Bishop Luers High School
Encyclopedia
Bishop Luers High School is a Catholic high school located on the south side of Fort Wayne, Indiana
. Bishop Luers is owned and operated by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend
. The school was founded in 1958 by the Franciscan
Fathers of the Saint John the Baptist Province in Cincinnati, Ohio, along with the Sisters of Saint Francis Province in Mishawaka, Indiana
. The first bishop of the diocese, John Henry Luers
, is the namesake of the school.
(NHS), Key Club
, Student Council, Drama Club, The Bishop Luers Minstrels Show Choir, Pep Band, Speech and Debate, Newspaper, Yearbook, World Culture Club, Students Against Destructive Decisions or S.A.D.D., Future Business Leaders of America-Phi Beta Lambda, Freshmen Mentoring, and Student Ambassadors.
Bishop Luers' Minstrels Show Choir holds the distinction as the first show choir
to have a competition in America. In 1975, The Minstrels, directed by Father Fred Link, hosted the first competitive show choir invitational, with seven show choirs competing. The following year more than 15 show choirs competed. From 1979 to 1982 local PBS television network WFWA broadcast the competition, and in 1983, PBS aired the show choir competition nationally. Today, there are over 250 invitations sent out across the country. The Minstrels have been named Grand Champions at Findlay Fest, Charisma Classique, and Mooresville Spotlighter Show Choir Invitationals in addition to many other notable awards, and they frequently make the trip to Orlando, Florida to compete with other high school show choirs from around the nation.
(IHSAA) sanctioned sports of baseball, boys and girls basketball, cross country, football, boys and girls golf, boys and girls soccer, softball, swimming and diving, boys and girls tennis, track and field, volleyball, and wrestling. Bishop Luers is a member of the Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA), and the Summit Athletic Conference (SAC)
. Luers' main rival is Bishop Dwenger High School
, a Catholic school on the north side of Fort Wayne. Luers also has a spirited neighborhood rivalry with South Side High School
, which is often termed "The Battle for Calhoun Street."
Indiana High School Football Championships
Indiana High School Football Championship Runners-Up
SAC Football Championships
Fort Wayne City Series Football Championships
, recent seasons have seen championship success for the boys basketball team. For the four seasons 2006/07 – 2009/10, the Knights roster featured Deshaun Thomas
, one of the all-time greatest players in Indiana high school history and recipient of the 2010 Indiana Mr. Basketball award
. The Knights won two consecutive boys basketball Class 2A state championships, 2008 and 2009, and they followed those with a sectional win in 2010. They won the SAC Holiday Basketball Tournament the three seasons, 2008, 2009, and 2010. Prior to Thomas, the Knights had never won a Summit Athletic Conference
Holiday Basketball Tournament, and their overall history in the tournament still stands as the worst record of all-time.
On May 21, 2010, in a ceremony at Bishop Luers, Thomas' jersey (#1) was retired by the school. This was the first time in school history a jersey of any of its athletes had been retired.
The 2010/11 Knights achieved another milestone when the team won the SAC
regular season basketball championship for the first time in the school's history.
In May 2011, Blackmon resigned to take the head coaching position at his high school alma mater, Marion High School
. Later in the same month, Blackmon reversed that decision and announced he would be remaining as the head coach at Luers.
Indiana High School Boys Basketball Class 2A Championships
SAC Boys Basketball Championships
SAC Holiday Tournament Boys Basketball Championship
. Andrews was replaced by Teri Rosinski (winner of Indiana's 1977 Miss Basketball
) who carried on the girls basketball tradition, winning a fourth consecutive state title, in Class 3A, in 2001/02. Rosinski also led the Knights to the 2005/06 Class 3A championship and a runner-up finish in 2003/04. Their seven state championships currently stand as the most all-time by one school in Indiana girls basketball history, as do the eight championship game appearances.
After six seasons, Rosinski resigned and moved to southern California to spend more time with her family. Greg Friend took over as the girls basketball coach for two seasons, followed by current head coach Denny Renier.
