Gonzaga College High School

History

Gonzaga was officially founded by Fr. Anthony Kohlmann, a Jesuit, in 1821, though there is some evidence the school began a few years earlier. It is the oldest educational facility in the original federal city of Washington and was at first called Washington Seminary, operating under the charter of Georgetown College (now Georgetown University and Georgetown Preparatory School respectively), which was becoming too crowded for its space at the time. Gonzaga's original location was on land offered to the Society of Jesus by William Matthews on F Street near 10th Street, N.W., in a building adjoining Saint Patrick's Church. The purpose of this school was to train seminarians, but soon after opening, it began admitting lay students. The school was immediately popular among Catholic families and was well enough known in its early years to attract the attention of President John Quincy Adams, who visited the school to test the boys' Latin and Greek. However, there were financial problems that caused the Jesuits to withdraw in 1827: their order prohibited the charging of tuition at a day school for youth. It continued to be run by laity until the Jesuits returned some twenty years later (with the ordinance regarding tuition changed); President Zachary Taylor presided at the commencement exercises in 1849.

In 1858, Gonzaga was granted its own charter by Congress as a college empowered to confer degrees in the arts and sciences, which accounts for its name (Gonzaga College) to this day. Although some students did receive bachelor's degrees in the 19th century, Gonzaga no longer confers degrees, other than honorary doctorates presented to commencement speakers or other notable guests. In 1871, the school moved to a building (now called Kohlmann Hall) in a neighborhood called Swampoodle located just north of the U.S. Capitol. It was located on the same block as St. Aloysius Church – built in 1859 and now on the U.S. Register of Historic Buildings with a high Roman Catholic population surrounding it. Enrollment declined owing to the distance of the new neighborhood from the center, but the Jesuits persevered and by the end of the 19th century the school was once again flourishing. A theater was built in 1896 and a large new classroom building (previously the Main Building and now called Dooley Hall) was opened in 1912.

John Gabriel Smith, Gonzaga's first African-American graduate, entered the school in 1951. He wanted to prepare to be a priest and none of the schools for black children offered the necessary prerequisites, including Latin. When he decided to try out for the varsity football team, the school was unable to schedule games against public schools, which were still segregated at the time. He was ultimately prevented from playing by an injury. He graduated in 1954.

St. Aloysius

St. Aloysius is a parish church physically attached to Gonzaga through the entrance building Dooley Hall. The church was built in 1859. It is used for Masses, concerts, some school assemblies, and graduation. The large painting above the altar is the work of Constantino Brumidi, famous for painting the frescoes on the interior of the United States Capitol dome.

Athletics

Gonzaga's athletic teams are called the Eagles. Gonzaga fields seventeen different varsity teams, most of which compete in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference.

Gonzaga Ice Hockey competes in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference (WCAC) and the Mid Atlantic Prep Hockey League (MAPHL).

Buchanan Field is the home field for football, soccer, lacrosse, rugby, and serves as a practice area for track and field. The Carmody Center hosts basketball and select wrestling matches. Old Gym is the wrestling home match site. The Fort Dupont Ice Arena hosts ice hockey games. The game and practice venue for baseball is located at the Washington Nationals Youth Academy.

Rivalries

Gonzaga's historic and biggest rival is St. John's College High School. Located in the Chevy Chase region of the city, Gonzaga vs. St. John's is a highly anticipated game in Washington, DC. The game was ranked the 15th best High School football rivalry in the United States by Sports Illustrated. The first game of the rivalry was played in 1893, however, the schools did not start regularly meeting until 1923, where the two teams travelled to Georgetown University, where Gonzaga routed St. John's 47-0 in front of a crowd of 2,500 spectators. For 51 years, between 1928 and 1978, the game was played every fall without interruption, resulting in 53 games, including 2 playoff games. For two years in 1979 and 1980, the game was not played for the first time in half a century. However, after a two year interruption, the teams continued to meet yearly. Since the abrupt stop in play, the game has been played 45 times, including playoffs. As of September 2026, he total record of the game is tied, with both teams having won 50 of the 105 games played since 1923, including 5 ties. Gonzaga's lesser rival is Georgetown Preparatory School, as they are both Jesuit institutions. They annually compete in the Jesuit Classic in football, lacrosse, and soccer.

