Archbishop Riordan High School is a diocesan, co-ed

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

high school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper seconda ...

established by the Society of Mary in

San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

. It is part of the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco The Archdiocese of San Francisco (Latin: ''Archdiœcesis Sancti Francisci''; Spanish: ''Archidiócesis de San Francisco'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the northern California region of the Unite ...

. It opened in fall 1949 as Riordan High School, named after Archbishop Patrick William Riordan, the second

Archbishop of San Francisco The Archdiocese of San Francisco ( Latin: ''Archdiœcesis Sancti Francisci''; Spanish: ''Archidiócesis de San Francisco'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the northern California region of the ...

; "Archbishop" was officially added to its name in 1990. Riordan was the oldest exclusively male high school in San Francisco. In January 2020, the school announced that it will become

coeducational Mixed-sex education, also known as mixed-gender education, co-education, or coeducation (abbreviated to co-ed or coed), is a system of education where males and females are educated together. Whereas single-sex education was more common up to ...

in the fall.

The Marianists

The

Marianist The Society of Mary ( la, Societas Mariae) abbreviated SM is a clerical religious congregation of Pontifical Right for men (brothers and priests) commonly called the Marianists or Marianist Brothers and Priests. Its members add the nominal ...

Organization has remained a guiding force throughout Riordan's existence and follows several specific "Characteristics of Education in the Marianist Tradition": * Educate for formation in faith * Provide an integral, quality education * Educate in family spirit * Educate for service,

justice Justice, in its broadest sense, is the principle that people receive that which they deserve, with the interpretation of what then constitutes "deserving" being impacted upon by numerous fields, with many differing viewpoints and perspective ...

and

peace Peace is a concept of societal friendship and harmony in the absence of hostility and violence. In a social sense, peace is commonly used to mean a lack of conflict (such as war) and freedom from fear of violence between individuals or groups. ...

* Educate for adaptation & change

Academics

Archbishop Riordan High School offers a variety of Honors and Advanced Placement courses. Advanced Placement offerings include: *

AP Biology Advanced Placement (AP) Biology (also known as AP Bio) is an Advanced Placement biology course and exam offered by the College Board in the United States. For the 2012–2013 school year, the College Board unveiled a new curriculum with a greate ...

* AP Calculus AB *

AP Chemistry Advanced Placement (AP) Chemistry (also known as AP Chem) is a course and examination offered by the College Board as a part of the Advanced Placement Program to give American and Canadian high school students the opportunity to demonstrate thei ...

AP Chinese Language and Culture Advanced Placement (AP) Chinese Language and Culture (commonly known as AP Chinese) is a course and exam offered by the College Board as a part of the Advanced Placement Program in the United States. It requires proficiencies throughout the Inte ...

AP Computer Science In the United States, Advanced Placement Computer Science (commonly shortened to AP Comp Sci) is a suite of Advanced Placement courses and examinations covering areas of computer science. They are offered by the College Board to high school studen ...

* AP Economics (Micro and Macro) *

AP Environmental Science Advanced Placement (AP) Environmental Science (also known as APES, AP Enviro, AP Environmental, AP Environment, or AP EnviroSci) is a course and exam offered by the American College Board as part of the Advanced Placement Program to high school ...

AP Physics C In the United States, Advanced Placement (AP) Physics collectively refers to the College Board Advanced Placement Program courses and exams covering various areas of physics. These are intended to be equivalent to university courses that use bes ...

AP English Language Advanced Placement (AP) English Language and Composition (also known as AP English Language, APENG, or AP Lang) is a course and examination offered by the College Board as part of the Advanced Placement Program. When AP exams were first implemen ...

AP English Literature Advanced Placement (AP) English Literature and Composition (also known as Senior AP English, AP Lit, APENG, or AP English IV) is a course and examination offered by the College Board as part of the Advanced Placement Program in the United State ...

