Groundbreaking of Athletics and Student Activities Complex at Moreau Catholic High School

Moreau Catholic High School begins the transformation of its “largest classroom” with the Groundbreaking Ceremony of its new Athletics and Student Activities Complex on Feb. 8 at 9:30 a.m. 

To mark this occasion, the school will gather players and coaches of its original teams, as well as its Hall of Fame inductees, on its field to honor their contribution to Moreau Catholic’s athletic legacy. 

As an important milestone in the school’s $5 million Campaign for Champions, the capital campaign to support the construction of the new facilities, other special guests at the ceremony will include Hayward and East Bay civic leaders, members of the Diocese of Oakland, and prominent campaign donors, including the Fremont Bank Foundation and the Moreau Catholic Booster Club.

Among the Mariner Hall of Famers who will be in attendance is Al Vermeil, a legendary Moreau football coach who has since become the only strength and conditioning coach to win championships in both the NFL, with the San Francisco 49ers, and the NBA, with the Chicago Bulls. 

Thanks to the initiative of hundreds of his former football players, Moreau Catholic will name the football field the “Al Vermeil Field.” 

Moreau Catholic President Terry Lee said “We are excited to break ground on this vital project to make sure that Moreau Catholic’s facilities match our mission and goals for outstanding achievement. We are also honored that our beloved Coach has agreed to lend his name to the field. This top-of-the-line, all-weather turf field is a fitting tribute to his accomplishments and contributions to the Moreau Catholic community in perpetuity.”

The field, along with school’s entire, new state-of-the-art athletic facilities, is slated to be unveiled in Fall 2014. This complex will include an eight-lane track, new bleachers and press box, energy-efficient lights, scoreboard, sound system, entryway and landscaping. It will also serve as a community resource as part of the school’s tradition of providing facilities to local organizations.

The school is honored to be contributing to the transformation of their neighborhood in Hayward. 

Recent upgrades at Moreau Catholic have included the redesign of its entryway on Mission Boulevard, an enhanced Library and Learning Commons, and modernization of its science laboratories and television production, digital arts and photography studios. 

“The Campaign for Champions and its renovation program are a sign of our commitment to a learning environment that breeds excellence,” says Lisa Tortorich, Moreau Catholic’s new Principal.

To learn more about the Campaign for Champions, visitcampaignforchampions.com.

For information on how to pay tribute to Coach Al Vermeil, as well as for other naming opportunities and corporate sponsorship packages, please contact: 

President Terry Lee at tlee@moreaucatholic.org or (510) 881-4322.

or

Moreau Catholic High School

27170 Mission Boulevard

Hayward, California 94544

Phone: (510) 881-4300

moreaucatholic.org

Born in Calistoga, California, Al Vermeil was a natural football player but also excelled in baseball and track and field. He played for his brother, Dick, at Napa Valley College, then as an all-star linebacker with Utah State.  Al is in both the Calistoga and Napa College Sports Halls of Fame and was Honorable Mention All American both in high school and at Napa College. Upon earning a master’s degree in physical education at Kansas State University, he began as assistant coach at Casa Roble High School in Orangevale, CA.  Al then came to Moreau High School in 1973 with a mission.

In six seasons at Moreau, Al Vermeil maintained an 82% win rate in the Catholic Athletic League, leading the Mariners to nine football championships, including three at the varsity level. He earned the 1975 CAL Coach of the Year Award, and was inducted into the Moreau Catholic Hall of Fame in 2007. In 2013, he inducted his 1975 CAL Championship football team into the same Hall of Fame.

Al is the only person to hold a head strength coach position with teams in the National Football League, National Basketball Association and Major League Baseball. He is the only strength coach to have World Championship rings from both the NFL and NBA. He was an inaugural inductee into the National Strength and Conditioning Association Coaches Hall of Fame in 2003 and Legends in the Field by the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association in 2007. In July 2012 Al received the Boyd Epley Award for Lifetime Achievement from the National Strength and Conditioning Association.

Al is now retired with his wife Diane and resides in Loveland, Ohio. Their daughter Elizabeth lives with her husband Paul Thornberry and their three children, Kendall, Joey and Lily. Their late son Lance was a successful strength and conditioning coach in his own right. In 2002 Lance was the strength and conditioning coach for the Western Kentucky University 1AA National Championship football team.  From Western Kentucky University he advanced to the University of Iowa and later to The University of Alabama.

Today, Al and Diane enjoy spending most of their time with their grandchildren.

Information provided by Moreau Catholic High School