Mater Dei High School is a private,

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 ...

co-educational 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 t ...

secondary school in

Santa Ana, California Santa Ana () is the second most populous city and the county seat of Orange County, California. Located in the Greater Los Angeles region of Southern California, the city's population was 310,227 at the 2020 census, making Santa Ana the List of ...

. It is located in the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange The Diocese of Orange (Latin language, Latin: ''Dioecesis Arausicanae in California''; Spanish language, Spanish: Diócesis de Orange; Vietnamese language, Vietnamese: ''Giáo phận Quận Cam'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or dio ...

. Mater Dei is known for its strong sports programs, especially in football, and for its multiple graduates who have won the

Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman) is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard ...

. As of 2022, the school has had 23 Gatorade Players of the Year. The Football team plays in the Southern Section Division 1, and most recently won the CIF State Championship during the 2021 season. There is a total of 25 sports teams at the school, with 71% of the athletes being on the Honor Roll.

Controversy

The school has received mixed attention in local media due in part to their method of scouting athletes from public high schools in due process of offering scholarships as a part of recruitment for their acclaimed football program. In 2021, a lawsuit was filed alleging that systemic hazing pervaded the football program resulting in a "brutal locker room altercation." Another 2021 lawsuit alleged that two Mater Dei football players severely injured a classmate in an orchestrated attack. Orange County bishop

Kevin Vann Kevin William Vann (born May 10, 1951) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He was named bishop of the Diocese of Orange in Southern California by Pope Benedict XVI, succeeding the retiring bishop, Tod Brown, on September 21, ...

responded with a public statement supporting the school's leadership and criticizing the "media frenzy." The school announced it would commission an independent investigation into the allegations. In January 2022, a female alumnus of Mater Dei filed a lawsuit following the surfacing accusations of hazing, alleging that she was sexually assaulted by a former football coach during the late 1980s.

Sports

Mater Dei High School’s mascot are The Monarchs. They currently support over 15 Men’s sport teams and 15 women sport teams: Baseball(Varsity,JV,Freshman) Basketball(Varsity,JV,Freshman) Cross-Country(Varsity,JV) Dance Team(JV, Freshman) Football(Varsity,JV,Freshman) Golf(Varsity,JV) Ice Hockey(Varsity) Lacrosse(Varsity,JV) Soccer(Varsity,JV,Freshman) Swimming(Varsity) Tennis(Varsity,JV) Track & Field(Varsity,JV,Freshman) Volleyball (Varsity,JV,Freshman) Water Polo (Varsity,JV,Freshman) Wrestling (Varsity,JV)

Notable alumni

Sports

Matt Barkley Matthew Montgomery Barkley (born September 8, 1990) is an American football quarterback for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at USC, and was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the fourth roun ...

– NFL

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

* McQuin Baron – Olympic Water Polo Player *

Colt Brennan Colton James Brennan (August 16, 1983 – May 11, 2021) was an American football quarterback. He played college football for the Hawaii Rainbow Warriors, where he was a two-time, third-team All-American before being selected by the Washington ...

– NFL quarterback * Bol Bol- NBA Center * Schea Cotton – basketball player *

JT Daniels JT may refer to: Arts and media * ''Jakobstads Tidning'', a Finland-Swedish newspaper * Jimma Times, owner of the Ethiopian newspaper ''Yeroo'' * ''Jornal da Tarde'', a Brazilian newspaper from São Paulo * ''JT'' (album), 1977 album by James T ...

–

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

for the West Virginia Mountaineers *

Thomas Duarte Thomas James Duarte (born March 30, 1995) is an American former professional football player who was a tight end in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the UCLA Bruins, and earned second-team all-conference honor ...

– NFL

tight end The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like ...

LeRon Ellis LeRon Perry Ellis (born April 28, 1969) is an American former professional basketball player. Ellis was considered to be one of the premier high school basketball players in the nation among the class of 1987 while playing for the top-ranked Sout ...

–

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

power forward The power forward (PF), also known as the four, is one of the five traditional positions in a regulation basketball game. Traditionally, power forwards have played a role similar to centers. When on offense, they typically play with their ba ...

and

center Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...

Danny Espinosa Daniel Richard Espinosa (born April 25, 1987) is an American former professional baseball infielder. He has played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Washington Nationals, Los Angeles Angels, Seattle Mariners, and Tampa Bay Rays. Amateur ca ...

