The Tradesmen may not have had great numbers as far as enrollment, but the student body there supported its athletic program and faired quite well.  Football, basketball, and baseball were all once regular sports scheduled against schools from the surrounding area..  It is noted that as with many small-enrollment high schools, the coach of St. James High each year coached every sport offered that year..  

 

Our good friend Phil Shadid has researched and provided the following information on Springfield St. James athletics:

 

The Tradesmen knew it "wasn't the size of the dog in the fight, but rather the size of the fight in the dog".  The Tradesmen had one particular season where this proved quite true.  As Phil Shadid writes:

"St. James' major success came in football in 1937 under coach Frank (Red) Hartman.  His squad of 19 had a record of 6 wins, 1 loss, 1 tie.  Coach Hartman had to wander the halls of the school and recruit more students so that the team could scrimmage with 11 per side during practice sessions. Eventually, 31 took part in practices from time to time.

In the photo of the team to the above - right, the players are shown, in order:

Front Row (sitting, left to right)): Bill McCroy, Paul Moore, George Evanich, Lou Petschauer, Gene Caruso, Bernie Tapocik, Paul Britz, John Filipik (manager)

Middle Row (kneeling): Silver DiGiacomo, Bob Mayfield, Jerome Medic, Jim Sears, Joe Cooney, Mike Lascody, Babe Aiello, Joe Bartolomucci, Clarence Yuhas, Bill Moore

Top Row: Steve Morovec, Frank Tapocik, Joe Wilson (captain), Louie Betz, Frank Mertz, Jake Harbauer, Al Schwabe, Mickey Wysocki, Bill Guinan, Cleo Deerwester, Jim Buhnerkemper, Bob Denny, coach Frank "Red" Hartman.

Not in picture: Gene Emory  

 

In 1937 the football team defeated Divernon High School, 21 - 19;  won over city arch-rival Springfield Cathedral (6 times as big), 12 - 6;  played Decatur St. Theresa to an 0 - 0 tie; beat Illiopolis High, 7 - 0;  beat Girard High, 32 - 12;  beat Quincy Academy, 30 - 0;  and defeated Kincaid (South Fork), 25 - 0.

 

"The Tradesmen were declared co-champions of the Illinois Catholic Schools Conference downstate division and closed out their season against Chicago powerhouse Mount Carmel High School, which had finished third in the Chicago division behind city champion Leo and runnerup St.George.  (Catholic schools were not admitted to the IHSA until 1941, St. James couldn't join until it offered a high school course, which it did in 1944.)"
 

The game took place in Springfield on Thanksgiving Day, November 25, 1937, with Mt. Carmel winning 12 - 0. The Springfield Illinois State Journal reported that tickets sold for 50 cents and produced a crowd of over 1500 at Lanphier baseball park.  The interest generated for this Catholic school contest convinced radio station WCBS (now WFMB) to broadcast the game live.  The State Journal Newspaper mentioned several times in its pre-game stories that St. James overall weight averaged 152 pounds per man while Mt. Carmel's boys averaged 169 pounds per man.

 

It should be noted that St. James played very well for a squad of 16 (50 students enrolled in the entire school) going up against Mt. Carmel's 33-member team (enrollment of more than 1000 boys in the school).  Mt. Carmel's normal squad comprised of more than 50 members, but they only brought the best 33!

 

At the post-season banquet December 2, 1937, special guest speakers were Grover Cleveland Alexander, former major league pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs; Wilbur Shaw, 1937 Indy-500 race winner; and Paul Tangora, All-American football great from Northwestern University. The main speaker was Sangamon County treasurer Harry Eielson, former college football star (played in the 1919 Rose Bowl for Great Lakes) and future mayor of Springfield.

 

 

FRANK MERTZ, Football team 1937-38, #35 in the photograph to the right

Frank Mertz, born in Springfield IL, graduated from St. James in 1939, having completed his apprenticeship as a Baker. But music was his first love. His first job after St. James was at the St. Nicholas Hotel in Springfield, and later he would work at the Blue Ribbon Bakery.

Baking required getting up in the pre-dawn hours to get the work done and Frank began looking for something else. World War II took care of the next few years, when he enlisted in the U.S.Army Air Force. After discharge from the Army he went to work for Sangamo Electric Company, a large electric meter manufacturer who employed hundreds in Springfield. When the plant moved out of state, he finished his working career with the State of Illinois.

Frank was in the Charlie Rogers orchestra for many years, playing the clarinet and the saxophone. Rogers' musical group was the top-notch band in central Illinois for decades. Frank said he got tired of playing a song which the public requested over and over again: Glenn Miller's "In The Mood." But anything by George Gershwin was always a pleasure to play. Such as "I Got Rhythm, 'S Wonderful, But Not For Me, Rhapsody In Blue," etc.

