SJCI Reflections is a collection of memories and stories shared by alumni. These pieces highlight moments, friendships, and experiences from school days that continue to stand out years later.
New reflections may be added over time, with the most recent appearing at the top of the page.
St. James Collegiate Football: 1959, The Inaugural Year
George Moore, the Phys Ed Supervisor for the Division, was the real spearhead in getting football for the Jimmies, but we couldn't play in the Winnipeg High School Football League in that first season of 1959-60. It was a closed shop. I suspect more the reason was that we might be too competitive. SJCI at the time had one of the biggest student populations.
Barry Roseborough (d.1992) was chosen to be the first coach (also taught Phys ed 1959-60). He was a Winnipegger who had been the backup QB for the Bombers. The other coaches were George Moore and Ron ‘Pepe’ Latourelle, also a Bomber (1955-64) at the time. There were also some unofficial coaches -- members of the Blue Bombers, some of them Hall of Fame players too. (At that time, the Bombers played out of the Winnipeg Stadium, located just north of Polo Park Shopping Center.)
The Jimmies were loaded with talent and size. The first game was a mini-game of one 15 minute quarter of what was an annual charity event held at the Stadium. SJCI opened against Sisler and “we beat them up pretty well in that 15 minutes. Apparently the Sisler coach was speechless that we would be that good”.
The first full game was against Gordon Bell at our field. The Jimmies won most of the games we played which included one against a team from Landmark MB. Since SJCI was locked out of the WHSFL, the Jimmies played whomever they could.
There were some very good players that year, some of whom went on to college careers -- Gord Irwin, Len Mackling, and Gord Brown who was the most successful. He got a full ride to the University of Oklahoma Sooners, was the last cut of the NFL St. Louis Rams, and then played several years with the Bombers. Giant tackle Ross Headon eventually made it to the Bombers as well.
-Thanks to Maurice Hogue
Left to right
In Front Les Burnell mgr., Coach Barry Roseborough*, Keith Potter* mgr.
First Row Gord Irvin, Rich Whiting, Ron Bartlett, Bruce Cromb*, Wayne Smith, Brian Thomas*, _____
Second Row Rod McQuarrie*, _____, _____, Mike Valk, Jim Grant*, Jim Allan, Ron Leitold
Third Row Doug Smith, Gord Watson, John Harvey, Lyndon Carter, Aubrey Lytle, Neil Cooper, Lorne McCulley
Fourth Row Brian Middleton, Jim Milne, Howie McMillan*, Frank Bailey, Gord Brown*, Ed Roe, Lenny Mackling
Fifth Row Herb Cooper*, Bob Buckberrough*, Bob Millar*, Bob Butler, Moe Hogue, Roy Pakulak, Ross Headon*
Missing from picture Assistant coaches Ron Latourelle, George Moore, various members of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Deceased
Give It a Try* The Glory Years of the SJCI Rugby Program
St. James Collegiate had a rugby program for the first twenty-one years of school rugby play in Winnipeg.
The program was started by Phys Ed teacher Steve Cara ((1968-80). Steve knew the students in the school and thought they would be well suited to rugby. Players took to the game. The rugby program was much more cost effective than football which had been played previously.
SJCI participated in the first school rugby competition in 1973. The team was successful in the tournament. The players liked rugby and were keen to join the school rugby league when it started in 1974. St. James earned a spot in the final at the end of the first season. They lost a hard fought final to St. John’s. The nucleus of the team continued the following season. Steve’s prediction was correct and the players decided to create a senior men’s team – the St. James Zots.
The Jimmies had a number of strong players over the first twenty years. Some of the most notable were Bill Zubrack and Erik Luinenberg - both have been inducted into the Manitoba Rugby Hall of Fame. Some of the other strong players include Dave Birt, Tom Schioler, Keith Grant, Dave Feniuk, Vince Runchey and Jeff Ward. Vince returned after graduation to give several years service to SJCI as a coach.
Of note, during the second last season of 1993, SJCI was victorious as second division winners.
SJCI was fortunate to have three teachers lead the program. Steve Cara started the program. When Steve moved to John Taylor, Mark Carlow(1980-90) took over the program. In 1984, Jim Feasby (1984-1997) assumed leadership and led the program until 1994. Jim has been inducted into the Manitoba Rugby Hall of Fame as a builder – making three Jimmies who have been inducted.
