Mater Dei High School (Santa Ana, California)

Last updated

Mater Dei High School
Materdeilogo.png
Materdeihighschool.jpg
Mater Dei High School, Santa Ana, California
Address
Mater Dei High School (Santa Ana, California)
1202 West Edinger Avenue

Santa Ana
,
California
92707

United States
Coordinates 33°43′36″N117°52′59″W / 33.72667°N 117.88306°W / 33.72667; -117.88306
Information
TypePrivate, College-prep
MottoHonor, Glory, Love
Religious affiliation(s) Roman Catholic
Established1950
SuperintendentErin Barisano
CEEB code 053-240
PrincipalFrances Clare
Teaching staff105.1 (on an FTE basis) [1]
Grades 9–12
GenderCoeducational
Enrollment2,152 [1]  (2015–2016)
Student to teacher ratio20.5 [1]
Color(s)Red and grey
Athletics conference CIF Southern Section
Trinity League
Nickname Monarchs
Rival Servite [2]
Accreditation WASC, [3] WCEA [4]
NewspaperThe Scarlet Scroll
YearbookCrown
TuitionCatholic: $18,200
Non Catholic: $19,650 [5]
Website materdei.org

Mater Dei High School is a private, Catholic, co-educational secondary school in Santa Ana, California, located in and administered by the Diocese of Orange.

Contents

Mater Dei is nationally known for its strong sports programs, especially in football. [6] It is ranked first in the United States for "best high schools for athletes" by school review company Niche, [7] and in 2014, Bleacher Report ranked it in the top five high schools in the U.S. for producing professional athletes. [8] Over 68 percent of the student body participates in some role with a team, in one of the 25 different sports sponsored by the school, which together have won 90 CIF, state, and national championships. [9]

History

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles opened Mater Dei in 1950, the first Catholic high school in Orange County. The school had 111 students and a faculty of seven, including Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, plus principal Fr. Joseph Eyraud. [10] In 1953 they were joined by the Patrician Brothers, who taught until 2005. [11]

Enrollment grew rapidly. The school was originally designed for 800 students, but by 1964, it was serving 1,800. [12] In the 1970s it became the largest Catholic high school west of Chicago, and overcrowding persisted until 1987, when Santa Margarita Catholic High School, opened in South Orange County.

In 2000, Mater Dei embarked on a major capital campaign to fund a new parking lot, chapel, library, and service buildings, as well as a spate of athletic facilities and in 2019, a much-needed parking garage. [10]

Controversy

The school has received mixed attention in local media due in part to their method of scouting athletes from public high schools in due process of offering scholarships as a part of recruitment for their acclaimed football program. [13] [14] [15]

In 2021, a lawsuit was filed alleging that systemic hazing pervaded the football program resulting in a "brutal locker room altercation." [6] [16] Another 2021 lawsuit alleged that two Mater Dei football players severely injured a classmate in an orchestrated attack. [17] Orange County bishop Kevin Vann responded with a public statement supporting the school's leadership and criticizing the "media frenzy". [18] The school announced it would commission an independent investigation into the allegations. [19]

In January 2022, a female alumna of Mater Dei filed a lawsuit following the surfacing accusations of hazing, alleging that she was sexually assaulted by a former football coach during the late 1980s. [20]

Athletics

Mater Dei High School's teams named the Monarchs, and their colors are red and grey. As of 2023, the school sponsors boys' and girls' teams at multiple levels in 25 sports in the Trinity League, part of CIF Southern Section:

In addition, boys' beach volleyball, e-sports, equestrian, ice hockey, and surfing are offered on a club level. [21]

Known for their football and basketball programs, Mater Dei has also graduated professional athletes Robbie Rogers (soccer), Tiki Ghosn (mixed martial arts), and Greg Woepse (pole vault), as well as ten Olympians. [22] A total of 15 players have been named Gatorade California State Players of the Year. [23]

Football

The Mater Dei football team plays in CIF Southern Section Division 1. They most recently won the CIF State Championship during the 2021 season, and won national championships in 1994, 1996, 2017, 2018, 2020, and 2021. [24] As of 2022, three graduates have won the Heisman Trophy, John Huarte, Matt Leinart, and Bryce Young. [16]

