Benedictine Ravens

The Ravens won the NAIA Tournament in Kansas City in 1954 and 1967, both under NAIA Hall of Fame coach Ralph Nolan.

In 1954, St. Benedict's College (now Benedictine) defeated East Carolina (68–61), St. Ambrose (74–50), Pasadena (62–61) and Arkansas Tech (63–59) on its way to the championship game. The Ravens defeated Western Illinois 62–59 at Municipal Auditorium.

In 1967, the Ravens entered the tournament as the No. 1 seed. They defeated Linfield (80–75), Southern Arkansas State (67–56), St. Mary's (88–73) and Morris Harvey (73–70) to reach the championship game. St. Benedict's won its second title with a 71–65 victory over Oklahoma Baptist.

Benedictine has made 11 appearances in the NAIA Tournament, most recently in 2019.

The Ravens qualified for the NAIA in 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2019 under coach Ryan Moody.

St. Benedict's played in the first NAIA Tournament in 1937 as one of eight teams in the field in Kansas City. The Ravens also qualified in 1953, 1958, 1965 and 1970. The 1965 Ravens advanced to the final eight of the 32-team field. St. Benedict's also won Central Intercollegiate Conference titles in 1953, 1954 and 1958.

In 2014, Benedictine made its first appearance since 1970 and won its opening game over Westminster (70–65). The 2019 Ravens entered the tournament with a 30–3 record. They defeated Westmont (90–85) before falling to Pikeville 83–79 in double overtime.

In 2020, The Kansas City Star named Darryl Jones, a star of the 1967 team, and Nolan to its all-time NAIA Tournament team.[2]

The Ravens own 15 NAIA playoff appearances, including a runner-up finish in 2018 and trips to the semifinals in 1992 and 2001. They made eight appearances in nine seasons between 1995 and 2003.

As St. Benedict's, the Ravens made their first appearance in 1958 as one of four NAIA playoff teams.

The 2018 Ravens went 13–2 to set a school record for season victories. They won the Heart of America Athletic Conference North Division title. In the NAIA playoffs, they defeated Cumberlands (48–41), Concordia (54–38) and Kansas Wesleyan (43–21) to advance to the NAIA title game. Top-ranked Morningside defeated Benedictine 35–28 in Daytona Beach, Fla.

More than 3,000 Benedictine fans traveled to the game.

St. Benedict's started football in 1920 and the program enjoyed several high points in its early years. The school dropped football after the 1962 season. Varsity football returned in 1973.

Coach Larry Wilcox, a former Ravens offensive lineman, took over the program in 1979 and presided over its transformation into a consistent winner and regular NAIA playoff qualifier. The Ravens play in Larry Wilcox Stadium, opened in 1998, on campus. In 1990, the Ravens moved into the Amino Center locker room, offices and weight room. Benedictine expanded the facility in 2004 and 2007.

Wilcox was inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame in 2017. He ranks second among active NAIA coaches with 294 wins (151 losses). He coached the Ravens to 14 of their 15 NAIA playoff appearances.

St. Benedict's played in its first bowl game in 1956 under coach Ivan Schottel. The Ravens defeated Northeastern Oklahoma State 14–13 in the Mineral Water Bowl in Excelsior Springs, Mo. Since resuming football, the Ravens won the 1976 Boot Hill Bowl and the 1991 Steamboat Bowl. They lost in the 1977 Boot Hill Bowl and the 1986 Sunflower Bowl.

St. Benedict's won its first conference title in 1940 under coach Marty Peters. The Ravens went 4–0 in the Central Intercollegiate Conference with wins over Fort Hays State, Pittsburg State, Southwestern and Emporia State. Schottel became coach in 1953 and won or shared CIC titles in 1953, 1956, 1958, 1959 and 1960. The 1958 Ravens went 10–1, losing to Northeastern Oklahoma in the NAIA Wester Playoff.

St. Benedict's also enjoyed a notable run of success in the 1930s under coach Moon Mullins. He coached five seasons and went 37–5-1, capped by an 8–0 season in 1936.

Benedictine played as an independent after resuming football in 1973. It resumed CIC rivalries against schools such as Washburn and Emporia State at times, and also regularly played Missouri Western. After years of lobbying (and a short run in the Tri-State Conference), Benedictine joined the Heart of America in 1992 and shared the conference title with Baker.

The Ravens went 9–0 in the Heart in 1995 to win its second title. It also won Heart titles in 1997, 1998, 2000 and 2013. It claimed Heart North Division titles in 2017 and 2018.

Those three schools, in different eras, often marked pivotal dates on the schedule. Pittsburg State was an NAIA power in the 1950s, often battling with St. Benedict's for the CIC crown. Jewell also enjoyed great success in that time as a member of the MCAU and the schools often met in the regular-season finale.

Baker and Benedictine heated up as rivals in 1992 when the Ravens joined the Heart of America Conference. While Benedictine no longer plays Pitt State and Jewell (both are NCAA Division II schools), the series with Baker continues as a high point on the schedule.

