DeMatha Catholic High School
DeMatha Catholic High School is a four-year Catholic high school for boys located in Hyattsville, Maryland, United States. Named after John of Matha, DeMatha is under the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington and is a member of the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference.
History
In 1990, 21 girls from Regina High School were allowed to attend DeMatha for their final year of high school after their school closed.Academics
The United States Department of Education recognized DeMatha as a Blue Ribbon School in 1984 and 1991.Music program
According to the school's website, the music program includes "five concert bands, three choruses, three percussion ensembles, three string orchestras, six levels of music theory, and a History of Rock and Roll class" plus "two jazz ensembles, a pep band for basketball games, a gospel choir, as well as numerous small ensembles."Athletics
Sports Illustrated recognized DeMatha as the No. 2 high school athletic program in the United States in 2005, and again in 2007.Notable alumni
Religious
- Sister Susan Rose Francois, known for tweeting a daily non-violent prayer for President Trump, and for Nuns on the Bus
Arts and entertainment
- Bob Bates, designer of games for Infocom, Legend Entertainment, and Zynga
- Peter Bay, conductor-music director of the Austin Symphony Orchestra
- Daniel de Weldon Daniel de Weldon, actor, writer, producer, and lifetime member of the Actors Studio in New York and Los Angeles
- Karim Diane Karim Diane, actor, singer, model known for his roles as Kris Greene in the series One of Us Is Lying and as Jay-Den Kraag in Star Trek: Starfleet Academy.
Media
- James Brown, television sportscaster, and host of The [NFL Today].
- David Aldridge, sports reporter affiliated with television's TNT, and The Philadelphia Inquirer.
- Eric Bickel and Jason Bishop, on-air hosts for The Sports Junkies morning drive-time radio show. It is heard in the Washington, D.C., area on WJFK, 106.7.
- Ryan McFadden, ESPN beat reporter for the Las Vegas Raiders.
Politics
- Kevin Shea, former acting Secretary of Agriculture. Shea has led the USDA agency Animal Plant Health Inspection Services since 2012.
- David J. Schiappa, Secretary for the Majority in the United States Senate
- Justin Fairfax, politician, attorney, and the former Lieutenant Governor of Virginia.
- Adrian Boafo, politician and member of Maryland House Of Delegates
Publishing
- Michael Mewshaw, author
- Thomas S. Hibbs, American philosopher and author, dean and president of the University of Dallas.
- Jim Nelson, editor, former Editor-in-Chief of GQ magazine.
Sports
Baseball
- Steve Farr, former Major League Baseball relief pitcher.
- Matt Swope, college baseball coach for the Maryland Terrapins.
- Brett Cecil, former Major League Baseball pitcher.
Basketball
- Austin |John Austin], former professional basketball player in the NBA and ABA.
- Bernard Williams, former professional basketball player in the NBA and ABA.
- Sid Catlett, former NBA player.
- Adrian Dantley, former NBA player and former interim NBA coach.
- Kenny Carr, former NBA player, and member of the 1976 gold medal-winning United States Olympics team.
- Mike Brey, collegiate basketball coach, formerly the men's head coach for the University of Notre Dame.
- Sidney Lowe, former NBA player and coach. He is a former men's head basketball coach at North Carolina State University.
- Dereck Whittenburg, former men's head basketball coach at Fordham University.
- Ron Everhart, college basketball coach, formerly the head coach at Northeastern University and Duquesne University.
- Adrian Branch, former NBA player. He is also a television analyst for basketball.
- Danny Ferry, former NBA player with the Cleveland Cavaliers who won an NBA championship with the San Antonio Spurs.
- Steve Hood, former professional basketball player who played.
- Jerrod Mustaf, former NBA basketball player.
- Kenny Blakeney is the current head coach of the Howard Bison
- Heath Schroyer is the former head coach of University of Wyoming.
- Mike Jones is the current head coach of Old Dominion University and was the head coach of DeMatha from 2002 to 2021.
- Mike Pegues is a former professional basketball player and current college coach.
- Keith Bogans is a former NBA player.
- Joseph Forte is a former professional basketball player, having played in the NBA and last played for Maccabi Tel Aviv of the Israeli Premier League.
- Jerai Grant is a professional basketball player in Europe and Australia and played collegiately at Clemson University.
- Jerian Grant is a professional basketball player for the Orlando Magic and played collegiately at the University of Notre Dame.
- Victor Oladipo is a professional basketball player who plays for the Houston Rockets and was an All-American at Indiana University.
- Quinn Cook is a professional basketball player who plays for the Sacramento Kings and played collegiately at Duke University.
- Mikael Hopkins is a professional basketball player who plays for KK Cedevita Olimpija and played collegiate at Georgetown University.
- Kameron Taylor, is a professional basketball player for Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Israeli Basketball Premier League and the EuroLeague
- Jerami Grant is a professional basketball player who plays for the Portland Trail Blazers and played collegiately at Syracuse University.