In 2021 The New York Times cited Mater Dei's football program and that of rival St. John Bosco for making high school football look like NCAA Division I competition in terms of recruiting, training, and facilities. [25]

Notable alumni

Athletics

Other

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Garrett</span> American football player and athletic director (born 1944)

Michael Lockett Garrett is an American former football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) and the American Football League (AFL) for eight seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Diego Chargers. He played college football for the USC Trojans, where he won the Heisman Trophy in 1965.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Leinart</span> American football player (born 1983)

Matthew Stephen Leinart is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons. He played college football for the USC Trojans, where he won the Heisman Trophy and led his team to an undefeated season as a junior. Selected tenth overall by the Arizona Cardinals in the 2006 NFL Draft, Leinart primarily served as Kurt Warner's backup for four seasons. He spent his final three seasons in a backup role for the Houston Texans and the Oakland Raiders. Leinart was inducted to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint Francis High School (La Cañada Flintridge, California)</span> Private school in La Cañada Flintridge, United States

St. Francis High School is a Catholic college preparatory high school for boys, located in La Cañada Flintridge, California, USA. Founded in 1946 by the Capuchin Franciscan Friars, St. Francis High School is a Catholic, college preparatory school for young men in grades 9-12 and is fully accredited by WASC and WCEA. St. Francis High School of La Canada-Flintridge, a non-profit religious corporation, is operated by the Board of Directors under the sponsorship of the Capuchin Franciscan Order of the Western America Province.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jesuit High School (Carmichael)</span> Private high school in Carmichael, California, United States

Jesuit High School is a private Catholic college-preparatory high school run by the USA West Province of the Society of Jesus in the Sacramento suburb of Carmichael, California. It was founded in 1963 and enrolls about 1,000 young men from throughout greater Sacramento Valley in California.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Howard Taft Charter High School</span> Public school in Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California, United States

William Howard Taft Charter High School is a public school located on the corner of Ventura Boulevard and Winnetka Avenue in the Woodland Hills district of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles, California, within the Los Angeles Unified School District. The school gained affiliated charter status beginning with the 2013–2014 school year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crespi Carmelite High School</span> Private, day, college-prep school in Encino, Los Angeles, California, United States

Crespi Carmelite High School, shortly known as Crespi, is a private Catholic all-boys four-year college preparatory high school located in Encino District, Los Angeles, California. It is part of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terry Baker</span> American gridiron football and basketball player (born 1941)

Terry Wayne Baker is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) and the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football and basketball at Oregon State University, where he was a member of Phi Delta Theta. Baker played for the Oregon State Beavers football team from 1960 to 1962, winning the Heisman Trophy as a senior. In the spring of his senior year, he led the basketball team to the 1963 Final Four. To date, he is the only athlete to win a Heisman Trophy and play in the Final Four. Baker was the first overall pick in the 1963 NFL draft and played with the Los Angeles Rams from 1963 to 1965. He then played for one season in the CFL with the Edmonton Eskimos in 1967. Baker was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1982.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Santa Margarita Catholic High School</span> Catholic high school in Rancho Santa Margarita, California

Santa Margarita Catholic High School (SMCHS) is a coeducational college preparatory Roman Catholic high school located in Rancho Santa Margarita, California, United States. SMCHS is owned and operated by the Diocese of Orange, and was opened in 1987 under the direction of the Bishop of Orange. Although it follows the Catholic tradition, admission is open to students of all faiths. As of fall 2018, 1,673 students were enrolled in grades 9 through 12.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Servite High School</span> Private, all-boys school in Anaheim, Orange County, California, United States

Servite High School is a private, Catholic, all-boys college preparatory high school in Anaheim, California founded in 1958.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bishop Amat Memorial High School</span> American private high school

Bishop Amat Memorial High School is a co-ed Catholic high school serving the San Gabriel Valley in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles, and was founded in 1957. The campus is located in La Puente, California, approximately 20 miles (32 km) east of downtown Los Angeles in Los Angeles County. The coeducational student body comprises approximately 1,520 students in grades 9 through 12, making Bishop Amat the largest private high school in Los Angeles County.

