History
Establishment and Early History
Cardinal Mooney was founded in 1956 and is run by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Youngstown. In the early 1950s, the Diocese of Youngstown recognized the need to expand Ursuline High School and to build a new parochial high school on the southside. In 1953, Bishop Emmet M. Walsh obtained the present site of Cardinal Mooney High School from the Youngstown Parks Department and began the organization of a high school fundraising committee.
Ground was broken in 1954, and in the fall of 1955 the first freshman class was organized and began attending classes at the old Glenmary convent. Construction of Cardinal Mooney was completed in time for the first day of school in September 1956. A total of 610 students were enrolled as freshmen or sophomores. The school was named after Cardinal Edward Mooney, a former southsider, who was the Archbishop of Detroit. He had distinguished himself as a scholar and Vatican diplomat.
Father William Anthony Hughes, later the Bishop of Covington, Kentucky, was named the school's first principal. Red and Gold were selected as the school colors. They symbolized the blood of the martyrs, and the responsibility of all Christians to accept suffering and the Blessed Sacrament.
The initial faculty included sisters from the Ursuline, Dominican, Notre Dame and Vincentian communities, two priests and five lay teachers.
In June 1959 the first graduating class celebrated Baccalaureate Mass at St. Columba Cathedral, and on June 7 graduation ceremonies were held at Stambaugh Auditorium.
Enrollments grew rapidly in the early '60's. By 1960 an addition to Cardinal Mooney was being planned and an overflow of students were once again attending classes at the old Glenmary Convent. The addition opened in 1961. It included an auditorium, seven classrooms and a physics laboratory.
Expansion
In early 2000, Cardinal Mooney came into possession of the two military annex buildings adjacent to the school grounds. Shortly after obtaining this real estate, construction of the high school's new sports complex was underway. Completed in late 2001, the Cardinal Mooney sports complex yields a well rounded athletic training facility where official OHSAA athletic contests can be hosted. The complex includes a regulation football field, two adjacent practice fields, two tennis courts, a practice putting green, a practice soccer field, two practice baseball fields, a small batting cage, a training pool, and a full-length, rubberized track encircling the main football field. The U.S. Army and U.S. Navy annex buildings were left standing during construction, but Rush Boulevard was filled in with top soil and cut off from the rear lot. The buildings, now referred to as the Cardinal Mooney Industrial Arts Center, have since been converted to garages where shop classes can work on vehicles and driving classes can be taught during the summer breaks. [2]
2013 relocation
On September 3, 2013, Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Youngstown, George Murry, approved [3] the relocation of the high school from Youngstown's south side to the suburbs of Mahoning County. However, his approval was met with stipulations that included proof of sufficient financial support for both a new high school building as well as an endowment fund to provide scholarships for students who face poverty and other social constraints.
A study [4] released in April 2013 (conducted by Catholic School Management, Inc. in Madison, Connecticut) determined that the school would sustain a better enrollment and for a longer period of time if it relocated.
Bishop Murry originally opposed the move, [5] stating that a large factor in this decision was that it would be cheaper to make renovations than to build a new building. In addition, he said in his statement, it is important for the diocese to be good stewards of their finances. The diocesan superintendent of Catholic schools echoed Murry's original stance and acknowledged the plans that can be put into effect for the future of the school at its present location. [5] The topic has been one of controversy among parents and alumni since discussion of the move began in 2013.
For the 2015 school year, renovations on the current location began, therefore making relocation unlikely. The school has been at its current site on Erie Street since 1956. [5]
Edward John DeBartolo Jr. is an American businessman best known for his 23-year ownership of the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). The five Super Bowls the 49ers dynasty won in 14 years were a record total for a single owner.
Robert Anthony Stoops is an American football coach who is the head coach for the Arlington Renegades of the United Football League (UFL). He was the head football coach at the University of Oklahoma from 1999 through the 2016 season, and on an interim basis during the 2021 Alamo Bowl. He led the Oklahoma Sooners to a record of 191–48 over his career. His 2000 Oklahoma Sooners football team won the 2001 Orange Bowl, which served as the BCS National Championship Game, and earned a consensus national championship. Since 2020, Stoops has been a head coach with the XFL, coaching the Renegades in 2020 and has been re-signed for 2023. Stoops' Renegades won the XFL Championship in 2023.
Michael Joseph Stoops is an American college football coach and former player. He is the inside linebackers coach for the University of Kentucky, a position he has held since 2022. Stoops also served as the head football coach at the University of Arizona from 2003 until his firing during the 2011 season. He previously served as an assistant football coach at the University of Iowa, Kansas State University, and University of Oklahoma. He is the younger brother of Bob Stoops, the former head coach of the Oklahoma Sooners football program, and the older brother of Mark Stoops, head coach of the Kentucky Wildcats football program. He returned to Oklahoma as the defensive coordinator in 2012. He served in the position until he was fired on October 7, 2018. After spending time at the University of Alabama as an analyst, he spent one season as the defensive coordinator of the Florida Atlantic Owls in 2021.
