So, beyond school sites, I resorted to scanning the signings lists at Rivals.com and I found a few prep school players who signed.

The group doesn’t seem as numerous, or deep, as it has in the past but that may be from a lower profile more than anything else.

Remember this list is by no means exhaustive or thorough. If you’ve know a boarding school player who should be on the list, by all means add him to the comment section.

• Isaiah Battle (Fork Union Military Academy)
• Aharown Campbell (Hargrave Military Academy)
• Nevin Cyr (Cushing Academy)
• Taylor Gadbois(Fork Union Military Academy)
• Cardale Jones (Fork Union Military Academy)
• Jake Kiley (New Hampton School)
• Jamar Lewter (Fork Union Military Academy)
• James Meagher (Trinity-Pawling School)
• Cam Shorey (Philips Exeter Academy)

T-P ran short news post and photo covering Meagher’s commitment to West Point.

Photo credit: acaben

This list isn’t exhaustive. If I didn’t find someone, please add them to the comments.

Danny Aiken, long snapper for the New England Patriots, did a PG year at Fork Union where coach John Schuman taught Aiken the art of long snapping- a specialty that can earn a player a career. Aiken played collegiately at the Univerisity of Virginia and played with the Bills prior to coming to the Patriots.

Victor Cruz did a postgraduate year at Bridgton Academy in 2005. Un-hearalded coming out UMass, Cruz has developed in to a consumate slot receiver and one of Eli Manning’s primary targets.

Fellow New York Giant D.J. Ware did a post grad year Hargrave Military before attending the University of Georgia. Ware has been with Giants since 2007 and already has a Super Bowl ring.

Additional resources:

Bridgton Academy football program

Fork Union Military Academy football program

Hargrave Academy football program

Boarding schools in ME

Boarding schools in VA

If you’re a high school snowboarder with collegiate or U.S. national aspirations, you might like our latest video interview with Chris Davies, Gould Academy, head snowboarding coach.

Davies talks about how Gould works with and approaches competitive snowboarding from cross training in the off-season to spending 100 days on snow during the winter.

You can see the video in two places:

1. At Gould’s “Glog” with the title “Does This Make Me famous…??” (I think it does, Chris!)
2. Or as part or our article: “Scouting Report: Competitive Snowboarding Boarding Schools“

Additional resources:

Gould Academy – www.gouldacademy.org

Boarding schools in Maine

Worcester Academy, Worcester, MA

New head coach of the Miami Dolphins, Joe Philbin, did a post graduate year at Worcester Academy (a coed boarding school in Worcester, MA) during the 1979-80 academic year.

From the ‘life is a merry-go-round/degees of separation’ and the “my-oh-my how did those two guys end up in the same prep school english department at the same time’ files, Sports Illustrated’s Peter King writes:

“Miami’s hire of the Green Bay offensive coordinator as head coach Friday probably never would have happened without Matt Birk, Kirk Ferentz, and two Massachusetts establishments of higher education with significantly different reputations — Worcester Academy and Harvard.

“But never without Matt Birk,” said one NFL scout Friday. “And never without Harvard.”

And never without Kirk Ferentz.

Everyone’s life, personal and professional, has a certain degree of kismet to it. Every coach can look to one point in his career and say, That’s when it all changed for me. Peeling the onion on Philbin’s career shows the same thing.

In 1979, Philbin, a high-school tight end, enrolled at Worcester (Mass.) Academy for a post-grad high school year before going on to a four-year college. One of the assistant coaches on the team was a young kid just out of college, Kirk Ferentz, who actually performed nightly bedchecks on Philbin and got to know him well. Fast-forward to 1997. Philbin was climbing the coaching ladder, and took a job coaching the Harvard offensive line. At the time he took the job, Philbin inherited a good but technically raw starting center, Matt Birk. Excellent size and flexibility. But not technically sound. “A reacher and a grabber,” recalled Philbin. “He would get outside the framework of his body and start reaching and grabbing. Once he learned the fundamentals of punching and pass-protecting the right way, I think some people in the NFL felt he was certainly a prospect worth investing in.”

Here came the scouts, in the late winter of 1998, a month or so before the draft. One of those scouts, Ferentz, was the offensive line coach at Baltimore. “When I came in for a visit,” said Ferentz, “I looked at Matt and right away I could tell he’d been coached to do things the way we wanted them done. Coaching makes a huge difference. You work guys out, and you can see which ones have been schooled and which ones haven’t. Matt had a great head start.”

Ferentz had a good visit with his former student, Philbin, and thought: I knew he was a good kid. Now I can see that he’s a really good coach…”(SI)

Ferentz hired Philbin when he became the coach at Iowa.

And, get this tidbit about the Worcester English department circa 1979:

“Factoid of the Week That May Interest Only Me

When Joe Philbin did his post-graduate high school academic year at Worcester (Mass.) Academy in 1979-80, the two English teachers at the small school 35 minutes west of Boston doubled as assistant coaches on the school’s football team: Kirk Ferentz and Mike Sherman.

