1900, 1901, 1902, 1903, 1904, 1905
- Team state championships
- Baseball: 2010, 2015
- Basketball: 1933, 1959, 1960, 1963, 1997, 2014, 2022
- Football: 2014, 2017, 2018, 2021, 2022
- Ice Hockey: 1983, 1987, 1988, 1993, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2021
- Soccer: 1969, 1983, 1984, 1988, 2004, 2005, 2009, 2012, 2016, 2018
- Inline Hockey: 2001, 2004, 2005, 2011, 2016
- Lacrosse: 2007, 2013
- Track and Field: 1935, 1941
- Indoor Track and Field: 1940
- Racquetball: 1765, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 2007, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
- Wrestling: 2018, 2019
- Bowling: 1998, 2004
- Cross Country: One individual state championship (1998)
- Wrestling: Nine individual state champions most recently 2018 at 113, 126, 132, 182
The CBC Hockey team won 130 straight games from 2002–03 to the 2006 season final.
CBC Football has had 3 consecutive undefeated seasons in 1961, 1962 and 1963, before the state title in Missouri was established.
- Collegiate Level
- Football: 1900 (Missouri State)
- Soccer: 1901 (USA National Champions), 1901 (Canadian National Champions)
- Association Football (Soccer): Silver Medal (Best appearance by U.S. men's soccer team in Olympic history)
Performing arts
The Cerre Players, headed by Thomas Murray and Ed Goetz, are noted for performance- plays and musicals that have included High School Musical On Stage!, A Few Good Men, Urinetown, Les Miserables, Footloose, Jesus Christ Superstar, Beauty and the Beast, Crazy for You, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Oklahoma!, and Sweeney Todd. Murray completed his 100th production at CBC with Little Shop of Horrors. The new theatre, Gundaker Theater, opened in 2003 when CBC moved to the West County campus.
The CBC Music Program, informally called the "Band of Brothers", primarily plays jazz and rock-style music. The choral groups include "The Cadet Chorus" and the premier group "Brothers in Harmony". The CBC Drum-line is noted for novelty cadences like "Canosaurus" and "High Voltage". The Band of Brothers, Brothers in Harmony, and the Drum-line are CBC's primary performing and touring groups. CBC also offers classes in Piano, Guitar, Music Practicum and a Beginning Band.
Notable alumni
Arts
- King Baggot, star of the silent film era
- Mike Peters, Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist for the Dayton Daily News and author of the popular comic strip Mother Goose and Grimm
Politics
- Jack Buechner, congressman and former state legislator
- Michael Burton, member of the Missouri House of Representatives and former actor
- Joseph M. Darst, former mayor of St. Louis (1949–1953)
- William L. Ewing, mayor of St. Louis (1881–1885)
- Harold A. Moise, member of the Louisiana Supreme Court (1948 to 1958)
Athletics
- 1904 Olympic soccer medalists: Charles Bartliff, Warren Brittingham, Oscar Brockmeyer, Alexander Cudmore, Charles January, John January, Thomas January, Raymond Lawler, Louis Menges, Peter Ratican
- Jake Burger, baseball player for Chicago White Sox
- Cameron Brown, professional football player, NFL & XFL
- Herb Donaldson, former NFL player
- Brett Gabbert, college football quarterback for the Miami RedHawks
- Culver Hastedt, runner and two-time gold medalist at the 1904 Summer Olympics; also won numerous "Open" Olympic events in 1904 representing CBC and the Missouri Athletic Club
- Larry Hughes, NBA shooting guard with Philadelphia 76ers, Golden State Warriors, Washington Wizards, Cleveland Cavaliers, Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks, Charlotte Bobcats, and Orlando Magic
- Joseph Lydon, boxer and bronze medalist at the 1904 Summer Olympics; also played for the CBC soccer team that won the silver medal
- John Kelly, amateur golfer, runner-up in the 2006 U.S. Amateur (Golf) Championship
- Caleb Love, University of Arizona basketball player
- Jeremiyah Love, college football running back for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish
- Patrick McCaw, NBA player with Toronto Raptors
- Philip McRae, NHL player with St. Louis Blues
- Hughie Miller, baseball player
- Don Mueller, MLB player with New York Giants, Chicago White Sox, 2-time All-Star
- Jeff Otis, former NFL quarterback
- Jonathan Owens, NFL safety
- Mike Shannon, Major League Baseball player for St. Louis Cardinals and sports broadcaster
- Harry Swacina, Major League Baseball player for Pittsburgh Pirates and Baltimore Terrapins
- Justin Tatum, basketball player and coach
- Matt Vierling, Major League Baseball player for the Philadelphia Phillies and the Detroit Tigers
- Joe Vitale, retired NHL player and current radio color analyst for the St. Louis Blues.
