Benedictine Ravens

The Ravens won the NAIA Tournament in Kansas City in 1954 and 1967, both under NAIA Hall of Fame coach Ralph Nolan.

The two champions took decidedly different routes to the title. The 1954 Ravens were regarded as underdogs throughout their run. The field included two-time defending champion Southwest Missouri State and East Texas State, the third-place finisher in 1953.

The 1967 Ravens came to Kansas City as the top seed.

In 1954, St. Benedict's College (now Benedictine) defeated East Carolina (68–61), St. Ambrose (74–50), Pasadena (62–61) and Arkansas Tech (63–59) on its way to the championship game. The Ravens defeated Western Illinois 62–59 at Municipal Auditorium.

In 1967, the Ravens entered the tournament as the No. 1 seed. They defeated Linfield (80–75), Southern Arkansas State (67–56), St. Mary's (88–73) and Morris Harvey (73–70) to reach the championship game. St. Benedict's won its second title with a 71–65 victory over Oklahoma Baptist.

In 2020, The Kansas City Star named Darryl Jones, a star of the 1967 team, and Nolan to its all-time NAIA Tournament team.[2]

Benedictine has made 11 appearances in the NAIA Tournament, most recently in 2019.

The Ravens qualified for the NAIA in 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2019 under coach Ryan Moody.

St. Benedict's played in the first NAIA Tournament in 1937 as one of eight teams in the field in Kansas City. The Ravens also qualified in 1953, 1958, 1965 and 1970. The 1965 Ravens advanced to the final eight of the 32-team field.

St. Benedict's also won Central Intercollegiate Conference titles in 1953, 1954 and 1958.

In 2014, Benedictine made its first appearance since 1970 and won its opening game over Westminster (70–65).

The story of football at Benedictine College is written by coach Larry Wilcox, who played for the Ravens and took over as coach at age 28. He coached for 42 seasons before retiring in 2020. Along the way, he played a major role in the college's financial health and enrollment, built a football stadium, offices and weight room, won 300-plus games and mentored many lives.

He also has his own bobblehead.

Wilcox and his long-time assistants, for generations of football players, are as much a part of the Benedictine experience as the Abbey, the Raven Walk, the Raven fight song and homecoming bed races.

While Wilcox, as a player, coach and athletic director, built the current edition of Ravens football, he isn't the only successful part of football at the college.

The Ravens own 15 NAIA playoff appearances, including a runner-up finish in 2018 and trips to the semifinals in 1992 and 2001. They made eight appearances in nine seasons between 1995 and 2003.

As St. Benedict's, the Ravens made their first appearance in 1958 as one of four NAIA playoff teams.

The 2018 Ravens went 13–2 to set a school record for season victories. They won the Heart of America Athletic Conference North Division title. In the NAIA playoffs, they defeated Cumberlands (48–41), Concordia (54–38) and Kansas Wesleyan (43–21) to advance to the NAIA title game. Top-ranked Morningside defeated Benedictine 35–28 in Daytona Beach, Fla.

More than 3,000 Benedictine fans traveled to the game.

St. Benedict's started football in 1920 and the program enjoyed several high points in its early years. The school dropped football after the 1962 season. Varsity football returned in 1973.

Wilcox came to St. Benedict's in 1969 and joined the football club upon its revival in 1970 on its way to varsity status.

Wilcox, after serving as assistant coach, took over the program in 1979 and presided over its transformation into a consistent winner and regular NAIA playoff qualifier. The Ravens play in Larry Wilcox Stadium, opened in 1998, on campus. In 1990, the Ravens moved into the Amino Center locker room, offices and weight room. Benedictine expanded the facility in 2004 and 2007.

Wilcox, a 1972 graduate, was inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame in 2017. He coached the Ravens to 14 of their 15 NAIA playoff appearances.

In 2004, Wilcox donated his salary to help complete expansion of the Amino Center.

St. Benedict's played in its first bowl game in 1956 under coach Ivan Schottel. The Ravens defeated Northeastern Oklahoma State 14–13 in the Mineral Water Bowl in Excelsior Springs, Mo. Since resuming football, the Ravens won the 1976 Boot Hill Bowl and the 1991 Steamboat Bowl. They lost in the 1977 Boot Hill Bowl and the 1986 Sunflower Bowl.

