Brophy College Preparatory

Brophy College Preparatory is a Jesuit high school in Phoenix, Arizona, United States. The school has an all-male enrollment of approximately 1,400 students. It is operated independently of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Phoenix.

The school has three campuses: the main academic campus in north-central Phoenix at Central Avenue and Camelback Road, a retreat campus called Manresa near Sedona, and the new Brophy Sports Campus east of the academic campus in Phoenix and adjacent to the campus of the all-girls Xavier College Preparatory. Brophy has no diocesan or government financial assistance.

Brophy College Chapel was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993.

History

Brophy College Preparatory was founded in 1928 by Ellen A. Brophy, prominent Phoenix church woman and philanthropist, in memory of her late husband William Henry Brophy, as a Jesuit high school that included first year college courses. The Regis Hall building (renamed Frank C. Brophy Jr. Hall in 2006), the Jesuit residence, and the chapel were completed in 1928, and the school began operating that same year as a college and high school. The Great Depression caused a major financial strain, forcing it to close in 1935. Most of the male students who previously attended Brophy transferred to another local Catholic high school, St. Mary's, which had become an all-girls school once Brophy opened. The boys brought their athletic gear from Brophy with them to St. Mary's, causing St. Mary's to change its school colors from red and white to green and white, the previous Brophy colors.

In 1952, 17 years after its closing, Brophy College Preparatory reopened as a high school. It purchased used athletic equipment from Santa Clara University, whose colors were red and white, the old St. Mary's colors. This is also how they became the Brophy Broncos, adopting the Santa Clara mascot.

Brophy expanded its downtown Phoenix campus by adding Loyola Hall (1959), Robson Gymnasium (1967), Keating Hall, and the Steele Library (1986).

Brophy has raised capital through a major gifts campaign, which has funded the construction of the Innovation Commons (2001), the Eller Fine Arts Center (2003), the McCain Colonnade (2003), the Piper Center for Math and Science (2005), and the Harper Great Hall (2006). The Ethel and Kemper Marley Innovation Commons replaced the Steele Library as the information source on campus.

In November 2002, Brophy acquired the former Phoenix Swim Club for $1.6 million to use as a sports campus. It was called the Dottie Boreyko/Brophy East Swim Campus. The facilities of this campus included two outdoor swimming pools (one of them Olympic-sized and equipped with two underwater viewing rooms), a 400-meter training track, a soccer field, a running track, and locker rooms. In 2013, Brophy sold the Brophy Swim Campus to Ryland Homes, and it was vacated in early 2014. The school built a pool at its main campus, with further financial assistance from the Class of 2016.

In 2010, Brophy completed construction on its Brophy Sports Campus, which has a synthetic turf field and a natural turf practice field. The completion of this campus marks the first phase of upgrading all of the school's athletic facilities. In 2016, Brophy completed “the Dutch”, a multi-functional gymnasium complete with a basketball court, running track, and underground gym.

Academics

Brophy Prep is the only Jesuit high school in Arizona. Its curriculum relies on a combination of liberal arts principles and Roman Catholic theology. Honors and advanced placement sections exist in each of the curricular disciplines, including 33 advanced placement classes. Students formerly were allowed to take classes at Xavier College Preparatory, a Catholic girls' college preparatory school adjacent to Brophy.

Admission is based on grades, an entrance exam, essays, and a required interview. For the 2013–14 academic year, Brophy's annual tuition was USD $13,500; financial assistance was available for those who qualified.

Tablet PC program

In the 2006–07 academic year, Brophy implemented the Tablet PC program for all incoming freshmen. Under the mandatory program, students must buy a Lenovo Tablet PC, a computer on which the user can both type and write. Because the tablet allows students to keep their books in one place, the program resolved complaints about having to carry books around. The policies of some publishing companies regarding digital textbooks have not allowed Brophy to become completely "bookless". As of the 2009–2010 academic year, the school completed its tablet conversion, with all students participating in the program. In 2012 the school announced that starting with the class of 2016 the Lenovos would be replaced by Apple iPads. Starting with the class of 2021, students use MacBook Air laptops instead of the previous Apple iPads.

To support the PCs, the entire campus has been retrofitted with Wi-Fi access points in most classrooms and in all buildings. The school administration plans to continue the program and work toward a paper-free campus.