He and his wife Evelyn (Ramey) celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary in 2007. They have 5 children, 8 grandchildren and 7 great-grandchildren.

Mr. Mertz remembers fondly his years at St. James and recalls that the Brothers of the Holy Cross were very kind and were very good instructors. He commented that the dormitories and dining room were always kept spotless.

When the name Silver DiGiacomo of the 1937-38 football team was mentioned, a smile came to his face: "He was the best! An easy going fellow, nothing ever bothered him. He was a character, too. And what a great football player!" As far as playing for coach Frank "Red" Hartman: "He treated us very well. I enjoyed my time on the football team."

Frank Mertz played football in the 1937-38 seasons, the greatest back-to-back years in the history of St. James Trade School. The Tradesmen won 6, lost 1, tied 1 in 1937 and won 4, lost 2 in 1938. He played four different positions during his time on the team: center, end, guard, tackle.

(The Glory Days staff wishes to thank Frank Mertz for his cooperation and recollections of his time at St. James.) --June 14,2007

On a sad note, from our good friend Phil Shadid:

"Frank Mertz of the 1937 St.James Trade School football team passed away on Oct. 17th, 2008.  Frank was 88, and was very helpful to me when I was writing the story of St. James.  I'm sorry I couldn't visit with him more often.  He may have been the last survivor of that team; at least I haven't been able to find anyone else yet. Frank Mertz, 1920-2008."

     St. James football, 1937, WHAT A TEAM!

The 1938 St. James Tradesmen Football Team (by Phil Shadid):

The 1938 season for St. James showed a record of 4-2, including 3-1 in the downstate Illinois Catholic High School Association league.  But 1938 was filled with injuries, eligibility problems, and lack of scoring.  Whereas the 1937 team outscored its opponents127-49, the 1938 team barely outscored its rivals 51-49.

Silver DiGiacomo played at full strength in only three games, sat out two games because of eligibility questions (more on this later) and was hobbled with a knee injury in one other game.  Mickey Wysocki missed the final two games because of injuries.

DiGiacomo still managed to score three touchdowns and a point-after, and was matched in scoring by Al Schwabe.  Wysocki and Jim Buhnerkemper scored the other two touchdowns.  DiGiacomo, Wysocki, Buhnerkemper, and Jake Harbauer all were named to the 1938 All-City Team.

But St. James' 4-2 mark along with 1937's 6-1-1 mark still constituted the best two consecutive years for the Tradesmen.

The big story in 1938 were complaints turned in by Decatur St. Theresa and Kincaid High School about St. James using DiGiacomo in the games. Silver was a 4-year starter, having played in the 1935, '36, '37, and '38 seasons. But their protest was over the fact that he had played on the freshmen (9th grade) team at Springfield Converse High in 1934.  He was in the 8th grade at Converse and was used sparingly during freshmen games.  Freshmen teams in 1934 played their games only against city schools which had freshmen squads (Converse, Feitshans, Central).  The protestors said he was actually playing a ninth semester in 1938, when only eight semesters of eligibility were allowed.

Rulings by the president of the Illinois Catholic HS Association first declared him ineligible, so he sat out St. James' game versus St. Theresa on October 3.  A day later, president Reverend James T. Sees, principal of Springfield Cathedral, reversed his ruling and said DiGiacomo would be okay to play again.  However, before the Kincaid game on October 22, the manager of the Illinois High School Athletic Association, Charles Whitten, said that according to IHSAA standards, Silver was a 5-year player and could not compete against a state (public) high school member.  DiGiacomo remained on the bench for the Kincaid game.

Reverend Sees, in this give and take battle, telegraphed Hartman in Quincy on October 31, just before the team was about to take on Academy school, that "you can use DiGiacomo if desired."  Sees took this action because of the seeming inability of Mr. Whitten's office to make a final decision, which had been requested for some time.

As reported in the Illinois State Register, November 6, 1938:

"Silver DiGiacomo has been finally declared as eligible.  It seems that the state high school association has finally quit playing checkers with this lad and decided his participation with a two-year high school (Converse) did not count against his record." He went out and scored two touchdowns, rushed for an extra-point, handled the punting, blocked and tackled viciously, and in a few words, "stole the show, running like a super-charged skyrocket."  St. James beat Bloomington Trinity, 13-6, to close out the season.

The following are some of the records from other years in football:

BASKETBALL   

(compiled by Phil Shadid)

The St. James Tradesmen began high school varsity basketball in November 1941 and had their most successful season in 1958-59 under coach Larry Larrison. This team had a record of 18-7, finished third in the MSM (Morgan-Sangamon-Macoupin) Conference and won the only District championship in the history of the school.

