Bay City Central High School

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Bay City Central High School (or BCC) is a high school located at 1624 Columbus Ave., Bay City, Michigan. Its mascot is the wolf, and its colors are purple and gold.

Contents

[edit] Building History

The building that is now known as Bay City Central opened March 27, 1922.[1] The original architectural plans called for two floors, but a third was added to provide room for Bay City Junior College (which now exists as Delta College, and is now located in University Center, Michigan). The "New Gymnasium" was constructed in 1957, and the cafeteria/commons received major renovations in 1995. The school's bell tower (which contains two classrooms and a now-defunct observatory) was closed in 1983 due to fire code restrictions and remains unopened to this day.

With the passage of a bond in 2006, Central will undergo a series of renovations.

[edit] Alma Mater and Fight Song

Alma Mater
Central High, O Central High School
By the inland sea,
In the shadow of thy tower
We will sing of thee

Golden dawn to purple dusk
Steadfast we will be,
Central High, our Alma Mater
Ever dear to me.

Fight Song
Central High!
Central High!
We are here to do or die
We'll fight, fight, fight
With all our might
For dear old Central High.
Central High!
Central High!
Raise your purple banners high.
We'll fight, fight, fight
With all our might
For dear old Central High.

[edit] Football

Bay City Central hosts one of the most successful high school football programs in the state of Michigan. It ranks among the top twenty in all-time wins and has produced several Division I football players. BCC is known for its undersized, but tough players. BCC plays in the Saginaw Valley Conference, which produces some of the most talented teams in the state, despite being physically outmatched by other teams in the conference. The 2006 varsity team ended their season with a record of 10-2 and also being named 2006 District Champs. The 2006 team is also noted for adding Tech'no' Shirt Thursday to the sport.

[edit] Football Stadium

The Bay City Central Wolves football team plays its home games in Engel Stadium. The need for the stadium was demonstrated on Thanksgiving Day, 1924, when Bay City Central and Flint Central played one another. The original stadium was what is now the student parking lot. Its 1,500-person capacity bleachers were not nearly enough for the 10,000 strong who came to watch the game. Because of this, Central Stadium (as it was originally called) opened in 1925. It was made possible through a fund-raiser, whereby local citizens bought commemorative bricks by making one- and five-dollar pledges. At the time, it was second in size to only Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor and Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. The stadium is reportedly the oldest high school stadium in Michigan and originally seated 7,000.{uncited}

On September 23, 1973, the name of Central Stadium was changed to Elmer Engel Stadium in honor of the long-time successful head coach of the Central Wolves. In recent years, Engel Stadium has received substantial renovations.

[edit] Elmer Engel

In 1950, Elmer Engel inherited the reins of a football team that had lost 27 consecutive games and worked them to a 3-6 record. Throughout the next 23 years, no Central varsity football team lost more than three games per year as Engel led the Central Wolves to five Class A state football championships. Three teams went undefeated and Engel’s 165-34-8 record at Bay City Central earned him a spot in the Michigan Coaches Hall of Fame.

[edit] Wrestling

[edit] Notable alumni

  • James A. Barcia (1970) - Michigan Congressman[2]
  • Edward Jablonski (1941) - Gershwin Biographer[3]
  • Marian Neumeyer (1927) - Namsake of "Marian the Librarian" from The Music Man[4]
  • Irene Warsaw (1925) - Poet[5]
  • Kevin Frederick (1997)- Drummer

[edit] References

  1. ^ Bay City Central School History. Bay City Central High School. Retrieved on 2006-07-04.
  2. ^ baycitycentral.com. ""BCC Alumni and Graduates"", Bay City Central High School, n.d.. Retrieved on 2006-07-17.
  3. ^ baycitycentral.com. ""BCC Alumni and Graduates"", Bay City Central High School, n.d.. Retrieved on 2006-07-17.
  4. ^ baycitycentral.com. ""BCC Alumni and Graduates"", Bay City Central High School, n.d.. Retrieved on 2006-07-17.
  5. ^ baycitycentral.com. ""BCC Alumni and Graduates"", Bay City Central High School, n.d.. Retrieved on 2006-07-17.

[edit] External links

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