A History of the Catholic High School Basketball Association
A HISTORY OF THE CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION
By Terry Majeres
The Catholic High School Athletic Association was created in 1937 when Right Reverent Bernard Weber of Salem St. Mary’s invited six teams to participate in a basketball tournament at Salem, South Dakota. Over the years, activities of the Association centered around the annual Catholic Basketball Tournament, but rules and regulations were established to govern all areas of athletics.
The teams invited to the first Catholic High School Basketball Tournament were Sioux Falls Cathedral, St. Francis, Salem St. Mary’s, Notre Dame of Mitchell, St. Thomas of Madison, Dell Rapids St. Mary’s, and St. Mary’s of Grenville. The tournament continued for twenty-seven years. Stephan, Holy Rosary of Pine Ridge, St. Agatha of Howard, Rapid City Cathedral, Marty Mission, St. Patrick’s of Lead, and St. Martin’s of Sturgis were added over the years.
Sioux Falls Cathedral captured the crown twelve of the twenty-six tournaments. St. Francis won the first four championships and once more in 1949. Holy Rosary claimed tournament honors three times, followed by Marty Mission with two championships. A brief history of the Catholic High School Tournament is as follows:
1937 TOURNAMENT: St. Francis won the first tournament held at Salem. They won 37 to 30 over Sioux Falls Cathedral in the championship.
1938 TOURNAMENT: The second tournament was held at Salem again. St. Francis edged out Sioux Falls Cathedral, 28-26 for their second title.
1939 TOURNAMENT: St. Francis defeated St. Thomas of Madison for their third straight title. The 1939 tournament was held in Madison.
1940 TOURNAMENT: Mitchell was the site of the 1940 tourney in which St. Francis successfully defended their title with a victory over Holy Rosary of Pine Ridge.
1941 TOURNAMENT: Salem was host to twelve teams in the fifth State Tournament. Holy Rosary was able to overcome the St. Francis tradition, winning 25-24 in the championship.
1942 TOURNAMENT: Holy Rosary was again able to edge St. Francis by one point, 27-26. Finals held at Madison.
1943 TOURNAMENT: No official tournament was held due to World War II. Dell Rapids St. Mary’s won a four team invitational held in its place at Salem.
1944 TOURNAMENT: Mitchell was the site of the seventh tournament. Sioux Falls Cathedral won the championship, 29-25, over Mitchell Notre Dame.
1945 TOURNAMENT: Sioux Falls Cathedral downed St. Thomas of Madison, 41-36. Six teams participated in the Tournament held at the Mitchell Corn Palace.
1946 TOURNAMENT: Nine teams entered the tournament hosted by Sioux Falls. Notre Dame of Mitchell defeated Sioux Falls Cathedral for the title.
1947 TOURNAMENT: The Tournament was held at Rapid City. Holy Rosary slid past Mitchell Notre Dame, 44-42 for the title.
1948 TOURNAMENT: Holy Rosary won over Sioux Falls Cathedral.
1949 TOURNAMENT: Held at Aberdeen. The St. Francis Scarlet Warriors beat the Mitchell Notre Dame Comets, 37-26 for the title.
1950 TOURNAMENT: Sioux Falls Cathedral regained the title with a 47-39 victory over Holy Rosary. The Tournament was held at Mitchell.
1951 TOURNAMENT: The Irish of Sioux Falls Cathedreal repeated before their hometown fans, with a 46-42 win over the Marty Braves in the championship.
1952 TOURNAMENT: The Sioux Falls Irish successfully defended their title at the Mitchell Corn Palace. They defeated Salem St. Mary’s 59-42 in the championship.
1953 TOURNAMENT: The Tournament was held at the Sioux Falls Coliseum. The Sioux Falls Cathedral Irish continued to dominate the spotlight. They breezed past a weary Mitchell Notre Dame in the championship for their fourth consecutive title.
1954 TOURNAMENT: Mitchell Notre Dame outlasted Sioux Falls Cathedral, 58-54 to win their first state title. The Tournament was held at Rapid City.
