lasrever

I am very proud of the MBA Class of 2015 and the Euverard era of MBA Football!!! The Nashville Scene article is very disappointing to me. Some of my surface observations were substantiated. Frankly, it was getting out of hand and the correction was Justified. Character and integrity must be at the forefront, especially when the molding of young men weigh in the balance.

I was at the Navy SMU game. Very exciting second half. I was concerned when Tuani made a tackle sans helmet. Yes, MBA has two Seniors going to service academies, Annapolis and West Point.

Tennessean article from 2005, September 23, 2005 Section: Sports Edition: 1ST Page: 1C Irish eyes not smiling JEFF LOCKRIDGE STAFF Father Ryan football's struggles were years in the making By JEFF LOCKRIDGE Staff Writer Kurt Page, football coach at Father Ryan at the time, drafted a seven-page memo in 2001 on the state of the program. It was polished. It was respectful. It read like a presidential address. But it sounded like a fire alarm. "People really needed to know what the future laid out," Page said. "It's just a great information piece for those who wanted to take some action. I think people needed to be enlightened as to what was going on. My whole goal was to make it better." The memo was issued to the Father Ryan Board of Trust in the fall of 2001. It outlined the reasons for the decline of one of the state's proudest and most recognizable high school programs. Whether his reasons were correct is debatable. Father Ryan's fall from grace is not. Page, a 1980 alumnus of the school, left following the 2001 season for Randolph School in Huntsville, Ala. Since then, Father Ryan has won six of 34 games entering tonight's contest at Centennial. "Basically, financial aid came into the picture," said Robert Jemison, who coached the Irish from 2002-04. "Other schools, whatever their mission statements may be, decided to start putting more money into athletic programs. "Where we fell behind was in the investment of resources and facilities -- the highlights that attract your better athletes. "We relied on a 75-year history and a proud tradition of what we had done in the past to attract them to Father Ryan. People went with how much money you could get and what type of facilities you have." Things appeared fine when the Division II split occurred in 1997, forcing schools that offered financial aid into a separate grouping within the Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association. That year Father Ryan went 12-0 and won its second state title, beating rival MBA 10-6. The Irish won eight games each of the next two seasons. But the talent pipeline had begun to dry up. In 2000, the team's record fell to 3-6. Two years later it was 1-9. The separation between Father Ryan and the rest of the Division II "Super Seven" -- Baylor, Brentwood Academy, Christian Brothers, MBA, McCallie and Memphis University School -- was clear. "We work hard even though our record hasn't shown it," said Irish senior receiver Corry Stewart, whose brother, Cromwell, played for the 1997 title team. "I don't know what the problem has been." "I think in this league everybody is a hair away from being in a struggle," Brentwood Academy Coach Carlton Flatt said. Glory days Father Ryan's rich Catholic history dates to it opening its doors in 1925. At the time, it was called Catholic High School for Boys. The football team took the field for the first time Sept. 23, 1926. That game and the one that followed were losses. Then came eight consecutive wins. Their first state championship did not come until 1974. It was Boots Donnelly's first year as head coach. Expectations were modest. "I have a lot of memories about that season, but the thing I remember most is The Tennessean picked Father Ryan fourth in our division of the NIL," said Gene Mulloy, a senior offensive tackle on the '74 squad that finished 13-0. Mulloy's third and fourth kids, Matt and Mark, are presently in Father Ryan's football program. "We opened that season against Clarksville Northwest and The Tennessean had ... them as the No. 1 team in the state. Boots came out (in the paper) and said 'these guys are going to beat us up' and 'I hope they don't injure all of our players.' Of course, we're reading this and saying, 'Hey, we've worked hard. We can't let this happen.' "Well, we crushed Clarksville Northwest and got a little confidence going." It was a magical run that continued through the playoffs. It also helped that Donnelly was able to recruit a reliable place-kicker, Bill Donlon, from the soccer team. Father Ryan defeated Knoxville Fulton 29-28 in the Class AAA championship. Donnelly coached the Irish just two seasons giving way to Bill Derrick, who led the team to an impressive 69-20 record over the next eight years. Spelling it out Why has Father Ryan lost its winning ways? Before answering that question in his memo, Page provided a historical perspective, addressing the 1970s "decade of change" when many private schools opened and quickly established winning football programs. He also addressed the split within TSSAA and Father Ryan's decision to join the financial-aid division. The memo took on a concerned tone when Page wrote of skyrocketing monetary investments in Division II athletic programs and the escalating level of recruiting student-athletes. It read: "Competition: If a student qualifies for 100 percent of financial aid, the schools will provide the total amount. "Father Ryan: If any student qualifies for 100 percent, the school provides a percentage of that amount ... in an effort to divide the aid among all who need it. This past year, for example, students were provided with 55 percent of the financial aid they qualified for. The remainder is considered their 'Fair Share,' a philosophy which, under current division rules, works well for any student who is not considered a good athlete, but it is a complete disadvantage for any student-athletes considered to have talent and sought after by other schools." In the paragraphs that follow Page referred to the "middle schools issue," noting the ability of other institutions to provide financial aid to seventh- and eighth-graders and Father Ryan's absence of a middle school that were "putting our Catholic families into an unfortunate predicament. Do they take a child who shows signs of success in athletics out of a parochial school for seventh, eighth and ninth grade for the child to play varsity football against Father Ryan in the 10th, 11th and 12th? Several have." Page touched on how providing tuition to