# Bishop Luers High School

Bishop Luers High School is a vibrant, diverse, Catholic school that strives for excellence in the classroom, on the field, and beyond. 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.

## Academics

Bishop Luers' education departments consist of Theology, Fine Arts, Business, English, Foreign Language, Mathematics, and 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, Book Club, Bowling, Chess Club, Catholic Intelligence Agency (CIA), Cheerleading, Freshman Mentoring, Future Business Leaders of America, Heather's Closet/Locker Room Leaders, Key Club, Knights for Life, National Honor Society (NHS), Newspaper, Pep Band, Philosophy Club, Show Choir, Spell Bowl, Student Ambassadors, Student Government, Theater, Ukulele Society, World Culture Club, Yearbook.

## Performing Arts

Bishop Luers High School is known for their robust Performing Arts programs, including the Minstrels Show Choir, Concert Choir, and Theater productions. The Theater Department has three performances each year, one play and two musicals.
Bishop Luers is the birthplace of the first Show Choir Invitational in the nation, held in 1975.

### Programs offered

The Bishop Luers Knights field teams in 19 sanctioned sports and 6 non-sanctioned (club) sports. All sanctioned sports are governed by the Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA). The lacrosse team is a member of the Indiana High School Lacrosse Association.
All sanctioned Bishop Luers teams compete in the Summit Athletic Conference (SAC).
In 2008, Bishop Luers became the first team in Indiana high school athletic history to win and hold the three major male sports titles (football, basketball, and baseball) in one year since 1973, the first year all three were recognized by the Indiana High School Athletic Association.
| Sport | Sanctioned boys' | Sanctioned girls' | Non-sanctioned |
| Baseball | Y | | |
| Basketball | Y | Y | |
| Bowling | | | Y |
| Cheerleading | | | Y |
| Cross country | Y | Y | |
| Football | Y | | |
| Golf | Y | Y | |
| Soccer | Y | Y | |
| Softball | | Y | |
| Swimming and diving | Y | Y | |
| Tennis | Y | Y | |
| Track and field | Y | Y | |
| Volleyball | | Y | Y (boys') |
| Wrestling | Y | | |
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."

### State championships

The Knights' athletic program has produced 21 team state champions in their history.
| Year | Sport | Class | Coach | Opponent |
| 1985-86 | Football | 2A | Steve Keefer | Lawrenceburg |
| 1989-90 | Football | 2A | Matt Lindsay | Tri-West Hendricks |
| 1992-93 | Football | 2A | Matt Lindsay | Westfield |
| 1998-99 | Basketball - girls' | 2A | Gary Andrews | Austin |
| 1999-00 | Football | 2A | Matt Lindsay | Danville |
| 1999-00 | Basketball - girls' | 2A | Gary Andrews | Forest Park |
| 2000-01 | Basketball - girls' | 2A | Gary Andrews | Shenandoah |
| 2001-02 | Football | 2A | Matt Lindsay | Evansville Mater Dei |
| 2001-02 | Basketball - girls' | 3A | Teri Rosinski | Gibson Southern |
| 2002-03 | Football | 2A | Matt Lindsay | Southridge |
| 2005-06 | Basketball - girls' | 3A | Teri Rosinski | Evansville Memorial |
| 2007-08 | Football | 2A | Matt Lindsay | Heritage Christian |
| 2007-08 | Basketball - boys' | 2A | James Blackmon Sr. | Winchester |
| 2007-08 | Baseball | 2A | Gary Rogers | Elwood |
| 2008-09 | Basketball - boys' | 2A | James Blackmon Sr. | Brownstown Central |
| 2009-10 | Football | 2A | Matt Lindsay | Monrovia |
| 2010-11 | Football | 2A | Matt Lindsay | North Putnam |
| 2010-11 | Basketball - girls' | 2A | Denny Renier | Brownstown Central |
| 2011-12 | Football | 2A | Matt Lindsay | Evansville Mater Dei |
| 2012-13 | Football | 2A | Steve Keefer | Indianapolis Cardinal Ritter |
| 2023-24 | Football | 2A | Kyle Lindsay | North Posey |
| 2023-2024 | Basketball - girls' | 2A | Mark Pixley | Brownstown Central |

### Football

Bishop Luers has been to the Indiana state finals for football sixteen times, including four consecutive years, 1999 through 2002. Twelve of those sixteen trips have resulted in football championships, all in Class 2A, including four consecutive wins in 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012.
The Knights' roster has included many accomplished players who have gone on to play successfully at the professional and NCAA Division I levels. Among the most notable are Jack Johnston star quarterback, who led the Knights to their best regular season record to date. Anthony Spencer of the NFL's Dallas Cowboys and Jaylon Smith, winner of the 2012 high school Butkus Award and the 2012 Indiana Mr. Football award, are also alumni.

### Boys' basketball

Coinciding with the 2004 hiring of head coach James Blackmon, Sr., 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, recipient of the 2010 Indiana Mr. Basketball award. The Knights won two consecutive boys' basketball Class 2A state championships, in 2008 and 2009.
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.

### Girls' basketball

The girls' basketball team won three consecutive Indiana State Class 2A Championship games, in the 1998/99, 1999/2000, and 2000/01 seasons. The following season the team moved up a class, winning a fourth consecutive state title, in Class 3A, in 2001/02. The Knights also won the 2005/06 Class 3A championship.
The Knights' six state championships currently stand as the most all-time by one school in Indiana girls' basketball history, as do the nine championship game appearances.

### Baseball

In 2008, the boys' baseball team competed for the first time in the state baseball championship, winning the 2A title.

## Notable alumni

* Angie Akers (Harris), beach volleyball player, (Association of Volleyball Professionals), Notre Dame
* Thomas Hammock, head coach of Northern Illinois University football team
* Kevin Kiermaier, professional baseball player, Toronto Blue Jays of MLB
* Zach Klein, co-founder of video social networking site Vimeo
* Austin Mack, NFL player
* Jaylon Smith, football player, middle linebacker for New Orlean Saints
* Anthony Spencer, football player, outside linebacker for Dallas Cowboys
* Deshaun Thomas, basketball player