Georgetown Preparatory School

Founding

Fr. Carroll believed the new school—Georgetown Academy soon called Georgetown College—would be vital to the future of the Catholic Church in the United States. He saw it as a place that could inspire young men to become priests while also educating Catholic laypeople who could actively contribute to the political and civic life of the new republic.

The school admitted its first student, 13-year-old William Gaston of New Bern, North Carolina, in late 1791. Classes officially began in January 1792, and by June nearly 40 more students from Maryland, Virginia, New York, and Pennsylvania had enrolled. In April of that year, Georgetown welcomed its first international students, Nicholas and Jean Jacques Février from the French West Indies. From the beginning, the college also opened its doors to students from religious backgrounds other than Roman Catholicism. ^[12]

By 1815, the Society of Jesus had been restored worldwide, and Georgetown had officially become a Jesuit college. That same year, United States Congress granted the school a charter that was signed into law by James Madison.

During Georgetown College’s first century, students in the preparatory program greatly outnumbered those enrolled in the college itself. As a result, the institution functioned largely as a preparatory school with a smaller group of college students. In 1855, the Preparatory Building—later called Maguire Hall—opened as the first campus building specifically intended for preparatory students.

Georgetown College, located in the slave state of Maryland, was also connected to the institution of slavery. The Society of Jesus in the Maryland Province owned enslaved people who worked on Jesuit farms in southern Maryland as well as at the college itself. In 1838, 272 of these enslaved men, women, and children were sold to two sugar planters in Louisiana. Part of the money from that sale was loaned to Georgetown College that same year, helping the institution and its preparatory department avoid severe debt and possible closure. The enslaved people forced into this sale have since been described as a coerced “endowment of tears.” Both Georgetown Preparatory School and Georgetown University have acknowledged this history and have sought reconciliation with the descendants of those enslaved by the Jesuits.

Thirty-five years later, Georgetown College was led by Patrick Francis Healy, S.J., who served as rector-president from 1873 to 1882. Healy was the son of an Irish planter in Georgia and an enslaved woman who was considered his common-law wife, though his African ancestry was not widely known at the time. Decades later, in 1953, Georgetown Preparatory School admitted its first African American student, seventh grader Anthony H. Pierce Jr. In 2007, Jeffrey L. Jones became the school’s first African American headmaster, serving until 2015 and also acting as president from 2013 to 2014.

During the American Civil War, enrollment at Georgetown College declined sharply as many students—both from the college and the preparatory department—left to fight for either the Union or the Confederacy. John Early, S.J., who served as rector-president from 1858 to 1866, managed to keep the institution operating. He did so partly by building relationships with two members of Abraham Lincoln’s cabinet: Secretary of State William H. Seward and Secretary of War Edwin M. Stanton. In 1861–1862, Union troops occupied the strategically located campus, and it was used as a hospital following the Second Battle of Bull Run and the Battle of Antietam.

A little more than a decade after the war ended, students from Georgetown Visitation Academy presented a blue-and-gray banner to the Georgetown College crew team. The colors symbolized the reunion of the former Union and Confederate states after the war. Blue and gray later became the official colors of both the college and its preparatory department.

In the late nineteenth century, the preparatory department began to develop a stronger identity of its own. The growing popularity of team sports—including baseball, football, track, crew, and, beginning in 1907, basketball—helped build pride and school spirit among preparatory students. By the 1889–1890 academic year, the college published a separate catalogue for what it officially called the “Georgetown Preparatory School.”

The Landon School

The rivalry between Georgetown Preparatory School and The Landon School is one of the most intense athletic rivalries in the Washington-Maryland private-school sports scene, particularly in lacrosse. Unlike the Jesuit-based rivalry between Prep and Gonzaga College High School, the Prep–Landon rivalry developed primarily through athletic competition and geographic proximity. Landon was founded in 1929 in Bethesda, Maryland, as an independent college-preparatory school for boys, emphasizing leadership, character formation, and competitive athletics. Georgetown Prep, founded in 1789 and originally connected to Georgetown University, had already established itself as one of the oldest and most prestigious Catholic preparatory schools in the United States. As suburban Maryland developed during the twentieth century, both schools became prominent educational institutions in the same region, and their athletic teams began competing regularly in local leagues and non-conference matchups.