The team is pictured in the photo (left to right). Front row: Jim Vespa, Tom Benedict, Barry DeNardo, Gary Benedict, John Termine, Don Koss. Back row: head coach Larry Larrison, Denver Hoelscher, Bill Gansbauer, Larry Motley, Paul Hughes, Bob Heeley, Ed Kulavic. Not in the photo: assistant coach AI Purgatorio, Bob Johann, Tom Stevens.

St. James advanced to the Springfield Regional tournament (in the days of one-class basketball) after defeating Farmersville (for the third time that season) 68-50 for the Palmyra District championship. Motley's 35 points led the way, DeNardo had 15.

The team featured a front line of 6-6 Motley, 6-0 DeNardo and 6-2 Gansbauer. The guards were Tom Benedict and Termine. Koss and Hughes were the usual substitutes.

St. James lost to Springfield Feitshans, 67-55, in the Regional first round, March 4, 1959.

That 1958-59 team featured the greatest 1-2 scoring punch in the history of the school: Larry Motley and Barry DeNardo combined for 1035 points, averaging 41.4 points per game. The rest of the team scored about 21.1 points per game.

Motley's three year record was 1158 points in 64 games (I8.! ppg). DeNardo, who played just two years, contributed 953 points in 48 games (19.8 ppg). This dynamic duo scored 56 of the team's 69 points in a double overtime win over Middletown in a 1958 consolation championship game in the Ashland tournament. In those days the second overtime was a sudden death, meaning the first team that scored was the winner. Larry Motley's basket in the first few seconds of the sudden death was the deciding goal in the 69-67 victory. Motley scored 32 and DeNardo 24 in the game.

In the 48 games that Motley and DeNardo played in the 1957-58 and 1958-59 seasons, there was only ONE game in which one or the other was not the leading scorer. In the first game of the 1957-58 season, Tom Benedict had 12 points in a 43-33 loss to Morrisonville. DeNardo scored 9 points, Motley 7.

St. James' basketball fortunes suffered through some very lean years before and after the 1958-59 season. In fact, in 1956, coach Nonny Selinger's squad withdrew before its first game in the postseason Farmersville District tournament after a regular season mark of 1-16. The team lost games during the 1955-56 season when some opponents scored more than 100 points, and others were in the 70's, 80's and 90's.

That team, like so many others, suffered from lack of height and a sparse bench. (For example, the 1943-44 squad had a record of 1-19, and lost games by scores of 52-9,56-11,44-9 and 62-20.) But what the teams throughout the years didn't lack was incentive and pride to play their best and never give up.

The 1957-58 season had the Tradesmen finishing with a 10-13 record. Motley and DeNardo averaged 38.8 ppg out of the 55.4 ppg for the team.

But the 1958-59 team was something special. Don Drysdale, Sports Editor of the lllinois State Journal wrote: "For Springfield fans this year finds them with a special stake in a preliminary (District) series. St. James Trade School, the little school located east of the city, is not like the usual public or parochial school. Its enrollment is limited. Nevertheless it always has presented a fine athletic program, directed by capable coaches, although theirs is a part time job. Part time it may be, but the job done by the current coach, R. J. "Larry" Larison, is distinctly topflight. His charges are sure to give a good account of themselves.  It has a fine one-two punch in Larry Motley and Barry DeNardo and a team spirit that few can match."

Larry Motley (#24) graduated from St. James in 1959, certified as a Meat Processor/Butcher. He worked in his trade for a few years but had to give it up because the constant time spent in cold meat lockers affected his health. Even though he had to quit his trade he did teach one year at St. James in the Meat Processing department. He retired in 2005 after many years at St. John's Hospital in Springfield. Larry is married to Norma (Wright); they will be celebrating their 46th wedding anniversary in 2007. The couple have 5 children, 14 grandchildren, 5 great-grandchildren.

He graduated from Sts. Peter & Paul's Grade School in Springfield where he polished his athletic skills. He also played baseball on the St. James team and after graduating from the school played basketball for over 10 years for Lincoln Cab, a local AAU team that regularly scored a 100 or more points per game. (Footnote: this writer and Larry lived next door to each other in the 1940's and Motley also pitched on my brother Woody Shadid's little league baseball team in the 1950's.)

Barry DeNardo (#22), born in Bloomington IL, also graduated in 1959, earning a certificate as a Bricklayer/Mason. He worked in his trade a few years before starting his own carpeting business. He would later move to Wheaton IL, working as a construction supervisor. Barry died at a much too young age 45 in 1987, survived by his wife and three children.

