St. Rita of Cascia High School
Encyclopedia
St. Rita of Cascia High School is an all-male Roman Catholic high school
located on the southwest side of Chicago, Illinois, United States
. It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago
and is operated by the Order of Saint Augustine
. It is named for Rita of Cascia
(1381-1457), an Italian Augustinian nun
and Roman Catholic saint
.
friar James F. Green, O.S.A, who bought the property on which the original school sat for US$
30,000 for the 5 acres (20,234.3 m²) site. Green Hall was the initial building on the original campus. The school was formally dedicated on April 22, 1906, at which time the San Francisco earthquake of four days earlier was invoked.
Successor to the founder was William L. Egan, O.S.A., during whose tenure the original Harris Gym and Egan Hall were completed. In 1922, the school's first stadium was constructed. Joseph B. Kepperling, O.S.A. followed Egan in 1926, but his career was brought to a close by his death in 1929. John J. Harris, O.S.A. was selected as the next rector of St. Rita.
In January 1935, a fire caused extensive damage to the school's shrine after an altar candle was placed too close to a Christmas tree.
In the summer of 1935, Ruellan P. Fink, O.S.A. succeeded Harris. Under Fink's leadership, technical coursework began at the school in 1936. This period also saw the construction of the Mendel Technical Building (1938), and an addition to Egan Hall (1939), which (at the time) made St. Rita the largest all-boys Catholic school in the American Midwest. A fire destroyed the wooden stands in the athletic stadium in 1944, and were soon replaced with concrete bleachers. An April 1939 benefit for the addition included actors Arthur Treacher
, Fifi d'Orsay
, Eddie Bracken
, and Virginia Payne
. The new monastery was completed in 1949.
John E. McLaughlin, O.S.A. succeeded Fink in 1956 as principal. In 1962 Francis P. Crawford, O.S.A. became Principal. Crawford was succeeded in 1968 by Daniel B. Trusch, O.S.A. In 1971 LaVern J. Flach, O.S.A. became principal; in 1979 David L. Brecht, O.S.A., in 1983 Patrick E. Murphy, O.S.A. became Principal and in 1989 Bernard R. Danber, O.S.A. was appointed principal. Both Murphy and Danber are graduates of the school.
In 1990 the St. Rita Campus moved from 63rd and Claremont Avenue to its current location at 7740 S. Western Avenue. Prior to St. Rita's renting of the new campus, it had been home to another Catholic high school, Quigley Seminary South High School
. The Archdiocese of Chicago closed Quigley South prior to St. Rita's purchase of the property, returning the Chicago minor seminary to its original site at Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary
. At the time of the move, St. Rita had been preparing a renovation, but was forced to move when there was a concern over a new school opening on the property. The school's then principal stated: "We could not afford to let another high school open there. We felt that that would be such a threat to us that we would be in danger of closing." The original campus was sold to the Chicago Board of Education
for US$
1.8 million. The original campus is now the site of Claremont Academy Elementary School.
In 1993 a new president-principal model was adopted for the school. Michael J. O'Connor, O.S.A. became the school's first president. O'Connor appointed Joseph F. Bamberger as principal. In the year 2000 Thomas McCarthy O.S.A. was then named the second president and the first alumnus to be president of St. Rita High School. In the spring of 2002 McCarthy became President-Principal after Joseph F. Bamberger retired. In 2007, Sally Deenihan became not only the twelfth principal in the school's history, but also its first female principal.
are symbols associated with Saint Augustine
. The rose and bees are symbols associated with Saint Rita of Cascia
.
As a part of the Augustinian Academy program, the school offers 12 Advanced Placement courses: 2-D Design, Studio Drawing, Calculus
, Chemistry
, English
, French
, Latin
, Music Theory
, Psychology
, Spanish
, U.S. History
, World History
.
The school's music program supports four organizations, three of which are a marching band
, a concert band
, and a jazz band
. There is also a dance and twirling squad (the Ritanettes), made up of girls from local girls' Catholic High schools, which performs with the marching band and at performances in the winter.
