DeMatha High School
DeMatha Catholic High School is a four-year Catholic high school for boys located in Hyattsville, Maryland, United States. Named after John of Matha, DeMatha is under the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington and is a member of the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference.
History
In 1990, 21 girls from Regina High School were allowed to attend DeMatha for their final year of high school after their school closed.
Academics
The United States Department of Education recognized DeMatha as a Blue Ribbon School in 1984 and 1991.
Music program
According to the school's website, the music program includes "five concert bands, three choruses, three percussion ensembles, three string orchestras, six levels of music theory, and a History of Rock and Roll class" plus "two jazz ensembles, a pep band for basketball games, a gospel choir, as well as numerous small ensembles."
Athletics
Sports Illustrated recognized DeMatha as the No. 2 high school athletic program in the United States in 2005, and again in 2007.
Notable alumni
Religious
- Sister Susan Rose Francois (1990), known for tweeting a daily non-violent prayer for President Trump, and for Nuns on the Bus
Arts and entertainment
- Peter Bay (1974), conductor-music director of the Austin Symphony Orchestra
- Bob Bates (1971), designer of games for Infocom, Legend Entertainment, and Zynga
Television
- James Brown (1969) is a television sportscaster, and currently the host of The NFL Today.
- David Aldridge (1983) is a sports reporter affiliated with television's TNT, and The Philadelphia Inquirer.
Politics
- Adrian Boafo (2012) is a politician and member of Maryland House Of Delegates
- Justin Fairfax (1996) is a politician, attorney, and the former Lieutenant Governor of Virginia.
- Kevin Shea (1972) is the former acting Secretary of Agriculture (2021). Shea has led the USDA agency Animal Plant Health Inspection Services since 2012.
- David J. Schiappa (1980) was the Secretary for the Majority in the United States Senate
Publishing
- Michael Mewshaw (1961) is an author.
- Thomas S. Hibbs (1978) is an American philosopher and author, dean and president of the University of Dallas.
- Jim Nelson (1981) is an editor, formerly Editor-in-Chief of GQ magazine.
Sports
Baseball
- Steve Farr (1974) is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher (1984–1994).
- Matt Swope (1998) is a college baseball coach for the Maryland Terrapins.
- Brett Cecil (2004) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher.
Basketball
- Johnny Austin (1962) is a former professional basketball player in the NBA (1966–67) and ABA (1967–68).
- Bernard Williams (1965) is a former professional basketball player in the NBA and ABA.
- Sid Catlett (1967) is a former NBA player (1971–72).
- Adrian Dantley (1973) is a former NBA player (1976–91) and former interim NBA coach. A member of the 1976 gold medal-winning United States Olympics team, he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008.
- Kenny Carr (1974) is a former NBA player (1977–87), and member of the 1976 gold medal-winning United States Olympics team.
- Mike Brey (1977) is a collegiate basketball coach who is the men's head coach for the University of Notre Dame.
- Dereck Whittenburg (1979) is the former men's head basketball coach at Fordham University.
- Sidney Lowe (1979) is a former NBA player and coach. He is a former men's head basketball coach at North Carolina State University.
- Ron Everhart (1980) is a college basketball coach, formerly the head coach at Northeastern University and Duquesne University.
- Adrian Branch (1981) is a former NBA player (1986–90). He is also a television analyst for basketball.
- Danny Ferry (1985) is a former NBA player with the Cleveland Cavaliers who won an NBA championship with the San Antonio Spurs. Naismith Most Outstanding Player (1989) Most recently he was general manager of the Atlanta Hawks.
- Steve Hood (1986) is a former professional basketball player who played.
- Jerrod Mustaf (1988) is a former NBA basketball player (1990–94).
- Heath Schroyer (1990) is the former head coach of University of Wyoming.
- Kenny Blakeney (1991) is the current head coach of the Howard Bison
- Mike Jones (1991) is the current head coach of Old Dominion University and was the head coach of DeMatha from 2002 to 2021.
- Mike Pegues (1996) is a former professional basketball player and current college coach.
- Joseph Forte (1999) is a former professional basketball player, having played in the NBA and last played for Maccabi Tel Aviv of the Israeli Premier League.
- Keith Bogans (1999) is a former NBA player (2003–14).
- Jerai Grant (2007) is a professional basketball player in Europe and Australia and played collegiately at Clemson University.
- Jerian Grant (2010) is a professional basketball player for the Orlando Magic and played collegiately at the University of Notre Dame.
- Victor Oladipo (2010) is a professional basketball player who plays for the Houston Rockets and was an All-American at Indiana University.
- Quinn Cook (2010) is a professional basketball player who plays for the Sacramento Kings and played collegiately at Duke University.
