Benedictine Military School
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| Benedictine Military School |
|
| Established | 1902 |
| Type | Private all-male secondary |
| Students | 450 |
| Grades | 9–12 |
| Location | Savannah, Georgia USA |
| Accreditation | Southern Association of Colleges and Schools |
| Colors | Maroon, white, and grey |
| Mascot | Cadets |
| Yearbook | The Sabre |
| Military | JROTC (required for 2 years) |
| Nickname | BC |
| Website | www.bcsav.net |
Benedictine Military School (also referred to as Benedictine or simply BC) is a Roman Catholic, military, all-male high school located in Savannah, Georgia. It was founded in 1902 by Benedictine monks. It has a rich tradition rooted in what is quintessential Savannah. The school could easily be confused with Benedictine High School in Richmond, Virginia, which is also an all-male Catholic military school that goes by BC, has an almost identical fight song, and is only slightly smaller than its Savannah counterpart.
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[edit] History
Benedictine monks landed at Priests' Landing near Modena Island, led by Bishop Leo Haid, off the coast of Savannah in 1874. Leo Haid's coat of arms, a lion with ten stars above (symbolizing the ten priests that first arrived), is still used to this day at Benedictine. The monks were mostly of German descent, and shortly began missionary work amongst newly freed slaves. Later, under the control of Belmont Abbey of North Carolina, the Benedictines established an abbey at 31st and Habersham Streets. Recognizing the need for a Catholic boys' school in Savannah, they established Benedictine College in 1902. In 1906, the groundbreaking ceremony was performed on the ground that would become the school's campus on Bull Street. In 1920, the school changed their name to Benedictine School because of the confusion that Benedictine was a college. However, the nickname "BC" stuck regardless. In 1964, the school moved to its current campus located on Seawright Drive on the southside of Savannah.
[edit] Traditions
[edit] St. Patrick's Day Parade
Savannah's parade is the second largest in the nation. The Corps of Cadets has marched in every St. Patrick's Day Parade since 1903. Many BC alumni have been elected Grand Marshall of the parade. Another St. Patrick's Day Parade tradition is for St. Vincent girls, and later other girls, clad in bright red lipstick, to run up and kiss cadets on the cheek.
[edit] Commissioning
The school's senior military cadets are commissioned as JROTC officers at a school-wide ceremony on a Saturday night in late September. Freshmen Cadets are required to bring dates for the ceremony and dance afterwards. For many young ladies throughout the city, being invited to commissioning is a huge deal. One tradition is for each senior's date to fervently try to put on his newly-acquired ranks on his epaulets as quickly as possible once instructed. The officer whose date takes the longest time to fulfill this task is usually responsible for buying the entire senior class a round of Coca-Colas.
[edit] Gannam Day
George K. Gannam, a 1938 Benedictine graduate, was killed at Pearl Harbor and was the first Savannahian to die during World War II. The school holds a military review and formal ceremony on or around Pearl Harbor Day (Dec. 7) each year to commemorate Staff Sergeant Gannam. The American Legion Post 184, named in his honor, presents the Gannam Award to the most outstanding sophomore cadet and the God and Country Award to an outstanding senior cadet. The school also presents the Gannam family an American flag which, in turn, the Gannam family gives back to the school to fly on the flagpole for the following year.
[edit] Fight Song
The school's fight song, sung to the tune of the Washington and Lee Swing, references BC's age-old rivalry with cross-town rival Savannah High School, or simply "High School":
Come fall in line you men of ole BC,
And we will win another victory
For when we meet that High School team today,
We're gonna beat them well and now we say, we say
We're gonna fight, fight, fight for every yard,
Circle the ends and hit that line right hard,
We're gonna drive old High School off the sod, off the sod
For ole BC!
[edit] Homecoming
Homecoming is normally held in late October.
[edit] Football
Without doubt, Benedictine's football program receives more fan participation than any other sport at the school. Because neither BC nor any of Savannah's 6 public high schools (except for Groves) have on-campus stadiums, games must be held at municipal sites. Since the 1960s, the games which bring the largest crowds have been played at Memorial Stadium in Sandfly. As the largest venue in the city (and in all of Southeast Georgia), the 12,000+ capacity stadium has traditionally hosted the Cadets' home games, because BC's games are normally of the most interest in Savannah. BC is traditionally recognized as the city's football powerhouse.
[edit] The Vic Mell Era (1950-1968)
[edit] The Walsh Era (1970-1994)
It was announced in 1970 that Jim Walsh of Pacelli Catholic in Columbus would be the Cadets' next coach, replacing head coach Mike Coburn, a 1964 graduate of Benedictine. Walsh is credited for having turned around BC football seemingly instantaneously. There were certainly other factors at play that made Walsh's transition easier than most (regional realignments in the late 60's no longer forced BC to play state powerhouses like Albany, Coffee Co., and Richmond Academy during the regular season, and public busing changed the face of once powerful city teams), but Walsh was clearly responsible for bringing a fresh attitude that balanced his quieter demeanor with a no-nonsense approach. He introduced the wishbone and led the Cadets to numerous playoff appearances in the 70s and 80s, including 4 undefeated regular seasons (1977, 1980, 1981, and 1982), and a state-quarterfinal run in 1979. There were some down years in the late 80s and early 90s, but by 1993 the team was back above the fold, as signaled by a miracle last-second victory over 6th-ranked Savannah High. Walsh announced his retirement after another 8-win season in 1994, leaving behind an astounding 185-82-1 record as head coach.