(CCL). St. Rita was one of the eight founding members of the league in 1912, and one of five remaining charter members. The school is also a member of the Illinois High School Association
(IHSA), the organization which governs most sports and competitive activities in the state.
The school sponsors 12 interscholastic athletics teams which compete in IHSA sponsored state championship tournaments. While not sponsored by the IHSA, the school also sponsors interscholastic teams in ice hockey
, and rugby
.
St. Rita has won IHSA State Championships in football (1978–79, 2006–07) and wrestling (2002–03, 03–04).
St. Rita has participated in six Prep Bowls, the annual (since 1934) game pitting top teams from the Chicago Public League and the Chicago Catholic League. St. Rita won the game in 1963, 1970, 1971, 1977, 2007 and 2009.
The 1963 football team won the national championship.
In 1924, the school's football team hosted an intramural team from The University of Notre Dame coached by Knute Rockne
, losing 6–0.
Because Quigley South did not have a football team, there was no football stadium at the new school building. St. Rita used its old stadium until the end of September 1990 by which time the conversion of Quigley South's soccer field to a football stadium was completed.
The original football stadium at 63rd and Claremont was used in the beginning of the movie Rudy
.
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
located on the southwest side of Chicago, Illinois, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It is located in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago
The Archdiocese of Chicago was established as a diocese in 1843 and as an Archdiocese in 1880. It serves more than 2.3 million Catholics in Cook and Lake counties in Northeastern Illinois, a geographic area of 1,411 square miles. The Archdiocese is divided into six vicariates and 31 deaneries...
and is operated by the Order of Saint Augustine
Order of Saint Augustine
The Order of St. Augustine —historically Ordo Eremitarum Sancti Augustini", O.E.S.A.), generally called Augustinians is a Catholic Religious Order, which, although more ancient, was formally created in the thirteenth century and combined of several previous Augustinian eremetical Orders into one...
. It is named for Rita of Cascia
Rita of Cascia
Saint Rita of Cascia is an Italian Augustinian saint.-Early life:St. Rita was born at Roccaporena near Spoleto, Umbria, Italy....
(1381-1457), an Italian Augustinian nun
Nun
A nun is a woman who has taken vows committing her to live a spiritual life. She may be an ascetic who voluntarily chooses to leave mainstream society and live her life in prayer and contemplation in a monastery or convent...
and Roman Catholic saint
Saint
A saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...
.
History
The school was founded in 1905 by Order of Saint AugustineOrder of Saint Augustine
The Order of St. Augustine —historically Ordo Eremitarum Sancti Augustini", O.E.S.A.), generally called Augustinians is a Catholic Religious Order, which, although more ancient, was formally created in the thirteenth century and combined of several previous Augustinian eremetical Orders into one...
friar James F. Green, O.S.A, who bought the property on which the original school sat for US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
30,000 for the 5 acres (20,234.3 m²) site. Green Hall was the initial building on the original campus. The school was formally dedicated on April 22, 1906, at which time the San Francisco earthquake of four days earlier was invoked.
Successor to the founder was William L. Egan, O.S.A., during whose tenure the original Harris Gym and Egan Hall were completed. In 1922, the school's first stadium was constructed. Joseph B. Kepperling, O.S.A. followed Egan in 1926, but his career was brought to a close by his death in 1929. John J. Harris, O.S.A. was selected as the next rector of St. Rita.
In January 1935, a fire caused extensive damage to the school's shrine after an altar candle was placed too close to a Christmas tree.
In the summer of 1935, Ruellan P. Fink, O.S.A. succeeded Harris. Under Fink's leadership, technical coursework began at the school in 1936. This period also saw the construction of the Mendel Technical Building (1938), and an addition to Egan Hall (1939), which (at the time) made St. Rita the largest all-boys Catholic school in the American Midwest. A fire destroyed the wooden stands in the athletic stadium in 1944, and were soon replaced with concrete bleachers. An April 1939 benefit for the addition included actors Arthur Treacher
Arthur Treacher
Arthur Veary Treacher was an English actor born in Brighton, East Sussex, England.Treacher was a veteran of World War I. After the war, he established a stage career and in 1928, he went to America as part of a musical-comedy revue called Great Temptations...