Under first-year coach Renier, a long time assistant at the school, the 2009/10 Knights girls team once again reached the Class 2A state championship game. The game was historic because it was the first time the state finals were played in Fort Wayne. A one-year change of venues from Indianapolis was necessary because the two normally-used sites there were both unavailable. In a hard fought game, the Knights finished as state runner-up, losing the championship game in overtime, 70–65. They returned in 2011 to win the 2A state championship, also played in their home town of Fort Wayne, over a feisty Brownstown Central Braves ballclub. The final score was 59–46.
Indiana High School Girls Basketball Championships
Indiana High School Girls Basketball Championship Runners-Up
Sports Illustrated
ranked Bishop Luers 24th amongst high schools nationwide in the publication's "Top 25 athletic programs for 2007–08" article, released in May, 2008.
Knights Victory Song
Red and black our colors proudly flying,
We are the knights, we’ll conquer, never fear.
Deep in our hearts our love for Bishop Luers,
Makes us feel we want to shout and cheer,
Rah! Rah!
Every time they ask us who the Knights are,
We’ll be proud to show our loyalty.
We will sing a fighting song,
We will sing it loud and strong,
Bishop Luers march to victory!
V-I-C-T-O-R-Y,
Victory, victory Bishop Luers High!
Fort Wayne, Indiana
Fort Wayne is a city in the US state of Indiana and the county seat of Allen County. The population was 253,691 at the 2010 Census making it the 74th largest city in the United States and the second largest in Indiana...
. Bishop Luers is owned and operated by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend
Roman Catholic Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend
The Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend is a Roman Catholic diocese in north-central and northeastern Indiana. The Most Reverend Kevin C. Rhoades was appointed diocesan bishop by Pope Benedict XVI on November 14, 2009, and was installed on January 13, 2010...
. The school was founded in 1958 by the Franciscan
Franciscan
Most Franciscans are members of Roman Catholic religious orders founded by Saint Francis of Assisi. Besides Roman Catholic communities, there are also Old Catholic, Anglican, Lutheran, ecumenical and Non-denominational Franciscan communities....
Fathers of the Saint John the Baptist Province in Cincinnati, Ohio, along with the Sisters of Saint Francis Province in Mishawaka, Indiana
Mishawaka, Indiana
Mishawaka is a city on the St. Joseph River and a Twin city of South Bend in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States. The population was 48,252 as of the 2010 Census...
. The first bishop of the diocese, John Henry Luers
John Henry Luers
John Henry Luers was nominated first bishop of Fort Wayne, Indiana, and consecrated in Cincinnati, Ohio, 10 January 1858....
, is the namesake of the school.
Enrollment
As of the 2009–2010 school year, Bishop Luers High School had an enrollment of 540 students; 156 freshmen, 134 sophomores, 137 juniors, and 113 seniors.Academics
Bishop Luers' education departments consist of art, business, religion, English, foreign language, mathematicd social studies. In 2004 and in 2005, Bishop Luers was placed on the Catholic High School Honor Roll Top 50 Secondary Schools in America.Extra-curricular activities
Bishop Luers offers an array of activities for students. Activities include Academic Super Bowl, National Honor SocietyNational Honor Society
The National Honor Society is a recognition program for high school students in grades 10-12 in the United States and in several other countries...
(NHS), Key Club
Key Club
Key Club International is the oldest and largest service program for high school students. It is a student-led organization whose goal is to teach leadership through serving others. Key Club International is a part of the Kiwanis International family of service-leadership programs...
, Student Council, Drama Club, The Bishop Luers Minstrels Show Choir, Pep Band, Speech and Debate, Newspaper, Yearbook, World Culture Club, Students Against Destructive Decisions or S.A.D.D., Future Business Leaders of America-Phi Beta Lambda, Freshmen Mentoring, and Student Ambassadors.