St. Benedict's won its first conference title in 1940 under coach Marty Peters. The Ravens went 4–0 in the Central Intercollegiate Conference with wins over Fort Hays State, Pittsburg State, Southwestern and Emporia State. Schottel became coach in 1953 and won or shared CIC titles in 1953, 1956, 1958, 1959 and 1960.

The 1958 Ravens went 10–1 and rose to No. 5 in the NAIA rankings before losing to Northeastern Oklahoma in the NAIA Western Playoff. The Ravens won the CIC title and grabbed 10 of the 11 spots on the first-team all-conference team. Quarterback Mark Flynn was named CIC Back of the Year and George Worley was the CIC Lineman of the Year. Worley was also named NAIA Lineman of the Year.

St. Benedict's also enjoyed a notable run of success in the 1930s under coach Moon Mullins. He coached five seasons and went 37–5-1, capped by an 8–0 season in 1936.

Benedictine played as an independent after resuming football in 1973. It rekindled CIC rivalries against schools such as Washburn and Emporia State at times, and also regularly played Missouri Western. After years of lobbying (and a short run in the Tri-State Conference), Benedictine joined the Heart of America in 1992 and shared the conference title with Baker.

The Ravens went 9–0 in the Heart in 1995 to win its second title. It also won Heart titles in 1997, 1998, 2000 and 2013. It claimed Heart North Division titles in 2017 and 2018.

For 60-plus years, the Ravens and Rockhurst College faced off in a rivalry as intense as any in small-college athletics. The Catholic colleges are separated by 56 miles and their meetings, especially in basketball, defined seasons and packed gymnasiums for decades.

Fans rode trains to Kansas City for games and students dribbled a basketball from the Atchison campus to Kansas City in a show of spirit. In the 1960s and 1970s, the meetings in Kansas City often drew crowds of 5-10,000 to Municipal Auditorium. In Atchison, the gym would be packed with 3,000 fans at 1:30 for a 3 p.m. game. "Rockhurst Weekend" became the social and party event of the school year in Atchison, regardless of the outcome of the game. It traditionally started with beer and Wheaties breakfast at The Wharf and included a rivalry t-shirt mocking the Hawks before an afternoon game.

Students stole NAIA championship banners from each campus, lobbed stink bombs into open dorm windows and distributed leaflets with insults - Rockhurst mocked St. Benedict's students as "Hayseeds." Rockhurst students enjoyed visiting Atchison to rearrange a rock formation spelling "St. Benedict's" by changing the "B" to "R" and painting it blue. Several times, Rockhurst fans attempted to invade the Snakepit seating area in the Benedictine gym and had to be forcibly removed. Benedictine students planned for weeks a strategy to sneak chickens, sometimes painted blue, into the game. Hanging insulting banners from the rafters was another popular prank.

In 1970, St. Benedict's students celebrated a seven-game basketball win streak over the Hawks by taking out an advertisement in the Kansas City Times. The copy recounted St. Benedict's two NAIA titles and taunted "The Raven Sports Arena Awaits You Hawks."

In 1990, Benedictine students kidnapped the Hawks mascot costume, performed during a soccer game and returned to Atchison with the prize.

While basketball grabbed most of the attention, football and soccer games also fueled the rivalry.

The Ravens dominated the football series by winning 16 of the 23 meetings between 1921-1949. Rockhurst dropped the sport in 1949. St. Benedict's won the first meeting 35-0 and shut out the Hawks six times. The Ravens won 12 straight meetings from 1932-1946 and won the final meeting 27-13 in 1949.

In 1936, The Kansas City Times reported a crowd of 5,000 watched a 32-6 win by St. Benedict's in Kansas City. "The Ravens, on the loose all season, flew up and down Bourke field yesterday and in fewer than twenty minutes after the start had a strangle hold on the honor and glory that goes with crushing Rockhurst college's Hawks, their traditional rivals."

In soccer, Rockhurst dominated the Missouri NAIA district as the Ravens did Kansas. The Hawks regularly tormented Benedictine by knocking it out of NAIA Tournament contention in the Area Playoffs. The Ravens defeated Rockhurst in 1974 and 1983 to advance to the national tournament.