–

MLB Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

second baseman * Austin Faoliu - NFL

defensive tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that will typically line up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the offensive guards, however he may also line up opposite one of the tackles. Defensive tackles are typically the la ...

Spencer Freedman Spencer Freedman (born June 24, 1998) is an American college basketball player for the Harvard Crimson of the Ivy League. He attended Mater Dei High School in Santa Ana, California, where he was ranked among the top players in California. Freedm ...

(born 1998) – college basketball player for the

Harvard Crimson The Harvard Crimson are the intercollegiate athletic teams of Harvard College. The school's teams compete in NCAA Division I. As of 2013, there were 42 Division I intercollegiate varsity sports teams for women and men at Harvard, more than at ...

* Reggie Geary – NBA

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison ...

Tiki Ghosn In Māori mythology, Tiki is the first man created by either Tūmatauenga or Tāne. He found the first woman, Marikoriko, in a pond; she seduced him and he became the father of Hine-kau-ataata. By extension, a tiki is a large or small woode ...

–

Mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA), sometimes referred to as cage fighting, no holds barred (NHB), and ultimate fighting, and originally referred to as Vale Tudo is a full-contact combat sport based on striking, grappling and ground fighting, inc ...

fighter *

Matt Grootegoed Matthew Arthur Grootegoed (born May 6, 1982) is a former American college and professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) and Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football for the Unive ...

– NFL

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, p ...

Mike Hessman Michael Steven Hessman (born March 5, 1978) is an American former professional baseball first baseman and third baseman. He is currently a hitting coach for the Toledo Mud Hens. He played in the MLB for the Atlanta Braves, Detroit Tigers, and N ...

– Major League Baseball player *

Vince Hizon Vince is a given name, it is the anglicisation and shortened form of the name Vincent, as well as a surname. It may refer to: Given name People * Vince Agnew (born 1987), American football player * Vince Cable (born 1943), British politician ...

– American-born former

Philippine Basketball Association The Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) is a men's professional basketball league in the Philippines composed of twelve company-branded franchised teams. Founded in 1975, it is the first professional basketball league in Asia and is the se ...

player * Khaled Holmes – NFL

* Mike Hopkins – NCAA basketball player and coach *

John Huarte John Gregory Huarte (born April 6, 1944) is a former American football quarterback. He played college football at the University of Notre Dame for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team and won the 1964 Heisman Trophy. He then played prof ...

–

winner and NFL quarterback *

Sara Hughes Sara Elizabeth Hughes (born February 14, 1995) is an American beach volleyball player. With teammate Kelly Cheng, she achieved a career-high world ranking of No. 2 in August 2023. Hughes has won six tournaments on the AVP Pro Tour and sev ...

– professional

beach volleyball Beach volleyball is a team sport played by two teams of two or more players on a sand court divided by a net. Similar to indoor volleyball, the objective of the game is to send the ball over the net and to ground it on the opponent's side of the ...

player * Chris Jackson (1988) – NFL wide receiver * Stanley Johnson – NBA

forward Forward is a relative direction, the opposite of backward. Forward may also refer to: People * Forward (surname) Sports * Forward (association football) * Forward (basketball), including: ** Point forward ** Power forward (basketball) ** Sm ...

Taylor King Taylor Steven King (born May 30, 1988) is an American former professional basketball player. King played for the Duke Blue Devils, Villanova University Wildcats, and Concordia of the NAIA. where he played the forward position. King attended Ma ...

– professional basketball player *

Tyler Lamb Tyler Lamb (born May 16, 1991) is a Thai-American professional basketball player. He played college basketball for UCLA and Long Beach State. Tyler began his professional career in his mother's homeland, Thailand. Early life Lamb was born in We ...

– professional basketball player *

Matt Leinart Matthew Stephen Leinart (born May 11, 1983) is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) for seven seasons. He played college football at USC, where he won the Heisman Trophy ...

– Heisman Trophy winner and NFL quarterbackBen Bolch
Leinart Chosen State Player of Year
''Los Angeles Times'', December 5, 2000. Retrieved April 30, 2011. *

Todd Marinovich Todd Marvin Marinovich (born Marvin Scott Marinovich on July 4, 1969) is a former American and Canadian football quarterback. He played in the National Football League ( Los Angeles Raiders), Canadian Football League (Winnipeg Blue Bombers, BC Li ...

– NFL Quarterback * Ryan McMahon – MLB player *

Bobby Meacham Robert Andrew Meacham (born August 25, 1960) is an American former professional baseball shortstop, who spent his entire six-year big league playing career with the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball (MLB). Since retiring from active play ...