Bishop Luers' Minstrels Show Choir holds the distinction as the first show choir
Show choir
A show choir is a group of people who combine choral singing with dance movements, sometimes within the context of a specific idea or story.-History:...
to have a competition in America. In 1975, The Minstrels, directed by Father Fred Link, hosted the first competitive show choir invitational, with seven show choirs competing. The following year more than 15 show choirs competed. From 1979 to 1982 local PBS television network WFWA broadcast the competition, and in 1983, PBS aired the show choir competition nationally. Today, there are over 250 invitations sent out across the country. The Minstrels have been named Grand Champions at Findlay Fest, Charisma Classique, and Mooresville Spotlighter Show Choir Invitationals in addition to many other notable awards, and they frequently make the trip to Orlando, Florida to compete with other high school show choirs from around the nation.
Athletics
Bishop Luers has a wide range of sports for students to participate in, including Indiana High School Athletic AssociationIndiana High School Athletic Association
The Indiana High School Athletic Association is the arbiter of interscholastic competition among public and private high schools in the State of Indiana. It monitors a system that divides athletically-competing high schools in Indiana based on the school's enrollment. The divisions, known as...
(IHSAA) sanctioned sports of baseball, boys and girls basketball, cross country, football, boys and girls golf, boys and girls soccer, softball, swimming and diving, boys and girls tennis, track and field, volleyball, and wrestling. Bishop Luers is a member of the Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA), and the Summit Athletic Conference (SAC)
Summit Athletic Conference (IHSAA)
The SAC is a high school athletic conference consisting of the eight high schools located area of Fort Wayne, Indiana. Three of the schools are private, one being a Lutheran academy, and the other two being Catholic preparatories. The rest are public schools, being part of Fort Wayne Community...
. Luers' main rival is Bishop Dwenger High School
Bishop Dwenger High School
Bishop Dwenger High School is a coeducational Roman Catholic high school in Fort Wayne, Indiana, in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend. The school was founded in 1963. Bishop Dwenger's main rivals are Bishop Luers High School and Snider High School...
, a Catholic school on the north side of Fort Wayne. Luers also has a spirited neighborhood rivalry with South Side High School
South Side High School (Fort Wayne, Indiana)
South Side High School is a Fort Wayne Community Schools high school situated in south-central Fort Wayne, Allen County, Indiana.-History:On September 11, 1922, South Side High School opened its doors to students for the first time...
, which is often termed "The Battle for Calhoun Street."
Football
Bishop Luers has a storied football program that has been coached by Matt Lindsay since 1987. Luers has won seven SAC Championships as well as four championships in the Fort Wayne City Series that preceded the SAC. Bishop Luers has also been to the Indiana state finals for football thirteen times, including 4 consecutive years 1999–2002. Ten of those fourteen trips have resulted in football championships, mostly in Class 2A, including current back-to-back-to-back wins in 2009, 2010, and 2011. The fourteen championship appearances are the most of any team in Indiana football history, and the ten championships are also just one victory short of tying the state record.Indiana High School Football Championships
- 10 – 2011, 2010, 2009, 2007, 2002, 2001, 1999, 1992, 1989, 1985
Indiana High School Football Championship Runners-Up
- 4 – 2000, 1996, 1991, 1983
SAC Football Championships
- 7 – 2011, 2001, 2000, 1993, 1980, 1975, 1973
Fort Wayne City Series Football Championships
- 4 – 1972, 1971, 1969, 1961
Boys basketball
Coinciding with the 2004 hiring of head coach James Blackmon, Sr.James Blackmon, Sr.
-Professional:Blackmon was drafted by the New Jersey Nets in the 5th round, the 94th pick overall in the 1987 NBA Draft. However, he never played in an NBA game.-College:*Senior *Junior *Sophomore *Freshman...
, recent seasons have seen championship success for the boys basketball team. For the four seasons 2006/07 – 2009/10, the Knights roster featured Deshaun Thomas
Deshaun Thomas
Deshaun Thomas graduated high school as a highly-regarded five-star player who verbally committed to play basketball in college for the Ohio State University Buckeyes when he was still a high school freshman. Thomas was also recruited by in-state powers Indiana University and Purdue University...