The rivalry intensified particularly during the late twentieth century as both schools emerged as national powers in lacrosse, a sport deeply embedded in the culture of elite East Coast preparatory schools. Landon, known as the Bears, built one of the most dominant high-school lacrosse programs in the country. Under legendary head coach Bill Leahy, who coached at Landon from 1975 to 2013, the Bears developed a dynasty that produced numerous college All-Americans and professional players. Leahy’s teams won multiple Interstate Athletic Conference (IAC) championships and established Landon as a national lacrosse powerhouse. During the same period, Georgetown Prep—known as the Little Hoyas—also developed a strong lacrosse tradition and began challenging Landon regularly for regional dominance. As both programs grew stronger, games between the two schools became some of the most anticipated matchups in the Washington metropolitan area.

The Interstate Athletic Conference, which includes Landon, Georgetown Prep, St. Albans School, Bullis School, and St. Stephen's and St. Agnes School, helped formalize the rivalry by placing the two schools in regular competition across multiple sports. Within the conference, Prep–Landon contests became particularly important because both schools frequently competed for conference championships. Lacrosse remained the centerpiece of the rivalry, but competition extended to football, basketball, wrestling, and baseball as well. Because both schools emphasize athletics as part of their educational philosophy, victories against each other often carried symbolic importance for students, alumni, and coaches.

Several memorable moments in the Prep–Landon rivalry have come in lacrosse. Over the decades, games between the two teams have often determined the IAC championship or influenced national rankings. Landon historically dominated many of the early matchups during the peak years of Coach Bill Leahy’s tenure, when the Bears were widely considered one of the best high-school lacrosse programs in the country. Georgetown Prep, however, gradually closed the competitive gap in the 2000s and 2010s, producing elite players who went on to compete at top college programs such as University of Virginia, University of Maryland, and Duke University. When the two teams meet today, the games often feature Division-I recruits and attract attention from college scouts and national lacrosse media.

The rivalry also carries a cultural dimension within the student bodies of both schools. Because the campuses are located only a few miles apart in Montgomery County, many students grow up playing youth sports against each other before eventually attending different high schools. This familiarity intensifies the competitive atmosphere when the teams meet at the varsity level. Student sections are often energetic and loud, with chants, themed clothing, and coordinated spirit events leading up to rivalry games. For athletes, beating Landon or Prep can represent a defining moment of the season, particularly in lacrosse where both schools view themselves as part of the national prep-school elite.

Notable athletes have emerged from both sides of the rivalry. Landon has produced numerous collegiate and professional lacrosse players, including Joe Walters, one of the most decorated players in program history and a standout at the University of Maryland. Georgetown Prep has also produced high-level collegiate athletes and nationally recognized recruits in lacrosse and other sports. The presence of such talent has helped elevate the rivalry beyond the local level, with national lacrosse publications frequently covering matchups between the two programs.

Gonzaga Rivalry History

The rivalry between Georgetown Preparatory School and Gonzaga College High School is one of the oldest and most historically significant high-school rivalries in the Washington, D.C. region, stretching back more than a century and reflecting not only athletic competition but also the shared Jesuit heritage of both institutions. Georgetown Prep was founded in 1789 as part of Georgetown University and is considered the oldest Catholic boarding school in the United States, while Gonzaga College High School was founded in 1821 in Washington, D.C., and became one of the most prominent Jesuit day schools in the city. Although both schools share the same Catholic Jesuit educational tradition, their identities developed differently over time: Georgetown Prep evolved as a suburban boarding and day school located in North Bethesda, Maryland, while Gonzaga maintained its identity as a large urban Catholic day school deeply connected to Washington, D.C. This contrast between suburban boarding culture and urban day-school culture contributed to the early competitive spirit between the two institutions and helped shape what would become one of the region’s defining school rivalries.^[18]

The athletic rivalry officially began in 1891 when the two schools played their first football game, marking the start of a series that would become one of the oldest high-school rivalries in the United States. Over the decades, the game became a major event for both communities, drawing students, alumni, and Jesuit clergy. Football quickly emerged as the centerpiece of the rivalry, but the competition also expanded into other sports such as basketball, baseball, ^[19]soccer, lacrosse, track, and rugby^[20]. By the mid-twentieth century, the rivalry had already become a major tradition in the Washington metropolitan area, and games between the two schools were often covered in local newspapers. The competition was intense, but because both schools are run by the Jesuit order—whose educational philosophy emphasizes discipline, intellectual development, and respect—the rivalry was frequently described as competitive yet respectful, with both institutions seeing themselves as “brother schools” rather than enemies.