AP Spanish Language Advanced Placement (AP) Spanish Language and Culture (also known as AP Spanish Language, AP Spanish V, or AP Spanish) is a course and examination offered by the College Board in the United States education system as part of the Advanced Placeme ...

AP Statistics Advanced Placement (AP) Statistics (also known as AP Stats) is a college-level high school statistics course offered in the United States through the College Board's Advanced Placement program. This course is equivalent to a one semester, non-ca ...

AP World History Advanced Placement (AP) World History: Modern (also known as just AP World History, AP World, or WHAP) is a college-level course and examination offered to high school students in the United States through the College Board's Advanced Placemen ...

AP United States History Advanced Placement (AP) United States History (also known as AP U.S. History or APUSH () is a college-level course and examination offered by College Board as part of the Advanced Placement Program. Course The AP U.S. History course is designe ...

AP United States Government Advanced Placement (AP) United States Government and Politics (often shortened to AP Gov and sometimes referred to as AP American Government or simply AP Government) is a college-level course and examination offered to high school students throug ...

Archbishop Riordan is the home of four AP exam readers. As of 2015, 426 AP tests were administered to 218 students, with 67% of those scores qualifying for college credit. In 2016, Archbishop Riordan expanded their curriculum offerings to launch a four-year honors engineering program track. Students apply to the program when applying to the school and are accepted based on their 7th and 8th grade math and science grades, performance on standardized tests, demonstrated ability to handle a rigorous course load, and demonstrated interest in the area of engineering. In addition to taking two engineering courses each year, students are expected to take advanced math and science courses that complement the engineering offerings and prepare them for a college-level engineering major. In the fall of 2017 the school launched a House System to increase school unity. The four houses work together to participate in community service events and compete in intra-school competitions. Additionally, students in each house are divided into ~20 student mentor groups which meet weekly with 2-3 assigned mentor teachers. Mentor teachers and student leaders lead mentor groups to help further build community and provide support for students during their high school career. Archbishop Riordan High School operates a residential boarding program with students from nine countries currently living on campus. The program is one of only a few that are located in a major US city.

1:1 iPad program

Archbishop Riordan began its 1:1 iPad program in 2012. Many students were expected to buy an iPad and the required apps for the school year. The school was finally able to adapt to this new technology during the second semester, and it was used to its full potential. Many teachers now receive work from students via email, whereas reading assignments and homework assignments can be seen by both students and teacher through iTunes U or Schoology. All students are use this technology to supplement the learning experience. Every area of the school has internet for students to use.

Student body

In January 2020, it was announced that Archbishop Riordan High School would become a co-educational institution starting in the fall of 2020. The inaugural co-ed student body of 820 will be 23% female and 77% male. The student population is currently 25%

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties forme ...

, 24.5%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 22.2%

Caucasian Caucasian may refer to: Anthropology *Anything from the Caucasus region ** ** ** ''Caucasian Exarchate'' (1917–1920), an ecclesiastical exarchate of the Russian Orthodox Church in the Caucasus region * * * Languages * Northwest Caucasian l ...

, 13% multi-ethnic, 8%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 1.3%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 1.2% Native American, and 4.6% unknown.

Student life and campus ministry

A Riordan student is required to complete 100 community service hours before graduation. Four retreats are offered to students, with Kairos Retreats in the fall, winter, and spring. These aim to help students have a better understanding of the natural world and society. Each incoming freshman is given a Crusader Brother, either a senior, junior, or sophomore, that will guide him during the freshman year. Sophomores and juniors have the chance to have an overnight retreat twice per year. Annual drives are held, such as the "Every Penny Counts" campaign for AIDS patients, the International Drive to support Our Lady of Nazareth, Nairobi, Kenya M. Primary School, and the Blood Drives. Archbishop Riordan is number one in the Bay Area in donating blood. Not only does the school help the community, but it also enriches students' characters. There are 34 clubs at Riordan, and at least two out of three students join a club. Counselors are also committed to help the student in his everyday life. The school strongly advises students to participate in activities. Freshmen are required to fulfill a Freshman Marianist Requirement of earning 7 points in order to pass their freshman year. Actions include commitment to a sport, club, or having a 3.0 or better unweighted GPA.

