ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME

DCHS proudly bestows numerous awards on St. Joseph Academy and Dowling Catholic alumni, including selection to the Athletic Hall of Fame. Induction is merited by excellence in athletics, coaching or a related area during high school and/or beyond at the college, amateur or professional level. Please join us in congratulating the 2022 Athletic Hall of Fame inductees.

COLE DECKER ‘12

Cole is one of the most decorated male distance runners from DCHS and still holds the school record in the 3200m with a time of 9:08. He qualified for state cross country three times and finished third in 2011. He was a threetime cross country all-state team member and a member of the 2011 cross country state championship team. He won both the Drake Relays and state in the 3200m in 2012. He earned eight varsity letters during his time at DCHS and was team captain for two years.

He went on to attend Central College where he competed in both cross country and track. In both sports he was a four-year letter winner, team captain his senior year, and became a four-time NCAA All American.

In cross country he was named All-Central Region and All-Iowa Conference four times and was a four-time NCAA D3 national qualifier. In track he was all-conference three times in the 10,000m, a three-time NCAA D3 national qualifier and finished as runner up in 2016. He was a two-time Central College Track and Field MVP and was named Male Athlete of the Year. He graduated from Central College and went on to earn an MBA with an emphasis in management from West Texas A&M University in 2020. He is also a two-time cancer survivor.

His most memorable experiences from his time at DCHS revolve around the training they did day-in and day-out, on the track, bike trails and streets in the community. Having a strong culture and group of friends to grow, develop with and push each other to progress each day has provided him with so much more than he could have done on his own. His teammates became friends in all facets of his high school life and thereafter. No matter how many races he won or medals he received, he believes it would never have been so fulfilling without them by his side, winning on and off the course.

LIZZY (STACHON) DELANEY ‘11

Lizzy was a fouryear letter winner in girls basketball and finished her high school career as an MVP with a total of five school records. She was the KCCI Player of the Game versus Valley High School and was recognized as a DCHS MVP. She was named CIML All-Conference three times, Elite CIML, all-regional and all-district and earned a CIML All-Conference Academic Award. During her time at DCHS she was also named to three allstate teams and the Gatorade All Star team and was included in the inaugural edition of the Best Players of the AAU. She was also the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union (IGHSAU) five player career leader in blocks.

She currently works as a World Wide Operations recruiter at Amazon and is grateful for the lifelong friendships made during her time at DCHS.

CURT ENGLER ‘88

Curt was a two-time high school state wrestling qualifier and a 1988 state wrestling champion. He was a member of the 1987 and 1988 state champion teams and a Junior National Champion for USA Wrestling. In football he was a member of a state runner-up team and named second team all-state. He was also recognized as an Aquinas Key Excellence Medal recipient.

He went on to wrestle at the University of Notre Dame where he was an NCAA division wrestling tournament qualifier. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Notre Dame and an MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. Throughout his career he has worked in the investment management industry, primarily in equity trading, for some of the largest asset managers in Chicago, New York and Hong Kong.

What he remembers most about his time at Dowling Catholic is the culture of excellence and the high expectations set by his coaches, teachers and teammates. He also learned the value of putting in the hard work and learned more from defeats than the victories.

She was recruited by several Division 1 basketball teams and went on to attend Columbia University due to the academic opportunities afforded there. She began her college basketball career as a starter and finished sixth in the Ivy League for blocked shots. An injury and surgery forced her into medical retirement, cutting her college basketball career short.

RICO GAFFORD ‘14

During his time at DCHS Rico’s impact was significant. A receiver and defensive back, he was named to the Des Moines Register All-

State football team and helped the Maroons win the first of what would become seven consecutive state championships. In track he won the 100m dash at the Drake Relays as well as the Class 4A state title in both the 200m and 100m dash with a state record time of 10.61.