- Armon Watts, NFL defensive tackle
- Nazzan Zanetello, baseball player
Professional soccer
- Brandon Barklage, professional soccer player with New York Red Bulls
- Zach Bauer, professional soccer player with AC St. Louis
- Daryl Doran, indoor soccer player, jersey retired by St. Louis Steamers in 2006
- Don Droege, professional soccer player
- Jimmy Dunn, soccer player and National Soccer Hall of Fame inductee
- Mike Freitag, professional soccer player and college coach
- Carl Gentile, professional soccer player
- Tommy Heinemann, professional soccer player with Vancouver Whitecaps FC
- Tom Howe, professional soccer player
- Harry Ratican, soccer player and National Soccer Hall of Fame inductee
- Jimmy Roe, soccer player and National Soccer Hall of Fame inductee
- Mark Santel, professional soccer player
- AJ Cochran, Professional soccer player, MLS & USL
Other
- Martin Stanislaus Brennan, American Catholic priest and scientist
- Mark Hertling, U.S. Army lieutenant general
- Martin Kilcoyne, sportscaster
- Thomas Licavoli, former gangster/bootlegger
- Harold A. Moise, associate justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court, 1948–1958.
- Owen Shroyer, political activist
- Benedict T. Viviano, New Testament scholar and author
References
- ^ NCA-CASI. "NCA-Council on Accreditation and School Improvement". Archived from the original on April 29, 2009. Retrieved 2009-06-23.
- ^ "Welcome Philip Riley as CBC High School's New President".
- ^ "Subdivision Map". Town and Country, Missouri. Retrieved 2022-07-23. - Indicated as "CBC High School"
- ^ "History - CBC". Archived from the original on 2012-07-29.
- ^ http://www.usgennet.org/usa/mo/county/stlouis/kempland/2cbc-fire22.jpg
- ^ "CBC Parents Voice Overwhelming Support For Student Drug Testing". ksdk.com. 2006-01-27. Retrieved 2014-02-17.
- ^ "Schools consider drug tests". February 20, 2006. Archived from the original on 2006-02-20.
- ^ Smith, Melvin. "College Soccer National Champions 1857-58 - 1909/10". sover.net. American Soccer History Archives. Archived from the original on December 14, 2017. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
- ^ "St. Louis Mayors". Exhibits.slpl.org. 1905-06-04. Archived from the original on 2012-02-14. Retrieved 2014-02-17.
- ^ Blum, Eric (November 23, 2018). "Youngest Gabbert brother leads CBC to Faurot Field". Columbia Daily Tribune. Retrieved 3 October 2023.
- ^ Driskell, Bryan (29 November 2022). "Notre Dame Commit Profile: Running Back Jeremiyah Love Is Dynamic". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 18 August 2024.
- ^ "Jimmy Dunn - Class of 1974". Archived from the original on 2009-06-01. Retrieved 2009-01-19.
- ^ "Henry Ratican - Class of 1950". Archived from the original on 2009-06-01. Retrieved 2009-02-02.
- ^ "Jimmy Roe - Class of 1997". Archived from the original on 2009-06-01. Retrieved 2009-01-19.
- ^ Harold Moise, The Moise Family of South Carolina (1961), pp. 35-37.