, one of the all-time greatest players in Indiana high school history and recipient of the 2010 Indiana Mr. Basketball award
Indiana Mr. Basketball award
The Indiana Mr. Basketball honor recognizes the top high school basketball player in the state of Indiana. The award is presented annually by The Indianapolis Star. The first Indiana Mr...
. The Knights won two consecutive boys basketball Class 2A state championships, 2008 and 2009, and they followed those with a sectional win in 2010. They won the SAC Holiday Basketball Tournament the three seasons, 2008, 2009, and 2010. Prior to Thomas, the Knights had never won a Summit Athletic Conference
Summit Athletic Conference (IHSAA)
The SAC is a high school athletic conference consisting of the eight high schools located area of Fort Wayne, Indiana. Three of the schools are private, one being a Lutheran academy, and the other two being Catholic preparatories. The rest are public schools, being part of Fort Wayne Community...
Holiday Basketball Tournament, and their overall history in the tournament still stands as the worst record of all-time.
On May 21, 2010, in a ceremony at Bishop Luers, Thomas' jersey (#1) was retired by the school. This was the first time in school history a jersey of any of its athletes had been retired.
The 2010/11 Knights achieved another milestone when the team won the SAC
Summit Athletic Conference (IHSAA)
The SAC is a high school athletic conference consisting of the eight high schools located area of Fort Wayne, Indiana. Three of the schools are private, one being a Lutheran academy, and the other two being Catholic preparatories. The rest are public schools, being part of Fort Wayne Community...
regular season basketball championship for the first time in the school's history.
In May 2011, Blackmon resigned to take the head coaching position at his high school alma mater, Marion High School
Marion High School (Indiana)
Marion High School is a high school in Marion, Indiana with more than 1,450 students.- Athletics :The nickname of the students and the athletic teams is the "Giants", and their teams compete in Indiana's North Central Conference...
. Later in the same month, Blackmon reversed that decision and announced he would be remaining as the head coach at Luers.
Indiana High School Boys Basketball Class 2A Championships
- 2 – 2009, 2008
SAC Boys Basketball Championships
- 1 – 2010/11
SAC Holiday Tournament Boys Basketball Championship
- 3 – 2010, 2009, 2008
Girls basketball
Bishop Luers also has a very strong girls basketball tradition. Past coach, Gary Andrews, took the girls to three consecutive Indiana State Class 2A Championship games, winning all three in the 1998/99, 1999/2000, and 2000/01 seasons. Andrews then left to coach the University of Saint FrancisUniversity of Saint Francis (Indiana)
The University of Saint Francis is a liberal arts university located in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church, the university promotes Catholic and Franciscan values...
. Andrews was replaced by Teri Rosinski (winner of Indiana's 1977 Miss Basketball
Indiana Miss Basketball award
Each year the Indiana Miss Basketball award is given to the person chosen as the best high school girls basketball player in the U.S. state of Indiana.-Award winners:-Schools with multiple winners:-References:...
) who carried on the girls basketball tradition, winning a fourth consecutive state title, in Class 3A, in 2001/02. Rosinski also led the Knights to the 2005/06 Class 3A championship and a runner-up finish in 2003/04. Their seven state championships currently stand as the most all-time by one school in Indiana girls basketball history, as do the eight championship game appearances.
After six seasons, Rosinski resigned and moved to southern California to spend more time with her family. Greg Friend took over as the girls basketball coach for two seasons, followed by current head coach Denny Renier.
Under first-year coach Renier, a long time assistant at the school, the 2009/10 Knights girls team once again reached the Class 2A state championship game. The game was historic because it was the first time the state finals were played in Fort Wayne. A one-year change of venues from Indianapolis was necessary because the two normally-used sites there were both unavailable. In a hard fought game, the Knights finished as state runner-up, losing the championship game in overtime, 70–65. They returned in 2011 to win the 2A state championship, also played in their home town of Fort Wayne, over a feisty Brownstown Central Braves ballclub. The final score was 59–46.