Rico went on to play football for two years at Iowa Western Community College and then two years at the University of Wyoming where he was named second-team AllMountain West Conference. He has been a regular participant in NFL preseason training camps and on practice squad rosters as either a defensive back or wide receiver. He made the Oakland Raiders’ roster in 2019 and caught a 49-yard touchdown pass for his first career reception. He is currently on the practice squad of the Green Bay Packers.

Rico and partners have opened two restaurants in Des Moines — Rico’s at Drake and Vibes Kitchen and Bar downtown — and is often a visitor at the restaurants. He enjoys sharing his story with kids and strives to be someone people can talk to and learn from. In 2019, he launched the Gafford Foundation in 2019 to provide financial and meal support to families in need.

ANNE GRADOVILLE ‘17

Anne was an essential contributor, leader and captain of the girls golf team which qualified for the state tournament four consecutive years and won the first and only team state golf championship in school history. She is the only four-time place winner at the state golf tournament in DCHS history. She was an individual conference champion, a two-time regional champion, and a coed state champion. She was named to the all-tournament team all four years, as well as the all-state team all four years. She was also a letter winner and captain of the swim team. She received the Herman Sani scholarship, an award based on academic performance, extracurricular activities and leadership qualities, and the Ann Griffel scholarship from the Iowa Golf Association.

She went on to golf at the University of Northern Iowa where she received a women’s golf athletic scholarship and a presidential scholarship. She was a varsity starter and the recipient of the State Farm MVC Good Neighbor Award which honors the achievements of exceptional studentathletes in the conference. She was also a member of the Student Athletic Advisory Committee and the Executive Committee. She graduated Summa Cum Laude and currently serves as a missionary for the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS) at Ohio State University.

What Anne remembers most about her experience at DCHS is the community. She felt extremely supported and encouraged by the faculty, staff, and students and was greatly impacted by the DCHS family that was always behind her, offering encouragement in academics, athletics and extracurricular activities.

RYAN SCHWEIZER ‘16

As a track and field athlete, Ryan earned a total of 12 state championships during high school. He was an eight-time state track and field champion, an individual state cross country champion, a twotime member of championship state cross country teams, and a five-time Drake Relays champion. He set the Drake Relays and state records in the 800m, was a two-time Drake Relays Outstanding High School Performer, an All-Iowa Cross Country performer, a twotime All-Iowa track and field performer, and a two-time Iowa Gatorade Athlete of the Year. He currently holds the Iowa State Meet and Drake Relays records in the 800m and is the all-time fastest in the 1600m. At the Adidas Dream Mile in Boston, he placed third in 4:05.1 against the best high school runners in America. As a senior he was also a member of a state 200 freestyle relay swim team and was elected team captain for cross country, swimming and track and field.

Ryan went on to compete for four years at Notre Dame, graduating with a degree in business analytics and a minor in design. Though injured for most of his collegiate career, he still recorded the all-time best in the 800m and 1500m, made the All-ACC team in indoor and outdoor track, and was a twotime Monogram winner earning MVC honors. He transferred and competed for Drake University for a fifth year of cross country and track and field and to earn an MBA which he is in the process of completing. He currently works for Accenture as a Strategy and Consulting Analyst.

He will always remember the practices and competitions with teammates and the memories they made together during their time at DCHS, whether that was winning a team state championship or eating an unhealthy amount of McDonald’s breakfast after a brutally long swim practice. Through the highs and lows, he believes the relationships created are what truly matters and what he is most thankful for.

For a complete list of Athletic Hall of Fame inductees, please visit: www.dowlingcatholic.org/ahof.

Fifty years ago, the new Dowling Catholic High School, freshly merged with St. Joseph Academy, opened with a coed student body of 1,647 students, a faculty that included 25 sisters from various religious orders and 14 priests.

And seven Homecoming queens.

A review of the student newspapers of that first semester on Buffalo Road finds a bit of snarky cynicism but, on the whole, the newspaper staff, led by co-editors-in-chief Sue Boesen and Dan Mueller, celebrated the merger, move and successful launch of the new Dowling.