– MLB

shortstop Shortstop, abbreviated SS, is the baseball or softball fielding position between second and third base, which is considered to be among the most demanding defensive positions. Historically the position was assigned to defensive specialists who ...

and coach * Daniel Meyer - Major League Baseball player *

Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis Kaleena Jordan Mosqueda-Lewis (born Kaleena Jordan Lewis, November 3, 1993) is an American professional basketball player who is currently a free agent. Prior to enrolling at the University of Connecticut she played for Mater Dei High School in S ...

– WNBA

* Katin Reinhardt – professional basketball player *

Robbie Rogers Robert Hampton Rogers III (born May 12, 1987) is an American former professional soccer player. He played as a winger and as a left back. Rogers has also represented the United States men's national soccer team. In February 2013, Rogers came o ...

–

MLS Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...

winger *

Jamal Sampson Jamal Wesley Sampson (born May 15, 1983) is an American former professional basketball player. A power forward / center, Sampson is the cousin of the 1983 NBA draft's number one overall pick Ralph Sampson. He attended the University of Califor ...

– NBA

forward-center Forward–center or bigman is a basketball position for players who play or have played both forward and center on a consistent basis. Typically, this means power forward and center, since these are usually the two biggest player positions on ...

Katie Lou Samuelson Katie Lou Samuelson (born June 13, 1997) is an American professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Sparks of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She played college basketball for the UConn Huskies. High school career Samu ...

–

/forward in the WNBA * Sergio Santos – MLB

relief pitcher In baseball and softball, a relief pitcher or reliever is a pitcher who enters the game after the starting pitcher is removed because of fatigue (medical), fatigue, ineffectiveness, injury, or ejection (sports), ejection, or for other strategic ...

Miles Simon Miles Julian Simon (born November 21, 1975) is an American basketball coach and former player who is the head coach for the South Bay Lakers of the NBA G League. College career Simon was born in Stockholm to an American father and a Norwegian mo ...

– basketball analyst for

ESPN ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...

and former NBA guard *

Anthony Slama Anthony Thomas Slama (born January 6, 1984) is a former professional baseball relief pitcher. He is 6'3", and weighs 207 lbs., and bats and throws right-handed. He played in Major League Baseball for the Minnesota Twins. Career College Aft ...

– MLB

* Olive Sagapolu - USFL

Defensive Tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that will typically line up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the offensive guards, however he may also line up opposite one of the tackles. Defensive tackles are typically the la ...

Amon-Ra St. Brown Amon-Ra Julian Heru J. St. Brown (born October 24, 1999) is an American football wide receiver for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at USC and was drafted by the Lions in the fourth round of ...

- NFL wide receiver *

Ryan Stonehouse Ryan Matthew Stonehouse (born May 11, 1999) is an American football punter for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Colorado State and signed with the Titans as an undrafted free agent in 20 ...

– American football punter, NCAA record holder * D. J. Strawberry – NBA

point guard The point guard (PG), also called the one or the point, is one of the five Basketball positions, positions in a regulation basketball game. A point guard has perhaps the most specialized role of any position. Point guards are expected to run t ...

Matt Treanor Matthew Aaron Treanor (born March 3, 1976) is an American former professional baseball catcher in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the Florida Marlins, Detroit Tigers, Texas Rangers, Kansas City Royals, and Los Angeles Dodgers. High s ...

– MLB

catcher Catcher is a Baseball positions, position in baseball and softball. When a Batter (baseball), batter takes their at bat, turn to hit, the catcher crouches behind home plate, in front of the (home plate, home) Umpire (baseball), umpire, and recei ...

* Michael Wang – NCAA basketball player * David Wear – NCAA basketball

Travis Wear Travis James Wear (born September 21, 1990) is an American former professional basketball player. He began his pro career with the New York Knicks after going undrafted in 2014. Wear was an All-American in high school and won a silver medal wit ...

– NBA basketball forward *

Larry Williams Larry Williams (born Lawrence Eugene Williams, a.k.a. Lawrence Edward Williams; May 10, 1935 – January 7, 1980) was an American rhythm and blues and rock and roll singer, songwriter, producer, and pianist from New Orleans, Louisiana. Williams ...