- Mikael Hopkins (2011) is a professional basketball player who plays for KK Cedevita Olimpija and played collegiate at Georgetown University.
- Kameron Taylor (2011), is a professional basketball player for Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Israeli Basketball Premier League and the EuroLeague
- Jerami Grant (2012) is a professional basketball player who plays for the Portland Trail Blazers and played collegiately at Syracuse University.
- Nate Darling (2016) is a professional basketball player who plays for the Charlotte Hornets and played collegiately at the University of Delaware.
- Markelle Fultz (2016) is a professional basketball player for the Orlando Magic, who was the first pick of the 2017 NBA draft.
- Josh Carlton (2017) is a professional basketball player who plays for Metropolitans 92 in the LNB Pro A and played collegiate basketball for the University of Houston.
- Justin Moore (2019) is an NCAA basketball player who plays at Villanova University.
- Jahmir Young (2019) is an NCAA basketball player who plays at the University of Maryland.
- Hunter Dickinson (2020) is an NCAA basketball player who plays at the University of Kansas.
- Earl Timberlake (2020) is an NCAA basketball player who plays at Bryant University.
- Jordan Hawkins (2021) is a professional basketball player for the New Orleans Pelicans.
- Elijah Hawkins (2021) is an NCAA basketball player who plays at the University of Minnesota
Football
- Tom Forrest (1969) is a former offensive guard for the NFL's Chicago Bears (1974).
- Jeff Komlo (1975) is a former quarterback for the Detroit Lions.
- Mike Johnson (1980) is a former All-Pro NFL linebacker (1986–1995).
- Tony Paige (1980) is a former NFL player (1984–1992).
- Steve Smith (1982) is a former NFL running back (1987–1995).
- JB Brown (1985) is a former NFL cornerback (1989–99).
- Bobby Houston (1985) is a former NFL linebacker (1990–98).
- Andrew Bayes (1996) is a former All-American punter at East Carolina University.
- Brian Westbrook (1997) is a former running back for the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles (2002–10).
- John Owens (1998) is a former NFL tight end (2002–2010).
- Cameron Wake (2000) is a former defensive end and two-time CFL Defensive Player of the Year.
- Dennard Wilson (2000) is the defensive coordinator for the NFL's Tennessee Titans
- Quinn Ojinnaka (2002) is a former offensive lineman (2006–2012) and now a professional wrestler under the name "Moose" for Impact Wrestling.
- Byron Westbrook (2002) is a former defensive back for the NFL's Washington Redskins (2007–2011).
- Josh Wilson (2003) is a former defensive back for the NFL's Detroit Lions.
- Edwin Williams (2004) is a former offensive lineman for the NFL's Chicago Bears.
- Rodney McLeod (2008) is a safety for the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles.
- Arie Kouandjio (2010) is a former offensive lineman for the NFL's Washington Redskins.
- Cyrus Kouandjio (2011) is a former offensive lineman for the NFL's Denver Broncos.
- Ja'Whaun Bentley (2014), linebacker for the NFL's New England Patriots.
- John Lovett (2014), fullback for the NFL's Miami Dolphins.
- Cam Phillips(2014), wide receiver for the Buffalo Bills
- D. J. Turner (2016), wide receiver for the NFL's Las Vegas Raiders
- Tino Ellis(2016), cornerback for the NFL's Miami Dolphins.
- Chase Young (2017), 2020 Heisman Trophy finalist, drafted 2nd overall in the 2020 NFL draft, defensive end for the San Francisco 49ers.
- Anthony McFarland (2017), running back for the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers
- Olu Oluwatimi (2017), center for the NFL's Seattle Seahawks
- Nick Cross (2019), safety for the NFL's Indianapolis Colts
- DeMarcco Hellams (2019), safety for the NFL's Atlanta Falcons
- Josh Wallace (2019), cornerback for the NFL's Los Angeles Rams
- MarShawn Lloyd (2020), running back for the NFL's Green Bay Packers
- Kevin Winston Jr. (2022), Safety for the Penn State Nittany Lions
Lacrosse
- Paul Rabil (2004) is a retired professional lacrosse player and co-founder/president of the Premier Lacrosse League.
NASCAR
- Coy Gibbs (1991) was a former NASCAR driver, former assistant coach for the Washington Redskins, and was the owner of Joe Gibbs Racing Motocross. He is the son of former Redskins head coach Joe Gibbs.
Soccer
- Jordan Graye (2005) is a professional soccer player for the Major League Soccer team Houston Dynamo.
- Drew Yates (2006) is a professional soccer player for the USL Harrisburg City Islanders.
