Flaget High School
Encyclopedia
Flaget High School was a Catholic
College preparatory
high school in Louisville, Kentucky
's West End from 1942 until 1974. It was located throughout its existence at 44th and River Park Drive, in the Shawnee
neighborhood of Louisville.
began raising funds for the school in 1941, and a year later purchased the former home of John Henry Whallen
at 44th and River Park Drive. The school was named for Benedict Joseph Flaget
, the first Bishop of Kentucky
.
The classes were taught by Xaverian Brothers
who also taught at St. Xavier High School. A dedicated school building was built in 1946 and expanded in 1947 after the razing of the Whallen house. Enrollment passed 1,000 in the 1949-50 school year. Flaget offered students in the predominantly blue-collar West End an unprecedented chance to attend a college prep high school instead of a vocational school
. Many graduates of Flaget would become the first members of their families to attend college. The school produced several notable members of the community, including Citizens Fidelity Bank president Daniel Ulmer, Rohm and Haas
president Daniel Ash and University of Louisville
trustee George Fischer.
By the 1970s, the school was a victim of changing times, as white flight
had seen what was once an all-white neighborhood become integrated and most Catholic families left for the city's southern and eastern suburbs. Flaget won its last championship in any sport, a tie for the state football
title, in 1971.
The school became coeducational in its final year, absorbing female students from the recently-closed Loretto High School. There were 65 students in the final graduating class. Over 4,200 students graduated from Flaget over the years.
The building was converted in 1982 to an apartment home for the elderly. In 2002 a museum containing Flaget photos and memorabilia was dedicated in the Alumni Building of former rivals St. Xavier.
championship, in 1945. It would also win state championships in basketball
in 1960 and track
in 1961. It won the Southern Interscholastic Championship in cross country
in 1963. However, Flaget became best known for its football program, which compiled a 196-79-17 record from 1945 to 1973
Paulie Miller was hired in 1945 as the coach of various sports teams, but became famous as the coach of the football team, establishing St. X as their rivals and winning their first state championship in 1949. Miller coached at Flaget until 1963. The team won state championships again in 1952, 1958, 1961 (41-13 over Fairdale High School
), and in 1967 under Norm Mackin (21-7 vs. Thomas Jefferson High School) and 1971 under Pete "The Computer" Compise (a 7-7 tie with Thomas Jefferson) after Miller had stepped down.
Catholic school
Catholic schools are maintained parochial schools or education ministries of the Catholic Church. the Church operates the world's largest non-governmental school system...
College preparatory
University-preparatory school
A university-preparatory school or college-preparatory school is a secondary school, usually private, designed to prepare students for a college or university education...
high school in Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville, Kentucky
Louisville is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kentucky, and the county seat of Jefferson County. Since 2003, the city's borders have been coterminous with those of the county because of a city-county merger. The city's population at the 2010 census was 741,096...
's West End from 1942 until 1974. It was located throughout its existence at 44th and River Park Drive, in the Shawnee
Shawnee, Louisville
Shawnee is a neighborhood in Louisville, Kentucky. Its boundaries are I-264, West Broadway and Northwestern Parkway . Maps sometimes identify the area as Shawneeland....
neighborhood of Louisville.
History
Louisville archbishop John A. FloershJohn A. Floersh
John Alexander Floersh was an American clergyman of the Roman Catholic Church. Becoming Bishop of Louisville in 1924, he was elevated to the rank of Archbishop in 1937 and served until his retirement in 1967....
began raising funds for the school in 1941, and a year later purchased the former home of John Henry Whallen
John Henry Whallen
John Henry Whallen was a Democratic Party political boss in Louisville, Kentucky during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Born in New Orleans, he moved with his family to Cincinnati, Ohio in his youth. As a boy during the Civil War he served the Confederate Army in Schoolfield's Battery as a...
at 44th and River Park Drive. The school was named for Benedict Joseph Flaget
Benedict Joseph Flaget
Benedict Joseph Flaget was a U.S. bishop. He served as the Roman Catholic Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bardstown between 1808 and 1839, then as bishop of the Diocese of Louisville between 1839 and 1850 when the See was transferred to Louisville in 1839.-Education and Call to Ministry:At...
, the first Bishop of Kentucky
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Louisville
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Louisville consists of twenty-four counties in Central Kentucky, USA, covering . It is the seat of the Metropolitan Province of Louisville, which comprises the states of Kentucky and Tennessee...
.
The classes were taught by Xaverian Brothers
Xaverian Brothers
The Xaverian Brothers or Congregation of St. Francis Xavier are a religious order founded by Theodore James Ryken in Bruges, Belgium in 1839 and named after Saint Francis Xavier...
who also taught at St. Xavier High School. A dedicated school building was built in 1946 and expanded in 1947 after the razing of the Whallen house. Enrollment passed 1,000 in the 1949-50 school year. Flaget offered students in the predominantly blue-collar West End an unprecedented chance to attend a college prep high school instead of a vocational school
Vocational school
A vocational school , providing vocational education, is a school in which students are taught the skills needed to perform a particular job...
