Des Plaines Maryville Academy High School Building
Des Plaines St. Mary/Maryville Academy History
Des Plaines (population 50,720) is located in far northeastern Illinois in near-northwestern Cook County. It is considered a suburb of the city of Chicago. The city of Des Plaines is basically located northwest of the intersection of Interstate Highway 90 and Interstate Highway 294. The Des Plaines River flows through town. Illinois Routes 12, 45, 58, 62 and 83 all pass through Des Plaines as well.
The city has and long a storied history starting from a small country town and growing to one of the largest suburban towns in the Chicagoland area. The story we wish to cover on this page is that of once was a very special school for children with a special story behind it. That school is Maryville Academy.
According to the Maryville Academy website address of http://www.maryvilleacademy.org/ , the history of the school is as follows:
Almost everyone who enjoys history has knowledge of the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 and Mrs. O’Leary’s cow. What many people don’t know is the large amount of lives that were lost and the vast amount of families that were effected by the fire. Over 300 Chicago residents parished as a result of the Great Chicago Fire. Many of those who died left behind large families and small children needing care. The Catholic Archdiocese recognized this need, and in 1882, bought land in Des Plaines to build a place that would care for the orphaned and needy children left behind.
The result of the efforts of many, headed by Archbishop Patrick J. Feehan, led to the creation of the St. Mary’s Training School for Boys. The school was opened in 1883. As the Academy’s website of today proclaims: “It was a chance for the unwanted children to have a home, a purpose, an education and an opportunity for a decent and productive life.”
The Christian Brothers were in charge of the school, which the Archbishop also built a summer home there, calling it “Feehanville.” Indians from the Sioux & Chippewa tribes at Standing Rock Reservation along the border of North & South Dakota were sent there with help from the US Government. An 1899 fire wiped out everything on the grounds, but Feehan’s successor, Archbishop James Quigley, stated that school would rebuild.
In 1906, the school became co-institutional with diocesan priests and the Sisters of Mercy at the Chicago Industrial School for Girls teaching the students. The later school moved to the same location in 1911. The sisters left the school in 1936 for economic reasons, and replaced by the Sisters of Charity of the Institute of Providence from Montreal, Canada. Commercial courses (which had been offered to the boys since 1920) were also offered to the girls beginning in the fall of 1936.
The school became a four-year institution in the fall of 1940 and graduated its first class the following spring (18 in all, nine girls and nine boys). Day students were also admitted on a limited basis in 1944, due to the lack of Catholic high schools in the northwest suburbs.
A former student of Maryville Academy, who asked to remain anonymous, provided the following information regarding the history of St. Mary’s High School and Maryville Academy High School:
“It was in 1938 that a high school was developed for the kids of St. Mary’s. The St. Mary’s school served the children who attended there well for several years. In 1950 the high school name was changed to Maryville Academy. Maryville Academy High School continued to serve children of all grades until the high school was closed in 1967.
St. Mary and Maryville Academy did serve troubled children, however other children were enrolled as well. Children of faculty members attended the grammar school and high school, for example. The enrollment at the high school hovered around 150 students for grades 9-12. This was split fairly even between boys and girls.”
The Academy continued as a facility to house children who were troubled. After a brief closure in 2003, Maryville Academy has reopened her doors to children in need of assistance. There is no longer an official high school at the Academy; however, high school-type courses and education is offered to those who reside there.
St. Mary / Maryville Academy High School Quick Facts
Year St. Mary’s Teaching School for Boys opened: 1883
Girls added from Chicago Industrial School: 1911
Year St. Mary’s Training High School began: 1938
First four-year class graduated: 1941
Year St. Mary’s name changed to Maryville Academy: 1950
Year Maryville Academy High School ceased its HS status: 1967
St. Mary’s / Maryville HS team nickname: the “Terriers”
St. Mary’s / Maryville HS team colors: Blue & Gold
School Fight Song: “Hail to Dear Old Maryville”
Maryville Academy HS Gymnasium 2019
Maryville Academy Gym Cornerstone
Maryville Academy Gym Cornerstone 2019
Des Plaines Maryville Academy Gym Side View 2019
Athletics
The boys of St. Mary and Maryville competed in basketball and football. During St. Mary’s first 10 years of existence, the teams competed on an independent level against schools from the area such as St. Elizabeth, St. Mel, Joliet Catholic, Maine Township, and Mooseheart.
In 1948 the school joined a conference named the Northeast Catholic Conference. This conference included Elgin St. Edward, Elmhurst Immaculate Conception, Lisle St. Procopius, Woodstock St. Mary, and Rockford St. Thomas. Conference teams played each other in the sports of basketball and football. Maryville Academy won the school’s only conference title in football during the 1951 season.