1955 TOURNAMENT: The Mitchell Corn Palace was the site of the Marty Mission Braves first state title. They beat Holy Rosary , 64-45 in the championship.
1956 TOURNAMENT: Howard St. Agatha defeated Salem St. Mary’s 78-63 in the championship for their first state title. The Tournament was held at the Sioux Falls Coliseum.
1957 TOURNAMENT: Sioux Falls Cathedral returned to the spotlight at the Mitchell Corn Palace with a 52-48 overtime victory over Mitchell Notre Dame in the championship.
1958 TOURNAMENT: Sioux Falls Cathedral kept the Sioux Falls Coliseum crowd happy with a 67-61 victory over Marty Mission in the championship.
1959 TOURNAMENT: Sioux Falls Cathedral defeated Mitchell Notre Dame, 61-50 in the championship, held at the Mitchell Corn Palace.
1960 TOURNAMENT: The Tournament was held at the Mitchell Corn Palace. Sioux Falls Cathedral defeated Marty Mission, 56-47 for the title.
1961 TOURNAMENT: Sioux Falls Cathedral, in its last year of operation, defeats Marty Mission again, 64-48 for the championship. The Tournament was held at the Sioux Falls Coliseum.
1962 TOURNAMENT: Marty Mission defeated the newly established Sioux Falls O’Gorman for the championship. The Tournament was held at the Mitchell Corn Palace.
1963 TOURNAMENT: Stephan defeated Sioux Falls O’Gorman for the championship, 55-41. The Tournament was held at the Mitchell Corn Palace.
1964 TOURNAMENT: The Sioux Falls Arena was the site of the final State Catholic Tourney. Sioux Falls O’Gorman defeated Mitchell Notre Dame, 55-50 in the finale.
S. D. CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONS
CATHOLIC ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION PRESIDENTS:
Monsignor Weber of Salem served as the president of the Association for its birth until 1942. Rev. Henry Kolbeck of Mitchell followed as president from 1942 to 1951, and then again from 1953-1962. Father Donald Liepold of Clark served as the president in 1951 and 1952. Rev. Robert Grabowski of Salem was the final president of the Association in 1963 and 1964.
THE EFFORT TO BECOME A PART OF THE SOUTH DAKOTA ATHLETIC/ACTIVITIES ASSOCIATION
Over the years, the Catholic Athletic Association shadowed the rules and regulations of the South Dakota High School Athletic Association in hopes that one day they would gain acceptance into the state Association. Such rules of eligibility as requiring that the athlete carry a minimum of fifteen credit hours of study per week, be no older than nineteen years of age, and compete no more than four years as a varsity athlete were adapted, practically word for word, from the regulations of the S. D. H. S. A. A.
Despite their efforts to conform, the private schools were continually denied acceptance into the state Association, going as far back as 1938. It seems that membership was limited by the Association by-laws to tax supported accredited high schools. Other high schools were accepted upon receiving a two thirds majority vote at the time of the application for membership. Reasons for not accepting private schools reportedly centered around concern over the recruiting power of the private schools. Others were quick to say that it was a form of religious discrimination.
There was also a lack of unity on the parochial side of the coin. Many parochial school officials enjoyed the independence and control of having their own organization. The Catholic High School Basketball Tournament was a profitable endeavor as well as a good source of public recognition. During this time parochial students were allowed to participate in music, press, and speech competitions directed by other state organizations. However, they did not receive state recognition.
On July 1, 1961, The South Dakota High School Athletic Association was changed to the South Dakota High School Interscholastic Activities Association. Its purpose was to control, coordinate, and direct the activities of the following South Dakota High School Associations: Athletic , Music, Press, Speech; The South Dakota Association of Student Councils; Future Farmers of America; Future Homemakers of America; Future Nurses of America, and Future Teachers of America.
With the new Activities Association taking control of the inter-scholastic activities, non-tax supported schools were no longer allowed to participate in certain activities that they had been participating in for years. Some non-tax supported schools that had held thirty-year memberships in the South Dakota High School Press Association were no longer able to continue their membership.
This change along with the gradual shift to a new generation of private school administration led to a more urgent and unified effort to gain acceptance into the state organization.
