Founding Fathers: Dooley, Maxwell and Keaney x2 (1910-1941)
The Catholic Youth Council (CYC) athletic program was officially established in 1941. This year marks our 76th year service to the young people of the St. Louis Archdiocese. However the roots of the CYC and the start of the Archdiocesan involvement with youth athletic programs extends back near the beginning of the twentieth century. Those early days of “The American Century” also saw the beginnings of what would become today’s CYC.
The first Sodality and Parochial leagues began around 1909-10 and were run by the Christian Brothers of the old Christian Brothers College Prep located at North Kingshighway and Easton. This site later became Sherman Park following the 1916 fire that destroyed the school. Three sports were premier at that time; baseball, soccer and the St. Louis invention and staple, cork ball. Sports such as tennis and golf were not generally available to the mostly poor immigrant parishioners. These leagues included many north side parishes like St. Matthew, St. Leo, Sacred Heart and St. Theresa. The success of these efforts was due in great part to the participation of the local parish priests.
The early days of these leagues were hindered by the unavailability of fields to play the games. Most games had to be played on vacant lots or parish land because the parks were just that, parks with grass and flowers and lots of signs telling everyone to stay off the grass and out of the flowers. Youth athletics, organized or not, were considered by many as a “nuisance”. With the help of Dwight Davis, City Park Commissioner and future tennis icon, two fields were developed to accommodate the needs of the leagues. Soccer began in the fall of 1912 and proved successful leading to the first baseball leagues the following spring of 1913. To meet the needs of the post grade school youngsters the Muny leagues were formed by a group of interested St. Louisians. These leagues catered to high school aged athletes, wishing to play non-high school sports particularly soccer. 1916 saw the start of the basketball program followed in quick order by tennis, golf and swimming. Leagues began to flourish in both numbers and enthusiasm thanks in great part to the Catholic parish involvement. Later, in 1928, the old Sodality leagues affiliated with the Muny with their own special rules in order to keep their parish identity
The various leagues continued play in the 1930’s and early 1940’s with co-operation of City Parks, Catholic parishes, local business and the St. Louis community at large. The number of teams and players varied during that period as the city and indeed, the country battled through the Great Depression, the industrialization of the economy, the influx of tens of thousands of immigrants and of course the impending start of World War II.
In the spring of 1937 the administrative board of the National Catholic Welfare Conference established the National Catholic Youth Council. National approval followed in the fall of that same year in Washington DC. The Bishop of each (Arch) Diocese was to establish a youth program that offered a balanced approach through a program of spiritual, athletic, cultural, civic, social and physical development. In writings found from the early days of organization the athletic part of the program was encouraged to “concentrate on getting as many members as possible to participate regardless of skill or ability” Sports competition was to be utilized to” develop character, make a man courageous, a generous loser and a gracious victor.”
The ground work for the start of the CYC Sports program was laid over the next few years using the vision and talents of men like Msgr. P.J.. Dooley, Father Bart Keaney , his brother Father Mel Keaney, John Cardinal Glennon and his successor Archbishop Joseph Ritter. It was Archbishop Glennon who selected the first Director of the CYC when he appointed Fr. Charles P. Maxwell in 1941. Father Maxwell was, at the time running the newly organized Boys Club of St. Louis which years later would become the Boys and Girls Club International. During that first year the total CYC youth participation was a modest 912. A start that most definitely belied what the next six decades would bring.
