“The sense of teamwork, genuine support, and enthusiasm that is displayed at our games each Fall is remarkable and heartening.”
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
Dear Gonzaga Football Fans,
We are excited to begin the 136th season of Gonzaga Football! Each year the football season helps kick off our academic year; a hope-filled year of growth in grace, age, and wisdom through a variety of anticipated and surprising victories.
At our kickoff mass on July 28 in the great church of St. Aloysius, I shared the story of the teamwork of St. Ignatius, Francis Xavier, Peter Faber, and six others who worked together to establish the Society of Jesus in 1540. In reflection and in gratitude, I also shared thoughts of the importance of knowing that the Team of the Gonzaga Community as a whole eagerly anticipates our football season each year. The sense of teamwork, genuine support, and enthusiasm that is displayed at our games each Fall is remarkable and heartening.
On behalf of our Headmaster, Mr. Tom Every, our Athletic Director Mr. Terry Kernan ‘08, and everyone on Eye Street, I express to all of those participating in Gonzaga’s football program this year my earnest wish for a successful season! Please know your hard work and dedication are both respected and appreciated.
I hold particular appreciation for the families who do so much to help make Gonzaga the extraordinary school community we all know and value. In addition, I am grateful to the coaches who instruct, encourage, and guide our fine young men.
Finally, I continue to pray that the spirit of St. Aloysius Gonzaga may inspire each-and-every student-athlete to do his best, to give his best, both on and off of the field, this fall and throughout the year. Gonzaga Hail! And, Go Eagles!
Sincerely, with every best wish,
Fr. Joseph E. Lingan, SJ ‘75 President
FORMING MEN FOR OTHERS IN THE JESUIT TRADITION
A LEGACY of SERVICE
Gonzaga Football’s student-athletes strive to become “Men for Others ” Whether on the playing field, in the classroom or in the community, Gonzaga Football is committed to developing servant leaders Fortunately, young Eagles have Gonzaga legends such as Father Horace McKenna, Dr. Maurice “Maus” Collins, and Coach Joe Reyda ‘85 whose legacies inspire us to go forth and set the world on fire!
Father Horace B. McKenna, SJ
Father Horace B McKenna, SJ, was known as Washington’s “priest to the poor ” He was a tireless worker for the rights and dignity of people in need, especially AfricanAmerican residents of DC During his two assignments in Washington, DC (1953-1958 and 1964-1982) he was well known for advocating for the poor and working to meet their immediate needs Fr McKenna used to say that his role was to “hang on to people until help came ” He founded SOME (So Others Might Eat), a soup kitchen, clinic, a jobs center and co-founded Martha’s Table which serves low-income families in the lower Columbia Heights neighborhood He was also instrumental in the development of Sursum Corda Cooperative, a low-income housing project in the block just north of St Aloysius Parish on North Capitol Street
Joe Reyda ‘85
was a beloved and instrumental member of our school community He g football at Gonzaga while still a college student at Catholic d returned full time to his Alma Mater as a member of the Dean of e and assistant football coach in 1989 In 2001, he became Gonzaga’s or, leading the athletic department through a period of enormous ccess In his 22 years as AD, the school won 183 league or state s In recent years, Joe oversaw the coaching staffs of 41 teams in 17 g the Gonzaga experience of thousands of young men And following n, just weeks after his death, the Washington Post named Gonzaga the ate athletic program in the D C area – a fitting tribute to everything he onzaga, and all Gonzaga student-
Dr. Maurice “Maus” Collins
A Washington DC native, Dr Maurice “Maus” Collins was one of the nation’s most successful high school football coaches He attended McKinley Tech, Montgomery College and the University of Maryland before earning a doctorate from Catholic University He built Archbishop Carroll into a powerhouse, guiding the Lions to a 23745-7 mark with 14 league titles from 1960-1988 He subsequently coached at Gonzaga from 1991-2000, taking the Eagles to a 85-29-2 record with league titles in 1996 and 1997 Upon retirement following the 2000 season, he finished as the nation’s 9th all-time winningest coach with a career 322-74-9 record. Every Varsity Eagle served at the Father McKenna Center on July 29-30 ahead of the start of training camp on August 1