Jeremiah Murphy began to lobby in the South Dakota Legislature for legislation that would compel the newly formed High School Activities Association to begin accepting private schools in 1963. Mr. Murphy was able to gain the support of both the House Majority and Minority Leaders, along with Governor Archie Gubbrud. Murphy was asked by people opposing the bills to withdraw the bill with the promise that the state Association would start accepting private school members the following year. In 1964 no non-tax supported schools were allowed into the Association. Jeremiah Murphy decided to go back to Pierre. He was able to steer his “Parochial School Bill” thru the House of Representatives before it was even printed. Opposition was much stronger in the Senate. The bill was immediately detoured to the Judiciary Committee in hopes that it would be killed. Murphy was again able to gain key support and get the bill back on the Senate floor for discussion. The bill’s opposition arranged to have the bill be the last bill introduced in hopes that many lawmakers would be absent. Murphy was again able to get it moved to the top of the agenda. This time the opposition arranged for an improper notice of the time that the bill would be voted on to be distributed. Murphy and the supporters had to call all of the Senators and inform them of the error.
Finally, the 1964 Session of the South Dakota Legislature passed Chapter 51, Effective July 1, 1964. This Statute made all high schools approved and accredited by the state eligible for membership into the Activities Association. It was intended to compel the Activities Association to accept private and parochial schools as members, thereby allowing all high school students an equal opportunity to participate in extracurricular activities.
On July 2, 1964 St. Mary’s High School of Salem; Notre Dame of Mitchell, St. Agatha of Howard; Mt. Marty of Yankton; Dell Rapids St. Mary’s, Sioux Falls O’Gorman; Marty Mision, St. Francis, and Freeman Academy made proper applications for membership into the Activities Association. All twelve schools were approved and accredited by the State of South Dakota as spelled out in Chapter 51.
All twelve applications were denied by the Activities Association. The Activities Association filed suit in McCook County under the South Dakota Declaratory Judgment Act in order to test the Constitutionality of the Statute, Chapter 51. The principle question brought forth by the Association, as quoted for the South Dakota Supreme Court’s Respondents Brief was “whether the South Dakota Legislature can control membership of the Activities Association; and if so, whether the Statute is Constitutional in light of the religious questions.”
The defendant, St. Mary’s School of Salem, in addition to saying that the said statute was constitutional, cross claimed seeking issuance of a Writ of Mandamus compelling the Activities Association to admit into membership fourteen private and parochial schools who had made application into the Association and whose applications had been denied.
On May 18, 1965 after reviewing numerous briefs on the case and a University of South Dakota Law Review article written by Richard Sabers of Salem, Judge Fred J. Nichol of the Fourth Judicial Circuit Court found that the South Dakota High School Activities Association, although a private organization, was subject to the control of the Government of South Dakota because of the public interest in the educational nature of its activities. “Furthermore, Chapter 51 does not exert any restraint on the exercise of religion and therefore does not violate religious freedom as guaranteed by the South Dakota and Federal Constitution.” according to Judge Nichols.
The Activities Association appealed the decision to the South Dakota Supreme Court on the grounds that inclusion of non-public schools would violate a law against appropriation of lands and property to aid sectarian schools.
The South Dakota Supreme Court affirmed that while parochial school students would in some instances were able to utilize public school facilities, it did not consider that to be “aid to sectarian schools”. The Supreme Court of South Dakota, on April 8, 1966, upheld Chapter 51, making all accredited high schools eligible for membership into the state wide High School Activities Association, and permitting such an Association to make uniform rules and regulations governing its affairs.
The Association was granted a ninety day stay of execution to carry it thru the fiscal year, and prepare admittance of non-public schools the following year.
The basic idea of one Activities Association to govern all inter-scholastic activities was a great step forward in secondary education in South Dakota. With the application of Statute 51, all high school students were guaranteed opportunity to participate in such activities.
For twenty-seven years the Catholic High School Activities Association played a vital role in the quality of athletics displayed in parochial schools across the state. The Catholic High School Basketball Tournament was a popular and profitable event throughout the Catholic Association history. It all began because one man’s dream and a lot of faith.