. Many graduates of Flaget would become the first members of their families to attend college. The school produced several notable members of the community, including Citizens Fidelity Bank president Daniel Ulmer, Rohm and Haas
Rohm and Haas
Rohm and Haas Company, a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania based company, manufactures miscellaneous materials. Formerly a Fortune 500 Company, Rohm and Haas employs more than 17,000 people in 27 countries, with its last sales revenue reported as an independent company at USD 8.9 billion. On July 10,...
president Daniel Ash and University of Louisville
University of Louisville
The University of Louisville is a public university in Louisville, Kentucky. When founded in 1798, it was the first city-owned public university in the United States and one of the first universities chartered west of the Allegheny Mountains. The university is mandated by the Kentucky General...
trustee George Fischer.
By the 1970s, the school was a victim of changing times, as white flight
White flight
White flight has been a term that originated in the United States, starting in the mid-20th century, and applied to the large-scale migration of whites of various European ancestries from racially mixed urban regions to more racially homogeneous suburban or exurban regions. It was first seen as...
had seen what was once an all-white neighborhood become integrated and most Catholic families left for the city's southern and eastern suburbs. Flaget won its last championship in any sport, a tie for the state football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
title, in 1971.
The school became coeducational in its final year, absorbing female students from the recently-closed Loretto High School. There were 65 students in the final graduating class. Over 4,200 students graduated from Flaget over the years.
The building was converted in 1982 to an apartment home for the elderly. In 2002 a museum containing Flaget photos and memorabilia was dedicated in the Alumni Building of former rivals St. Xavier.
Athletics
Flaget High was known for its athletics, winning its first championship, a city golfGolf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
championship, in 1945. It would also win state championships in basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
in 1960 and track
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
in 1961. It won the Southern Interscholastic Championship in cross country
Cross country running
Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...
in 1963. However, Flaget became best known for its football program, which compiled a 196-79-17 record from 1945 to 1973
Paulie Miller was hired in 1945 as the coach of various sports teams, but became famous as the coach of the football team, establishing St. X as their rivals and winning their first state championship in 1949. Miller coached at Flaget until 1963. The team won state championships again in 1952, 1958, 1961 (41-13 over Fairdale High School
Fairdale High School
Fairdale High School is a part of the Jefferson County Public Schools system in the United States. Approximately 950-1,000 students are enrolled. It is one of the District's Magnet Career Schools for Public Safety Technology...
), and in 1967 under Norm Mackin (21-7 vs. Thomas Jefferson High School) and 1971 under Pete "The Computer" Compise (a 7-7 tie with Thomas Jefferson) after Miller had stepped down.
Notable alumni
- Gus BellGus BellDavid Russell "Gus" Bell, Jr. was an American center and right fielder in Major League Baseball who played with the Pittsburgh Pirates , Cincinnati Reds/Redlegs , New York Mets and Milwaukee Braves...
, Major League BaseballMajor League BaseballMajor League Baseball is the highest level of professional baseball in the United States and Canada, consisting of teams that play in the National League and the American League...
Outfielder from 1950-1964. - Paul HornungPaul HornungPaul Vernon Hornung is a retired Hall of Fame professional football player who played for the Green Bay Packers from 1957-66...
- 1956 Heisman TrophyHeisman TrophyThe Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
winner. - Howard SchnellenbergerHoward SchnellenbergerHoward Schnellenberger is an American football coach at both the professional and college level. He is currently in his final season as head coach of Florida Atlantic University, having announced his retirement on August 11, 2011, effective at the end of the 2011 season...
- College and professional football coach. - Oscar Brohm - All State QB at Flaget and University of Louisville Quarterback. Father of U of L Players Greg and Jeff Brohm and High School All American,U of L quarterback and Green Bay Packers rookie QB Brian Brohm
- Darryl Drake, college football coach and wide receiverWide receiverA wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
s coach for the Chicago BearsChicago BearsThe Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago, Illinois. They are members of the North Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
. - Mark Lyons - 1982 Pulitzer Prize for Public ServicePulitzer Prize for Public ServiceThe Pulitzer Prize for Public Service has been awarded since 1918 for a distinguished example of meritorious public service by a newspaper or news site through the use of its journalistic resources. Those resources, as well as reporting, may include editorials, cartoons, photographs, graphics,...
, photojournalist for the Jackson, MississippiJackson, MississippiJackson is the capital and the most populous city of the US state of Mississippi. It is one of two county seats of Hinds County ,. The population of the city declined from 184,256 at the 2000 census to 173,514 at the 2010 census...
Clarion Ledger - Mel Lindauer ('56) - Forbes Columnist and author of two investing books (The Bogleheads' Guide to Investing and The Bogleheads' Guide to Retirement Planning).