DeMatha Catholic High School, named after Saint John of Matha, is a four-year Catholic high school for young men located in Hyattsville, Maryland, USA. A member of the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference, DeMatha is under the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington.
Video DeMatha Catholic High School
History
DeMatha was founded by the Order of the Most Holy Trinity, or Trinitarians, in 1946 in Hyattsville, Maryland, about 2 miles south of University of Maryland, College Park.
Maps DeMatha Catholic High School
Academics
The United States Department of Education recognized DeMatha as a Blue Ribbon School in 1984 and 1991.
Music program
DeMatha's music program was founded in 1970 by John Mitchell; about 40% of students participate. The music department is based at the McCarthy Activity Center, which opened in 2009. 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
DeMatha's athletic teams, the Stags, have received national recognition for achievement in a variety of sports, from golf and baseball to basketball and football. Sports Illustrated recognized DeMatha as the #2 high school athletic program in the United States in 2005, and again in 2007. In 2009, it was named the top athletic program in Maryland.
The Stags first gained national recognition in 1962 with their initial national championship in basketball with a team led by John Austin, Johnny Jones, Gary Ward, John Carroll and "Big" Bill McDermott, coached by Morgan Wootten. In 1965, the DeMatha basketball team won its second national championship defeating Power Memorial Academy of New York, with then Lew Alcindor (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar), in a game called "The Greatest High School Basketball Game Ever". Morgan Wootten earned a spot as the first high school basketball coach inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame for his achievements as the Stags' coach, including a career 1,274-192 record.
DeMatha's basketball program has produced many championships in the school's Washington Catholic Athletic Conference league, and the team often participates in the City Title game against opposing schools from the District of Columbia. In 2005, DeMatha's varsity basketball team finished with the #1 ranking in The Washington Post and finished as the third-best high school squad in the country, according to USA Today.
The DeMatha varsity football team won the 2008 WCAC championship for the sixth consecutive year and finished ranked #1 in the DC area by The Washington Post. In 2004, Bill McGregor was named "High School Coach of the Year" by the NFL. He was nominated by his former player, Brian Westbrook, then playing for the Philadelphia Eagles. They won four consecutive Washington Catholic Athletic Conference titles from 2013-2016.
The DeMatha varsity soccer team has won six WCAC championships, and had a 67-game undefeated streak from 2004 through 2007. DeMatha's 2010 soccer team was WCAC champs, went undefeated (24-0-0) and were ranked number 3 in the nation by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America, and number 4 in the nation by ESPN. The 2010 team also scored 110 goals while allowing only 10 goals in all games. The 2011 soccer team were also WCAC champions and undefeated (20-0-0), and ended their season ranked number 1 in the nation by National Soccer Coaches Association of America.
The DeMatha wrestling team is known as a national powerhouse, and won 23 consecutive WCAC championships until being beaten by Bishop O'Connell in the 2008-2009 season.
DeMatha also fields competitive teams, each with a number of conference titles, in other sports, such as cross country, swimming/diving, hockey, baseball, lacrosse, golf, tennis, rowing (crew), rugby, and track. DeMatha has produced several All-American wrestlers. The lacrosse team have won several championships.
Notable alumni
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.
- Daniel DeWeldon (1989), film producer, actor and writer Actors Studio.
- Clifton Powell, actor
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
- Justin Fairfax is a politician, attorney, and the Lieutenant Governor of Virginia.
Publishing
- Michael Mewshaw (1961) is an author.
- Thomas S. Hibbs (1978) is an American philosopher and author, dean and distinguished professor of philosophy at Baylor University.
- Jim Nelson (1981) is an editor, currently the Editor-in-Chief of GQ magazine.
Sports
Baseball
- Steve Farr (1974) is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher (1984-1994).
- Brett Cecil (2004) is a current Major League Baseball pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals.
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).
- Kenny Carr (1974) is a former NBA player (1977-87), and member of the 1976 gold medal winning United States Olympics team.
- Adrian Dantley (1973) is a former NBA player (1976-91) and current 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.
- Charles Whitney (1976) is a former professional basketball player, perhaps best remembered for being convicted of kidnapping Hillary Clinton's attorney.
- Mike Brey (1977) is a collegiate basketball coach who is currently 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. 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.
- 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.
- Jerian Grant (2010) is a professional basketball player for the Chicago Bulls and played collegiately at the University of Notre Dame.
- Victor Oladipo (2010) is a professional basketball player who currently plays for the Indiana Pacers and was an All-American at Indiana University.
- Jerami Grant (2012) is a professional basketball player who currently plays for the Oklahoma City Thunder and played collegiately at Syracuse University.
- Markelle Fultz (2016), is a professional basketball player who currently plays for the Philadelphia 76ers, played collegiately for the Washington Huskies and was the first pick of the 2017 NBA Draft
Football
- 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).
- Derek Cameron Wake (2000) is a current defensive end for the NFL's Miami Dolphins and is two time CFL Defensive Player of the Year.
- Quinn Ojinnaka (2002) is a former NFL offensive lineman (2006-2012).
- Byron Westbrook (2002) is a former defensive back for the NFL's Washington Redskins (2007-2011).
- Josh Wilson (2003) is a current 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 current defensive back for the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles.
- Cyrus Kouandjio (2011) is a current offensive lineman for the NFL's Buffalo Bills.
- Arie Kouandjio (2010) is a current offensive lineman for the NFL's Washington Redskins.
Lacrosse
- Paul Rabil (2004) is an MLL lacrosse player for the New York Lizards.
NASCAR
- Coy Gibbs (1991) is a former NASCAR driver, former assistant coach for the Washington Redskins, and the current 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.
Track and field
- Derek Mills (1990) is an Olympic gold medalist in track and field at the 1996 Summer Olympics.
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
External links
- DeMatha Catholic High School official website
- Trinitarian Order official website
- Sports Illustrated Names DeMatha #2 High School Athletic Program 05/11/2005
- Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame entry for Morgan Wootten
- Sports Illustrated Names DeMatha #2 High School Athletic Program 06/19/2007
Source of article : Wikipedia
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