, Fifi d'Orsay
Fifi D'Orsay
-Biography:Born Marie-Rose Angelina Yvonne Lussier in Montreal, Quebec, as a young typist, filled with the desire to become an actress, she went to New York City. There, she found work in The Greenwich Village Follies after an audition in which she sang the song "Yes, We Have No Bananas' in French...
, Eddie Bracken
Eddie Bracken
Edward Vincent "Eddie" Bracken was an American actor.-Life and career:Bracken was born in Astoria, New York, the son of Catherine and Joseph L. Bracken. Bracken performed in vaudeville at the age of nine and gained fame with the Broadway musical Too Many Girls in a role he reprised for the 1940...
, and Virginia Payne
Virginia Payne
Virginia Payne was an American radio actress, best known for her 27-year role as Ma Perkins. In 1939, in addition to Ma Perkins, she took over the role of Mrs...
. The new monastery was completed in 1949.
John E. McLaughlin, O.S.A. succeeded Fink in 1956 as principal. In 1962 Francis P. Crawford, O.S.A. became Principal. Crawford was succeeded in 1968 by Daniel B. Trusch, O.S.A. In 1971 LaVern J. Flach, O.S.A. became principal; in 1979 David L. Brecht, O.S.A., in 1983 Patrick E. Murphy, O.S.A. became Principal and in 1989 Bernard R. Danber, O.S.A. was appointed principal. Both Murphy and Danber are graduates of the school.
In 1990 the St. Rita Campus moved from 63rd and Claremont Avenue to its current location at 7740 S. Western Avenue. Prior to St. Rita's renting of the new campus, it had been home to another Catholic high school, Quigley Seminary South High School
Quigley South
Quigley Preparatory Seminary South was a United States high school administered by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago from 1961 through 1990...
. The Archdiocese of Chicago closed Quigley South prior to St. Rita's purchase of the property, returning the Chicago minor seminary to its original site at Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary
Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary
Archbishop Quigley Preparatory Seminary was an American seminary preparatory school administered by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Chicago for young men considering the priesthood...
. At the time of the move, St. Rita had been preparing a renovation, but was forced to move when there was a concern over a new school opening on the property. The school's then principal stated: "We could not afford to let another high school open there. We felt that that would be such a threat to us that we would be in danger of closing." The original campus was sold to the Chicago Board of Education
Chicago Public Schools
Chicago Public Schools, commonly abbreviated as CPS by local residents and politicians and officially classified as City of Chicago School District #299 for funding and districting reasons, is a large school district that manages over 600 public elementary and high schools in Chicago, Illinois...
for US$
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
1.8 million. The original campus is now the site of Claremont Academy Elementary School.
In 1993 a new president-principal model was adopted for the school. Michael J. O'Connor, O.S.A. became the school's first president. O'Connor appointed Joseph F. Bamberger as principal. In the year 2000 Thomas McCarthy O.S.A. was then named the second president and the first alumnus to be president of St. Rita High School. In the spring of 2002 McCarthy became President-Principal after Joseph F. Bamberger retired. In 2007, Sally Deenihan became not only the twelfth principal in the school's history, but also its first female principal.
School crest
The colors which predominate the school crest are red and blue, as these are the school colors. The book and the burning and pierced heartSacred Heart
The Sacred Heart is one of the most famous religious devotions to Jesus' physical heart as the representation of His divine love for Humanity....
are symbols associated with Saint Augustine
Augustine of Hippo
Augustine of Hippo , also known as Augustine, St. Augustine, St. Austin, St. Augoustinos, Blessed Augustine, or St. Augustine the Blessed, was Bishop of Hippo Regius . He was a Latin-speaking philosopher and theologian who lived in the Roman Africa Province...
. The rose and bees are symbols associated with Saint Rita of Cascia
Rita of Cascia
Saint Rita of Cascia is an Italian Augustinian saint.-Early life:St. Rita was born at Roccaporena near Spoleto, Umbria, Italy....
.