siblings of good athletes was a way for rival schools to woo a family, the need to eliminate the "gentleman's agreement" so that Father Ryan could single out a potential student for his abilities, and the competitive concerns that arose with the opening of a new Catholic school -- Pope John Paul II in Hendersonville. "Certainly we're not trying to steal anybody's kids," said JPII Coach Jeff Brothers, whose team has reached the playoffs two consecutive years in Division II-AA (one class below Father Ryan). "I hope we're providing another valuable option for people if they're looking for a Christian education for their kids. Has it affected Father Ryan's enrollment? Sure. But to choose us is not to say they couldn't have still gone over there." At the present This offseason, Father Ryan replaced Jemison with Oak Ridge Coach Bruce Lussier, who led the Wildcats to five Class 5A playoff appearances in six years as head coach. The Irish are currently 1-3. Losing records, however, are just part of the issue. There's also the task of restoring the pipeline of talent, upgrading facilities and equipment, and the goal of having every home game on campus. Like past Father Ryan coaches, Lussier spends Saturday mornings the same place as Brothers -- at the Knights of Columbus fields near the airport watching parochial middle school football. "I have some of the same concerns that Kurt had," Lussier said. "I was told to assess the program, and what I can work on is player development. I can't dwell on what we don't have." Strides in facilities and equipment include an updated weight room, additional blocking dummies and machines for practice. In the last month Father Ryan received and accepted a landscaping plan from the city of Oak Hill permitting the school to host football games, according to Mulloy, a member of the Board of Trust. One of the most costly and time-consuming parts of the plan involves building a berm that would run along its campus' south side. It would cut down on noise and ease concerns about fans parking in the adjoining neighborhood and walking to the field. Then there's the matter of completing a stadium. Presently, there is just one set of bleachers. "What we want to do is go above and beyond what we're ordered to do," Mulloy said. "We want to be good neighbors to Oak Hill. It's hard to know (when Ryan will host games), but if I had to guess, I would say two or three years." When Father Ryan was located on Elliston Place, it played its home games at the old West High and Vanderbilt. It continued hosting games at Vanderbilt when its campus changed locations 15 years ago, but Vanderbilt's change from artificial turf to natural grass in 1999 disrupted that plan. This season, three Irish "home" games include one at MBA (against MBA), homecoming at Vanderbilt (against Brentwood Academy) and one on campus, against Baylor with a 6 p.m. start to accommodate zoning regulations. Future direction Where's Father Ryan go from here? Page suggests a transition to Division I. Financial aid would have to go, but Page's idea of a student work program would enable athletes to earn tuition money. "If you're going to ration it out, why not have a mini-work study program, which is perfectly legal and would give them a chance to make that money. As long as families know that on the front end, I don't see it as a hindrance," he said. A divisional change would give Father Ryan the chance to renew traditional Metro rivalries with the likes of Antioch, Overton, Hillsboro and Glencliff while cutting down on the travel expenses attached to Division II. Jemison, now the athletics director at Harding Academy (K-8) in Nashville, respectfully objects. "I don't want to move to Division I if it's going to cut aid to Catholic kids," he said. "That's going against a lot of tradition and the crutch of the institution." Last school year, Father Ryan gave $177,416 in financial aid to student-athletes. The number looks large, but it's comparatively small. Baylor shelled out $689,096; Brentwood Academy $273,600; Christian Brothers (boys only) $134,900; McCallie (boys only) $496,150; MBA (boys only) $307,578; MUS (boys only) $179,675. Current tuition at Father Ryan is $6,880 for Catholics, $10,990 for non-Catholics. Though tuition at some of their Division II peers is greater, the Irish will seemingly be at a competitive disadvantage if those numbers remain consistent. "Whether we can compete with the Brentwood Academies and MBAs, who offer 100 percent tuition, I don't know," Lussier said. "I don't have a (JPII receiver) Golden Tate. I don't have a (Brentwood Academy tailback) Tyree Ford. I don't have a (MBA tailback) Andy Snyder. They've got some athletes that make a difference." "You come in here thinking you're going to play on a successful football team," Irish senior tailback Michael Hausman said. "You work hard. You deal with the expectations of your classmates and teachers. It's been very tough." The recent slide of Irish football has left fans, alumni and former players discouraged. "I don't know why it's been like that," Donlon said. "Father Ryan has a tremendous following. All they need to do is start winning again. I'm anxious to see them start winning consistently." Jeff Lockridge covers high school sports for The Tennessean.

Compensation was about 66k in 2006 per form 990. The DA move to Hendersonville is not going as planned. Talent current/coming up in Middle? Transitions with parents making High School decisions. I wish the best for Coach Wade. Good guy and family, older son will be a freshman next year, great timing. Time to move to AA.

New to Division II High School Baseball. Of the big three, Football and Basketball seems competitive. What about baseball

RRR, Go to the TSSAA site and read the bylaws. It's not a scholarship or waiving tuition, it's need based financial aid. Some parents may call it a scholarship because it sounds better, but it's financial aid. All D2 schools offer some form of financial aid. That's the reason they are D2. Some have more to offer than others. It's financial aid, not a scholarship. Now, privates schools could work a deal on younger sibling's tuition prior to their high school grades. If a student/athlete meets a schools academic requirements and a family has legitimate financial needs, if have no issues. The school should never lower academic standards or make exceptions solely for athletics. In life, academics are much more important. As an aside, 19 year old seniors and redshirting (repeating, held back, starting late) seems to be more prevalent at privates.