Pittsburg High School (Kansas)
Encyclopedia
Pittsburg High School is a fully accredited public high school located in Pittsburg
Pittsburg, Kansas
Pittsburg is a city in Crawford County, in southeastern Kansas, United States. It is the most populous city in Crawford County and in southeastern Kansas. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 20,233.-History:...

, Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...

, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

, serving students in grades 9-12. Pittsburg High School is the one of two high schools in Pittsburg, KS and is the largest high school in southeast Kansas and the Greater Pittsburg Area. The school colors are purple and white and the school mascot is the Dragon.

History

Pittsburg High School was established in 1887, making it one of the oldest high schools in the state of Kansas. Pittsburg High is a member of the Kansas State High School Activities Association
Kansas State High School Activities Association
The Kansas State High School Activities Association is the organization which oversees interscholastic competition in the state of Kansas at the high school level. It oversees both athletic and non-athletic competition, and sponsors championships in several sports and activities.The KSHSAA was...

 and offers a variety of sports programs. Athletic teams compete in the 5A division and are known as the "Dragons". Extracurricular activities are also offered in the form of performing arts, school publications, and clubs.

Athletics

Pittsburg High School offers many different sports and extracurricular programs for its students. The Purple Dragons are classified as a 5A school according to the Kansas State High School Activities Association
Kansas State High School Activities Association
The Kansas State High School Activities Association is the organization which oversees interscholastic competition in the state of Kansas at the high school level. It oversees both athletic and non-athletic competition, and sponsors championships in several sports and activities.The KSHSAA was...

. Additionally, the Purple Dragons have won multiple state championships in both athletic and non-athletic programs.

Track and Field

Track and Field was established at Pittsburg High shortly after the school was founded. Throughout the years, many students have won individual state titles and have set numerous school records.

Wrestling

Wrestling is a sport offered at Pittsburg High. In 2007, Tyler Koehn won the state title in the 152 lb division. The following year, Aaron Swor won the 103 lb division state title. In 2009 Casey McCafferty won the state title in the 150 lb division. Beau Bennett won the Class 5A State Championship at 285 pounds.

State Championships

State Championships
Season Sport Number of Championships Year
Fall 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...

 
4 1954, 1983, 1988, 1990
Total 4

Chess

Pittsburg High School has also produced several state champions in chess.
State Championships
Name Number of Championships Year
Digeng Du 2 2001, 2002
Total 2

Forensics

State Championships
Type Number of Championships Year
Humorous Interpretation
Humorous Interpretation
Humorous Interpretation is an event in competitive high school forensics leagues such as the National Christian Forensics and Communications Association and the National Forensic League...

 
1 2008
Extemporaneous Speaking
Extemporaneous speaking
Extemporaneous Speaking, also known as extemp, is a competitive event popular in United States high schools and colleges, in which students speak persuasively or informatively about current events and politics...

 
2 2000, 2008
Total 3

Spelling Bee

In 2000, Dillon O'Dell was national runner-up in the Scripps National Spelling Bee
Scripps National Spelling Bee
The Scripps National Spelling Bee is a highly competitive annual spelling bee in the United States, with participants from other countries as well. It is run on a not-for-profit basis by The E. W...

.

Theatre

In 2010 Pittsburg High School's fall play, Crimes of the Heart, tied for first place in a state wide theatre competition. The show will be performed at the Kansas State Thespian Conference in January of 2011.

Notable alumni

  • Gary Zukav
    Gary Zukav
    Gary Zukav is a spiritual teacher and author of four consecutive New York Times bestsellers. Beginning in 1998, Zukav appeared more than 30 times on The Oprah Winfrey Show to discuss transformation in human consciousness concepts presented in The Seat of the Soul.-Life Story:Gary Zukav was born in...

     (1960), New York Times bestselling author and frequent guest on the Oprah Winfrey Show http://www.usd250.org/kathy_owsley/2nd_Class/BenPfeiffer/garyinter.htm
  • John Lampe (1965), retired chairman, president and CEO of Bridgestone Americas Holding http://www.morningsun.net/stories/101200/bus_1012000002.shtml
  • Bill Russell
    Bill Russell
    William Felton "Bill" Russell is a retired American professional basketball player who played center for the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association...

     (1966), former shortshop, coach, and manager for the Los Angeles Dodgers
    Los Angeles Dodgers
    The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...

     http://www.kshof.org/hof-profiles.cfm?record_id=124
  • Russ Pennell
    Russ Pennell
    -References:...

     (1979), head men's basketball coach at Grand Canyon University
    Grand Canyon University
    Grand Canyon University is a for-profit Christian university located in Phoenix, Arizona. It is owned by Grand Canyon Education . GCU was founded in 1949 as a non-profit liberal arts college. Grand Canyon Education, Inc. purchased Grand Canyon University in February 2004...

  • Brad Franchione
    Brad Franchione
    Bradley Todd Franchione is the special teams coordinator and linebackers coach at Texas State.-Early life:Franchione is the son of college football coach and former ESPN announcer Dennis Franchione and Linda Solomon. Franchione was born in Miller, Missouri, and grew up near Pittsburg, Kansas...

     (1992), college football coach.
  • Shad Meier
    Shad Meier
    Shad Meier Shad Meier Shad Meier (born June 7, 1978 in St. Louis, Missouri, is a former professional American football tight end.-High School and College Career:Shad Meier prepped at Pittsburg High School, in his home town, where he was an All-State Top 11 Selection in Kansas in the fall of 1995...

     (1996), retired NFL tight end who played for the Tennessee Titans
    Tennessee Titans
    The Tennessee Titans are a professional American football team based in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. They are members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Previously known as the Houston Oilers, the team began play in 1960 as a charter...

     and New Orleans Saints
    New Orleans Saints
    The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They are members of the South Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League ....

  • Dylan Meier
    Dylan Meier
    Dylan Meier was a quarterback for the Kansas State Wildcats football team. He played in college from 2002 to 2006.From 2007 to 2009 he played in Europe for the German and Italian Football Leagues.-Early life:...

     (2002), former Kansas State
    Kansas State University
    Kansas State University, commonly shortened to K-State, is an institution of higher learning located in Manhattan, Kansas, in the United States...

     quarterback
  • Kerry Meier
    Kerry Meier
    Kerry Meier is an American football wide receiver for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Falcons in the fifth round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football at Kansas...

     (2005), NFL wide receiver for the Atlanta Falcons
    Atlanta Falcons
    The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta, Georgia. They are a member of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...

    , former quarterback/slotback for the University of Kansas
    University of Kansas
    The University of Kansas is a public research university and the largest university in the state of Kansas. KU campuses are located in Lawrence, Wichita, Overland Park, and Kansas City, Kansas with the main campus being located in Lawrence on Mount Oread, the highest point in Lawrence. The...



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