Marching and concert bands

Riordan is the only high school in San Francisco to have its own marching band. The program consists of marching, concert, jazz, and pep bands. At Riordan, the majority of musicians pick up their new instruments in their freshman year while enrolled in the Instrumental Music Ensemble (Beginning Band). They move into the Intermediate Band as sophomores and join the marching band in the second semester and their junior and senior years. The band program is one of the few high school music programs that starts students with no musical experience. The band competes in the Northern California Band Association (NCBA) along with many other bands from all over the Bay Area. It competes in the small schools division (Class D or E) and is one of the biggest bands in its division, with around 90 members. The band appears in every San Francisco city parade (Columbus Day, Veteran's Day, Chinese New Year, and St. Patrick's Day). In 2010 and 2012, the band was invited to perform as part of the San Francisco Giants Victory Parade down Market Street. They also headlined the 2013 America's Cup in San Francisco,

Super Bowl 50 Super Bowl 50 was an American football game to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2015 season. The American Football Conference (AFC) champion Denver Broncos defeated the National Football Conference (NFC) cha ...

, and the New Year's Day Parades in Rome (2017) and London (2019). The school also has a Pep Band, a Jazz Combo that regularly participates in California Musical Educators competitions, a drumline, and a Color Guard team, featuring girls from Mercy SF and ICA, two local high schools that perform with the band during parades. The band travels each year and visited Disneyland in 2009, 2011, and 2015. There are 160 students in the band program, averaging to nearly one out of every four students being in the band program.

Theater

Two productions are made year-round, a fall play and a spring musical. Those involved in the theater production regularly do community service along with working on the stage or other elements of the play.

Athletics

The Riordan Crusaders field a variety of team and individual sports in the

West Catholic Athletic League The West Catholic Athletic League or WCAL is a highly competitive high school athletic conference in the Central Coast Section of the California Interscholastic Federation. The boys division is made up of seven Catholic schools and one nondenom ...

(WCAL). Sports that Riordan fields include football, cross country,

wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

, soccer, track,

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Sum ...

swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, or other liquid, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Locomotion is achieved through coordinated movement of the limbs and the body to achieve hydrodynamic thrust that r ...

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

, and

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping ...

. Riordan's most notable championship seasons include a WCAL Championship in football in 2000 and a 2007 Division II CCS championship, a CIF State Championship in basketball in 2002, a WCAL championship in track in 2004, a CCS title in track in 2005, and a Division III CCS championship in basketball in 2006 and in 2007, 2016, and 2019.

1950s

Participating in the newly created Catholic League for high schools around San Francisco, the student body enthusiastically supported the program, as Riordan fielded new sports every few years. Notable events of the decade include the first football game at Riordan (September 18, 1951), the first

homecoming Homecoming is the tradition of welcoming back alumni or other former members of an organization to celebrate the organization's existence. It is a tradition in many high schools, colleges, and churches in the United States, Canada and Liberia. ...

night rally (November 10, 1955), the Riordan versus St. Ignatius College Preparatory football game at

Seals Stadium Seals Stadium was a minor league baseball stadium on the west coast of the United States, located in San Francisco, California; it later became the first home of the major league San Francisco Giants. Opened in the Mission District in 1931, Se ...

(November 3, 1956), the Faculty versus Seniors

game (April 4, 1957), and the Block Society's sponsoring of Fight Night, which featured eight boxing matches as well as wrestling and judo (March 28, 1958). Sports at Riordan were initially shaped by Edward Fennelly, a then 24-year-old graduate of St. Joseph's High School in

Alameda An alameda is a Avenue (landscape), street or path lined with trees () and may refer to: Places Canada *Alameda, Saskatchewan, town in Saskatchewan **Grant Devine Dam, formerly ''Alameda Dam'', a dam and reservoir in southern Saskatchewan Chile ...

