De La Salle High School

Founding and Early History

 In 1899, looking for “. . . high-minded, conscientious, public-spirited men . . .” Joseph Benoist bequeathed $70,000 (Today's equivalent of $2.6 million in 2024) to the Christian Brothers to open a school in Kansas City. After delays, the building was completed in 1910. The original school served two grammar school grades which were eventually dropped in favor of the growing high school-aged population. The school also served as the Preparatory Seminary for the Diocese.

Academic Excellence and Athletic Rivalries

Devoted to training young men for careers in business, the Academy maintained an outstanding academic reputation. In 1937, in conjunction with nearby Manual High School, students took advanced courses in many fields, including Aeronautics, introduced during World War II, when the school became the 8^th Military Academy run by the Brothers. It remained a military school until 1960.

For 50 years, the school’s biggest athletic rivalry was the football game for the “Little Brown Jug” pitting the Christian Brothers of De La Salle against the Jesuits of Rockhurst. The final game of the rivalry was won by De La Salle, 34 – 27. A 50-yard touchdown pass from Jim White to Carl Robins sealed the victory. The De La Salle team also won the State Football Championship that year.

Legacy of De La Salle Academy

Born of the gift of one man’s life savings, the young men and women of De La Salle Academy proved worthy of Joseph Benoist’s trust by fulfilling his greatest wish, that “. . . the human family, irrespective of creed, color or nationality, will reap the benefit of our work.”

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