- Bill Hamid (2008) is a professional soccer player for the Major League Soccer team D.C. United.
- Chris Odoi-Atsem (2013) is a professional soccer player for the Major League Soccer team D.C. United.
- Keegan Meyer (2015) is a professional soccer player for USL League One side New England Revolution II.
Track and field
- Derek Mills (1990) is an Olympic gold medalist in track and field at the 1996 Summer Olympics.
- Caleb Dean (2019) is an NCAA National Champion in the 60m Hurdles and the 400m Hurdles.
Notable staff
- Morgan Wootten is the school's former basketball coach. He coached the team to five national championships and in 2000, was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
- Eddie Fogler was an assistant basketball coach under Wootten for the 1970–1971 school year.
References
- ^ "Find a School". Archdiocese of Washington Catholic Schools.
- ^ MSA-CSS. "MSA-Commission on Secondary Schools". Archived from the original on 2011-05-14. Retrieved 2009-07-31.
- ^ "Catholic High School Celebrating 50 Years of Accomplishments". 4 October 1996.
- ^ Schools Recognized 1982-1983 Through 1999-2002 Archived 2014-06-30 at the Wayback Machine, National Blue Ribbon Schools Program. Accessed December 29, 2016.
- ^ "Music Program". DeMatha Catholic High School. November 8, 2017.
- ^ "May 16, 2005". 15 May 2005.
- ^ "DeMatha is much more than an 'athletic powerhouse' – Streetcar Suburbs News".
- ^ Francois, Susan Rose (December 4, 2008). "Question & Answer". Musings of a Discerning Woman.
In 1990, 21 female students graduated from DeMatha Catholic High School. The students came to DeMatha after Regina HS in nearby Adelphi, MD shut down the year before and then Principal John Moylan allowed the 21 would-be seniors to attend DeMatha in a one-time-only deal. Susan Francois '90, sister of Mike '83, and the daughter of a former prominent Prince George's County politician (Francis), was one of those students.
- ^ Englert, Joe (February 25, 1988). "DeMatha High Continues its Long Tradition". The Washington Post.
- ^ Brady, Erik (6 November 2002), "Winningest prep basketball coach Wootten retires", USA Today, retrieved 13 November 2010,
Morgan Wootten invoked Ecclesiastes on Wednesday as he announced his retirement from DeMatha Catholic High School, where he won more basketball games than any coach in high school history ... (table includes alumni in NBA) ... James Brown of Fox Sports stood in the back, but he was not there as a member of the media. "I had to be here," said Brown, who played for Wootten in the 1960s
- ^ McNally, Brian (9 October 2009), "Top 10 notable DeMatha alumni", The Washington Examiner (Washington, DC, USA), archived from the original on 16 August 2011, retrieved 15 November 2010,
Adrian Dantley ... Danny Ferry ... Brian Westbrook ... Paul Rabil ... Keith Bogans ... Joe Forte ... Derek Mills ... James Brown ... Sidney Lowe ... Dereck Whitteburg ...
- ^ Solomon, George (29 May 2005), "Keeping Up With Jones", The Washington Post, retrieved 13 November 2010,
Former Post sportswriter David Aldridge, a DeMatha graduate now working for The Philadelphia Inquirer and TNT, calls himself the school's "patron saint of the uncoordinated."
- ^ Woodson, Alex (November 2004). "Honor Roll: These five schools have been top breeding grounds for NBA talent". Vibe. 12 (11). New York, NY, USA: Vibe/Spin Ventures LLC: 142. ISSN 1070-4701.
Legendary Coach Morgan Wootten saw 14 of his former Stags make it to the NBA ... From Detroit Piston great Adrian Dantley ('73) to journeyman Danny Ferry ('85) to 2003 Orlando Magic first-rounder Keith Bogans ('99). DeMatha has been a hoops institution for decades, even producing NBA journalists like network reporter David Aldridge
- ^ Wilson, Patrick (March 18, 2017). "How outsider Justin Fairfax broke through the Democratic Party in bid for lieutenant governor". Richmond Times-Dispatch.
- ^ "Senate Tribute to David Schiappa, S.Res. 212". C-SPAN. August 1, 2013.
- ^ Nemeth, Sarah (19 October 2006), "If you could see him now: World-traveling author swoops into Hyattsville", The Gazette (Gaithersburg, MD, USA), retrieved 13 November 2010,
Mewshaw graduated from DeMatha High School in 1961 and is visiting the school tonight to inspire students.
- ^ von Dohlen, Josephine (September 6, 2019). "DeMatha alumnus named president of University of Dallas, to be inducted into high school's hall of fame". Catholic Standard.
