BOZICH | Flaget High's burning desire to excel, give back never goes out | Sports

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — When Howard Schnellenberger’s name was floated as the frontrunner for the University of Louisville football job in 1984, I thought the Cardinals had a better chance hiring the Easter Bunny.

Schnellenberger was barely a season away from winning a national championship at Miami. Bear Bryant (Alabama) and Don Shula (Miami Dolphins) had relied on his offensive genius.

Louisville had posted two winning seasons the prior 12 years.

I knew Schnellenberger grew up in Louisville. But he played at the University of Kentucky, not U of L. I knew he was out of a job, but, c’mon, Schnellenberger had the pedigree to go to LSU, Wisconsin or the NFL.

That’s when the phone calls began:

You’re missing something here, Dr. Bo — The Flaget Connection.

Flaget celebration — Paul Hornung (left) and Howard Schnellenberger (right) were two famous alums celebrated at the school's 50th Anniversary Legacy Celebration Sunday. WDRB Photo Rick Bozich

“If you went to Flaget you had roots in the community that never went away,” said Jerry King, Class of 1965.

“The Flaget connection is hard to explain, but impossible to miss,” said Chuck Horrell, Class of 1964.

For Schnellenberger, like every grad, the Flaget tie was a game-changer. Always has been. Always will be.

It’s the primal pull of friends and classmates that went to the high school run by the Xaverian Brothers at 44th and River Park Drive. The mighty blue and white of the Braves, who won six state football titles and produced leaders who have served and driven this community for years.

Dan Ulmer, a bank president and Flaget alum, wanted Schnellenberger here. So did George Fischer, another business leader who got his start at Flaget.

And Paulie Miller, the iconic football coach, who went to Notre Dame and studied the Fighting Irish spirit and brought it to Flaget. And Paul Hornung, the football star, who took it from Flaget back to Notre Dame.

Add that to a long, determined list of Flaget grads who ran businesses, worked in factories, taught, served in politics and remained tied to this community.

Howard Schnellenberger was coming.

And come Schnellenberger did.

That was my first experience with the powerful, unshakeable bond that unites the men who learned from the Xaverian Brothers in the West End.

Sunday was my latest experience, even more inspiring. Flaget alums and their family members filled 520 seats at the Assumption High School gymnasium for the Flaget Alumni Association 50th Anniversary Legacy Celebration.

Flaget closed its doors June 1974. Flaget’s alumni have never closed their hearts. And never will.

For more than three hours on Sunday afternoon they reminisced, caught up, hugged and celebrated that remarkable Flaget spirit.

“I have never heard of, encountered or come across a school that, even though it closed five decades earlier, has continued to exist through the vision and generosity of its alumni,” said Rob Mullen, president of Trinity High School, one of two primary speakers.

“There isn’t another school like that in the country. Not one.

“And you not only exist, you continue to make an impact over and over and over. What a spectacular event.”

Flaget’s 32-year run in the West End of Louisville ended in June 1974. By 1982, the historic school building was converted to 73 apartment units. A shift in Louisville’s population led to the ascendance of Trinity and DeSales High Schools, after the the shuttering of Flaget.

But the Flaget bond was never confined to a building or a player or one team. Of Flaget’s nearly 1,700 living graduates, more than 800 remain dues-paying members of the school’s alumni association.

They’ve endowed a scholarship fund with more with $1.4 million, on track to reach $2.4 million. They have awarded more than $900,000 in scholarships and given more than $500,000 to local charities. Mullen read an email from a Trinity student who thanked the group for helping pay his way through high school.

“So much love in this group,” said Pete Compise, the coach who led Flaget to its final football title. “You asked me what made Flaget special and that’s what it is — love.”

“Look around the room,” said Brother Michael McCarthy, who was 23 years old when he was given a one-way ticket to Louisville and directed to start his teaching career at Flaget in 1968.

“I’m flabbergasted. My heart is full.”

