The Rockhurst Hawklets football team is one of the most successful high school football programs in the United States. The team is composed of students from Rockhurst High School in Kansas City, Missouri and has made the most state championship appearances of any school in Missouri.
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Rockhurst is the only school to win a championship in each major state championship venue in the state of Missouri: Busch Stadium, Arrowhead Stadium, venues at the University of Missouri, and the Edward Jones Dome. The program also won a championship in a "non-championship" venue: its first championship, in 1971, at William Chrisman High School, against St. Louis Beaumont.
Its ninety eight football championships are second only to Jefferson City High School's ten in Missouri's male athletics. The team has been to more state championships (13) than any other school, and it is the all-time leader in state playoff appearances and state playoff wins. Five Rockhurst teams have won Missouri state championships with perfect records: 1971, 2000, 2002, 2007, and 2010. The 2000, 2002, 2007, and 2010 teams finished the season nationally ranked 14th, 6th, 20th, and 19th respectively. [1] [2] All teams finished the season undefeated with records of 14-0, 13-0, 13-0, and 14-0 respectively. The back-to-back-to-back-to-back-to-back state championship teams of 1986 and 1987 also finished nationally ranked, 14th and 13th respectively (after finishing 11-1 and 12-1). [3] [4]
Additionally, the last three head coaches of Rockhurst's football team, Al Davis, Jr., Jerry Culver, and Tony Severino, are all members of Missouri's High School Coaches Hall of Fame, and all won state championships with the Hawklets. Davis was a three-time recipient of the Knute Rockne Award, and Severino was named USA Today's National Coach of the Year in 2000[5] .
| Year | Record | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 1969 | 9-3 | Runner-Up |
| 1971 | 11-0 | Champions |
| 1973 | 10-2 | Runner-Up |
| 1981 | 12-1 | Champions |
| 1982 | 13-1 | Runner-Up |
| 1983 | 12-2 | Champions |
| 1986 | 11-1 | Champions |
| 1987 | 12-1 | Champions |
| 1989 | 10-3 | Runner-Up |
| 1999 | 12-2 | Runner-Up |
| 2000 | 14-0 | Champions |
| 2002 | 13-0 | Champions |
| 2007 | 13-0 | Champions |
| 2010 | 14-0 | Champions |
| State Championships | 9 | |
| State Runner-Ups | 5 |
The most outstanding high school football player in the greater Kansas City Metropolitan Area is awarded what was first christened the Dr. D.M. Nigro Award in 1931, and known since 1983 as the Thomas A. Simone Memorial Award. The following are the Rockhurst players who have won this award:
| Year | Coach | Years at RHS | W | L | T | Winning % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1916 | Charlie Alan | 1 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 71.4% |
| 1917 | Louis Gainey | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 28.6% |
| 1918 | Doc Nigro | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 33.3% |
| 1919-1925 | Pat Mason | 7 | 27 | 17 | 6 | 54.0% |
| 1926-1935 | Ed Halpin | 10 | 52 | 21 | 6 | 65.8% |
| 1936-1940 | Martin O’Keefe | 5 | 27 | 10 | 3 | 67.5% |
| 1941-1945 | Godfrey Kobets | 5 | 34 | 6 | 1 | 82.9% |
| 1946-1948 | Ralph Cormany | 3 | 20 | 6 | 1 | 74.05% |
| 1949-1950 | Gerry Connelly | 2 | 12 | 4 | 1 | 70.6% |
| 1951 | Dick Deitchman | 1 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 55.6% |
| 1952-1975 | Al Davis, Jr. † | 24 | 154 | 66 | 13 | 66.1% |
| 1976-1982 | Jerry Culver † | 7 | 63 | 16 | 0 | 79.7% |
| 1983-present | Tony Severino † | 23 | 217 | 52 | 1 | 80.3% |
| Totals | 90 | 619 | 208 | 35 | 71.6% | |
| Statistics as of the end of the 2007 season. † Member of the Missouri Coaches Hall of Fame |
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As of 2005 (asterisk indicates played in 2005)
| School | Years | Record** |
|---|---|---|
| De LaSalle | 1918-1970 | 32-13-5 |
| KCKS Catholic/Ward | 1916-1978 | 26-18-3 |
| Southwest | 1925-1995 | 26-3-5 |
| Paseo | 1926-1963 | 23-11-2 |