The basketball series peaked in the 1960s, when Rockhurst won the NAIA title in 1964 and the Ravens in 1967. St. Benedict's, which also won in 1954 and returned to the NAIA in 1958, advanced to Kansas City in 1965 and 1970. Rockhurst qualified in 1963, 1966 and 1967.

Rockhurst won the first meeting 36-33 in 1921, and four of the first five. In 1935, the Ravens started a streak of six wins and 12 in 13 meetings. The Ravens won 16 straight from 1946-54. A 10-game win streak carried the Ravens from 1966-1971. Rockhurst dominated the 1980s by winning 20 in a row. Late in the 1980s, Benedictine's program improved under coaches Del Morley and Mike Sickafoose and the rivalry became competitive again.

The series started to fade in the mid 1990s. Benedictine joined the Heart of America Athletic Conference in 1992, which made playing Rockhurst twice on its traditional Saturday spots impossible because of conference scheduling requirements. In 1998, Rockhurst joined NCAA Division II. The teams played occasionally in recent seasons, sometimes as an exhibition game.

1939-40

Ravens 50, Hawks 18 in Atchison – The Ravens handed Rockhurst the “worst basketball licking” of the series. Jack Andrews and Ed Farrell both scored eight points for St. Benedict’s. Farrell “plunked in three extra long swishers in succession.”

1946-47

Ravens 45, Hawks 43 in Atchison – “St. Benedict’s college defeated Rockhurst college, 45 to 43, last night in one of those all-out traditional battles for which the ancient foes are famous. Fans occupied every available seat and almost all of the standing room in the big Raven gymnasium to see the rivals fight it out.”

1957-58

Ravens 69, Hawks 50 in Kansas City – St. Benedict’s ended a six-game losing streak in the series with a win at Mason-Halpin Fieldhouse. Bob Veale, who would later pitch for the Pittsburgh Pirates, scored 22 points for the Ravens.

1964-65

Ravens 85, Hawks 83 at Municipal Auditorium – Darryl Jones scored 25 points, 18 in the first half, to help St. Benedict’s defeat the reigning NAIA champions.

1966-67

Ravens 92, Hawks 90 at Municipal Auditorium – Darryl Jones’ steal and dunk gave St. Benedict’s a 90-88 lead and Hawks coach Dolor Rehm had to be restrained from going after the officials. A steal by Vince DeGreeff led to clinching free throws for the Ravens. DeGreeff scored 31 points to help St. Benedict’s improve to 17-2 on their way to the NAIA title.

1968-69

Ravens 75, Hawks 69 in Atchison – Tim Moore scored 27 points to give St. Benedict's its sixth straight win over Rockhurst.

1970-71

Ravens 87, Hawks 85 in Atchison – Jay Williams followed in a missed shot by Chic Downing in the final seconds. Downing scored 21 points and Williams added 14 and 13 rebounds.

1971-72

Ravens 83, Hawks 80 in Kansas City – Chic Downing scored 21 points and Jackie Lee added 17 for the Ravens, who avenged a 60-58 overtime defeat earlier in the season. A crowd of 5,400 watched.

1987-88

Ravens 96, Hawks 76 in Kansas City – Benedictine snapped a 20-game losing streak in the series with Tony Russo scoring 22 points. Tony Tanking made four three-pointers to score 19 points and the Ravens defeated the Hawks for the first time since 1978.

1989-90

Ravens 78, Hawks 74 in Atchison – Pat Giller scored 29 points and the Ravens rallied from an 11-point deficit in the second half.

1991-92

Ravens 82, Hawks 74 in Kansas City – Technical fouls and a potential scuffle in the final seconds highlighted Benedictine’s win. Jason Wyrick scored 22 points for the Ravens

1992-93

Ravens 120, Hawks 113 (three overtimes) in Atchison – Rockhurst led 79-77 in the closing seconds of regulation, 92-89 in the final seconds of the first overtime and 103-101 late in the second overtime. Benedictine’s Jason Wyrick, fouled on a desperation shot with no time remaining, made three foul shots to tie it 92-all and force the second overtime. Wyrick, again fouled on a three-point shot, made two foul shots to give the Ravens a 112-107 lead in the final overtime. Matt Westerhaus led the Ravens with 33 points. Albert Karner added 19 points – all from the line – with 17 assists and 12 rebounds.