So was the room. After an early afternoon mass at St. Raphael Church, the group walked across the church parking lot to Assumption to dine on chicken strips, salad, green beans, roasted potatoes and cobbler.

Dozens of blue and white (Flaget’s colors) balloons were tied together and stacked in towers across the floor.

A pair of video boards above the speaker’s platform rolled through black-and-white photographs of the school property, principals, teachers, sports teams and famous alums.

The move to put the event at Assumption was put in motion by the Rockets’ legendary volleyball coach Ron Kordes, Class of 1963.

Karl Schmitt, the retired director of the Louisville Sports Commission, Class of 1971, worked tirelessly to plan and organize the event. Serving as the master of ceremonies, Schmitt made certain everybody was introduced with a top 40 song that was popular during that speaker’s time in school. Another wonderful, thoughtful Flaget touch. Nat King Cole, Eric Clapton, Earth Wind & Fire, The Eagles.

“It’s hard to put into words but there’s just a camaraderie that gets stronger every year,” said Oscar Brohm, Flaget Class of 1966, who helped Schmitt organize the celebration.

“Every time we get together it’s like we’re right back in high school again. Paulie Miller (the school’s legendary football coach) talked to us about having that ‘burning desire.’

“Most people thought that was a burning desire to win but actually he wanted us to have a burning desire to do our best in everything we did.”

Quarterback Oscar Brohm, Class of 1966, teamed with Karl Schmitt to organize the Flaget Alumni Association 50th Anniversary Legacy Celebration Sunday. WDRB Photo Rick Bozich

Flaget grads have done their best in many things. Look across the community. Everybody knows the stories about Schnellenberger and Hornung. The first one changed the arc of University of Louisville football. The second won the Heisman Trophy at Notre Dame and a Super Bowl with the Packers.

There was Rick Norton, a first-round NFL draft pick at quarterback who played at UK. There was Ted Deeken, who played basketball for Adolph Rupp at Kentucky, and King, who played with Wes Unseld and Butch Beard at Louisville. Big-league outfielder Gus Bell, the grandfather of Reds' manager David, starred at Flaget.

Ulmer, 1950, brought the Louisville Redbirds to town. His classmate Fischer started Servend, the company that excelled at dispensing beverages and ice. Jim Patterson, 1951, founded Rally’s and Long John Silver’s and has been a driving force behind U of L baseball.

Dennis Riggs, 1960, served in the Community Foundation. Mickey Clark, 1957, entertained as a singer and songwriter. Mike Kallay, 1965, started Business First magazine. Dennis Reker, 1964, was considered a tech maven in the early days of Intel. Kenneth Gardner earned more than 20 patents in the field of real-time analytics and visualization.

There are so many more — and their bond to Flaget is remarkable. Any time a Flaget grad passes away in the area a representative of the alumni association represents the school at the funeral.

Brother McCarty said there were fewer than 60 Xaverian Brothers remaining in the U.S. “But they all know the Flaget story,” he said. “Every one of them.”

“I’ve worked with people in the fund-raising community who understand what it takes to bring people together,” Schmitt said.

“When I tell them our numbers, they’re blown away. Our bond has always gotten stronger through the years.”

It certainly looked that way. Alums arrived from across the community as well as the state and region. Kordes flew back early from a volleyball event in Florida to make certain he did not miss the fun.

Some of the youngest alums were only 67 years old. The oldest was 95 — and he was as proud of Flaget on Sunday as he was when he quarterbacked the Braves to their first victory over St. Xavier (13-12) in 1946.

John Dearing, Class of 1947, attended the celebration with his 70-year-old son Ted Dearing, Class of 1972.

“Flaget was truly a special place because the Xaverian Brothers not only wanted to teach, they cared about your development,” John Dearing said.

After more than two hours the event ended the only way it could end — with Schmitt encouraging the room into a spirited rendition of the Flaget Pep Song.

"Oh, the Flaget Braves are hard to beat ..."

John and Ted Dearing, father and son, were up and cheering. At Flaget, everybody was.