Father Ryan High School history

1927 The first graduating class with 20 seniors.

A building campaign in March 1928 raised $300,000 in 10 days for the new school, renamed Father Ryan High School.

1929 also marked the school’s first as the Panthers as reflected by the first edition of the yearbook entitled The Panther. It opened to the public on May 31, 1929 and was dedicated on September 8, 1929.

1944 The school answered the call to support World War II’s equipment needs and raised over $598,000 for the Fourth War Loan Drive.

Tennessean editor emeritus John Seigenthaler, a 1945 alumnus, spoke of the 40-acre campus, “In moving from one part of town to another, in expanding the campus to what looks like a junior college, Father Ryan was ahead of the curve.

1954 Father Ryan was the first of two schools in Tennessee to integrate.

50th Anniversary of the Game that Changed the SouthOn January 4, 1965, Pearl High and Father Ryan High School, two of the best basketball teams in the state, met at the Municipal Auditorium in the first athletic event in the South between an integrated team and an all-African-American team.

1967 The wrestling capital of the state was Chattanooga until Joe Drennan ‘57 became head coach and led the grapplers to our first wrestling state champion—Yogi Walsh ‘67.

1969 The wrestling dynasty began as the Irish became the first state champion from outside of Chattanooga.

1974 Father Ryan wins its second state football championship, this time under the direction of Coach Boots Donnelly ’61.

1991 Father Ryan again outgrew its facilities and during the summer of 1991 relocated to its present home at 700 Norwood Drive in the Oak Hill area of Nashville.

1997 Father Ryan’s third football state championship was won by defeating its cross-town rival, MBA by a score of 10-7.

2003 The campus opened the Neuhoff Library and Center for the Arts.

2009 The Irish made headlines when the Jim Carell Alumni Athletic Complex opened its gates.

Relay for LifeSince 2010, Father Ryan High School has hosted Relay for Life through the leadership and commitment of our students.

Coach Donnelly later went on to coach at MTSU and was inducted in the 2013 National Football Foundation Division College Hall of Fame.

Founder Bishop Alphonse Smith had recognized the need for a Catholic secondary school in the diocese and opened the school, then located at 2015 West End Avenue next to the Cathedral Church and School.

In October 2016, nearly 50 teams with almost 1,100 total participants raised over $175,000 for the American Cancer Society, shattering our previous record and making us the top fundraising Relay for Life per capita among every high school in the world.