# Archbishop Stepinac High School

Archbishop Stepinac High School is an American all-boys' Roman Catholic high school in White Plains, New York.
It was operated by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York until the 2009–2010 school year, when it became independent of the Archdiocese.
It was founded in 1948 and named after Aloysius Stepinac, who was the Archbishop of Zagreb in Croatia (which was then part of Yugoslavia).
In 1952, Stepinac was appointed a cardinal by Pope Pius XII. Stepinac was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1998.

## History

The school opened in 1948 with a capacity of 1,360 students. It began with freshman and sophomore years and reached its full complement in 1950.
The school was established after fundraising by the Catholic parishes of Westchester County, under the leadership of Francis Cardinal Spellman, the Archbishop of New York, and the archdiocese's educational officials.
The initial purpose of the school was to establish a full educational program with a diversity of subject choices, leading to a well-rounded student. In addition to the college preparatory program, it offered a general course for boys who wanted to finish their education with high school and enter a trade.
Boys were taught by an all-male faculty, almost entirely religious in makeup. In its earliest years, the administration of the school was mostly in the hands of priests of the Illinois-based Viatorian order, aided by some New York archdiocesan priests assisted by religious brothers and an occasional layman. All were under the supervision of the principal, Msgr. Joseph Krug.
Resident at the high school and in semi-retirement was the Catholic scholar, educator, and author Edwin Ryan, D.D. (later Msgr. Ryan). He served on occasion as counselor to students as well as a consultant to the archdiocese.
Students from the school were used as extras in the 1972 film Child's Play directed by Sidney Lumet.
In many sports, Stepinac has many rival schools that include:
* Chaminade High School
* Fordham Preparatory School
* Holy Cross High School
* Holy Trinity Diocesan High School
* Iona Preparatory School
* Monsignor Farrell High School
* St. Anthony's High School
* St. Francis Preparatory School
* White Plains High School (the now-defunct annual post-season football "Turkey Bowl" on Thanksgiving Day)
Fr. John O'Keefe, the school's president from 1992 to 2004, was permanently removed from ministry in 2016 because of allegations of sexual abuse of a minor. O'Keefe's suspension was announced in a December 16, 2015, letter to parishioners from New York's archbishop, Cardinal Timothy Dolan, who called the allegation "credible" .

## Demographics
### Race

The high school is 8.5% Asian, 12.5% Black, 14% Hispanic, 60% White and 5% other.

## Program

The school's administration and faculty is a mix of priests and lay men and women.
The school draws its students predominantly from Westchester County and has evolved into a college-preparatory school.
The school offers a college-preparatory program, an honors program offering 22 AP classes, and starting in the 2016–2017 school year, an honors academy designed to give students a head start in their respective field.
The school uses a library of digital textbooks that can be accessed by students on a variety of devices and is vastly less expensive than buying individual textbooks.

## Athletics
### Football

Stepinac began playing football in 1950 and was one of the initial teams in the Catholic High School Football League when the league was organized in 1954.
In 2017, Stepinac was voted as one of the top-15 most-dominant New York high school football programs since 2006.
The Crusaders have been to five straight CHSFL AAA Championships, winning four of five appearances in 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2018.
The Crusaders were the New York State Catholic Champions in 2015, 2017 and 2018.
In 2017, the school finished ranked number five in the tri-state area, number one in New York State and number 160 in the nation by MaxPreps.

#### 2014

In 2014, the school's varsity football team won the AAA Championship in the CHSFL. The school had won lower-division championships, but it was the first time the school was League champion since 1955, when it shared the title with Saint Francis Preparatory.

#### 2015

The 2015 Stepinac Varsity Crusaders went undefeated at 12-0 and won both the Catholic High School Football League (CHSFL) and Catholic High School Athletic Association (CHSAA) Championships to complete an historic season.
On November 28, 2015, the Stepinac Crusaders football team defeated the Monsignor Martin Conference champion Saint Francis High School of Buffalo 42–28 at Grand Island High School to capture their first state championship. The victory marked the end of a 12-game undefeated season.

#### 2016

Stepinac played in the 2016 CHSFL AAA championship game, losing to Cardinal Hayes High School.

#### 2017

Stepinac won the 2017 Catholic High School Athletic Association (CHSAA) New York State Football Championship.

#### 2018

Stepinac won the 2018 Catholic High School Athletic Association (CHSAA) New York State Football Championship for the second consecutive year by defeating St. Francis of Buffalo.

### Basketball

Stepinac's basketball team captured a state championship in 2018.
Stepinac's basketball team won the New York Archdiocese Championship in 2020.

### Hockey

In the 2017–18 hockey season the Stepinac Crusaders were undefeated with a 25-0-1 record. The team captured the CHSHL B division championship by defeating Xavier High School in two consecutive games in the best of three championship round.

### Track and Field

On June 11, 1963, the Stepinac Two Mile Relay Team set the National High School record of 7:49.3. Running on the St. John's University grasstex track in Hillcrest, Queens, the team of Kevin Malone (2:00.7), John Lamb (1:56.3), Ray Donaton (1:55.5), and Brian Hernon (1:56.8) broke the previous record of 7:49.9. The team was named High School All Americans by the Amateur Athletic Union.

### Wrestling

Archbishop Stepinac's wrestling team won the Catholic league championship during the 2013–2014 season and the 2014–15 season.

### Lacrosse

The Lacrosse program has had increased success over the last decade, including an A Championship in 2014, a AA City Championship in 2022, and a CHSAA AA State Championship in 2024.

## Drama Club

The school's auditorium is named after Edward Bowes, the host of the Major Bowes Amateur Hour. The theatre hosts programs including the Annual Alumni Theatre, Annual Talent Show, the Fall Dramas, and the Spring Musicals.

## Notable alumni

Archbishop Stepinac High School alumni include:
* Lou Albano – former professional wrestler and manager
* Alan Alda – actor
* Billy Collins – poet; former U.S. Poet Laureate
* Patrick Colucci (also known as Christopher Cole) – poet; author, The Closer's Song
* Marty Conlon – former NBA center
* Ajani Cornelius – college football player for the Oregon Ducks, formerly for the Rhode Island Rams
* Ted Daryll – songwriter
* R. J. Davis – basketball player
* Owen Flanagan – James B. Duke Professor of Philosophy, Duke University
* Boogie Fland – basketball player who is committed to play for the Kentucky Wildcats
* Joe Garagiola Jr. – general manager, Arizona Diamondbacks
* AJ Griffin – basketball player
* Alan Griffin – basketball player
* Gavin Heslop – NFL player
* Bob Hyland (class of 1963) – former NFL guard
* Malcolm Koonce – NFL player, Las Vegas Raiders
* Ray Montgomery – baseball player; executive coach, California Angels
* Eric Ogbogu – former NFL linebacker
* Erik Palladino – actor
* Joel Soriano – professional basketball player
* Nicholas Springer – Wheelchair Rugby player - Paralympic Champion & 2 time World Champion "did not graduate"
* Brian Sweeney – baseball player; coach, Cleveland Indians
* Chip Taylor – songwriter
* Jordan Tucker – basketball player
* Barry Voight – geologist
* Jon Voight – actor
* Chris Watson (born 1975) – basketball player
* Trill Williams – NFL player, Miami Dolphins
* Kevin Zraly – wine educator