Brother Jasper

Jasper was born Joseph Brennan on July 1, 1829, in County Kilkenny, Ireland. He moved to St. Louis and attended the Academy of the Christian Brothers. He became a member of the De La Salle Brothers on November 1, 1851, and took the name Brother Jasper of Mary.^[1]

In 1861, Jasper became prefect of students at Manhattan College. He was also the school's athletic director, resident student adviser, and chief disciplinarian.^[1] He founded Manhattan's first band, orchestra, glee club and several literary clubs, and in 1863, started the school's first baseball team.^[2][1] Manhattan College's athletic teams were called the Jaspers in honor of Brother Jasper. In 1926, the school formally adopted the nickname.^[3] In 1882, during the seventh inning of a game against the New York Metropolitans, Jasper instructed restless students to stand and stretch until play resumed. Although it is not the only origin story for the seventh-inning stretch, former National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum curator Ted Spencer said that it was the one with the "most substance [and] is the one best documented".^[4] Jasper died of "congestion of the lung" on April 9, 1895, and was buried at Calvary Cemetery in Queens.^[1]