Throughout the twentieth century the rivalry continued to grow, with both schools building strong athletic programs and producing athletes who went on to compete in college and occasionally at the professional level. By the 1970s and 1980s, Georgetown Prep and Gonzaga were widely considered two of the most competitive private-school athletic programs in the region. However, the annual football matchup unexpectedly stopped after the 1988 season due to scheduling conflicts and changes in league alignments. Although the rivalry never completely disappeared—because the schools still competed against each other in other sports—the absence of the football game meant that an entire generation of students in the 1990s did not experience the most visible symbol of the rivalry. ^[21]

The football series was revived in 2004 with the creation of what became known as the Jesuit Gridiron Classic, an annual game that also serves as a fundraising event for Washington Jesuit Academy, a middle school founded in 2001 to provide educational opportunities for students from low-income communities in Washington, D.C. The revival added a new dimension to the rivalry by linking it to charitable service, a core Jesuit value. The game from 2004 to 2018 raised significant funds for the academy through ticket sales, sponsorships, and alumni donations, turning what had once been purely an athletic competition into an event that also supports Jesuit educational outreach. Historically, Gonzaga has held a slight advantage in the football series, though the games have often been competitive and dramatic. ^{[22][AI-retrieved source]}

Many memorable moments have occurred during the rivalry’s long history. One of the most famous games came in 2009 when Gonzaga defeated Georgetown Prep 23–20 on a last-second field goal, sending Gonzaga’s student section rushing onto the field in celebration and adding another dramatic chapter to the rivalry’s history. ^[23] Another interesting moment in the rivalry involved a unique coaching storyline when brothers Kevin and Don Giblin, ^[24] who each respectively coached the two schools in Lacrosse, reportedly refusing to speak during rivalry week because of the competitive tension between their lacrosse teams. Over time, the rivalry has also produced numerous standout athletes who went on to play at major college programs and occasionally in professional sports, further elevating the prestige of the annual matchup.

Beyond the field, the rivalry carries deep cultural significance within both school communities. Students often spend weeks preparing for rivalry games through spirit weeks, themed outfits, chants, and student-section traditions that intensify the atmosphere. Alumni from both schools frequently return for rivalry games, making the event a multigenerational tradition that connects current students with decades of graduates. The competition also extends beyond football; lacrosse, basketball, rugby, and other sports between the two schools often draw strong crowds and intense student interest. For example, lacrosse matchups between the schools have produced dramatic overtime finishes and high-level competition between nationally recruited players. ^[25]

William V. Bidwill '49 Stadium

Following an $8,000,000 donation from Michael Bidwill, alumnus and owner of the Arizona Cardinals, a new 1,508 seat stadium was constructed on campus. This new stadium was dedicated to Michael's father Bill Bidwill, who had also been the owner of the Cardinals from 1962 until his death in 2019. The stadium's field was jointly dedicated to Coach Jim Fegan and S.J. Aloysius Galvin as the Fegan-Galvin Field. Fegan was the Hoyas' football coach from 1961 to 1996 who had a record of 409 wins, 149 losses, 14 Interstate Athletic Conference titles and nine undefeated seasons until he was replaced by Dan Paro, a 1979 alumnus who is the current coach. Galvin served at the school for 37 years from 1970 to 2007 as a Mathematics teacher and the football team's chaplain. The William V. Bidwill ’49 Stadium became the new home to the Hoyas' Football, Soccer and Lacrosse programs following its dedication and blessing by S.J. James Van Dyke on November 12, 2022. The first game played at the new stadium was a homecoming game later in the afternoon on November 12 against the Hoyas' rivals, the St. Alban Bulldogs, which saw the Hoyas beat the Bulldogs 35 to 14.^[26][27][28]