| St. Agnes/Bishop Miege | 1957-1984 | 21-6-1 |
| Lee’s Summit | 1919-2005 | 21-1-0* |
| Blue Springs | 1981-2005 | 18-16-0* |
| Pem Day | 1916-1959 | 16-1-1 |
| North Kansas City | 1941-2001 | 16-6-0 |
| Jefferson City | 1976-2005 | 15-13-0* |
| Hogan | 1943-1963 | 13-0-0 |
| Southeast | 1938-2001 | 13-2-0 |
| Raytown South | 1966-1993 | 13-6-0 |
| Raytown | 1955-1999 | 13-7-1 |
| Columbia Hickman | 1971-2005 | 12-9-0* |
| Oak Park | 1973-2005 | 12-1-0* |
| Northeast | 1930-1952 | 12-3-0 |
| Liberty | 1917-2005 | 12-6-0* |
| Glennon | 1943-1954 | 11-1-0 |
| St. Benedict/Maur Hill | 1927-1960 | 11-2-1 |
| Redemptorist | 1943-1954 | 10-1-0 |
| Grandview | 1979-1993 | 9-0-0 |
| St. Thomas Aquinas, KS | 1991-1999 | 9-0-0 |
| Lillis | 1943-1954 | 9-0-3 |
| Westport | 1929-1972 | 9-1-0 |
| O’Hara | 1971-1981 | 9-1-1 |
| SM West, KS | 1974-1990 | 9-6-0 |
| Lee’s Summit North | 1996-2005 | 8-1-0* |
| Immaculata | 1933-1941 | 8-1-0 |
| SM East, KS | 1963-1982 | 8-3-0 |
| St. Joseph Catholic/Christian Bro. | 1916-1949 | 8-5-3 |
| KC Central | 1924-1997 | 8-7-1 |
| SM Northwest, KS | 1981-1988 | 7-0-0 |
| Kapaun/Mt. Carmel, KS | 1957-1986 | 7-2-0 |
| Ruskin | 1964-1978 | 7-3-0 |
| Blue Springs South | 1995-2005 | 6-1-0* |
| Truman | 1966-1995 | 6-0-0 |
| Van Horn | 1969-1990 | 6-0-0 |
| St. Louis Sumner | 1973-2001 | 6-2-0 |
| Springfield Kickapoo | 1989-2000 | 5-0-0 |
| Garden City, KS | 1996-2001 | 5-1-0 |
| St. Pius X | 1962-1974 | 5-1-0 |
| SM North, KS | 1946-1980 | 5-2-0 |
| William Chrisman | 1921-1993 | 5-6-0 |
| Joplin | 2002-2005 | 4-0-0* |
| Hazelwood Central | 1981-1987 | 4-0-0 |
| Park Hill | 1982-1989 | 4-0-0 |
| St. Peter/Helias | 1942-1948 | 4-0-0 |
| Topeka Cath./Hayden | 1923-1960 | 4-0-0 |
| Wyandotte | 1973-1986 | 4-0-0 |
| St. Mary’s, KS | 1922-1930 | 4-1-0 |
| KC East | 1930-1982 | 4-1-1 |
| Argentine | 1916-1941 | 4-4-0 |
| Ft. Smith Northside, AR | 1987-1997 | 4-6-1 |
| St. Joseph Central | 1983-1989 | 3-0-0 |
| Winnetonka | 1981-1989 | 3-0-0 |
| Carrollton | 1919-1926 | 3-4-0 |
| Central AC | 1917-1918 | 2-0-0 |
| Columbia Rock Bridge | 1981-2002 | 2-0-0 |
| Dallas Jesuit, TX | 2002-2003 | 2-0-0 |
| Fayetteville, AR | 1989-1990 | 2-0-0 |
| Gulf Shores Acad., TX | 2002-2003 | 2-0-0 |
| Hickman Mills | 1987-1989 | 2-0-0 |
| KC Lincoln | 1955-1956 | 2-0-0 |
| Lincoln East, NE | 1983-1984 | 2-0-0 |
| Olathe North, KS | 1998-1999 | 2-0-0 |
| Park Hill South | 2000-2001 | 2-0-0 |
| Rosemount, MN | 1994-1995 | 2-0-0 |
| SM South, KS | 1987-1988 | 2-0-0 |
| Warrensburg | 1923-1924 | 2-0-0 |
| Wichita Northwest, KS | 1994-1995 | 2-0-0 |
| Lincoln Southeast, NE | 1991-1993 | 2-1-0 |
| Center | 1985-1985 | 1-0-0 |
| DeSoto | 1920-1920 | 1-0-0 |
| Dowling, IA | 1982-1982 | 1-0-0 |
| E. St. Louis Lincoln, IL | 1987-1987 | 1-0-0 |
| Edina, MN | 2002-2002 | 1-0-0 |
| Harrisonville | 1922-1922 | 1-0-0 |
| Haskel | 1947-1947 | 1-0-0 |
| Henderson Basic, NV | 2000-2000 | 1-0-0 |
| Hopkins, MN | 2001-2001 | 1-0-0 |
| Joliet Catholic, IL | 2002-2002 | 1-0-0 |
| KC Sumner, KS | 1965-1965 | 1-0-0 |
| Lathrop | 1916-1916 | 1-0-0 |
| Lindbergh | 2002-2002 | 1-0-0 |
| Manuel | 1929-1929 | 1-0-0 |
| Osawatamie, KS | 1939-1939 | 1-0-0 |
| Pattonville | 2000-2000 | 1-0-0 |
| Poplar Bluff | 1985-1985 | 1-0-0 |
| Smithville | 1926-1926 | 1-0-0 |
| St. Louis University High | 1983-1983 | 1-0-0 |
| Waterloo West, IA | 1991-1991 | 1-0-0 |
| Ctry. Club Dist. AC | 1916-1917 | 1-1-1 |
| Higginsville | 1920-1922 | 1-1-0 |
| Springdale, AR | 1984-1988 | 1-2-0 |
| Abilene, TX | 2005-2005 | 0-1-0 |
| KCKU Prep | 1919-1919 | 0-0-1 |
| Norborne | 1922-1922 | 0-0-1 |
| Odessa | 1923-1923 | 0-0-1 |
| Excelsior Springs | 1917-1917 | 0-1-0 |
| Evangel Christian, LA | 2003-2003 | 0-1-0 |
| Gardner | 1917-1917 | 0-1-0 |
| Hazelwood East | 1989-1989 | 0-1-0 |
| Joplin Parkwood | 1975-1975 | 0-1-0 |
| Marshall | 1925-1925 | 0-1-0 |
| McCluer | 1969-1969 | 0-1-0 |
| McLouth | 1922-1922 | 0-1-0 |
| Mehlville | 1999-1999 | 1-1-0 |
| Overland Aurora, CO | 1995-1995 | 0-1-0 |
| Richmond | 1932-1932 | 0-1-0 |
| Desmet | 2005, 2007 | 1-1-0 |