In the 1950s, games against Pittsburg State often decided the CIC title. From 1955–61, the Ravens and Gorillas combined to win all seven championships. In 1953, the Ravens shared the CIC crown with Washburn. A year later, Fort Hays State won the title to interrupt the SBC/Pitt State dominance.

In 1957, Pitt State handed the Ravens their lone loss (17–13 in Pittsburg), and the Gorillas went 11–0 to win the NAIA title. In 1958, St. Benedict's defeated the Gorillas 26-19 on its way to the NAIA playoffs. In 1959, St. Benedict's won 13–12, Pitt State's lone CIC loss. In 1960, the Ravens won again (41-19) to hand the Gorillas their lone defeat in an 8-1 season.

The Ravens did not lose a CIC game in 1958, 1959 and 1960.

William Jewell, which won seven MCAU titles from 1950 to 1960 also served as an important rival during those days. The 1958 Ravens completed an unbeaten regular season and clinched the NAIA playoff spot with a 21–20 win over Jewell. A year later, the Ravens again won the season finale over the Cardinals (25–21) to ruin Jewell's run at an unbeaten season. Again in 1960, the Ravens handed Jewell its lone defeat in the season finale, this time 34–13.

BC's move to the Heart in 1992 helped scheduling and added importance to rivalry games against Jewell and Baker.

The Ravens shared the Heart title in its first year as a member, going 7–1 in the Heart and 11-2 overall. It avenged a regular-season loss to Baker with a 21–14 win in the NAIA playoff quarterfinals at Amelia Earhart Stadium in Atchison.

The rivalry with William Jewell returned to prominence in the 1980s. The Cardinals dominated the Heart early in the decade and made NAIA playoff appearances in 1980, 1981, 1982 and 1983. They finished as NAIA runner-up in 1982.

In 1985, Jewell won the Heart title and played host to the unbeaten Ravens in the regular-season finale. Benedictine won 35–17 to improve to 10–0 and wrap up its first NAIA berth since 1958. The win snapped a five-game losing streak to Jewell and signaled a shift in the series. Benedictine went 19–6 against Jewell since that 1985 game until 2010, when Jewell left the Heart. The series ended with three straight wins by the Ravens by scores of 47–3, 24–7 and 21–0.

The rivalry with Baker continues.

Like Jewell, Baker was an NAIA power in the early 1980s and presented an obstacle as Benedictine built its program. Either Baker or Jewell (or both) won 12 of 13 Heart of America titles from 1979 to 1991. While Jewell played BC regularly, Baker and Benedictine did not become consistent opponents until the Ravens joined the Heart.

The series with Baker hit a high point early with the two meetings in 1992.

St. Benedict's College joined the Central Intercollegiate Conference in 1938. It left the CIC after dropping football in 1962. The basketball team continued to play a round robin schedule against its former CIC rivals (such as Washburn, Emporia State, Fort Hays State and Pittsburg State) into the 1980s.

From 1902 to 1928, St. Benedict's was a member of the Kansas College Athletic Conference.

In 1988, Benedictine joined the four-team Tri-State Conference, a football-only affiliation that lasted three seasons.

For most of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, the Ravens competed as an independent in NAIA District 10, which provided post-season competition and individual honors.

In 1992, Benedictine joined the Heart of America Athletic Conference for all sports, a group that the school had long targeted for its geographic and institutional fit.

• The Ballpark at Benedictine: Baseball[3]
• BC Softball Field: Softball[3]
• The Haverty Center: Practice facilities, Cheer offices[3]
• John Casey Soccer Center: Soccer, Lacrosse[3]
• Laughlin Track at Larry Wilcox Stadium: Track and Field[3]
• Mother Teresa Center: Athletic Training Facility[3]
• O'Malley Field at Larry Wilcox Stadium: Football[3]
• Ralph Nolan Gymnasium: Basketball and Volleyball[3]

The mascot "Rocky" is associated with St. Benedict, as legend has it a raven would bring the sixth-century saint food during his time as a hermit in the mountains near Subiaco, Italy. The legend also has the raven saving St. Benedict from eating poisoned bread.

• Irv Comp, starting quarterback of the Green Bay Packers, member of the 1944 NFL Championship team
• Kyle Greig, professional soccer player having played in Major League Soccer and the United Soccer League, played at Benedictine from 2008 through 2011
• Terry Hanson, athlete and coach in Ravens Hall of Fame who went on to a successful career in pro sports and the media
• Darryl Jones, athlete led 1967 basketball team to NAIA National Championship, NAIA All-American and All-Decade team selection. drafted by NBA's San Diego Rockets prior their move to Houston
• Jamie Mueller, professional running back for the Buffalo Bills (1987–1990)
• Chris Tabor, Special teams coordinator for the Cleveland Browns (2011–2017) and the Chicago Bears (2018–present)

• Official website