Indiana High School Girls Basketball Championships
- 7 – 2011(2A), 2008(2A), 2006(3A), 2002(3A), 2001(2A), 2000(2A), 1999(2A)
Indiana High School Girls Basketball Championship Runners-Up
- 2 – 2010, 2004
Non-sanctioned sports
Bishop Luers also has a variety of club sports including bowling, cheerleading, dance, lacrosse, rifle, and boys volleyball. The lacrosse team is a member of the Indiana High School Lacrosse Association.2007/2008
Along with the school's 2007 state football title, the boys basketball team competed for the first time in school history in the state basketball championship in 2008. The Knights won the game, 69–67, becoming Indiana High School Boys Basketball Class 2A Champions. Later in 2008, the boys baseball team competed for the first time in the state baseball championship, also winning that 2A title. Thus Bishop Luers became the first team in Indiana high school athletic history to win and hold the three major male sports titles in one year since 1973, the first year all three were recognized by the Indiana High School Athletic Association.Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated
Sports Illustrated is an American sports media company owned by media conglomerate Time Warner. Its self titled magazine has over 3.5 million subscribers and is read by 23 million adults each week, including over 18 million men. It was the first magazine with circulation over one million to win the...
ranked Bishop Luers 24th amongst high schools nationwide in the publication's "Top 25 athletic programs for 2007–08" article, released in May, 2008.
School song
Red and black our colors proudly flying,
We are the knights, we’ll conquer, never fear.
Deep in our hearts our love for Bishop Luers,
Makes us feel we want to shout and cheer,
Rah! Rah!
Every time they ask us who the Knights are,
We’ll be proud to show our loyalty.
We will sing a fighting song,
We will sing it loud and strong,
Bishop Luers march to victory!
V-I-C-T-O-R-Y,
Victory, victory Bishop Luers High!
Notable alumni
- Angie AkersAngie AkersAngela "Angie" Akers is a professional beach volleyball player from the United States who plays on the AVP Tour. Akers was named the AVP Rookie of the Year in 2002....
(Harris), professional beach volleyballBeach volleyballBeach volleyball, or sand volleyball, is an Olympic team sport played by two teams of two players on a sand court divided by a net.Like volleyball, the object of the game is to send the ball over the net in order to ground it on the opponent’s court, and to prevent the same effort by the opponent....
player, (Association of Volleyball ProfessionalsAssociation of Volleyball ProfessionalsThe Association of Volleyball Professionals, or AVP, is a beach volleyball tour which takes place throughout the United States. The summer tour starts in April and continues almost every weekend until the end of October....
) University of Notre DameUniversity of Notre DameThe University of Notre Dame du Lac is a Catholic research university located in Notre Dame, an unincorporated community north of the city of South Bend, in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States... - Nel Fettig, professional soccer player, University of North CarolinaUniversity of North CarolinaChartered in 1789, the University of North Carolina was one of the first public universities in the United States and the only one to graduate students in the eighteenth century...
, WUSA Star - Zach KleinZach KleinZach Klein is an American Internet entrepreneur best known for co-founding and designing Vimeo in 2004. He also co-founded the on-line shopping site Svpply and assisted in the development of CollegeHumor and BustedTees...
, co-founder of video social networking site VimeoVimeoVimeo is a video-sharing website on which users can upload, share, and view videos. It was founded by Zach Klein and Jake Lodwick in November 2004... - Anthony SpencerAnthony SpencerAnthony E. Spencer II is an American football linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Cowboys 26th overall in the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Purdue.-High school career:Spencer played high school football at Bishop Luers High...
, American footballAmerican footballAmerican football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
outside linebacker for the NFL Dallas CowboysDallas CowboysThe Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas... - Deshaun ThomasDeshaun ThomasDeshaun Thomas graduated high school as a highly-regarded five-star player who verbally committed to play basketball in college for the Ohio State University Buckeyes when he was still a high school freshman. Thomas was also recruited by in-state powers Indiana University and Purdue University...
, basketball player for Ohio State University