Academics
Students are placed into one of three academic programs, based on an entrance exam score, and input from parents and previous teachers. The Augustinian Academy is for gifted students, the Mendel Academic Program is a college preparatory program, and the Villanova Academic Study Center is geared toward students requiring more individual academic attention.As a part of the Augustinian Academy program, the school offers 12 Advanced Placement courses: 2-D Design, Studio Drawing, Calculus
AP Calculus
Advanced Placement Calculus is used to indicate one of two distinct Advanced Placement courses and examinations offered by the College Board, AP Calculus AB and AP Calculus BC....
, Chemistry
AP Chemistry
Advanced Placement Chemistry is a course and examination offered by the College Board as a part of the Advanced Placement Program to give American and Canadian high school students the opportunity to demonstrate their abilities and earn college-level credit.-The course:AP Chemistry is a course...
, English
AP English
AP English can stand for two distinct Advanced Placement Programs provided by the College Board:*AP English Language and Composition*AP English Literature and Composition...
, French
AP French
AP French can stand for two distinct Advanced Placement Programs provided by the College Board:*AP French Language*AP French LiteratureA.P. French can also refer to Anthony Philip French, an emeritus professor of physics at MIT....
, Latin
AP Latin
AP Latin can refer to either of the following Advanced Placement exams:* AP Latin Literature* AP Latin: Vergil...
, Music Theory
AP Music Theory
Advanced Placement Music Theory is a course and examination offered in the United States by the College Board as part of the Advanced Placement Program to high school students who wish to earn credit for a college level music theory course.-The course:Some of the material covered in the course...
, Psychology
AP Psychology
The Advanced Placement Psychology course and corresponding exam is part of the College Board's Advanced Placement Program. This course is tailored for students interested in the field of psychology and as an opportunity to earn placement credit or exemption from a college-level psychology course...
, Spanish
AP Spanish
AP Spanish can stand for two distinct Advanced Placement Programs provided by the College Board:*AP Spanish Language*AP Spanish Literature...
, U.S. History
AP United States History
Advanced Placement United States History is a course and examination offered by the College Board as part of the Advanced Placement Program...
, World History
AP World History
Advanced Placement World History is a college-level course offered through the College Board's Advanced Placement Program designed to help students develop greater understanding of the evolution of global processes and contacts and interactions between different types of Human societies...
.
Activities
The school sponsors 14 extracurricular activities ranging from academic competition and publishing to student government and performing arts.The school's music program supports four organizations, three of which are a marching band
Marching band
Marching band is a physical activity in which a group of instrumental musicians generally perform outdoors and incorporate some type of marching with their musical performance. Instrumentation typically includes brass, woodwinds, and percussion instruments...
, a concert band
Concert band
A concert band, also called wind band, symphonic band, symphonic winds, wind orchestra, wind symphony, wind ensemble, or symphonic wind ensemble, is a performing ensemble consisting of several members of the woodwind instrument family, brass instrument family, and percussion instrument family.A...
, and a jazz band
Jazz band
A jazz band is a musical ensemble that plays jazz music. Jazz bands usually consist of a rhythm section and a horn section, in the early days often trumpet, trombone, and clarinet with rhythm section of piano, banjo, bass or tuba, and drums.-Eras:SwingDuring the swing era in the mid-twentieth...
. There is also a dance and twirling squad (the Ritanettes), made up of girls from local girls' Catholic High schools, which performs with the marching band and at performances in the winter.
Athletics
St. Rita competes in the Chicago Catholic LeagueChicago Catholic League
The Chicago Catholic League is a high school athletic conference based in Chicago, Illinois, USA. All of the schools are currently part of the Illinois High School Association, the governing body for Illinois scholastic sports...
(CCL). St. Rita was one of the eight founding members of the league in 1912, and one of five remaining charter members. The school is also a member of the Illinois High School Association
Illinois High School Association
The Illinois High School Association is one of 521 state high school associations in the United States, designed to regulate competition in most interscholastic sports and some interscholastic activities at the high school level. It is a charter member of the National Federation of State High...
(IHSA), the organization which governs most sports and competitive activities in the state.