1993-94

Ravens 82, Hawks 74 in Atchison – Current Benedictine coach Ryan Moody scored 29 points.

Button celebrating homecoming basketball for the Ravens.

Darryl Jones, a 6-foot-5 forward, and Chic Downing, a 6-foot-7 center are the lone Ravens to earn first-team NAIA All-American honors.

Jones, from St. Louis, is the school's most-decorated basketball player. He was named NAIA All-American four times - third team in 1965 and 1966 and first in 1967 and 1968. He scored 2,014 points to rank second on the career list. He owns the program's career rebounding mark with 1,471, highlighted by an average of 15.1 a game in 1967.

Downing, from Atchison, earned first-team honors in 1972 and third team in 1970. Downing is the program's career scoring leader with 2,042 points and rank second with 1,158 rebounds. He averaged a program-best 25.5 points in 1971-72, as well as 13.4 rebounds. The New York Knicks selected Downing in the 11th round of the 1972 NBA Draft.

Benedictine featured great chemistry, three-point shooting and strong defense in 2018-19 and it resulted in a remarkable season. Its 24-0 record in the Heart of America Athletic Conference play is believed to be a collegiate record for most wins in an unbeaten conference season.

The Ravens held opponents to 38.7 percent shooting to rank third nationally, second with 159 blocks, and held opponents to 67 points a game. They made 39.6 percent of their three-pointers, seventh nationally.

The 2018-19 Ravens entered the tournament with a 30–3 record. They defeated Westmont (90–85) before falling to Pikeville 83–79 in double overtime.

The Ravens finished 31-4. They won a school-record 29 games in a row and moved to No. 1 in the NAIA national poll.

Benedictine won 26 straight games against Heart schools before losing to No. 24 Peru State in the championship of the conference tournament. It defeated seven ranked Heart opponents during the regular season, highlighted by an 84-70 home win over No. 2 William Penn.

Senior guard Thomas O'Connor and center Adam Kutney earned second-team NAIA All-American honors and all-conference honors. Moody was named the NABC-NAIA Division I Men’s Basketball Coach of the Year and the Heart's Coach of the Year.

Guard Jaiden Bristol and forward Eric Krus were named to the all-conference second team, with Krus also named Freshman of the Year. Forward Colby Nickels earned honorable mention all-conference honors.

Moody's 2013-14 team returned the Ravens to the NAIA Tournament after years of irrelevance. The gap from 1970 to 2014 included only 12 winning seasons.

The Ravens won their first Heart of America Athletic Conference title that season. No. 9 Benedictine clinched the title with a 68-65 win over No. 19 Evangel at home to finish 14-4 in the conference. Benedictine finished the season 23-9.

The Ravens started the season 10-1 and that stretch included wins over the top two teams in the NAIA rankings. Benedictine won at No. 2 Oklahoma Baptist 69-64 to improve to 5-1. At home, the 13th-ranked Ravens routed No. 1 Columbia (Mo.) College 73-59 behind Charlie Wallrap's 21 points and 11 rebounds. Benedictine also won at No. 5 Evangel, 85-82, on its way to the conference title.

In 1948-49, St. Benedict's accepted a spot in the first National Catholic Invitational Tournament in Denver, as part of a 16-team field. The Ravens, coached by Robert Walsh, entered the tournament with an 8-13 record. They upset top-seeded Siena, which had a 22-6 record, in the opening game 61-46. St. Benedict's defeated Dayton 59-55 in the quarterfinals.

St. Francis (N.Y.) handled the Ravens 69-40 in the semifinals. St. Benedict's finished fourth after a 71-70 loss to Loyola of Baltimore in the third-place game. Ken Werba of St. Benedict's was named to the all-tournament team. He scored 19 points in the win over Siena, headlined "Unheralded Kansas Team Knocks Siena Out of Catholic Cage Tourney" in a New York newspaper.

Host Regis College won the title after finishing as the 1949 NAIA Tournament runner-up earlier that month.

The NCIT lasted for four years. In 1949, the NCAA Tournament invited eight teams and 12 went to the NIT. The NCIT was designed for Catholic colleges without a conference affiliation.