* Scoring in rugby is called a ‘try’
The Fire of '85 (Part 1)
It was the spring of 1985 one late evening Vice Principal Dorothy Young received a call from the police that there was a fire at The Collegiate, and she had to get to the school immediately. The fire inspector said that the fire has started in the marketing teacher's office and then quickly spread to the adjacent classroom and then south along the west to the staff room and
cafeteria. While contained to those areas, the smoke damage was extensive throughout the complex.
Quickly, Ms. Young phoned all the teachers and had teachers phone their students that classes were cancelled that day (you have to remember this was pre-email and pre-cell phone) She also had to make arrangements to open up the recently mothballed Deer Lodge Junior High and then create a hand timetable (again, this is pre computer and pre AI) for all of the students from grades 7 to 12; yes, at that time, SJC I was a 7 to 12 school.
But Deer Lodge wasn't big enough for all the students. Necessity being the mother of invention Ms. Young created a timetable for staggered hours. Grade 10-12 students attended in the morning and the 7 to 9 students in the afternoon. In that way the older students could easily make their part time jobs and the younger students got to sleep in. There were a few teachers - I was one of them who taught at both levels at SJCI and wound up teaching the entire day basically from 7:00 am until 5:00pm.
It was a remarkable accomplishment. We hardly missed a beat thanks to the herculean efforts of Ms. Young, the teachers, maintenance crews from SJC I and the Division and, yes, the students-we made it work!
(with recollections from Ms. Young and Mr. D.)
To Be Continued…
SJCI and Legion #4 (Part 1)
St James Collegiate and The Royal Canadian Legion #4 have had a significant relationship for over 75 years. Many of the World War II veterans’ children attended SJC I so it was a natural relationship.
The members of the Legion were ordinary Canadians who made extraordinary sacrifices. Each year, members of the Legion and the Ladies Auxiliary attended our Undergrad and Grad ceremonies bringing bursary and scholarship money with them.
In turn, SJC I honored the veterans’ wartime sacrifice and support in a variety of ways. Mrs. Phillips and her art students painted a full wall mural in the front foyer by Room 1. On that wall, we hung two large, framed plaques with the names of the veterans from the St. James area. Those who paid the supreme sacrifice had a Gold Star affixed beside their name. Several years later, Ms. Bachewich and her art students gave the mural a fresh coat of paint.
Our students assembled in the gym each November to honour our veterans with poetry read and hymns sung by students and the plaintiff music of one of our student or staff pipers. Perhaps, it was Mr. Workman who played reveille on the trumpet Mr. D would give a speech highlighting a wartime anniversary. In 1994, he spoke of the 50th Anniversary of D-Day, in 2001 of the 60th year of the Battle of Hong Kong, in 2004 the death of our young men in faraway places. At the end of the assembly, our Student Council President accompanied an honoured veteran guest to lay a wreath at our Memorial Wall.
Over the years, that mural was a stopping point for visitors to the school. For the students, it was one way of saying….
“To our veterans past and present, Thank you for this freedom. Thank you for this great country. Thank you, from this grateful country.”
To Be Continued…
Jimmie's Gyms
“Which gym do you remember?”
“Do you mean there was more than one?”
“ Yes - three in fact!”
When SJCI opened in 1951-52, it sported a gym that served multiple purposes. Of course, it was a sports venue for practices and interschool games. But, with a growing student population, a second gym was added in the 60s; the original gym would serve new roles.
Remember the magnificent Broadway style productions produced by Mr. Gardner – “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum”, “The Music Man” and “How To Succeed in Business”? During the school day it became a supervised study hall. Were you one who skipped out to “study” across the street at The Avenue”?
That gym also had a couple of firsts. Bob MacGregor created the first radio station in a St. James Division school. He and his crew spun tunes on a hi-fi that played throughout what had now become a student lounge.
Student Council inaugurated the first student cafeteria there. Student Councillors hustled down before noon to start up the fry pans for perogies, grilled cheese, and to set out home baking desserts from Tom’s mother. Later Mr. Kaleta and the business department students operated it.
Today that area is the Autobody Shop and Mr. Skryba was the instructor for over twenty years.
What are your memories of the ‘Old Gym’?