– NFL football player * Max Wittek – former

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

football

* Greg Woepse – silver medalist at the 1979 Pan Am Games in the pole vault *

Bryce Young Bryce Christopher Young (born July 25, 2001) is an American football quarterback for the Alabama Crimson Tide. He holds the record for most passing yards in a single game by an Alabama quarterback (559) and was the recipient of the 2021 Heisma ...

– Heisman Trophy winner and

for the

Alabama Crimson Tide The Alabama Crimson Tide refers to the intercollegiate athletic varsity teams that represent the University of Alabama, located in Tuscaloosa. The Crimson Tide teams compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I as a mem ...

Other

* John A. Davis – film director/animator * Mike Gallagher (2002) – United States Congressman from

Wisconsin's 8th congressional district Wisconsin's 8th congressional district is a congressional district of the United States House of Representatives in northeastern Wisconsin. It is currently represented by Mike Gallagher, a Republican. Gallagher won the open seat vacated by Re ...

(2017–present) *

Bob Gunton Robert Patrick Gunton Jr. (born November 15, 1945) is an American character actor of stage and screen. He is known for playing strict authoritarian characters, including Warden Samuel Norton in the 1994 prison drama ''The Shawshank Redemption'', ...

– actor *

Ashley Hartman Ashley Christina Hartman (born August 31, 1985) is an American actress, singer, and television presenter. Biography Early life Hartman was born to Michele Knutsen and Kip Hartman in Orange County, California. When she was four years of age, h ...

– actress * Jeff Lewis – real estate agent and

investor An investor is a person who allocates financial capital with the expectation of a future Return on capital, return (profit) or to gain an advantage (interest). Through this allocated capital most of the time the investor purchases some specie ...

Steve Oedekerk Steven Brent Oedekerk (born November 27, 1961) is an American actor, stand-up comedian, director, editor, producer, and screenwriter. He is best known for his collaborations with actor and comedian Jim Carrey and director Tom Shadyac (particular ...

– film actor, comedian, director, film editor, film producer, and screenwriter * Aimee Phan – author *

Mike Pniewski Michael Pniewski (born April 20, 1961) is an American actor and public speaker. Life and career Pniewski was born in Los Angeles, California. His education began at UCLA, where he graduated in 1983 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Theater and al ...

– actor, speaker *

Jaime Soto Jaime Soto (born December 31, 1955) is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He has been serving as bishop of the Diocese of Sacramento in Northern California since 2007. He previously served as an auxiliary bishop of the Dioces ...

–

Bishop A bishop is an ordained clergy member who is entrusted with a position of authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance of dioceses. The role or office of bishop is ca ...

of the

Diocese of Sacramento The Diocese of Sacramento is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in the northern California region of the United States. The diocese's see is Sacramento, it is led by a bishop who pastors the mother church ...

Victory Tischler-Blue Victory Tischler-Blue (born September 16, 1959) is an American film producer, director, writer, musician and photographer. She was born and raised in Newport Beach, California. Tischler-Blue began working in the entertainment industry at age 17, ...

– singer, film producer, director, photographer, and member of the

all-female band An all-female band is a musical group in popular music that is exclusively composed of female musicians. This is distinct from a girl group, in which the female members are solely vocalists, though this terminology is not universally followed. While ...

The Runaways The Runaways were an all-female American rock band who recorded and performed from 1975 to 1979. The band released four studio albums and one live album during its run. Among their best-known songs are "Cherry Bomb", " Hollywood", "Queens of N ...

Jennifer Warnes Jennifer Jean Warnes (born March 3, 1947) is an American singer and songwriter. She has performed as a vocalist on a number of film soundtracks. She has won two Grammy Awards, in 1983 for the Joe Cocker duet "Up Where We Belong" and in 1987 fo ...

– singer, songwriter, arranger, and record producer *

Juan Zarate Juan Carlos Zarate is an American attorney and security advisor who served as the deputy national security advisor for combating terrorism during the George W. Bush administration. He is the chairman and co-founder of the Financial Integrity Netw ...

(1989) – Assistant Secretary of the Treasury (2001–2005) and Deputy National Security Advisor for Combating Terrorism (2005–2009) *

Shelby Rabara Shelby Ann Narito Rabara Shum (née Rabara; born October 5, 1983) is an American actress and dancer who has appeared in a number of films, television series and commercials as both an actress and a dancer. Rabara is known for providing the voice ...

– actress, voice over actress, and dancer

References

External links

* {{authority control Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange Catholic secondary schools in California High schools in Santa Ana, California Educational institutions established in 1950 1950 establishments in California