The Diocese of Youngstown is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in northeastern Ohio in the United States. It is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Cincinnati.
Scott Lee Brunner is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for the New York Giants from 1980 to 1983, the Denver Broncos in 1984, and the St. Louis Cardinals in 1985. He played college football for the Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens.
Michael Edward Zordich is an American college football coach and former professional player who was recently the defensive backs coach for the Central Michigan Chippewas. He played 12 seasons as a defensive back in the National Football League (NFL). Zordich played collegiately for the Penn State Nittany Lions and was selected by the San Diego Chargers in the ninth round of the 1986 NFL draft.
Mark Anthony "Bo" Pelini is a former American football coach and former player. He was most recently the defensive coordinator for the Louisiana State University Tigers football team. He is the younger brother of former Florida Atlantic head coach Carl Pelini, who has frequently worked under Bo as an assistant coach.
The Youngstown Patricians were a semi-professional football team based in Youngstown, Ohio. In the 1910s, the team briefly held the professional football championship and established itself as a fierce rival of more experienced clubs around the country, some of which later formed the core of the National Football League. The Patricians football team motto was "With Malice to None and a Square Deal to all."
The Rayen School was a public high school in Youngstown, Ohio, United States. At the time it was closed in 2007, it was the oldest of the three high schools in the city. The high school's most recent physical plant opened in 1923, when the institution was relocated from a 19th-century structure located at 120 W Wood Street in Youngstown that currently houses Youngstown's Board of Education.
Derrell Johnson-Koulianos and sometimes nicknamed DJK, is an American football player and was a wide receiver for the Iowa Hawkeyes during the 2007-2010 seasons. During the 2007 season, Johnson-Koulianos caught 38 passes for 482 yards and two touchdowns. In 2008, he caught 44 passes for 639 yards and 3 touchdowns. In 2009, his productivity once again increased as he caught 45 passes for 750 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Edward William Muransky is an American former professional football player who was an offensive tackle for the Los Angeles Raiders of the National Football League (NFL) and Orlando Renegades of the United States Football League (USFL). He was a member of the Super Bowl XVIII-champion Raiders. Prior to this, he was an All-American and Academic All-American athlete while playing college football for the Michigan Wolverines during the 1979 through 1981 seasons.
Carl Anthony Pelini is an American football coach. He served as defensive coordinator at Youngstown State University for the 2019 season. Pelini previously served as the head coach of Florida Atlantic from 2012 to 2013. He is the older brother of Bo Pelini, the former head coach at Nebraska and Youngstown State as well as defensive coordinator at LSU.
Antonio Derrell Goss is an American college football coach and former player. He is the special teams coordinator and cornerbacks coach for Carson–Newman University, positions he has held since 2018. Goss played professionally as a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons with the San Francisco 49ers and St. Louis Rams. He was selected by the 49ers in the 12th round of the 1989 NFL draft. He won two Super Bowl rings with the 49ers and captain alongside Jerry Rice and Tim McDonald in Super Bowl XXIX.
Mark Thomas Stoops is an American college football coach and former player. He is the head football coach for the University of Kentucky, a position he has held since 2013. Stoops is the all-time winningest head coach in the history of the Kentucky Wildcats football program. He is also the longest-tenured current SEC football coach.
John Edward "Jed" York is an American businessman who is the CEO of the San Francisco 49ers NFL franchise. York is the son of Denise DeBartolo York and John York, nephew of former 49ers owner Edward J. DeBartolo Jr. and a board member at Leeds United.
Vincent Charles Marrow is an American football coach and former professional tight end. He is the associate head coach and tight ends coach for the University of Kentucky, positions he has held since 2013.
Gerald J. Diorio is a former American football player. He played college football for the University of Michigan from 1980 to 1983 as an offensive guard. He later played professional football in Italy and appeared in two games for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL) as a replacement player and tight end during the 1987 NFL strike.
Tim Beck is an American football coach and former player. He is the head coach at Coastal Carolina University. Prior to joining Coastal Carolina, he was the offensive coordinator at North Carolina State University, a position he had held since 2020.
Courtney Love is an American football coach and former linebacker who is currently the director of player development for the University of Kentucky's football team. He also played college football at Kentucky, where he was the recipient of the Wuerffel Trophy in 2017.
Donald D’Alesio is an American professional football coach who is the Safeties coach for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL).