Wilcox announced his retirement in November after 42 seasons as coach at Benedictine. He likely finished his career with a record of 304-154 after a 19-6 loss to Baker in the final game of the fall season. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the NAIA moved its playoffs to the spring. The Ravens, with a 7-2 record may have a chance to receive an at-large bid to the playoffs, which would extend Wilcox's time as coach.

On Oct. 10, 2020, Wilcox added another landmark to his resume. The Ravens defeated Peru State 31-27 in Atchison to give Wilcox career win No. 300. According to Benedictine College, he is the 14th coach to win 300 games at a four-year school and the seventh to win all at the same school.

No football coach at a Kansas four-year college has won more games.

Benedictine replaced Wilcox with Joel Osborn, an assistant coach and former quarterback at Northwest Missouri State, on Jan. 14, 2021.

Osborn worked as co-offensive coordinator in 2018 and 2019 for Northwest Missouri State. He also served as running back and receivers coach. Northwest averaged 41.9 points in 2019 and 36.6 points in 2018.

Osborn's hiring means that every football season since 1950 has been coached by either an alum of Northwest Missouri State or St. Benedict's/Benedictine. Schottel is a graduate of Northwest Missouri State and coached the Ravens from 1953-62. All other coaches since 1950 (when Leo Deutsch took over) were alums of SBC/BC.

Osborn, from Harlan, Iowa, went 16-3 as starting quarterback at Northwest and started two NCAA Division II title games (losses to Valdosta State and Minnesota-Duluth). He was named 2008 MIAA Offensive Player of the Year.

Running back Don Brown and center Truman Ashby are Benedictine football players named first-team NAIA All-American twice. Brown gained 4,490 yards and scored 50 touchdowns in his career.

Other two-time All-Americans include defensive back/returner Shem Johnson (second team in 1997, 1998), returner and receiver Cory Schrick (first team 1999, second 2000) and offensive lineman Garrett Bader (second team 2017, first team 2018). Bader is one of three Ravens to win the Rimington Award as the NAIA's top center. He earned the honor in 2018 to join Ashby (2007) and David Stochlin (2014).

Those three schools, in different eras, often marked pivotal dates on the schedule. Pittsburg State was an NAIA power in the 1950s, often battling with St. Benedict's for the CIC crown. Jewell also enjoyed great success in that time as a member of the MCAU and the schools often met in the regular-season finale.

Baker and Benedictine heated up as rivals in 1992 when the Ravens joined the Heart of America Conference. While Benedictine no longer plays Pitt State and Jewell (both are NCAA Division II schools), the series with Baker continues as a high point on the schedule.

In the 1950s, games against Pittsburg State often decided the CIC title. From 1955–61, the Ravens and Gorillas combined to win all seven championships. In 1953, the Ravens shared the CIC crown with Washburn. A year later, Fort Hays State won the title to interrupt the SBC/Pitt State dominance.

In 1957, Pitt State handed the Ravens their lone loss (17–13 in Pittsburg), and the Gorillas went 11–0 to win the NAIA title. In 1958, St. Benedict's defeated the Gorillas 26-19 on its way to the NAIA playoffs. In 1959, St. Benedict's won 13–12, Pitt State's lone CIC loss. In 1960, the Ravens won again (41-19) to hand the Gorillas their lone defeat in an 8-1 season.

The Ravens did not lose a CIC game in 1958, 1959 and 1960.

William Jewell, which won seven MCAU titles from 1950 to 1960 also served as an important rival during those days. The 1958 Ravens completed an unbeaten regular season and clinched the NAIA playoff spot with a 21–20 win over Jewell. A year later, the Ravens again won the season finale over the Cardinals (25–21) to ruin Jewell's run at an unbeaten season. Again in 1960, the Ravens handed Jewell its lone defeat in the season finale, this time 34–13.

BC's move to the Heart in 1992 helped scheduling and added importance to rivalry games against Jewell and Baker.

The Ravens shared the Heart title in its first year as a member, going 7–1 in the Heart and 11-2 overall. It avenged a regular-season loss to Baker with a 21–14 win in the NAIA playoff quarterfinals at Amelia Earhart Stadium in Atchison.

The rivalry with William Jewell returned to prominence in the 1980s. The Cardinals dominated the Heart early in the decade and made NAIA playoff appearances in 1980, 1981, 1982 and 1983. They finished as NAIA runner-up in 1982.