Basketball recap (compiled by Phil Shadid)

First game played...Nov. 25, 1941: St. James 22, Waggoner 29. St.James scoring: Tony Caruso 8, Evaldo Baliva 6, Joe Esela 4, John Bartolomucci 2, John Kohlrus 2.

First game won...Dec. 22, 1941: St. James 37, Stonington 25. S1. James scoring: Tony Caruso 14, John Bartolomucci 10, John Kohlrus 10, Evaldo Baliva 2, Joe Esela 1.

Last game won...Feb. 10, 1970: S1. James 67, Girard 63. St. James scoring: Shane Cloyd 21, Steve Antonacci 15, Gerard Baulos 3, Mike Venturini 12, Jim Cour 11, Bill Tucker 2.

Last game played...Feb. 23, 1971: St. James 57, Divernon 85 (District tournament game at Waverly HS). St. James scoring: Bill Tucker 19, Jim Cour 10, Mike Valenti 4, Terry Rapps 5, Harold Morrow 12, Bruce Carlile 7.

St. James participated in an unusual double-header basketball game on Nov. 17, 1944, when they traveled four miles into Springfield and lost at Lanphier High 55-25 in an early evening contest. Lanphier then played Riverton High in a second game and won 36-34.

The Tradesmen did not join the Illinois High School Association to participate in postseason play until the 1951-1952 season. On Feb. 26, 1952, they lost their first ever District game in the Glenarm (Ball Township) tournament to Pawnee, 80-56. However, after the loss in the tournament they played TWO more games in the regular season: a loss to Morrisonville on Feb. 27 and a loss to Pleasant Plains on Feb. 29 (both of those teams qualified for Regional play without having to compete in a District). Makes you wonder what would have happened if St. James had WON their first District game and had to play the next night in the tournament!

The record for most points by an individual basketball player is 41 accomplished by two players: 6-4 center Joe Wolf in a 79-45 win over Tallula on Jan. 23, 1952; and by Bob Frederick a 6-3 center/forward on Feb. 2, 1962, in a 61-45 victory over Palmyra Northwestern. Frederick has the school record for most points scored in one season (1961-1962): 624 points. He actually scored 51 percent of the points the team made in the 61-62 season! Frederick graduated in May 1962 as a Meat Processor/Butcher. Wolf's game was the last he ever played for St. James because he completed his apprenticeship training as a Carpenter on Jan. 27, 1952.

BASKETBALL SEASON RECORDS

Year         won-lost             Coach

1941-42      3-15                 AI Lewis

1942-43      5-18                 first 18 games - James Woulfe (4-14 record); last 5 - Larry Larison (1-4)

1943-44       1-19                James O'Hara

1944-45       6-17                O'Hara

1945-46      12-16               O'Hara

1946-47        4-18               O'Hara

1947-48        4-17               O'Hara

1948-49        1-21               O'Hara

1949-50        3-19               Nonny Selinger

1950-51       12-9                Selinger

1951-52        8-13               Selinger

1952-53        3-16               Selinger

1953-54        5-14               Selinger (Art Evans, 19.5 points per game)

1954-55        1-15               Selinger

1955-56        1-16               Selinger

1956-57        2-14               R. J. "Larry" Larison

1957-58      10-13               R. J. "Larry" Larison (Barry DeNardo, 19.9 ppg; L.Motley, 18.9)

1958-59      18-7                 R. J. "Larry" Larison (Larry Motley, 21.6 ppg; B.DeNardo, 19.8)

1959-60        2-16               R. J. "Larry" Larison

1960-61        5-19               R. J. "Larry" Larison

1961-62        9-14               R. J. "Larry" Larison (Bob Frederick, 27.1 ppg; school record)

1962-63        4-19               R. J. "Larry" Larison

1963-64        7-15               R. J. "Larry" Larison

1964-65        3-16               Al Purgatorio

1965-66        1-18               Purgatorio

1966-67        3-21               Purgatorio

1967-68        7-15               Purgatorio (Tony Trello, 17.1 ppg)

1968-69        1-22               Purgatorio

1969-70        3-20               Purgatorio

1970-71        0-23               Purgatorio (last basketball season)

Totals: 144-495 (30 years)

 

 

      

 

Track & field was offered as an intra-mural sport at St. James.

**From Glenn Peddicord:

 

"My father graduated from St James in 1955 and I have some memorabilia from his time at the school. My father became a steel worker in Baltimore. He continued to use many of the skills (tailoring and making things) he learned at St. James throughout his life. He was also a Cubscout Master. My father died in 1985."

 

Below is a photo of the class of 1954 that includes Glenn's father,