LeRon Perry Ellis is an American former professional basketball player. Ellis was considered to be one of the premier high school basketball players in the nation among the class of 1987 while playing for the top-ranked Southern California prep school squad Mater Dei. Ellis was drafted into the NBA after a mixed college basketball performance at the University of Kentucky and Syracuse University. He suffered several unsuccessful stints in the NBA over three non-consecutive seasons but spent the majority of his professional basketball career playing overseas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sports in California</span>

California has 21 major professional sports franchises, far more than any other US state. The San Francisco Bay Area has six major league teams spread amongst three cities: San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose. The Greater Los Angeles Area has ten major league teams. San Diego and Sacramento each have one major league team.

Verbum Dei Jesuit High School, nicknamed the Verb, is a private Catholic all-boys college preparatory school sponsored by the Society of Jesus in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1962 by the Society of the Divine Word to serve students from the Watts neighborhood and the surrounding communities who are economically and academically under-served.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oak Ridge High School (El Dorado Hills, California)</span> Public school in the United States

Oak Ridge High School is a public high school in El Dorado Hills, California, United States, 20 miles (32 km) east of Sacramento. It is part of the El Dorado Union High School District. Oak Ridge High School was established in 1980 with 222 students. As of the 2019–20 school year, Oak Ridge High School had 2,470 students. The school's principal is Aaron Palm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western High School (Anaheim, California)</span> Public high school in Anaheim, California, United States

Western High School is an accredited public high school located in Anaheim, California, serving students in grades 9–12. The school is one of ten high schools in the Anaheim Union High School District. It is located in the western end of Anaheim and also serves southwest Buena Park and northwest Stanton. It was established in 1954. The school's mascot is the Pioneer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dick Coury</span> American football coach (1929–2020)

Richard P. Coury was an American football coach. In a career that spanned across five decades, Coury coached with distinction on the high school, college, and professional levels. His most prominent posts were as head football coach at Cal State Fullerton from 1970 to 1971, the Portland Storm of the World Football League (WFL) in 1974, and the Boston/New Orleans/Portland Breakers of the United States Football League (USFL) from 1983 to 1985. He was named USFL Coach of the Year in 1983.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matt Barkley</span> American football player (born 1990)

Matthew Montgomery Barkley is an American football quarterback who is a free agent. He played college football for the USC Trojans, setting set the Pac-12 Conference season record for touchdown passes as a junior. Due to suffering a shoulder injury in his senior season, he was not selected until the fourth round of the 2013 NFL draft by the Philadelphia Eagles. Barkley has been a member of 11 different teams, mostly as a backup. His most notable stint was with the Chicago Bears, where he served as the team's starter in 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ed O'Bannon</span> American basketball player (born 1972)

Edward Charles O'Bannon Jr. is an American former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was a power forward for the UCLA Bruins on their 1995 NCAA championship team. He was selected by the New Jersey Nets with the ninth overall pick of the 1995 NBA draft. After two seasons in the NBA, he continued his professional career for another eight years, mainly playing in Europe.

The Trinity League is a high school athletic conference in Southern California, part of the CIF Southern Section. The League is regarded as one of the most competitive high school football leagues in the United States. For the fall 2023 season, High School Football America rated it the toughest league in the nation, with the top two nationally ranked teams and five out of the six ranked the top 300. In 2021, three of the six programs had been ranked in the top 10 in the country, with five in the top 200.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bryce Young</span> American football player (born 2001)