[edit] The Brackett Era (1995-2005)
Coach Tom Brackett took the reigns of BC Football from the legendary Coach Walsh in 1995. In his first season, he led BC to its first state playoff appearance since the mid-1980s. In his second year, he coached one of the greatest teams in the school's history, leading the Cadets to the third round of the state playoffs. An overtime victory over Northside, a dramatic upset of #1-ranked La Grange on the road, and a heartbreaking 14-13 loss to Lowndes made for arguably the most exciting run in BC playoff history. Four fumbles and a missed extra point was all that kept the Cadets from playing in the Georgia Dome that year. Several additional successful seasons followed, including 4 more playoff appearances and a region championship in 2000, the school's first in nearly 20 years.
Since 2002 the Cadets have failed to make the state playoffs. For the first time since 1992, the Cadets suffered a losing season, going 4-6 in 2003. That same year, Brackett helped make the risky decision to switch classifications, dropping down from AAAAA to AAA. The Cadet struggled through a demoralizing 2-8 season in 2004. They did manage improve to 5-5 for the 2005 season, but Brackett resigned at the end of the year. Though the football program has experienced its most trying times in recent history, the athletic program as a whole has maintained a high level of success and a record unmatched by any in the area.
[edit] The Herndon Era (2006-present)
After Brackett's resignation in January of 2006, it was announced in March that former South Effingham Coach Bob Herndon would take the helm. Herndon, a 1970 graduate of Benedictine, has a prestigious 30-year coaching record as one of the winningest in Georgia history. Herndon immediately returned BC to its wishbone roots. Thin and injury-plagued, the Cadets went 3-8 in 2006, but played with arguably more heart and discipline than any team in recent memory. Herndon looks to return 23 seniors in what hopes to be a more promising 2007.
[edit] Rivalries
[edit] Savannah High
As previously mentioned, the Cadets have a long-standing rivalry (the oldest in the state of Georgia) with the Savannah High School Blue Jackets. For generations the schools' football teams would face each other at Grayson Stadium on Thanksgiving Day. The day before the game, BC traditionally held a parade full of students and alumni on Broughton Street downtown. The city split into two factions, with the city's Catholics and Jews associated with BC clashing with the Protestants of "High School." Fights and pranks between fans and students of the schools were common in what was known as the "Catholic vs. Cracker" rivalry. The rivalry was also often referred to as "The Crackers vs. The Irish", because, regardless of whether a B.C. Cadet was Irish, Jewish, German, Italian, Greek, or Chinese, all B.C. Boys were considered "Irish" in Savannah. The intensity culminated on Thursday afternoon, when all of Savannah would pack the stands to cheer on their team. Before movie theaters, TV, and video games, it was for a long time the largest, most anticipated family/social event of the year in the city.
With the completion of Memorial Stadium in 1959, the growth of the southside of Savannah, which created the arrival of new high schools such as Jenkins and Windsor Forest, plus the addition of the playoff schedule in mid-November (preventing a Thanksgiving regular season matchup), has caused the rivalry to die down in recent years.
But while the Cadets have not played the Blue Jackets in a regular season match-up since 2003, these two teams still go head-to-head in a preseason exhibition game every year, one that still draws alumni and fans alike to Memorial Stadium.
[edit] Glynn Academy
Another traditional rival of the Cadets are the Red Terrors of Glynn Academy from Brunswick. Glynn is especially known for its strong, rowdy fan base. Loyal Terror fans compete with Cadet fans as the most loyal and cocky in the Coastal Empire. When the two teams square off against each other in football, basketball, or soccer, there is usually tension between players and fans. Such heated animosity and fan support is rare among other schools in the region.
[edit] Notable Alumni
[edit] Josh Mallard - Class of 1997
While a senior at Benedictine, Josh led the 1996 football squad (arguably the best in the school's history) to the state quarterfinals as a defensive lineman, with 168 tackles and 36 sacks. He went on to play for the University of Georgia, leading the Bulldog defense in number of sacks as well. He then played for the Indianapolis Colts during the 2002-2003 season, and has most recently signed with the Atlanta Falcons.
[edit] Tommy Cannon - Class of 1965
Tommy Cannon went on to play baseball along with his brother, Bobby, at the University of Georgia. Afterward he returned to the faculty of Benedictine Military School and has been there ever since. He currently serves as the Dean of Students as well as varsity basketball and golf coach.
[edit] Stratton Leopold - Class of 1961
Stratton is currently a producer in Hollywood with credits in over 20 movies. Some of his more famous works were being the co-producer for The General's Daughter and The Sum of All Fears. Most recently he was the executive producer for Mission: Impossible 3. He has also remained active in the Savannah business community, returning the family run Leopold's Icecream to the historic district.
[edit] Ken "Hawk" Harrelson - Class of 1959
Ken Harrelson went on to play professional baseball for a number of teams including the Kansas City Athletics, Boston Red Sox, and Cleveland Indians. His best year was in 1968 when he led the American League in RBIs with 109. Currently he is a broadcaster for Chicago White Sox.