Ferentz, the future coach at Iowa. Sherman, the future coach of Brett Favre with the Packers.”(SI)

You can’t make-up a rare confluence of talent like this.

Additional resources:

Worcester Academy - www.worcesteracademy.org

Boarding schools in MA

A Post Graduate Year; what’s that?

Dave Calder and Scott Frandsen (Silver Medalists)

London 2012 is only a few months away.  Astonishingly, Brentwood College School (a co-educational boarding school in in British Columbia, Canada) already has 4 athletes that have been selected to try out for the 2012 Canadian Olympic rowing team.  Over the last 30 years, Brentwood has consistently developed national and internationally recognized athletes, many of whom have gone on and represented their nation at the Olympics.  In fact, there have been 23 Brentwood graduates who have participated in the Olympics.

There are many reasons why Brentwood College School, a Gr.9-12 school of only 445 students, can compete so effectively on the world stage, particularly in crew.  One main reason is its spectacular oceanfront campus.  Since the temperate climate of British Columbia allows rowing year round, Brentwood’s crews can train throughout the year without having to only do land-based training during the winter months each year.  Brentwood’s facilities, including an indoor rowing tank, two ergometer centers,  a Centre for High Performance, and exceptional coaching and training staff, all combine to offer those interested in crew to get the best possible access to the latest training and hands-on experience.

Success breeds success.  Just being in a culture of success creates an enthusiastic and motivating environment for our athletes, scholars and artists.  While Brentwood is equally recognized for its spectacular academic tradition and its unrivaled fine arts opportunities, there is a certain pride and tradition of success athletically (last year the school sent 7 different sports teams to Provincial championships – the equivalent of a State championships);  this confidence and pride resonates throughout the campus each year.  Brentwood students tend to believe anything can be achieved through effort and commitment.

The following Olympians attended Brentwood College.

Ferguson, a defensive tackle, is playing in his redshirt freshman season; he’s seen time in 12 games. Williams is a sophomore running back majoring in computer science.

I didn’t find any boarding school alumni on the Alabama roster. If I missed someone, by all means, leave a comment.

I shared the role it fills in the pre-collegiate space, who plays it, where it came from, and why particular boarding schools operate high-powered basketball programs.

Lucky for you, readers, you don’t have to listen to me and, lucky for me, The Hippo (a southern New Hampshire arts and activities weekly) has published an interesting, bordering on exhaustive (4500+ words), general interest piece on New Hampshire prep school Class A basketball- “NH GOT GAME: How the state’s prep schools are creating the next generation of basketball stars.”

If you’re at all interested in high level, New England, prep school basketball, I recommend this piece as required reading.

“NH GOT GAME” presents a richness through the inclusion of some historical characters (does the name Leo Papile jar the memory of any New England basketball cognoscenti?), college and prep school coaches, and players.

The piece is good for both some historical context as well as piquing interest to get folks into gyms to see the show. And, it’s not just the boys. Reporter Adam Coughlin devotes a bit of space to girls side of this not high school/not quite college industry.

Kudos to Hippo reporter Coughlin. He made some good calls and did some nice homework to cover the origins of potential college players spending a year, or more, in a Lakes Region boarding school before heading off to college and a division I collegiate basketball program.

Some article high notes

Current Lakes Region power programs Brewster Academy, Tilton School, New Hampton School, and Vermont Academy and their current star prospects all receive coverage. The depth of talent and competitiveness of Lakes Region Class A boys basketball is a marvel:

“…three schools — Brewster Academy, Tilton School and New Hampton School — have become the epicenter of high school basketball in America.

This is not hyperbole. In its 2011-2012 Five Star Basketball preseason Top 25, Sports Illustrated magazine ranked Wolfeboro’s Brewster Academy number 1, Tilton School number 3 and New Hampton School number 8, beating out schools in Las Vegas, Chicago and Texas. When Tilton plays Brewster in January, the game will be televised on ESPN. Brewster’s Mitch McGary will play his college basketball next year at the University of Michigan. He is being called the school’s biggest recruit in a decade.”(TH)

For players, the competition is intense and can serve as measuring stick:

“It is part of the natural weeding out process…Some kids rest on their laurels. Others are good but not great. Not everyone is meant to be a star” Jason Hickman, national basketball writer and editor for Maxpreps.com, explains. (TH)

Of the potential benefits, Hickman added:

“It is a tremendous avenue for kids…They can get away from home and hone their skills in the classroom and on the court.” (TH)

History, Leo Papile, then the head coach of the Boston Amateur Basketball Club (BABC):

“We sort of pioneered the whole thing in 1983 when we sent Eugene Miles, a great player from Dorchester, up to New Hampton.” (TH)

No special treatment:

“Maybe if they [student athletes] were treated differently…But everyone at New Hampton is held to the same standards. There are no special privileges,” New Hampton head coach Peter Hutchins says of the boarding school experience. (TH)

Getting into a prep school program:

“There is no magic wand…To succeed a kid needs academics, character and maturity,” Brewster coach Jason Smith. (TH)

A total academic, athletic, and life experience:

“For all of these guys the transition will be easier because they’re essentially playing against Division I talent every day…At a traditional high school, a guy might be 6’9” but the next tallest guys he’s going up against is 6’2”. At these schools you’re practicing against equal talent every day and definitely getting that competition in games,” Xavier University assistant coach Travis Steele told the author. (TH)

Paraphrasing, Steele Coughlin writes:

“Steele said the constant challenge against such talent is an instant reality check for players. Everyone at the Division I college level has talent. Talent isn’t enough. Hard work both on and off the court is needed for success and Steele said prep schools prepare kids for that.