Football

Founded in 1888, the Gonzaga football team have been playing for over 100 years. Gonzaga's football team went unbeaten in 1926, earning a 6-0 record. In 1951, the Eagles became the first school in Washington, DC to field an integrated football team. The Eagles have had several players in the NFL, most notably Chicago Bears quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams. Gonzaga has won 4 WCAC championships. These victories came in 1996, 1997, 2002, and most recently, in 2018 in a game known as 45 Seconds of Madness. This iconic game was played against Dematha Catholic High School at Catholic University. This game grew notoriety for the high scoring between both teams in the final minute of the game, culminating in a gamewinning Hail Mary touchdown pass. The Hail Mary pass was featured as the top play on Sport Center Top Plays the following morning. The quarterback for that play, Caleb Williams' number 18 is retired for the Gonzaga football program.

Basketball

Gonzaga's basketball team play at the Carmody Center on Gonzaga's campus. Gonzaga have won 6 WCAC Championships, coming in 1986, 1997, 1999, 2003, 2008, 2015, 2017 and most recently, in 2019.

Ice Hockey

Gonzaga has two varsity teams, consisting of a Varsitty I team and a Varsity II team. Varsity I has won 6 of the last 10 MAPHL AA Championships, winning their 10th title in 2024. Gonzaga won the WCAC Championship for the first time in 2025. The Varsity II has won four consecutive MAPHL Championships as of 2026, and have won 7 in the history of the program. Number 11 is retired in the Gonzaga hockey program, in honor of Dominik Petty '15, a junior who died in a car accident.

Lacrosse

The Eagles have won the WCAC Championship for lacrosse 14 times, with the most recent victory coming in 2024. The Washington Post ranked Gonzaga Lacrosse #1 in the year end rankings 5 separate times.

Soccer

The Eagles have won 15 WCAC Championships for Soccer, a conference record. Gonzaga's soccer team won 4 consecutive WCAC Championships from 2006 to 2009.

Traditions and pranks

Students do not step on a mosaic of the Gonzaga Seal, one set in the floor Dooley Hall, another in the much newer Collins Rotunda. Tradition states that students who do this will be "asked politely" by any seniors who witness the infraction to kiss the seal out of respect.

Students will touch the hand of the statue of St. Ignatius on the way out of the Collins Rotunda, but especially before or after a test or quiz.

The "Alma Mater" is sung at the end of every school mass, accompanied by an organ. It is also traditionally sung after every sporting event by athletes and fans alike.

Pep Rallies were traditionally held every Friday in the school quad from the steps of the old fire escape. Since the removal of the quad in 2002, they have been held inside and outside of the Carmody Center. The biggest pep rally of the year , titled the "Go Gonzaga, Beat St. Johns Pep Rally", comes before the game between the two schools. This pep rally takes place in the Carmody Center the Friday before the game and is organized by the Gonzaga Booster Club.

The Gonzaga Booster Club is a prestigious group of students who lead the student section and promote sporting events throughout the school year. The students apply for the club in the spring of their junior year and are members of the Booster Club throughout their entire senior year. The Booster Club leads the student section in cheers and chants during sporting events like Football, Basketball, Lacrosse, Baseball, Hockey, Water Polo, and Rugby. Gonzaga is known for their level of spiritedness their student sections have and that is in large part to work of the Booster Club. Some notable alumni who were members of the Booster Club include Evan Link '23, and Carter Meadows '26.

Almost every year, seniors have broken into the bell tower to carve their names. This has become somewhat of a tradition, much to the distress of the school's faculty and administration.

Annually, Gonzaga's seniors have sought some public display of urging victory of their team over rivals, usually St. John's. Such displays have included banners hung in prominent areas such as on a fence outside of the U.S. Capitol and Soviet Embassy. One prank occurred in 1969 where Gonzaga students used lights to turn the Washington Monument purple and white.

Notable faculty

Joseph A. Canning, president of Loyola College in Maryland

Rev. William F. Troy, President of Wheeling Jesuit University

Notable alumni

Academia

Thomas R. Fitzgerald, S.J., sixth president of Fairfield University and the 30th president of Saint Louis University

Jesse Mann, emeritus of philosophy at Georgetown University

Arthur A. O'Leary, S.J., president of Georgetown University (1935–1942)

Arts and entertainment

Michael J. Bobbitt, playwright, director, choreographer (Class of 1990)

David Costabile, actor (Class of 1985)

Ryan Creamer, comedian and writer (Class of 2010)

Owen Danoff, musician and contestant on The Voice (Class of 2007)

Demetrius Grosse, actor (Class of 1999)

Brian Hallisay, actor (Class of 1996)

John Heard, actor (Class of 1964)

Athletes

Caleb Williams, NFL quarterback for Chicago Bears and Heisman Trophy recipient

Johnson Bademosi, NFL cornerback (Class of 2008)

Nate Britt, professional basketball player, attended but transferred before graduating.