The school sponsors 12 interscholastic athletics teams which compete in IHSA sponsored state championship tournaments. While not sponsored by the IHSA, the school also sponsors interscholastic teams in ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
, and rugby
Rugby football
Rugby football is a style of football named after Rugby School in the United Kingdom. It is seen most prominently in two current sports, rugby league and rugby union.-History:...
.
St. Rita has won IHSA State Championships in football (1978–79, 2006–07) and wrestling (2002–03, 03–04).
St. Rita has participated in six Prep Bowls, the annual (since 1934) game pitting top teams from the Chicago Public League and the Chicago Catholic League. St. Rita won the game in 1963, 1970, 1971, 1977, 2007 and 2009.
The 1963 football team won the national championship.
In 1924, the school's football team hosted an intramural team from The University of Notre Dame coached by Knute Rockne
Knute Rockne
Knute Kenneth Rockne was an American football player and coach. He is regarded as one of the greatest coaches in college football history...
, losing 6–0.
Because Quigley South did not have a football team, there was no football stadium at the new school building. St. Rita used its old stadium until the end of September 1990 by which time the conversion of Quigley South's soccer field to a football stadium was completed.
The original football stadium at 63rd and Claremont was used in the beginning of the movie Rudy
Rudy (film)
Rudy is a 1993 American sports film directed by David Anspaugh. It is an account of the life of Daniel "Rudy" Ruettiger, who harbored dreams of playing football at the University of Notre Dame despite significant obstacles...
.
Notable alumni
- William Joseph CampbellWilliam Joseph CampbellHon. William Joseph Campbell was a United States federal judge and the longest serving Chief Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. In 1970 the Library of the United States Courts of the Seventh Circuit was named "The William J. Campbell Library of the...
was a federal judge (1940–70), serving as the Chief JudgeChief judgeChief Judge is a title that can refer to the highest-ranking judge of a court that has more than one judge. The meaning and usage of the term vary from one court system to another...
of the United States District Court for the Northern District of IllinoisUnited States District Court for the Northern District of IllinoisThe United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois is the trial-level court with jurisdiction over the northern counties of Illinois....
(1959–70). - Jim ClancyJim Clancy (baseball)James Clancy is a former starting pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Toronto Blue Jays , Houston Astros and Atlanta Braves . He batted and threw right-handed....
is a former Major League BaseballMajor League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
pitcherPitcherIn baseball, the pitcher is the player who throwsthe baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw a walk. In the numbering system used to record defensive plays, the...
(1977–91) playing most of his career with the Toronto Blue JaysToronto Blue JaysThe Toronto Blue Jays are a professional baseball team located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Blue Jays are a member of the Eastern Division of Major League Baseball 's American League ....
. - Stuart DybekStuart Dybek-Personal life:Dybek was born in Chicago, Illinois and raised in Chicago's Little Village and Pilsen neighborhoods in the 1950s and early 1960s. Dybek graduated from St. Rita of Cascia High School in 1959...
is an author, poet, and university teacher. - Nick EttenNick EttenNicholas Raymond Thomas Etten was a first baseman in major league baseball, who played for the Philadelphia Athletics , Philadelphia Phillies and New York Yankees . Etten batted and threw left-handed. He was born in Spring Grove, Illinois. Etten attended St...
was a Major League Baseball first basemanFirst basemanFirst base, or 1B, is the first of four stations on a baseball diamond which must be touched in succession by a baserunner in order to score a run for that player's team...
(1938–39, 41–47). - Ed FarmerEd FarmerEdward Joseph Farmer is a former Major League relief pitcher with an 11-year career from - and -. He played for the Cleveland Indians, Detroit Tigers, Baltimore Orioles, Milwaukee Brewers, Texas Rangers, Chicago White Sox and Oakland A's, all in the American League, and the Philadelphia Phillies...
is a former Major League Baseball pitcher (1971–74, 77–83). He is currently the radio voice for the Chicago White SoxChicago White SoxThe Chicago White Sox are a Major League Baseball team located in Chicago, Illinois.The White Sox play in the American League's Central Division. Since , the White Sox have played in U.S. Cellular Field, which was originally called New Comiskey Park and nicknamed The Cell by local fans...