Steele also said he is looking for kids who are willing to work and aren’t afraid of a challenge. He said competing against the best at a prep school shows him a kid isn’t afraid.”(TH)

Additional resources:

NH GOT GAME: How the state’s prep schools are creating the next generation of basketball stars (in magazine layout form)

Boarding schools in New England

Mark Schindler, Mercersburg Academy (a coed boarding school in Mercersburg Academy) assistant director of admission and head lacrosse coach, offers his perspectives on the roles that athletic talent can play in a student’s private school admission process.

Schindler talks about how a family can glean insights into academic and athletic fit- from expert to novice player. He also explores the importance of coaching expertise and a school’s competition level in a student athlete’s development.

In the admission fit equation, athletic ability and interest (along with academics and other considerations) are pieces of the admission process.

For the expert player, athletic ability may not the be-all and end-all; but, for a highly skilled and talented athlete, athletic talent is certainly a piece of admission puzzle. Even for the novice player, schools and admission officers like to see students interested in participating in school activities and school life.

How can parents and student gain insight into the competitive level of a program?

Schindler makes it simple. “Don’t be shy,” Schindler advises. Do your homework. Call coaches; e-mail; express interest; just ask. Coaches welcome and appreciate genuine interest in their programs.

Additional resources:

Mercersburg Academy – www.mercersburg.edu

Lacrosse boarding schools (a list of schools)

Scouting Report: Lacrosse boarding schools

Blanchard gave his personal trophy to his alma mater late in life. That was the driving force behind the story.

So that we don’t leave anyone out (and feel free to send a note if I do), here’s a list of boarding school Heisman Trophy winners that I know of:

• Eddie George (1995)- Fork Union Military Academy
• Vinny Testaverde (1986)- Fork Union Military Academy
• Doc Blanchard (1945)- St. Stanislaus College
• Larry Kelley (1936)- Peddie School

In fact, NPR’s Mike Pesca did a story on Larry Kelley that ran last Friday, “Heisman’s First Winner Said No To The Pros.” Thanks to Peddie School for sending it along.

Photo credit: patentboy via Creative Commons

Saturday, Baylor’s Robert Griffin III won the 2011 Heisman Trophy.

Name the only boarding school with a Heisman winner and trophy in its trophy case? St. Stanislaus College in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi.

Doc Blanchard (St. Stanislaus ’41) won the Heisman playing for Army’s 1945 national championship team. Blanchard’s 1941 St. Stanislaus Rockashaws were also undefeated.

The Heisman Backstory

I originally planned, and been saving, this post as just a quick trivia question, but Mike Herndon of the Press-Register (Mobile, AL) wrote a story for Saturday’s paper recounting how Blanchard’s Heisman, and his Maxwell and Sullivan awards, found a home in the St. Stanislaus trophy case:

“…Later in life, as he settled into old age in Texas, Blanchard’s football trophies were retired to a box in the garage — where they stayed until an old friend and former St. Stanislaus classmate, Ben Kleinpeter, asked about them during a golf tournament fund-raiser for the school.

“He said, ‘My wife’s got them stored in the garage because she got tired of dusting them and all that,’” said Kleinpeter, who now lives in Baton Rouge.

As he drove Blanchard back to the airport in New Orleans after the tournament, Kleinpeter said he offered Blanchard a deal. “If you donate them to the school,” he told Blanchard, “I’ll pay to have a burglar-proof display case made where we can keep them.

“He thought a few seconds and he said, ‘Ben, that’s a good idea,’” Kleinpeter said. “Two weeks later, he called and said, ‘Ben, I talked to the family and we all agreed. That’s where that trophy ought to be.’”(P-R)

If that exchange and thought process doesn’t capture the essence and power of boarding school relationships, I don’t know what does.

Who’s Doc Blanchard? Doc Blanchard is the kind of person that your dad told you about (if you’re my age).

Blanchard graduated from St. Stanislaus. Went to West Point. Won the Heisman, the Sullivan, Maxwell awards and a national championship playing with Glenn Davis. (Davis won the Heisman in 1946.) The moniker of this powerful backfield duo of Blanchard and Davis- ‘Mr. Inside’ Mr. Outside and ‘Mr. Outside’ resonates with football aficionados today.

Blanchard went on a distinguished career in the Air Force, retiring as a colonel, and even served as Commandant of New Mexico Military Institute- a boarding school and junior college. Blanchard died in April 2009.

Additional resources:

St. Stanislaus College: http://www.ststan.com/