- ^ Argetsinger, Amy; Roberts, Roxanne (5 April 2006), "The Reliable Source: GQ Goes Into War Mode With Photos From Iraq", The Washington Post, retrieved 18 November 2010,
"We want people to think of us differently," Editor in Chief Jim Nelson explained at the party ... Second surprise: that GQ's boyishly urbane editor is a 1981 grad of DeMatha -- the jock school ? The Greenbelt native laughed. "I grew up in the cult of DeMatha
- ^ Mills, Keith (3 May 2007). "Nine join hall of fame". article. PressBoxonline.com. Archived from the original on 7 February 2012. Retrieved 15 November 2010.
Steve Farr: Farr went to Dematha and then American University before signing with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1976. After an eight-year minor league career he was traded to Cleveland in 1983 and picked up by Kansas City in 1985 as a free agent. Farr saved 38 games for the Royals in 1989 and '89 and 78 from 1993 to '95 with the Yankees.
- ^ "DeMatha grad to pitch for Toronto: Blue Jays call up former Stags' left-hander Brett Cecil; First start set for Tuesday", The Gazette (Gaithersburg, MD, USA), 1 May 2009, retrieved 14 November 2010,
In his third season of professional baseball, DeMatha High School graduate Brett Cecil is headed to the big leagues. The Toronto Blue Jays announced Friday morning that they are bringing the 22-year-old left-handed pitcher up from their Class AAA affiliate in Las Vegas.
- ^ "Johnny Austin". biographic and statistical information. Basketball Reference.com. Retrieved 13 November 2010.
High School: DeMatha Catholic in Hyattsville, Maryland
- ^ "Mike Brey". biographic sketch. University of Notre Dame. Archived from the original on 7 September 2012. Retrieved 13 November 2010.
Prior to entering the collegiate ranks, Brey previously spent five seasons as an assistant coach at his high school alma mater, DeMatha High School in Hyattsville, Md., under Wootten before taking the assistant's post at Duke. He served as DeMatha head junior varsity coach and varsity assistant beginning in 1982. During the five years, DeMatha combined to finish 139-22
- ^ Noie, Thomas R. (Spring 2010). "Calling the Shots" (PDF). GW Magazine. Washington, DC, USA: The George Washington University. Retrieved 13 November 2010.
Graduating from DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville, Md., Coach Brey never thought to attend George Washington, a school where his mother, Betty, served as swim coach and his father, Paul, a former high school athletic director earned his master's degree.
- ^ Wootten, Morgan; Gilbert, Dave (2003), Coaching basketball successfully (second ed.), Champaign, IL, USA: Human Kinetics, ISBN 0-7360-4790-5,
p. 210
- ^ "Adrian Branch". biographic and statistical information. Basketball Reference.com. Archived from the original on 27 January 2007. Retrieved 13 November 2010.
High School: DeMatha Catholic, in Hyattsville, MD
- ^ Suderman, Alan (14 December 2009), "Former basketball star, cop suing Montgomery County over heart problems", Washington Examiner (Washington, DC, USA), retrieved 15 November 2010,
Steven Hood starred at DeMatha Catholic High School in Hyattsville in the mid-1980s and later for James Madison University. He then played almost a decade of professional basketball overseas, court records show.
- ^ "Jerrod Mustaf". statistics and biographic data. Basketball Reference.com. Retrieved 15 November 2010.
High School: DeMatha Catholic in Hyattsville, Maryland
- ^ Schmoldt, Eric (10 November 2007). "Schroyer brings years of lessons". article. trib.com. Retrieved 18 November 2010.
Schroyer worked on his game with his father and friends from that point until it was time to go to high school. Living in Walkersville, Md., ... He chose DeMatha High School and legendary coach Morgan Wootten, even though they were 90 minutes down the road.
- ^ "Kenny Blakeney - Men's Basketball Coach". Columbia University Athletics.
- ^ Wang, Gene (29 February 2024). "Maryland assistant Mike Jones to be next men's basketball coach at Old Dominion". The Washington Post. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
- ^ Lourim, Jake (April 7, 2018). "University of Louisville announces full men's basketball coaching staff". Courier Journal.
- ^ Maese, Rick (February 24, 2015). "For hoops-playing Grant family, 'it was always good, always pushing each other'". The Washington Post.
- ^ Kravitz, Bob (March 28, 2013). "Victor Oladipo still surprising his high school coach". USA Today.
- ^ Pell, Samantha (April 26, 2018). "Three DeMatha teammates are in NBA playoffs, a point of pride for a dominant team". The Washington Post.
- ^ Graf, Heather (June 5, 2019). "Quinn Cook's journey to the NBA Finals". ABC7. WJLA.