. - Job (Osacky) of ChicagoJob (Osacky) of ChicagoArchbishop Job of Chicago was the archbishop of the Orthodox Church in America's Diocese of the Midwest until his unexpected death...
was the archbishopArchbishopAn archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
of the Orthodox Church in AmericaOrthodox Church in AmericaThe Orthodox Church in America is an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox church in North America. Its primate is Metropolitan Jonah , who was elected on November 12, 2008, and was formally installed on December 28, 2008...
's Diocese of the MidwestOrthodox Church in America Diocese of the MidwestThe Orthodox Church in America Diocese of the Midwest is a diocese of the Orthodox Church in America . Its territory includes parishes, monasteries, and missions located in eleven states in the Midwestern United States – Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota,...
until his passing in December 2009. - Mike KafkaMike KafkaMichael John "Mike" Kafka is an American football quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Eagles in the fourth round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football at Northwestern.Kafka attended St. Rita of Cascia High School in Chicago,...
is an American football quarterback for the Philadelphia EaglesPhiladelphia EaglesThe Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
. - Dennis LickDennis LickDennis Allan Lick is a former American football offensive lineman for the Chicago Bears. Lick played six seasons with the Bears from 1976 to 1981. He was signed out of the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
is a former National Football LeagueNational Football LeagueThe National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
offensive tackle (1976–81). Drafted in the first round of the 1976 NFL Draft1976 NFL DraftThe 1976 National Football League Draft was an annual player selection meeting held on April 8–April 9, 1976. It lasted 17 rounds, with the expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Seattle Seahawks making the first two selections. The expansion teams were also given a pair of extra picks at the end of...
, he played his entire career for the Chicago BearsChicago BearsThe Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
. - Edward Rowan FinneganEdward Rowan FinneganEdward Rowan Finnegan of Chicago was a U.S. Representative from Illinois, 1961 until 1964.Finnegan was born in Chicago and graduated with a BA from Loyola University Chicago and a law degree from the DePaul University School of Law in 1930. He started practicing as an attorney in 1931 and then...
was a U.S. Representative (1961–64). He then served as a judge in the Circuit Court of Cook CountyIllinois Circuit Court of Cook CountyThe Circuit Court of Cook County is the largest of the 22 circuits in Illinois as well as one of the largest unified court systems in the world. It was created by a 1964 amendment to the Illinois Constitution which reorganized the courts of Illinois...
(1964–71). - Ray ManzarekRay ManzarekRaymond Daniel Manzarek, Jr., better known as Ray Manzarek , is an American musician, singer, producer, film director, writer, co-founder and keyboardist of The Doors from 1965 to 1973, Nite City from 1977–1978 and Manzarek-Krieger since 2001.Manzarek is listed #4 on Digital Dreamdoor's "100...
was a co-founder and keyboardistKeyboardistA keyboardist is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical instruments with keyboards have come into common usage, requiring a more...
for The DoorsThe DoorsThe Doors were an American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore, and guitarist Robby Krieger...
. - Ahmad MerrittAhmad MerrittAhmad Rashad Merritt is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent in 2000...
is a former National Football League wide receiverWide receiverA wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
(2000–04, 07–08), playing most of his career with the Chicago Bears. - Tony Simmons is a former National Football League wide receiver (1998–2002), playing most of his career with the New England PatriotsNew England PatriotsThe New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
. He also played in the Canadian Football LeagueCanadian Football LeagueThe Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
(2004–07), playing most of that career with the BC LionsBC LionsThe BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team competing in the West Division of Canadian Football League . Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, the Lions play their home games at BC Place Stadium in Downtown Vancouver, having previously played at Empire Stadium in East Vancouver from 1954...
. - Scipio SpinksScipio SpinksScipio Ronald Spinks was a right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball for the Houston Astros and St. Louis Cardinals between 1969 and 1973. He was a promising prospect until injuries prematurely ended his career....
is a former Major League Baseball pitcher (1969–73).
External links
- Official St. Rita of Cascia High School site
- Order of St Augustine, International Homepage
- Augnet International Cooperative Web Site for Schools in the Tradition of St. Augustine
- IHSFW.com's St. Rita Football page (News website)