Athletics

Brophy fields 26 teams in 12 sports, competing in Region 6 of Arizona's Class 6A Division. ''Sports Illustrated'' has ranked Brophy's athletic programs among the top 25 in the nation.

As of 2020, the swim team has won 33 consecutive state titles in addition to producing several Olympic medalists. In 2005, the Brophy swim team won the national high school championship.

Brophy football won the 2005 and 2007 5A-I Football State Championship. The 2005 football team finished ranked 3rd in the West and 21st in the nation by ''USA Today'' and ranked 23rd in the country by ''Sports Illustrated''. The baseball and volleyball programs also took state championships in 2006.

In the 2007–2008 season, the Brophy Bronco Soccer Team won the 5A-1 State Championship and finished the season ranked no. 2 on the west coast and no. 8 in the nation. During the 2010–2011 season, the Brophy soccer team won its second 5A-1 State Championship in four years, ending the season as national runners-up. Brophy Soccer won the state title in Division 1 in 2014 and 2015 and was runner-up in 2012. Brophy took home the 5A-1 state title in their 2019-2020 season and ended their season ranked 13 in the nation.

The Brophy lacrosse team has won the Arizona Division I State Championship five times, in 2007, 2008, 2010, 2012, and 2013.

Brophy is one of three high schools in Arizona that has a rowing team. They have rowed at the Head of the Charles regatta. They compete in the South West Junior region. They won the 2011, 2012, and 2013 Arizona State Junior Rowing Championships.

In the 2010–2011 year, Brophy added a rugby club team, the Brophy College Preparatory Rugby Football Club, becoming one of only a few schools in the state to sponsor its own rugby team.

In 2012 Brophy won the 5A Varsity Hockey Championship for the first time.

The Brophy tennis team won state championships this decade in 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017, and 2018.

Brophy's golf team finished second place at the Arizona State Championship in 2015 and 2017. Brophy's golf team won the 2018 Arizona State Championship.

Student life

Brophy's Student Council, as well as over 90 student-led clubs and organizations, regularly coordinate activities that involve the entire student body. In 2008, 2009, and 2012 Brophy sent teams to the National Science Bowl competition. The basketball cheering section, known as the 6th Man, has been compared by Arizona sportswriters to the famous Cameron Crazies of Duke University. The school newspaper, ''The Roundup'', was named the top high school newspaper in Arizona by the Arizona Newspapers Association in 2011 and 2012.

Notable alumni

*Mark Alarie (1982) – NBA basketball player
* Robert Grant (2014) - Track and Field Athlete, competed for Texas A&M & Italy
* Devon Allen (2013) – Olympic hurdler (110m) Participated in 2016 and 2020
*Jaime Clarke (1989) – Writer
*Ryan Castellani (2014) - MLB baseball player
* Michael Collier (1971) – poet
* Paris Dennard (2000) – political commentator
*Mick Ebeling (1988) – film producer, philanthropist, and founder of Not Impossible Labs
*Scott Garlick (1990) – MLS soccer player
* David Griffin (1987) – NBA Executive
* Gary Hall Jr. (1993) – Olympic swimmer
* J. J. Jansen (2004) – NFL football player
* Glen Keane (1972) – Academy Award-winning animator
* Cris Kirkwood (1978) – musician, co-founded The Meat Puppets
*Curt Kirkwood (1976) – musician, co-founded The Meat Puppets
* Bob Kohrs (1976) – NFL linebacker

* Richard D. Mahoney (1969) – former Arizona Secretary of State
* Michael Murphy (1956) – actor
* Trent Murphy (2009) - NFL defensive end
* Richard Noll (1977) - clinical psychologist and author
* Sean O'Hair (2000) – PGA golfer
* Isaiah Oliver (2015) - NFL football player
*Ted Purdy (1992) – PGA golfer
* John Simons (1979) – Olympic swimmer
* Justin Speier (1991) – MLB baseball player
*Shawn Swayda (1992) – NFL defensive end
* Evan Whitfield (1995) – MLS soccer player
* Dean Winters (1982) – actor
* Scott William Winters (1983) – actor

References

{{authority control

Christianity in Phoenix, Arizona
Catholic secondary schools in Arizona
Jesuit high schools in the United States
Catholic Church in Arizona
Boys' schools in the United States
Educational institutions established in 1928
High schools in Phoenix, Arizona
1928 establishments in Arizona