- ^ Dilsizian, Steve (June 22, 2017). "Markelle Fultz potentially the next to continue the DeMatha to Philly pipeline". NBC Sports Washington.
- ^ Lieber, Jill (7 November 1994). "Mike Johnson". Sports Illustrated. Vol. 81, no. 19. New York, NY, USA: Time & Life. pp. NC8. ISSN 0038-822X. Archived from the original on June 28, 2011. Retrieved 15 November 2010.
Detroit linebacker Mike Johnson has always been fascinated by structural design ... That search for harmony is a hallmark of Johnson's off-field interests as well. In his senior year at DeMatha High in Hyattsville, Md., he enrolled in architectural drawing classes and became engrossed in his projects.
- ^ Cole, Jason (October 18, 1992). "Paige is One of Best at Job Nobody Wants". Orlando Sentinel.
- ^ McKenna, Dave (November 14, 2003). "Better Than the Alternative". Washington City Paper.
- ^ Friend, Tom (26 August 1989), "Riggs, Redskins Run Over Dolphins", The Washington Post (Washington, DC, USA), archived from the original on 5 November 2012, retrieved 15 November 2010,
Leading by 14 with under five minutes remaining, Washington punter Rick Tuten fielded a low snap from center Ralph Tamm and had his kick smothered by rookie Louis Oliver. Cornerback J.B. Brown of Maryland and DeMatha High School recovered in the end zone.
- ^ Eskenazi, Gerald (October 16, 1994). "Houston Rises in Present By Not Forgetting Past". The New York Times.
- ^ Keech, Larry (December 15, 1999). "Pirates Punter Sneaks to Top of the College Ranks". Greensboro News & Record.
- ^ Dunn, Katherine (September 21, 2009). "DeMatha reigns with most NFL players". The Baltimore Sun.
In addition to Westbrook, the Stags have sent to the NFL: Quinn Ojinnaka of the Atlanta Falcons, John Owens and Josh Wilson of the Seattle Seahawks, Derek Wake of the Miami Dolphins, and Edwin Williams and Byron Westbrook of the Washington Redskins.
- ^ "Dennard Wilson". Baltimore Ravens.
- ^ Melnick, Kyle (January 30, 2018). "Experience at Maryland high school propelled Rodney McLeod to Super Bowl". Capital News Service.
- ^ Parker, Brandon (May 4, 2014). "Cyrus Kouandjio, three years removed from DeMatha High, is potential early NFL draft pick". The Washington Post.
- ^ McKenna, Henry (September 9, 2018). "Ja'Whaun Bentley is playing like a veteran so he's getting treated like one". USA Today.
- ^ Bender, Bill. "The making of Chase Young: How an athletic freak at Ohio State became the best player in the NFL Draft". Sporting News. Archived from the original on March 3, 2020. Retrieved March 6, 2020.
- ^ "Kevin Winston Jr. - 2024 Football". Penn State Athletics.
- ^ "Paul Rabil". PremierLacrosseLeague. Archived from the original on 2020-06-17. Retrieved 2019-09-21.
- ^ Murray, Ken (23 July 1991), "Humphries gets second chance Redskins notebook", Baltimore Sun (Baltimore, MD, USA), archived from the original on 18 September 2012, retrieved 15 November 2010,
Coy Gibbs, the son of Redskins coach Joe Gibbs and former DeMatha High linebacker, will play for the Maryland all-stars in Saturday's Big 33 game against Pennsylvania on Saturday in nearby Hershey.
- ^ "Q&A: Jordan Graye". DC United. MLS. January 21, 2010.
- ^ "Yates drafted by Chicago Fire". The Baltimore Sun. January 15, 2010.
- ^ Driver-Salazar, Sebastian (May 1, 2015). "D.C. United makes play to lock up young star". NBC Sports Washington.
- ^ Abraham, Scott (July 16, 2019). "After beating cancer, D.C. United's Chris Odoi-Atsem is back on the field and inspiring". ABC7. WJLA.
- ^ "Keegan Meyer | New England Revolution".
- ^ "Derek Mills". biographic sketch. Tulane University Athletic Department. 2010. Archived from the original on 17 July 2011. Retrieved 15 November 2010.
A native of Washington, D.C., and a graduate of DeMatha Catholic High School, Mills was a four-time NCAA Champion for the Yellow Jackets.
- ^ "Morgan B. Wootten". biographical sketch. Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. 2000. Archived from the original on 31 August 2009. Retrieved 13 November 2010.
In over forty years of coaching at legendary DeMatha High School, Wootten won more than 1,200 games and is the most successful high school coach in basketball history.