De La Salle Football: Christian Brothers Classic
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After St. Joe’s High School closed in 1964, Detroit was left with one Christian Brothers school, De La Salle, but from north and east of the city limits, a new school staffed by Christian Brothers was emerging. Its initial name was Our Lady Queen of Peace High School, but the name changed in 1962 to Bishop Gallagher High School after the former Detroit Bishop who coincidentally enough presided over the groundbreaking of De La Salle in 1925.
The co-ed school was founded in 1960 by a collection of three Detroit and Harper Woods parishes: Our Lady Queen of Peace, St. Matthew, and St. Philomena. After St. Joe's closed, it was fitting that a rivalry would develop with the remaining Christian Brothers high school in the area, a rivalry only "Brother" schools can have with each other. While the first football game between the two school’s did not occur until 1969 when two St. Joe’s alums, Al Baumgart (who at the time was coaching at De La Salle) and Thomas Martilotti (who at the time was coaching at Bishop Gallagher) started the football tradition, this rivalry quickly divided grade schools, neighborhoods, alumni, and even families throughout Detroit’s east side.
From 1969 to 2001, De La Salle and Bishop Gallagher played each other 27 times, with De La Salle winning 20 of the 27 matchups over their Eastside rival. But this game meant something more to those involved. Every time the two teams met on the gridiron, everyone knew what at stake – The Propeller. The Propeller was a 100 pound airplane propeller painted purple and gold on one side for De La Salle and blue and white (coincidentally the same colors as St. Joe's) on the other for Bishop Gallagher. The winner of the “Christian Brothers Classic,” as it was known, not only owned bragging rights, but also earned the right to proudly hang the Propeller in the school for the remainder of the school year. The tradition was sadly brought to an end in 2001 when Bishop Gallagher won the Propeller for the last time, beating De La Salle 25-21. Bishop Gallagher proceeded to close at the end of the 2001-2002 school year, thereby ending the rivalry. The current whereabouts of the Propeller are unknown, but it is presumed to be in the possession of a current Catholic League head coach who formerly coached at Bishop Gallagher. If found, it will hopefully be returned to De La Salle where future generations of Pilots can learn about its glorious past and what role it played in the history of De La Salle football.
Christian Brothers Classic - All Time Series
| Year | De La Salle | Bishop Gallagher |
| 1969 | 8 | 0 |
| 1971 | 7 | 0 |
| 1972 | 10 | 22 |
| 1974 | 22 | 6 |
| 1975 (2OT) | 26 | 20 |
| 1976 | 18 | 6 |
| 1977 (2OT) | 26 | 32 |
| 1978 | 21 | 0 |
| 1979 | 12 | 0 |
| 1980 | 14 | 7 |
| 1981 | 28 | 12 |
| 1983 | 35 | 0 |
| 1984 (2OT) | 24 | 23 |
| 1985 | 8 | 7 |
| 1986 | 7 | 3 |
| 1987 | 6 | 0 |
| 1988 | 0 | 7 |
| 1989 | 22 | 29 |
| 1990 | 48 | 0 |
| 1991 | 33 | 14 |
| 1992 | 13 | 19 |
| 1993 | 27 | 6 |
| 1995 | 26 | 0 |
| 1996 | 35 | 20 |
| 1997 | 0 | 13 |
| 2000 | 24 | 7 |
| 2001 | 21 | 25 |
All Time Series: De La Salle 20, Bishop Gallagher 7
Coaches
De La Salle (Record In CBC Games)
Al Baumgart - 1969 to 1973 (2-1)
John Maronto - 1974 to 1984 (9-1)
Ray Barr - 1985 to 1988 (3-1)
Ross MacDonald - 1989 to 1999 (5-3)
Tim Brandon - 2000 to 2001 (1-1)
Bishop Gallagher (Record In CBC Games)
Thomas Martilotti - 1969 to 1972 (1-2)
George Sahadi - 1973 to 2001 (6-18)
Longest Win Streak In Series
De La Salle - 9 (1978 to 1987)
Bishop Gallagher - 2 (1988 & 1989)
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