During the 1959-60 and 1960-61 seasons, the school played as an independent against various schools from the area. The basketball team of 1959-60 was only able to schedule 9 games, including the District Tournament game.
Maryville Academy would join the newly formed Catholic Metropolitan Conference for the start of the 1961-62 school year. League members included Chicago Little Flower, Chicago St. Francis De Sales, Wheaton St. Francis, and Chicago Heights Marian Catholic.
We do need several season records for the teams at St. Mary and Maryville Academy, as you will see below.
Maryville Academy Gymnasium Interior 2019
Boys Basketball
Two District titles as St. Mary and one District title as Maryville highlighted the successes of the boys basketball program. Some information regarding the basketball program:
The basketball team of 1959-60 was only able to schedule 9 games, including the District Tournament game. which they lost to state-ranked Prospect High School. The school would lose to state-ranked (#2) Prospect in the first round of the District Tourney the next season (1960-61) as well. An interesting side note to this game is that Maryville went into a stall tactic to prevent Prospect from scoring 100 points. It worked, final score; 98 – 38!
The first official game in the history of the school occurred in in 1940 when St. Mary’s beat St. Elizabeth 26 – 9.
The final game in school history occurred in 1967 when Wheaton North HS beat Maryville 103 – 49 in the Conant HS Regional.
As St. Mary’s
1938-39 Coaches: Rev. I. McDermott, Rev. F. Garrity, Rev. G.
Halpin, John Abraham, Joseph Cuccinotto
1939-40 Coaches: Rev. I. McDermott, Rev. F. Garrity, Rev. G.
Halpin, John Abraham, Joseph Cuccinotto
1940-41 8 – 4 Coaches: Rev. I. McDermott, Rev. F. Garrity, Rev. G.
Halpin, John Abraham, Joseph Cuccinotto
Chicago Parochial HS Champs 7 – 1
Star Players:
Joe Lambert, Joe Shilsky
1941-42 20 – 7 Coaches: Rev. I. McDermott, Rev. F. Garrity, Rev. G.
Halpin, John Abraham, Joseph Cuccinotto
Star Players:
Dave Nocchi, Al Flammini, Joe Lambert
1942-43 Coaches: Rev. I. McDermott, Rev. F. Garrity, Rev. G.
Halpin, John Abraham, Joseph Cuccinotto
1943-44 13 – 7 Coaches: Rev. I. McDermott, Rev. F. Garrity, Rev. G.
Halpin, John Abraham, Joseph Cuccinotto
1944-45 Coaches: Rev. I. McDermott, Rev. F. Garrity, Rev. G.
Halpin, John Abraham, Joseph Cuccinotto
1945-46 8 – 14 (2 – 5 in NEC Conf) Coaches: Rev. I. McDermott, Rev. F. Garrity, Rev. G.
Halpin, John Abraham, Joseph Cuccinotto
Star Players:
Joe Casey, Robert Watson, Ed Dumais
1946-47 18 – 9 District Champions Coaches: Rev. I. McDermott, Rev. F. Garrity, Rev. G.
7-1 NECC Co-Champs Halpin, John Abraham, Joseph Cuccinotto
All-Conference Players:
John Shaugnossey, Ed Malone, Jim Scanlan
1947-48 District Champions Coaches: Rev. I. McDermott, Rev. F. Garrity, Rev. G.
Halpin, John Abraham, Joseph Cuccinotto
1948-49 Coaches: Rev. I. McDermott, Rev. F. Garrity, Rev. G.