. He coached the basketball and track teams, and expanded his influence on the Riordan teams in the following years. To many, he is a symbol of the origins and development of Riordan, and to thousands of alumni he was the epitome of

sportsmanship Sportsmanship is an aspiration or ethos that a sport, or activity will be enjoyed for its own sake. This is with proper consideration for fairness, ethics, respect, and a sense of fellowship with one's competitors. A "sore loser" refers to o ...

and gentlemanly behavior. He coached, taught, and served as an administrator for 40 years.

1960s

Joining the new

in 1967, the Crusaders were successful in a number of athletic endeavors. The victory bell was introduced, which still resides in the junior hallway of the school. It was put to good use, as basketball won varsity championships in '60, '68, and '69; cross country won championships in '65, '66, '68, and '69); football in '66; and track in '67 and '68. As the CAL divided, and Riordan joined the WCAL, Ed Fennelly became commissioner. This coincided with the 1966 football team's dramatic championship win against league powerhouse Bellarmine. Under "Doc" Erskine, the Crusaders battled the Bellarmine Bells under the lights of

Kezar Stadium Kezar Stadium is an outdoor athletics stadium in San Francisco, California, located adjacent to Kezar Pavilion in the southeastern corner of Golden Gate Park. It is the former home of the San Francisco 49ers and the Oakland Raiders (first AFL s ...

to come out on top, 13–10. In their exuberance after the game, students tore down the goalposts at Kezar, fashioning trophies from the wood. These trophies, signed by the team, reside in the Crusader Forum today, memorializing their legendary upset for the first WCAL championship.

1970s

The '70s saw the most varsity championships (13 in all) and the greatest varsity record (six sports). They included one each in track and cross country, two in football and baseball, three in

, and four in soccer. The varsity soccer team won four consecutive WCAL titles and the

Central Coast Section The Central Coast Section (CCS) is the governing body of public and private high school athletics in the portion of California encompassing San Mateo County, Santa Clara County, Monterey County, San Benito County, Santa Cruz County and a few pri ...

championship in 1976. Riordan saw the birth of Camp Crusader, a summer camp for future Riordan athletes started in 1974 for boys in 4th through 8th grades. Consisting of two three-week sessions, hundreds of youngsters swarmed to Riordan. Original organized leagues included baseball, football, soccer, basketball, pee-wee golf, tennis, track,

field hockey Field hockey is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with ten outfield players and a goalkeeper. Teams must drive a round hockey ball by hitting it with a hockey stick towards the rival team's shooting ...

, tumbling, wrestling, and

bowling Bowling is a target sport and recreational activity in which a player rolls a ball toward pins (in pin bowling) or another target (in target bowling). The term ''bowling'' usually refers to pin bowling (most commonly ten-pin bowling), thou ...

. Each participant received a camp polo shirt and a trip to see the

Giants A giant is a being of human appearance, sometimes of prodigious size and strength, common in folklore. Giant(s) or The Giant(s) may also refer to: Mythology and religion *Giants (Greek mythology) *Jötunn, a Germanic term often translated as 'gi ...

Candlestick Park Candlestick Park was an outdoor stadium on the West Coast of the United States, located in San Francisco's Bayview Heights area. The stadium was originally the home of Major League Baseball's San Francisco Giants, who played there from 1960 ...

1980s

Riordan won six straight basketball championships from 1985 to 1990, going to sectional and state championships several times.

2020s

With the school's transition to co-education, Riordan Athletics added 9 new men's and women's sports teams for the 2020–21 school year, including

and

Notable alumni

* Francisco Aragón, class of 1984 - Latin poet, editor, and writer; attended

University of California at Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant uni ...

and

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac, known simply as Notre Dame ( ) or ND, is a private Catholic university, Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, outside the city of South Bend, Indiana, South Bend. French priest Edward Sorin fo ...

