Joliet Catholic Academy (Joliet Catholic or JCA) is a coed Catholic high school in Joliet, Illinois. It is located in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Joliet. One of the oldest Catholic high schools in the Chicago area, Joliet Catholic is perhaps best known for its prowess in football. Since the advent of the Illinois High School Association (IHSA) state football playoffs in 1974, JCA is tied for most State Championships with 15.
The modern school is the result of a merger between the all-girls St. Francis Academy and the all-male Joliet Catholic High School, which was formerly known as DeLaSalle High School for Boys. It is this merger that results in the school's shared affiliation with the Carmelites and the Joliet Franciscan Sisters.
History
Founding
It was founded by James Dalton.The Joliet Franciscan Sisters opened St. Francis Academy in 1869 as an all-girls school. The academy was founded in a small stone building convent by Mother Mary Alfred Moes, who later would help found the Mayo Clinic. In 1923, the school moved to the campus of the University of St. Francis, which had opened in 1920. In 1956, the school moved to the building at 1200 N. Larkin, which is the current site of JCA.
George Cardinal Mundelein, Archbishop of Chicago, had the De La Salle Christian Brothers create a new high school for boys as a part of their renovation of St. Patrick Church in Joliet. The school opened in 1918 as DeLaSalle High School for Boys with only two classrooms in the parish center, but moved to a new building in 1927. In 1933, the Carmelites took possession of the school, at which time, the school became Joliet Catholic High School.
In the summer of 1990, Joliet Catholic High School and St. Francis Academy merged to form the modern Joliet Catholic Academy.[2]
Academics
A college preparatory high school, JCA places students in different academic programs based on their middle school grades, scores on the incoming freshmen placement exam, and scores on other applicable exams.[3] The main academic levels include Accelerated/ Honors, Upper College Prep, and College Prep. Students may also opt to take Advanced Placement (AP) and Dual Credit courses through Joliet Junior College, and may qualify for the Honors Program, Academic Resource Center, or "Degree-in-Three" program through the University of St. Francis.
The men's teams at the school are referred to as the Hilltoppers, the same named used by the former Joliet Catholic High School, while the girls teams retain the name used by St. Francis Academy; the Angels. The school is a member of the East Suburban Catholic Conference.
The following teams have finished in the top four of their respective state championship series sponsored by the IHSA:[6]
Baseball: State Champions (1993–94), (2008–09), (2012–13), (2021–22[7]) (2022–23)[8]
Football: State Champions (1975–76, 1976–77, 1977–78, 1978–79, 1981–82, 1987–88, 1990–91, 1999–2000, 2000–01, 2001–02, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2007–08, 2018–19, 2021–22[9])
Wrestling: State Champions (2021–22)
Golf (boys):State Champions (1957–58)
Volleyball (girls): State Champions (2003–04, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2009–10)
Tennis (girls): 1 doubles team Madalyn Bauer and McCoy Hutchison won the IHSA Class 1A Doubles State Title (2016)
Competitive Dance: State Champions (2018–19)
Bass Fishing: State Champions (2022)
Of special note, the football team has won more football titles than any other team in the state. Since the start of the IHSA State Tournament for football in 1974, JCA has qualified for the playoffs 42 times as of (2021-2022 Season)[10]
James Otteson (Class of 1986) is a philosopher and economist. Currently he is executive director of the Eudaimonia Institute, as well as professor of economics and Thomas W. Smith Presidential Chair in Business Ethics, at Wake Forest University. He is also a research professor in the Center for the Philosophy of Freedom and in the Philosophy Department at the University of Arizona and a Senior Fellow at The Fund for American Studies in Washington, D.C.[11]
Joe Benson (Class of 2006) was drafted after his senior year of high school by the Minnesota Twins in the second round (64th overall) of the 2006 MLB draft.[15] Made his major league debut on September 6, 2011, for the Twins. His first major league hit was a single off of Detroit Tigers pitcher Max Scherzer on September 10, 2011.[16] He began the 2012 season with the Twins' Triple-A affiliate Rochester Red Wings and did not return to the majors, ending his MLB career with 17 hits.[17]
Terry Gannon (Class of 1981) played college basketball at North Carolina State, where he was a member of Jim Valvano's "Cardiac Pack" national championship-winning team in 1983.[22] During his four-year career, (1981–85), he was a two-time Academic All-American and NC State's all-time leading free throw shooter. In 1983, he was the #1 three-point shooter in the nation.[23] After a short basketball career in Europe, Gannon turned to broadcasting on the advice of his coach "Jimmy V."[22]
Coby Fleener (Class of 2007) was selected with the second pick of the second round (34th overall) of the 2012 NFL draft by the Indianapolis Colts. He was the first tight end taken in that draft. Fleener attended Stanford University after becoming an all-conference, all-area, all-state and all-academic honoree during his senior season at Joliet Catholic Academy.[30]
Daniel Eugene "Rudy" Ruettiger (born August 23, 1948) is a motivational speaker who played college football at the University of Notre Dame. His early life and career at Notre Dame was the inspiration for the 1993 film Rudy.
David Sims (Class of 1980) was a member of the 1980 U.S. Olympic Swimming Team in the 1500 meter freestyle. He was a member of the USA National Team from 1980 to 1986. At Stanford University, he was an NCAA All-America from 1981 to 1984.
Volleyball
Kelly Murphy was Gatorade National Player of the Year in 2008. She played Division 1 volleyball for the University of Florida, where she was a four-time All-American. Murphy represented Team USA in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, winning a bronze medal.
Broadcasting
Bob Zak (Class of 1979) is a radio personality who has performed on a variety of stations in the Chicago market including WJRC, WCCQ, WJOL, I-Rock, WKKD, WJTW, WCSJ as well as Chicago's WCFL, WCKG, Star Station, and Y107.9-The 1970s station, among others.
Notable staff
Gordie Gillespie was the football coach from 1959 to 1985, leading the school to five state titles. He has also served as the head baseball coach at the University of St. Francis (1977–1995 and 2006–2010). He is the all–time leader in baseball coaching victories among American college coaches, recording his 1,800th career win on April 3, 2009. He was named NAIA "Baseball Coach of the Century", and was named by the Chicago Tribune as the Head Football Coach for the "All-Time Illinois High School Football Team".[33][34]
Controversies
"Operation After-School Special" drug sting
In January 2006, Joliet police launched an investigation into a report of drugs at JCA. By April, a sting operation dubbed "Operation After-School Special"[35] yielded the arrests of five JCA students and four others connected to selling cocaine and ecstasy to an undercover officer.[36] Eight of the nine people arrested were convicted for their part in selling drugs at JCA.[36]
Since the scandal, JCA has implemented a drug testing procedure in which all students are tested in the first semester, with a random sample of 25% of students being tested again in the second semester.[37] The procedure requires a hair sample from the student that, when properly analyzed in a laboratory, should reveal the presence of most major drugs,[38] including cocaine and ecstasy, the drugs at the center of the infamous 2006 bust. Although new data is unavailable, JCA "touts [a high] drug testing success rate" of 99.996 as of 2012.[39]
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