Halpin, John Abraham, Joseph Cuccinotto
As Maryville Academy
1949-50 Coaches: Rev. F. Garrity, John Abraham
Joseph Cuccinotto
1950-51 Coaches: Rev. F. Garrity, John Abraham
Joseph Cuccinotto
1951-52 Coaches: Rev. F. Garrity, John Abraham
Joseph Cuccinotto
1952-53 17 – 8 NEC Conf 7 – 3 Coaches: Rev. F. Garrity, John Abraham
Joseph Cuccinotto
All-Conference Players:
Bill Nagle, Bob Busher
1953-54 18 – 9 District Champions Coaches: Rev. F. Garrity, John Abraham,
Joseph Cuccinotto
Beat Orland Pk. HS
in Dist. title game
Lost 1st Rd Reg. to
Proviso Twshp. HS
& Ray Nitschke
All-Conference Players:
Ray Crone, Bill Nagle, Art Fennel
1954-55 Coaches: Rev. F. Garrity, John Abraham
Joseph Cuccinotto
1955-56 Coaches: Rev. F. Garrity, John Abraham
Joseph Cuccinotto
1956-57 16 – 7 NEC Conf. 6 – 2 Coaches: Rev. F. Garrity, John Abraham
Joseph Cuccinotto
All-Conference Players:
Ray Crone, Tom Nagle
1957-58 4 – 16 NECC – 1 – 7 Coaches: Rev. F. Garrity, John Abraham
Joseph Cuccinotto
All-Conference Player:
Jim Hanrahan
1958-59 Coaches: Rev. F. Garrity, John Abraham
Joseph Cuccinotto
1959-60 4 – 6 Coaches: Rev. F. Garrity, John Abraham
Joseph Cuccinotto
1960-61 3 – 11 Coaches: Rev. F. Garrity, John Abraham
1963-64 1 – 14 CMConf 1-6 Coaches:John Abraham, Joseph Cuccinotto
1964-65 2 – 14 CMConf 0-8 Coaches:John Abraham, Joseph Cuccinotto
1965-66 2 – 14 CMConf 0-6 Coaches:John Abraham, Joseph Cuccinotto
1966-67 2 – 13 Coaches:John Abraham, Joseph Cuccinotto
Maryville Academy Gym Interior 2019
Maryville Academy Gym Interior 2019
Football
From the opening year of St. Mary’s High School in August of 1938, the school competed in football each fall. The highlight of the football program may very well have came in the first three seasons of competing in the Metropolitan Catholic Conference. The gridiron warriors won conference titles in the 1961, 1962, and 1963 fall seasons.
The first official football game for St. Mary’s High School occurred in 1940 and resulted in a 7 – 7 tie with Maine Township HS.
The final game in the school’s history occurred in 1966 when Chicago Little Flower High School defeated Maryville HS 42 – 21.
1938 Coaches: Rev. Ignatius McDermott, John Abraham, Joseph Cuccinotto
1939 Coaches: Rev. Ignatius McDermott, John Abraham, Joseph Cuccinotto
1940 5 – 2 – 1 Coaches: Rev. Ignatius McDermott, John Abraham, Joseph Cuccinotto
Team Leaders: Joe Lambrecht, Al Shilsky, B. Boegerhausen
1941 5 – 1 – 1 Coaches: Rev. Ignatius McDermott, John Abraham, Joseph Cuccinotto
Team Leaders: D. Westhouse, J. Lambrecht, Al Flemmini, R. Shroeder
1942 Coaches: Rev. Ignatius McDermott, John Abraham, Joseph Cuccinotto
1943 5 – 2 – 1 Coaches: Rev. Ignatius McDermott, John Abraham, Joseph Cuccinotto
Team Leaders: D. Nocchi, R. Pritchard, R. Battersby
1944 Coaches: Rev. Ignatius McDermott, John Abraham, Joseph Cuccinotto
1945 4 – 4 Coaches: Rev. Ignatius McDermott, John Abraham, Joseph Cuccinotto
All-Conference: M. McGuire, E. Dumais
1946 7 – 0 – 1 Coaches: Rev. Ignatius McDermott, John Abraham, Joseph Cuccinotto
Northeast Catholic Conference Champs 4 – 0 – 1
All-Conference: R. Clarkson, D. Doherty, J. Gale, E. Malone, S. Pritchard, J. Scanlan, J. Shaughnessey, A. Westinghouse
1947 Coaches: Rev. Ignatius McDermott, John Abraham, Joseph Cuccinotto
1948 Coaches: Rev. Ignatius McDermott, John Abraham, Joseph Cuccinotto
1949 Coaches: John Abraham, Joseph Cuccinotto
1950 Coaches: John Abraham, Joseph Cuccinotto
1951 7 – 0 Coaches: John Abraham, Joseph Cuccinotto
Northeast Catholic Conference Champions 5 – 0
All-Conference: R. Zuniga, M. Garcelon, B. Nagle
(See “Football Memories” section below for more great information on
Ray Zuniga)
***From a player on the 1951 team:
“Ray Zuniga was quite a football player for being such a little guy. He could really juke and jive. I think he was a better baseball player than anything else though. Ray was probably the best natural athlete that I have ever seen. I had a lot of good friends that played on those teams. Mannie Rod was a great guy and we had a lot of fun with him. He is not mentioned above, but I think Richard Fisher was also a very good athlete. He had a strong arm and was pretty quick. He probably had to be since he was so darn skinny and was always on the run from the powers that be. The high school was very small at that time. If you did not play the brothers would come looking for you to “encourage” you to come out for the team. I could be wrong but I think we got a couple of cupcakes after winning the conference title. I thought it was 1952 though and not 1951. A cupcake was a big deal at that time.”