Bryce Young is an American football quarterback for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Alabama Crimson Tide, setting the school record for most passing yards in a single game (559) and winning several player of the year awards in 2021, including the Heisman Trophy. Young was selected first overall by the Panthers in the 2023 NFL draft.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Search for Private Schools – School Detail for Mater Dei High School". nces.ed.gov. Retrieved August 21, 2018.
  2. ↑ Terry, Mike (October 11, 1996). "Live and Learn; Servite's Volelrs Hopes to Teach Mater Dei a Lesson This Time". Los Angeles Times . p. 8.
  3. ↑ WASC-ACS. "WASC-Accrediting Commission for Schools" . Retrieved June 5, 2009.
  4. ↑ "WCEA/WASC Accreditation". materdei.org.
  5. ↑ "Tuition and Fees". Mater Dei High School. Retrieved March 20, 2023.
  6. 1 2 Sondheimer, Eric (November 26, 2021). "Mater Dei wins Division 1 football title as controversy engulfs program". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
  7. ↑ 2023 Best High Schools for Athletes in America, Niche, retrieved September 5, 2023
  8. ↑ Janovitz, Scott (September 29, 2014), Powerhouse High Schools That Keep Making Pros , retrieved September 5, 2023
  9. ↑ "Welcome", Mater Dei High School Athletics, Mater Dei High School, retrieved September 5, 2023
  10. 1 2 "History of Mater Dei High School", MaterDei.org, Mater Dei High School, retrieved September 5, 2023
  11. ↑ "Mater Dei High School", BrothersofStPatrick.com, Brothers of St. Patrick, retrieved September 5, 2023
  12. ↑ Emmons, Steve; Marcano, Tony (March 17, 1990), "O.C.'s Mater Dei High Has Big Reputation, Even Bigger Ambition", The Los Angeles Times, retrieved September 5, 2023
  13. ↑ "Ranking Top 10 high school recruits of all time".
  14. ↑ "Why are Catholic Schools so good at Sports?". August 10, 2011.
  15. ↑ "Fine Legal Line for HS athletes who transfer and get recruited".
  16. 1 2 Fry, Hannah; Sheets, Connor; Nelson, Laura J. (December 22, 2021). "Football powerhouse Mater Dei confronts hazing scandal with a wall of silence". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
  17. ↑ Nelson, Laura J.; Fry, Hannah (December 6, 2021). "Mater Dei football players broke a student athlete's jaw in a planned attack, lawsuit says". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
  18. ↑ Nelson, Laura J. (December 8, 2021). "O.C. bishop decries 'media frenzy' over alleged hazing at Mater Dei High School". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
  19. ↑ Reid, Scott (November 30, 2021). "Mater Dei to commission independent probe of its sports programs". Orange County Register. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
  20. ↑ "Mater Dei sex abuse accusation comes to light following Hazing lawsuit". Los Angeles Times . January 20, 2022.
  21. ↑ "Mater Dei Athletics", MaterDeiAthletics.org, Mater Dei High School, retrieved September 5, 2023
  22. ↑ "Olympians", MaterDeiAthletics.org, Mater Dei High School, retrieved September 5, 2023
  23. ↑ "Gatorade California State Players of the Year", MaterDeiAthletics.org, Mater Dei High School, retrieved September 5, 2023
  24. ↑ Peter, Josh. "Mater Dei High School caps championship season in shadow of serious hazing allegations". USA TODAY. Retrieved March 1, 2022.
  25. ↑ Witz, Billy (November 14, 2021), "California's High School Football Powerhouses Feed the College Game", The New York Times, retrieved September 5, 2023
  26. ↑ "Devin Askew - Men's Basketball". California Golden Bears Athletics.
  27. ↑ "Schea Cotton" (PDF). NBA.com. Archived (PDF) from the original on December 24, 2012.
  28. ↑ Fryer, Steve (December 18, 2012). "Mater Dei's Duarte is offensive player of the year". OCVarsity.com. Archived from the original on February 2, 2016.
  29. ↑ Shaikin, Bill (October 8, 2016). "Nationals stick with Danny Espinosa, for a simple reason". Los Angeles Times . Retrieved August 21, 2018.
  30. ↑ "Tiki Ghosn UFC Bio" . Retrieved January 1, 2014.
  31. ↑ Henson, Joaquin M. (August 19, 2017). "Thais a different team with Lamb". The Philippine Star. Retrieved March 22, 2022.
  32. ↑ Ben Bolch, Leinart Chosen State Player of Year, Los Angeles Times, December 5, 2000. Retrieved April 30, 2011.
  33. ↑ "Bob Meacham Stats". Baseball Almanac. Retrieved December 3, 2012.
  34. ↑ "Michael Gallagher '02". Mater Dei High School. 2016.
  35. ↑ "Juan Zarate". White House. 2005.
  36. ↑ "Juan C. Zarate". Center for Strategic and International Studies . Retrieved January 6, 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.