* Alton Byrd, class of 1975 - former professional basketball player * Alberto Cruz, class of 1989 - former professional soccer player; played with the U.S. national team in 1991 * Donald Haderle, class of 1962 - former Chief Technology Officer and Fellow at IBM *

Warren Hinckle Warren James Hinckle III (October 12, 1938 – August 25, 2016) was an American political journalist based in San Francisco. Hinckle is remembered for his tenure as editor of '' Ramparts'' magazine, turning a sleepy publication aimed at a li ...

, class of 1956 - political journalist and San Francisco Chronicle columnist * Tony Jones, class of 1989 -

professional wrestler Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring o ...

; had stints in

World Wrestling Entertainment World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc., d/b/a as WWE, is an American professional wrestling promotion. A global integrated media and entertainment company, WWE has also branched out into other fields, including film, American football, and va ...

* Derek Loville, class of 1986 - three-time Super Bowl winner for the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...

and

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquar ...

; former NFL

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball, and block. Ther ...

for the San Francisco 49ers, Denver Broncos, and Seattle Seahawks * Chris Munk, class of 1985 - former NBA player for the

Utah Jazz The Utah Jazz are an American professional basketball team based in Salt Lake City. The Jazz compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference (NBA), Western Conference, Northwest Division (NBA), ...

* Kevin Restani, class of 1970 - former basketball player for the

University of San Francisco The University of San Francisco (USF) is a private Jesuit university in San Francisco, California. The university's main campus is located on a setting between the Golden Gate Bridge and Golden Gate Park. The main campus is nicknamed "The Hil ...

; former NBA player for the

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 1968 ...

Sacramento Kings The Sacramento Kings are an American professional basketball team based in Sacramento, California. The Kings compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Western Conference Pacific Division. The Kings are the oldest ...

San Antonio Spurs The San Antonio Spurs are an American professional basketball team based in San Antonio. The Spurs compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Southwest Division. The team plays its home ...

and Cleveland Cavaliers * Steve Ryan, class of 1974 - former professional soccer player; played for the San Jose Earthquakes * Sean Scott, class of 1983 *

Steve Sewell Steven Edward Sewell (born April 2, 1963 in San Francisco, California), is a former professional American football player who was selected by the Denver Broncos in the 1st round of the 1985 NFL Draft. A 6'3", 210-lb. running back from the Univer ...

, class of 1981 - former NFL running back for the Denver Broncos and

University of Oklahoma , mottoeng = "For the benefit of the Citizen and the State" , type = Public research university , established = , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.7billion (2021) , pr ...

Joe Spano Joseph Peter Spano (born July 7, 1946) is an American actor best known for his roles as Lt. Henry Goldblume on ''Hill Street Blues'' and FBI Special Agent Tobias C. Fornell on '' NCIS''. He also voiced the Chuck E. Cheese (at the time Chuck E. Che ...

, class of 1963 - Emmy-nominated actor starring in ''

Hill Street Blues ''Hill Street Blues'' is an American serial police procedural television series that aired on NBC in prime-time from January 15, 1981, to May 12, 1987, for 146 episodes. The show chronicles the lives of the staff of a single police station loca ...

'' *

Donald Strickland Donald Darell Strickland (born November 24, 1980) is a former American football cornerback. He was drafted by the Indianapolis Colts in the third round of the 2003 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Colorado Boulder. Stric ...

, class of 1998 - former

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover Wide receiver, receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such Play from scrimmage, offensive running plays as sweep ...

for the Indianapolis Colts,

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...

, and San Francisco 49ers * Gary W. Thomas - attorney and judge * Eric Wright, class of 2003 - NFL cornerback for the

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (A ...

, Detroit Lions,

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The cl ...

, and San Francisco 49ers

References

External links

*
Society of Mary, United States Province
(The Marianists) {{authority control Boys' schools in California High schools in San Francisco Catholic secondary schools in California Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco Educational institutions established in 1949 1949 establishments in California Marianist schools