Recognizing the 50th Anniversary of An Historic Athletic Achievement in the History of the Louisiana High School Athletic Association (Lhsaa)

Floor Speech

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Mr. CARTER of Louisiana. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to humbly honor and celebrate the heroic accomplishment of the Saint Augustine High School 1975 Football Team, proudly located in Louisiana's 2nd Congressional District, of which I represent in Louisiana.

From 1951, its first year as a Catholic high school in New Orleans, through the mid-1960s, St. Augustine excelled in three major varsity sports: football, basketball and track and field. But the school, opened under the administration of New Orleans Archbishop Joseph Francis Rummel, was relegated to competing in the Louisiana Interscholastic Athletic and Literary Organization (LIALO) during the closing era of segregation.

Its principal, Josephite Father Robert Grant, wanted more for his athletes. He wanted them to compete against the city's other Catholic schools, who were members of the Louisiana High School Athletic Association. His first attempt came in 1962 when Father Grant wrote to the principals of the five schools--Jesuit, St. Aloysius, Holy Cross, De La Salle and Redemptorist--asking them to compete against St. Aug on an interscholastic sports level. He thought that would be possible because the Archdiocese of New Orleans had already desegregated its elementary schools.

No one accepted the invitation. But there was one reply, by De La Salle principal, Christian Brother Cassian. It was painfully blunt: ``Father, personally, I am not one to rush into situations which may not be to my advantage and to those associated with me. For years, I have refused to play certain high school teams on the basis that there was nothing to gain by such competition. This is how I feel about your request to play De La Salle. Time may change my attitude.''

Mr. Clarence Jupiter, who would go on to become a top administrator at Xavier University, championed the cause by asking why St. Augustine and Xavier Preparatory, which competed in major boys' sports, were not allowed to play their white Catholic counterparts? These institutions developed All-Americans and future pros and perform exceptionally well. Yet the fans never saw these schools compete against the other five. On the surface, little was happening to change the situation, but Father Grant was tirelessly working behind the scenes.

In June 1964, Fr. Grant notified Archbishop John Cody that he would seek admittance to the LHSAA, to establish athletic relations with the other Catholic high schools in the archdiocese. He also notified those schools of his plan, asking them to include St. Aug on their basketball, baseball and track and field schedules for the 1964-65 school year.

Father Grant had no delusions that LHSAA Commissioner T.H. ``Muddy'' Waters would greet his request with open arms. And he was right. Jesuit principal Father C.J. Stallworth, who had served on the LHSAA executive committee for seven years, said he would do what he could to assist St. Augustine, but added it would be helpful to him to have Sister Madalena of Xavier Prep also apply for admission to bolster his request.

Father Grant faced resistance from other Catholic schools, whose coaches set the athletic schedules. The Catholic League coaches ignored the two LIALO schools when they set the schedules for 1964-65. The CYO tournament and Knights of Columbus track meet also kept their events segregated.

At the January 1965 annual meeting, the LHSAA denied St. Augustine's membership request but amended its constitution to allow LHSAA and LIALO schools to compete against each other.

A year later, Rummel, Shaw and Cor Jesu were admitted by a two-thirds vote of LHSAA principals; St. Aug was not. Although the local Catholic school principals voted to admit the school into their district by a 5- 3 count, the vote of LHSAA principals numbered 11 yeas, 185 nays. The rest is history.

St. Augustine gained entry through a federal court suit in 1966, the CYO allowed St. Augustine and Xavier Prep to compete in its tournament, and the Knights of Columbus ceased running its annual track and field meet.

On Friday, December 12, 1975, in Strawberry Stadium. located on the campus of Southeastern Louisiana in Hammond, Louisiana, the Saint Augustine High School Purple Knights achieved their first state title in the Louisiana High School Athletic Association (LHSAA)--the all- white athletic league that St. Aug integrated through winning a Federal Court case in 1967.

St. Augustine has won state championships in football, basketball and track over the years. Xavier Prep became an all-girls school a few years after joining the LHSAA.

The LIALO became a defunct organization in 1969. Its members joined the LHSAA. Almost every high school in the LHSAA has a mixed enrollment.

Team Roster Included: Virgil Alexis, Michael Ben, Winston Burns, Ken Cobette, Gary Craddock, Oyd Craddock, Charles Cross, Donald Davis, Kurt Davis, Travis Duroncelet, Joseph Evans, Greg Fernandez, Bernard Gaines, Zachary Gaston, Henry Gibson, Derek Gray, Raymond Gray, Marty Griffin, Richard Harleaux, Louis Holmes, Arthur Hunter, Harold Jackson, Walter Lain, Sidney Lawrence, Thaddeus Lee, Stephen McNair, Michael Moody, Keith Moore, Elliot Muhammad (Boisdore), Louis Oubre, Larry Parker, Tyrone Parker, Burnell Quinn, Eric Richard, Victor Richard, Michael Roussell, Tyronne Smith, Gary Washington, Christopher Willard, Alan Williams, Wydell Williams, Rynell Wilson.

Deceased Team Members: Joseph Broussard, Nathaniel Dorsey, John Doucette, Alan Florent, Percy Gibson, Arthur Hagan, Byron Honore, Ronnie James, Jerome Mazique, Alvin Reed, George Robertson, Daryl Smith, Renard Smith, Brian Thompson, Fredrick Thornton.

Coaching Staff: Ronald Arceneaux, Anthony Biagas, Eddie Flint, Daryl McConduit (Deceased), Anthony Simmons (Deceased), Otis Washington--Head Coach (Deceased). PURPLE KNIGHT DISTRICT & STATE PLAYOFF RECORD

George Washington Carver, 33-0

John McDonogh, 21-0

Joseph S. Clark, 51-0

Jesuit 35-7

Archbishop Rummel, 19-6

Holy Cross, 41-7

DeLaSalle, 33-0

Chalmette, 34-0

Archbishop Shaw, 26-0

Brother Martin, 7-0 STATE PLAYOFFS

George Washington Carver **, 29-8

West Jefferson **, 14-6

South Lafourche, 20-7

Sulphur, 11-10

Covington, 35-13

** First 2 high school games held in the LA Superdome--40k in attendance

The team's historic 15-0 season record not only affirmed St. Aug could excel, but it could dominate in the face of adversity. The team's performance both uplifted the high school and the entire Black community in New Orleans and around the state. The team was ranked No. 1 all season, was first in LHSAA to achieve 15-0 record, and first to play in the Louisiana Superdome. For the season, the team outscored opponents 409 points to 64 points and held opponents scoreless in 7 games. That year, eleven (11) team members received football scholarships to Division 1 Universities. Currently, over 30 athletes have advanced to the National Football League, the largest total than any high school in the United States of America.

Law and Hope are the names of the streets between which St. Augustine High School has been located for 74 years. More appropriate symbols would be difficult to find as so much of this school speaks of Divine Providence. I congratulate the St. Augustine High School Purple Knights, the 1975 Championship Football Team, and those that continue the mission of the Josephite Fathers and Brothers. Rise Sons of the Gold and Purple.

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