1952 4 – 3 – 1 Coaches: John Abraham, Joseph Cuccinotto
NECC 3 – 1 – 1
All-Conference: Bob Bushner, Manual Rodriguez, Ray Garcia
1953 4 – 2 – 1 Coaches: John Abraham, Joseph Cuccinotto
NECC 3 – 1
All-Conference: Bob Bushner, Ray Crone, Art Finnel
1954 1 – 6 – 0 Coaches: John Abraham, Joseph Cuccinotto
NECC 1 – 4
All-Conference: Tom Nagle, John Shleimer
1955 Coaches: John Abraham, Joseph Cuccinotto
1956 3 – 4 – 0 Coaches: John Abraham, Joseph Cuccinotto
NECC 2 – 3
All-Conference: Tom Nagle, Ron Crone, Jim Ryback
1957 2 – 5 – 0 Coaches: John Abraham, Joseph Cuccinotto
NECC 2 – 4
All-Conference: Rich Berger, Ron Crone, Gene Ryback
1958 2 – 5 – 0 Coaches: John Abraham, Joseph Cuccinotto
NECC 1 – 4
All-Conference: R. Berger
1959 3 – 2 – 1 Coaches: John Abraham, Joseph Cuccinotto
NECC 1 – 2 – 1 (Final year for NECC)
All-Conference: Ron Crone, Leo Sabanas
1960 1 – 6 Coaches: John Abraham, Joseph Cuccinotto
(No Conference)
Team Leaders: Bob Malan, Gerry Russell, John Abraham, Jesse Trueba
19615 – 1 – 1 Coaches: John Abraham, Joseph Cuccinotto
Catholic Metropolitan Conference Champions
3 – 0 – 1 Conference Record
Beat Marian Catholic 25 – 19 to clinch title
All-Conference Selections: Tom Berger (OG), Al Sabanas (HB), John Abraham (FB), Al Raya (QB), Frank Wilson (C)
19625 – 1 – 1 Coaches: John Abraham, Joseph Cuccinotto
Catholic Metropolitan Conference Champions
4 – 0 Conference Record
Beat St. Francis De Sales 18 – 6 to clinch
All Conference Selections: Joe Brady (LB), John Abraham (FB), Xavier Terrazas (HB), Tom Berger (OG), Pete Kaiser
19636 – 1 Coaches: John Abraham, Joseph Cuccinotto
Catholic Metropolitan Conference Champions
Only loss to Ridgewood HS
All-Conference Selections: Pete Kaiser (QB), Tom Berger (OG), Mike Spencer (E), Bob Modend (FB), Joe Tomasek (End)
1964 1 – 6 Coaches: John Abraham, Joseph Cuccinotto
CMConf 1 – 3
All-Conference: John Malan, Ron Singleton
1965 3 – 4 Coaches: John Abraham, Joseph Cuccinotto
CMConf. 1 – 4
All-Conference: Art Contrares
1966 3 – 3 Coaches: John Abraham, Joseph Cuccinotto
(no conference)
Team Leaders: Art Contrares, J. Maher, Tom Abraham, Mike Gale
Football Memories:
**Great player:
In 1951 halfback Ray Zuniga scored 6 touchdowns and 6 PAT in the conference= deciding game against St. Thomas of Rockford. The final score was 72-9. Zuniga was named co-prep football player of the week by Chicago’s American Newspaperm (no longer in circulation) and was presented an award by Ed “Moose” Krause of Notre Dame. This feat is recognized by the Illinois High School Association and is listed in their record lists on the web address of http://www.ihsa.org/activity/fb/records/aindiv1.htm . Ray Zuniga is listed in the categories titled “Most Points in a Game” and “Most Touchdowns in a Game”.
**From a player on the teams of 1960, 1961, and 1962 teams:
“Aside from our conference wins, some of our most satisfying experiences on the football field were the three games we played against Ottawa Marquette in 1960, ’61, and ’62. In the 1960 game, our team was comprised of mostly sophomores and juniors. Marquette embarrassed us on their Homecoming night in Ottawa 54-6. The following year, Marquette traveled to our place and we beat them 20-0.
In our senior year of 1962, we traveled to Ottawa, again on their Homecoming night, and we beat them 7-0. Pete Kaiser scored a touchdown on a quarterback sneak with 1:03 to play to give us the victory. Maryville would beat Marquette again the next season (1963) by a score of 7-6 on a quarterback sneak from Pete Kaiser that went 80 yards for the score!”
**From Tom Temple::
“I was surprised and glad to have found information about Maryville Academy, DesPlaines,Il. I did not know a lot of the news . I played football for the grammar school football team from 1954-1957, I remember winning the CYO championship becoming city champs two years and co-champs one year during that time. I played high school football 1958-1959.”
***From a player on teams in the 1950s:
“I did not realize that Coach Abraham was the coach for so many years – thirty years is a long time. I think he did a very good job without a lot to work with. I learned a lot from him and when I graduated he checked on me to make sure that I had somewhere to go.”
Seeking Further Information
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