- Nate Darling is a professional basketball player who plays for the Charlotte Hornets and played collegiately at the University of Delaware.
- Markelle Fultz is a professional basketball player for the Orlando Magic, who was the first pick of the 2017 NBA draft.
- Josh Carlton is a professional basketball player who plays for Metropolitans 92 in the LNB Pro A and played collegiate basketball for the University of Houston.
- Justin Moore is an NCAA basketball player who plays at Villanova University.
- Jahmir Young is an NCAA basketball player who plays at the University of Maryland.
- Hunter Dickinson is an NCAA basketball player who plays at the University of Kansas.
- Earl Timberlake is an NCAA basketball player who plays at Bryant University.
- Elijah Hawkins is an NCAA basketball player who plays at the University of Minnesota
- Jordan Hawkins is a professional basketball player for the New Orleans Pelicans.
Football
- Tom Forrest is a former offensive guard for the NFL's Chicago Bears.
- Jeff Komlo is a former quarterback for the Detroit Lions.
- Mike Johnson is a former All-Pro NFL linebacker.
- Tony Paige is a former NFL player.
- Steve Smith is a former NFL running back.
- JB Brown is a former NFL cornerback.
- Bobby Houston is a former NFL linebacker.
- Andrew Bayes is a former All-American punter at East Carolina University.
- Brian Westbrook is a former running back for the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles.
- John Owens is a former NFL tight end.
- Cameron Wake is a former defensive end and two-time CFL Defensive Player of the Year.
- Dennard Wilson is the defensive coordinator for the NFL's Tennessee Titans
- Quinn Ojinnaka is a former offensive lineman and now a professional wrestler under the name "Moose" for Impact Wrestling.
- Byron Westbrook is a former defensive back for the NFL's Washington Redskins.
- Josh Wilson is a former defensive back for the NFL's Detroit Lions.
- Edwin Williams is a former offensive lineman for the NFL's Chicago Bears.
- Rodney McLeod is a safety for the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles.
- Arie Kouandjio is a former offensive lineman for the NFL's Washington Redskins.
- Cyrus Kouandjio is a former offensive lineman for the NFL's Denver Broncos.
- Ja'Whaun Bentley, linebacker for the NFL's New England Patriots.
- John Lovett, fullback for the NFL's Miami Dolphins.
- Cam Phillips, wide receiver for the Buffalo Bills
- Tino Ellis, cornerback for the NFL's Miami Dolphins.
- D. J. Turner, wide receiver for the NFL's Las Vegas Raiders
- Anthony McFarland, running back for the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers
- Olu Oluwatimi, center for the NFL's Seattle Seahawks
- Chase Young, 2020 Heisman Trophy finalist, drafted 2nd overall in the 2020 NFL draft, defensive end for the San Francisco 49ers.
- Nick Cross, safety for the NFL's Indianapolis Colts
- DeMarcco Hellams, safety for the NFL's Atlanta Falcons
- Josh Wallace, cornerback for the NFL's Los Angeles Rams
- Coziah Izzard, defensive tackle for the NFL's New Orleans Saints
- MarShawn Lloyd, running back for the NFL's Green Bay Packers
- Kevin Winston Jr., safety for the Penn State Nittany Lions
- Tim Hightower, NFL Runningback, Arizona Cardinals, Washington Redskins
Lacrosse
- Paul Rabil is a retired professional lacrosse player and co-founder/president of the Premier Lacrosse League.
- Garrett Leadmon is a professional lacrosse player for the Maryland Whipsnakes
- Garrett Degnon is a professional lacrosse player
NASCAR
- Coy Gibbs was a former NASCAR driver, former assistant coach for the Washington Redskins, and was the owner of Joe Gibbs Racing Motocross. Son of former NFL head coach Joe Gibbs.
Soccer
- Jordan Graye is a professional soccer player for the Major League Soccer team Houston Dynamo.
- Drew Yates is a professional soccer player for the USL Harrisburg City Islanders.
- Bill Hamid is a professional soccer player for the Major League Soccer team D.C. United.
- Chris Odoi-Atsem is a professional soccer player for the Major League Soccer team D.C. United.
- Keegan Meyer is a professional soccer player for USL League One side New England Revolution II.
Track and field
- Derek Mills is an Olympic gold medalist in track and field at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Men's [4 × 400 metres">Athletics at the 1996 Summer Olympics – Men's 4 × 400 metres relay">1996 Summer Olympics – Men's [4 × 400 metres relay|1996 Summer Olympics].
- Caleb Dean is an NCAA National Champion in the 2024 NCAA Division I [Indoor Track and Field Championships#Men's 60 meter hurdles|60m Hurdles] and the 2024 NCAA Division I [Outdoor Track and Field Championships#Men's 400-meter hurdles|400m Hurdles].
Notable staff
- Morgan Wootten is the school's former basketball coach. He coached the team to five national championships and in 2000, was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
- Eddie Fogler was an assistant basketball coach under Wootten for the 1970–1971 school year.