Mike Banner, professional soccer player, played for SIU-Edwardsville (Class of 2002)

Colin Cloherty, NFL tight end (Class of 2005)

Curome Cox, NFL safety for Denver Broncos (Class of 1999)

Robert Churchwell, NBA player for the Golden State Warriors. (Class of 1990)

Olu Fashanu, NFL offensive tackle for New York Jets

A. J. Francis, NFL defensive tackle (Class of 2008)

Billy Glading, Lacrosse All-American and midfielder for the Chesapeake Bayhawks (MLL) (Class of 1999)

Ian Harkes, professional soccer player, Hermann Trophy winner (Class of 2013)

Chuck Harris, basketball player

Joey Haynos, NFL tight end for Miami Dolphins (Class of 2003)

Darryl Hill, first African American football player at Naval Academy and in Atlantic Coast Conference (Maryland, Class of 1960)

Kevin Hogan, NFL quarterback (Class of 2011)

Business

Thomas W. Farley, president of the NYSE Group, including the New York Stock Exchange (Class of 1993)

Jim Kimsey, co-founder of America Online, attended but dismissed and attended St. John's College High School

Journalism and publishing

Bob Considine, journalist and author

Pat Conroy, author, attended but did not graduate

Joseph Ellis, Pulitzer Prize-winning author and history professor at Mount Holyoke College (Class of 1961)

Michael Kelly, Washington Post columnist, editor of The New Republic, and editor-at-large of The Atlantic Monthly (Class of 1975)

Lance Morrow, journalist and writer for Time magazine (Class of 1958)

Peter Ruehl, columnist for Australian Financial Review

Military

Brigadier General John M. K. Davis, commander of Artillery districts during the Spanish–American War (Class of 1858)

Navy SEAL Lieutenant Commander Erik S. Kristensen who died while fighting in Afghanistan (Class of 1990)

Air Force General John M. Loh, Air Force vice chief of staff and commander of Air Combat Command, Fighter Pilot with 200 combat missions in Vietnam War (Class of 1956)

Captain Humbert Roque "Rocky" Versace, United States, POW, Medal of Honor recipient, Pentagon Hall of Heroes inductee, Ranger Hall of Fame inductee (Class of 1955)

Politics and law

James A. Belson, former District of Columbia judge (Class of 1949)

William Bennett, author, radio host, former Secretary of Education, and first "drug czar" of the United States (Class of 1961)

Don Beyer, Congressman for Virginia’s 8th congressional district, former Lieutenant Governor of Virginia, U.S. ambassador to Switzerland and Liechtenstein (Class of 1968)

Pat Buchanan, Republican Party presidential candidate (1992, 1996), Reform Party presidential candidate (2000), author, and syndicated columnist (Class of 1956)

Ken Cuccinelli, former Attorney General of Virginia, former Virginia State Senator, 37th District (Class of 1986)

Lawrence Hogan, father of Governor of Maryland Larry Hogan and former United States Representative for Maryland's 5th congressional district (Class of 1946)

Patrick N. Hogan, former member, Maryland House of Delegates (Class of 1997)

Martin O'Malley, former Governor of Maryland and former Mayor of Baltimore (Class of 1981)

Ben Quayle, former United States Representative for Arizona's 3rd congressional district (Class of 1994)

William Nathaniel Roach, U.S. Senator from North Dakota

Charles L. Schultze, former chairman, United States Council of Economic Advisers, Bronze Star recipient, Purple Heart recipient, World War II (Class of 1942)

Steve Shannon, Virginia House of Delegates, 35th District, attended, did not graduate

Science

Elliott Coues (1842-1899), physician, ornithologist, mammalogist. Coues white tail deer is named for him.

B. Alvin Drew, United States Air Force captain, NASA astronaut (Class of 1980)

James Pilling (1846–1895), pioneer ethnologist who compiled extensive bibliographies on Native American languages and culture

Others

David Herold, hanged for participation in Lincoln's assassination

Eric O'Neill, former FBI operative who played a major role in the arrest and conviction of FBI agent Robert Hanssen for spying