In 1985, Jewell won the Heart title and played host to the unbeaten Ravens in the regular-season finale. Benedictine won 35–17 to improve to 10–0 and wrap up its first NAIA berth since 1958. The win snapped a five-game losing streak to Jewell and signaled a shift in the series. Benedictine went 19–6 against Jewell since that 1985 game until 2010, when Jewell left the Heart. The series ended with three straight wins by the Ravens by scores of 47–3, 24–7 and 21–0.

The rivalry with Baker continues.

Like Jewell, Baker was an NAIA power in the early 1980s and presented an obstacle as Benedictine built its program. Either Baker or Jewell (or both) won 12 of 13 Heart of America titles from 1979 to 1991. While Jewell played BC regularly, Baker and Benedictine did not become consistent opponents until the Ravens joined the Heart.

The series with Baker hit a high point early with the two meetings in 1992.

St. Benedict's College joined the Central Intercollegiate Conference in 1937. It left the CIC in 1963 after dropping football in 1962. The CIC existed from 1928-68 with members such as Pittsburg State, Fort Hays State, Emporia, Omaha and Washburn.

The basketball team continued to play a round robin schedule against its former CIC rivals into the 1980s.

From 1902 to 1928, St. Benedict's was a member of the Kansas College Athletic Conference. In 1933, according to a Kansas City Star report, St. Benedict's and Rockhurst were informally considered for membership in the MIAA (then known as the Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association).

In 1988, Benedictine joined the four-team Tri-State Conference, a football-only affiliation that lasted three seasons.

For most of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, the Ravens competed as an independent in NAIA District 10, which provided post-season competition and individual honors.

In 1992, Benedictine joined the Heart of America Athletic Conference for all sports, a group that the school had long targeted for its geographic and institutional fit.

St. Benedict's College leaned on Notre Dame for several of its early athletic leaders.

In 1932, the college hired Larry "Moon" Mullins as football and basketball coach and athletic director. Mullins played fullback on two national champions under coach Knute Rockne with the Irish.

Mullins quickly turned those teams into winners. He went 37-5-1 in five seasons as football coach, with the University of Kansas responsible for two of those losses. Mullins finished his time in Atchison with strong seasons in both sports. The football team finished with an 8-0 record in 1936. The 1936-37 basketball team went 17-3 and played in the first NAIA Tournament.

Marty Marty Peters, a football and basketball player at Notre Dame, replaced Mullins. Robert Walsh, who played offensive guard at Notre Dame, coached St. Benedict's in 1948 and 1949.

Mullins' influence continued in 1950 when St. Benedict's hired Leo Deutsch as football coach. Deustch played for Mullins at St. Benedict's and earned Associated Press Little All-America honors in 1936 at end. He served as Mullins' assistant coach at St. Ambrose (Iowa) before returning to Atchison to coach.

• The Ballpark at Benedictine: Baseball[3]
• BC Softball Field: Softball[3]
• The Haverty Center: Practice facilities, Cheer offices[3]
• John Casey Soccer Center: Soccer, Lacrosse[3]
• Laughlin Track at Larry Wilcox Stadium: Track and Field[3]
• Mother Teresa Center: Athletic Training Facility[3]
• O'Malley Field at Larry Wilcox Stadium: Football[3]
• Ralph Nolan Gymnasium: Basketball and Volleyball[3]

The mascot "Rocky" is associated with St. Benedict, as legend has it a raven would bring the sixth-century saint food during his time as a hermit in the mountains near Subiaco, Italy. The legend also has the raven saving St. Benedict from eating poisoned bread.

• Irv Comp, starting quarterback of the Green Bay Packers, member of the 1944 NFL Championship team
• Kyle Greig, professional soccer player having played in Major League Soccer and the United Soccer League, played at Benedictine from 2008 through 2011
• Terry Hanson, athlete and coach in Ravens Hall of Fame who went on to a successful career in pro sports and the media
• Darryl Jones, athlete led 1967 basketball team to NAIA National Championship, NAIA All-American and All-Decade team selection. drafted by NBA's San Diego Rockets prior their move to Houston
• Jamie Mueller, professional running back for the Buffalo Bills (1987–1990)
• Chris Tabor, Special teams coordinator for the Cleveland Browns (2011–2017) and the Chicago Bears (2018–present)

• Official website