“Many things could have gone wrong on the new Dowling’s opening day, but the hard work and support of many people ensured its great success,” The Paper, as it was known in the day, opined in its first issue of the school year.

The band was celebrated that fall and consoled when the Iowa High School Athletic Association allowed only a drummer and trumpeter at the brand new state high school football championship game.

“Mr. Vince Nelson, beginning his fifth year as director … said this year’s band has the finest potential of any Dowling band he has directed,” The Paper reported.

Bishop Dingman laid the cornerstone of the new building in October with Margo Munoz and Tom Diehl serving as student representatives.

Christmas baskets for the less fortunate, a tradition for years at St. Joseph Academy, continued and 25 families received gifts.

Tom Diehl, head of the senior class project, was joined on the committee by Rocky Graziano, Paul De Phillips, Joe Longo, Rick Pinneke, Pat McHenry, Bob Callaghan, Paul Duwelius, Andy Dieter, Sue Northrup, LuAnn Allender, Sheila Connolly, Meg Tibbetts, Anne Meng, Cece Lynch and Peggy Mauro.

The debate team was No. 1 in the state and the football team went to the championship game of the first Iowa state playoffs ever. The Stepperettes practiced that fall to march in the January inauguration parade in Washington, D.C., for Richard Nixon, and 95 seniors went west to Florida to see the launch of Apollo 17 and visit Disney World.

Dowling beat East in the Homecoming football game and the dance was held at the Val Air Ballroom. All seven nominees — Andrea Dieter, Ann Gladfelder, Molly Maloney, Cindy Steffen, Devin Thimesch, Susie Tutsi and Cathy Vonderhaar — were named Homecoming Queens in a show of spirit and unity at the new school.

“We pray for unity; we die to be united in Heaven with all the saints and our God,’’ Monsignor John George Weber wrote in a letter to The Paper, congratulating the seniors for naming the seven queens.

“Why not show it in a practical way which drives home the lesson that Christ Himself prayed for: that they may all be on … may they be one, so that the world will believe that you sent me. [John, 17, 21-22].”

A month or so later, Mary Gallo and Chris

Donahue reigned over the Christmas Formal at the Hotel Fort Des Moines as Snow Queen and King.

So did anything go wrong that fall?

The parking lot was crowded and the traffic jams often delayed student arrivals and departures. Mr. Bass thanked those students who voluntarily carpooled each day.

A cricket infestation left ears chirping for a few weeks. Sister Diane found them heavily matted in the music center. Rev. Stephany considered offering a five-cent bounty for each cricket killed in the religion center.

The school newspaper declared reports of a freshman being carried away by crickets was inaccurate and Larry Chicchelly, the school’s chief engineer, predicted the crickets would be gone within a week. “We have sprayed and it should do an effective job,” he said.

Principal William Bass speculated cricket nests were enclosed in the school’s footprint, leaving the crickets to hatch in the new building. He said Dowling was lucky compared to its rival.

“At Valley’s new building, they built in a colony of garter snakes,” he said.

And the fall play, Camelot , originally scheduled for November, was delayed until January as the new auditorium waited on lighting, rigging and other stage components. The performance was so popular it was staged six times the final week of January, the last being a command performance so that those turned away at the door the previous nights could see the show.

Sean Sullivan was King Arthur. Cindy Steffen and Liz Galloway were double cast at Guenivere and Bill Tell was Lancelot. Other seniors in the show included Albert McCann, Michael McDonald, Rose Bocella and Joe Phelan.

To sum up that first semester, The Paper included a Letter to the Editor from Tim Bognanno who moved to Arizona the summer before his senior year. It read, in part, “When I think of Dowling, I think of love, friendship, togetherness, spirit, it’s Fr. Culver, Mr. Nizzi, Mr. Flynn and other gentle teachers, but also all of the students that make my heart pain and make me go into a dream world…. Of being back at Dowling, being with everyone again. … be thankful that all who attend, will attend, or have attended are some of the most beautiful people in this troubled world.”