Cairo St. Joseph High School "Fighting Irish"

Cairo St. Joseph High School

The History of Cairo St. Joseph High School

Cairo (population 3,632) is located in the farthest southern tip of Illinois in the farthest southern portion of Alexander County. Cairo is located at the junction where the Mississippi River meets the Ohio River. U.S. Route 51 is the main roadway leading to and from Cairo. Interstate Highway 57 travels by the northwest side of town. Illinois Routes 3 and 37 lead the way from Cairo to the north. The Illinois Central Gulf and Conrail railroads lay tracks through Cairo as well.

Cairo has a very rich and storied history in the early settlement of the United States. Cairo's location along the Ohio and MIssissippi Rivers made it an important city during the Civil War. Cairo serves as the County Seat of Alexander County. It was incorporated in 1858 and is the lowest land point in Illinois sitting at 279 feet above sea level.

The early 1900s served as the true "boom" time in Cairo. The population was at an all-time high of over 15,000 residents. The need for higher education was forseen by the Catholic church. In 1916 St. Joseph High School was established in Cairo. The school was managed by the School Sisters of Notre Dame. St. Joseph High served the parishoners and students of Cairo for 46 years.

The following information and memories of St. Joseph High School was provided to us by Joe Profilet, Class of 1949:

"I attended St. Joseph High School from 1945 until graduating in 1949. There were only 9 of us in the graduating class. This was a litle smaller than the average class in those days, but there were never more than about 50-55 students in the whole higih school.

As you noted in your article, the school was manned by the School Sisters of Notre Dame. There were 4 rooms on the second floor of the building pictute that housed the high school. Each room had a nun as a home room teacher. The school required 4 years of English (grammar and rhetoric), general mathematics, algebra I and II, geometry and trigonometry.

There were courses in chemistry and physics and general science. And naturally each semester there was a course in the Catechism of the Catholic Faith.

During many years in the 40's until its closing the school was run by Fr. Rudolph Jantzen who was the superintendent. One nun served as the principle.

On the bottom floor of the school were 4 class rooms. Each held two classes of the elementary school. One nun taught both years: 1-2, 3-4, 5-6, and 7-8. There was no kindergarten class

The High School boys basketball team was coached by Coach Jimmie Darrow. Jimmie was not otherwise employed by the school. It was a volunteer job. Jimmie otherwise was employed in others jobs. One was as a clerk in a sporting goods store in downtown Cairo. He also worked at one time at Woodward Hardware, a wholesale company located in Cairo.

The high school boys basketball team, as you know, was named the Fighting Irish. This was kind of humorous looking back on it, since St. Josephs was the "German" Catholic Church in town. The Irish parish, was St. Patricks. The St. Pat's kids did come to St. Josephs for High School, since that parish only had a grammar school. Not all of the St. Pat's kids went on to St. Joe High, but went on to the public Cairo High School."

Along with the steadily decreasing population trend in Cairo came a steadily decreasing student population. St. Joseph High School was effected by this trend and had dipped to an enrollment of 45 students in 1952 for grades 9 - 12. The decision was made to close St. Joseph High School. Having no other parochial school in the area, the Cairo St. Joseph students would attend Cairo High School to continue their education.

Cairo St. Joseph High School Quick Facts

Year opened: 1916

Year closed: 1952

Enrollment Final Year: 45 students (Grades 9 - 12)

St. Joseph HS team nickname: the "Fighting Irish"

St. Joseph HS team colors: Blue & Gold

School Fight Song: "Cheer, Cheer to Old St. Joe High"

Notre Dame University Fight Song Tune

Cairo St. Joseph High School Gymnasium

Athletics

The St. Joseph High School Fighting Irish had a great run in boys basketball in the mid-1940s (www.ihsa.org). We believe the school offered baseball and track as well. School fight song, team records, and coach's names are items we are currently seeking.

Joe Profilet (Class of 1949) had the following to offer regarding the St. Joseph athletic experience of the 1940s:

"The school Fight Song for the St. Joe Fighting Irish was a take-off of the Notre Dame Fight Song. e.g. Cheer. Cheer to old St. Joe High, Bring all the echos out of the sky", etc. We had cheerleaders, usually 3 or 4 girls. The basketball team was pretty much a school effort. We had so few boys that usually every boy was involved in some way: playing, score keeping, being the equipment manager, etc..

We were in no conference, playing few Catholic schools. We did play at St. Mary's Cape Giradeau, MO., St. Mary's of Paducah, and for a couple of years we played a Catholic team at Carlye, Illinois.

We played at a lot of little high schools, probably most of them are now defunct. I haven't checked your menu for these yet. Some places we played at were: Cairo High School, Mounds, Mound City, Karnak, Brookport, Dongola, Wolf Lake, Grand Chain, Fancy Farm, KY. Charleston, MO., Ullin, Illinois, Thebes. These are ones that spring to mind as I do a little trip down memory lane.

You mentioned that the school may have had a baseball or track team. I don't think so. I do remember that sometime prior to 1945, Jimmie Darrow tried to organize the boys into a track team, but I don't think he ever got it off the ground."

The St. Joe Fighting Irish of 1948-49

Courtesy of Joe Profilet

Boys Basketball

Back to back to back!! The St. Joseph hardwood court men won three consecutive District Championships in the mid-1940s. Team records and coach's names of these and other great St. Joseph Fighting Irish teams are being sought.

1943-44 District Champions

1944-45 District Champions
1945-46 District Champions

Fighting Irish of 1946-47

District Champions

St. Joe Fighting Irish of 1945-46

District Champions

Members of the Team of 1945-46 - Photo Above Left

FRONT ROW: Left to Right: Eddie Klein, Jamie Stewart, Ann Muthig, Sissy Steinhouse, Mary Levitt, George Fleerlage, Jack Carr.

SECOND ROW STANDING: Left to Right: Jerry Rowling, Paul Moore, Rev. Rudolph Jantzen, Billy Martin, Leo (Corky” Profilet, Joe Day, Dick Rowling, Bob Powell, Jimmy Dyas, Bob Parrot, John Heaman.

TOP ROW: Left to Right: Coach Jimmie Darrow, Chuck Schaefer, Joe Profilet, Charlie Spiese, Bill Burkstaller, Bill Grottens.

Members of the Team of 1946-47 - Photo Above Right

FRONT ROW: Left to Right: Eddie Klein, Johnnie Miller, Earl Mattson, Bennie Artz, Phil Stewart, Jimmie Spies, Jerry Rowling

SECOND ROW STANDING: Left to Right: Paul Moore, Rev. Rudolph Jantzen, Bob Parrot, Jimmie Dyas, Virginia Beno, Sissy Steinhouse, Cordelia Rock, Mary Levitt, Charlie Spies, Jack Carr, Coach Jimmie Darrow

TOP ROW: Left to Right: Jack Tupper, Joe Profilet, Bob Powell, Lindy Coury. Dick Rowling, Jamie Stewart, Chuck Schaefer, George Fleerlage, Phil Glaab, Johnnie Heaman

Seeking Your Help

If you have ANY information you would like to share about the great history and great memories enjoyed at Cairo St. Joseph High School we are hopeful you will write to us. You can e-mail us items at ihsgdwebsite@comcast.net. You can also write to us at:

Illinois HS Glory Days

6439 N. Neva St.

Chicago, Il. 60631