WARREN — It wasn’t a typical sight to see the Pilots from the De La Salle Collegiate's varsity bowling team walking in the bowling alley wearing blue and white uniform jerseys on a recent match day.
The jerseys said “St. Joe’s,” along with a blue jay mascot, referring to the Detroit all-boys Catholic high school that closed in 1964. What was that about?
Jay Lang, current De La Salle bowling coach, was more than happy to bring it to light.
“The varsity boys had asked about an alternate jersey last season due to the fact that we bowl a lot of back-to-back day tournaments and meets,” Lang said. “They said it was a pain to get the jerseys washed, dried fresh for the next day. So I suggested another option and a player said, ‘How about a throwback?’"
Lang was briefly taken aback, and gave his players an inquisitive look. He wasn’t sure how to move forward with their idea, asking them, "How do we do a throwback when we've always had the same purple-and-gold colors and Pilot mascot?"
“Most were in agreement that it was hard to do a throwback, so there were talks for a few more minutes, and I said, ‘Unless you're talking about doing a St. Joe's jersey?’" Lang said. “They looked at me and asked if we could do that.”
The Pilots will don their regular De La Salle jersey if it's a one-day bowling event, but will wear the St. Joe's jerseys if the team bowls consecutive days, Lang explained.
Since then, spectators and opposing team members have asked about the jerseys.
“A coach from another school asked if we merged with another school. A parent in the crowd asked me where St. Joe's is located because they weren't familiar with the school. But my favorite question was, ‘When did you leave DLS to coach another school?’” said Lang, who is also a member of the De La Salle Hall of Fame, inducted in 2022.
“My answer was the same for all three questions: I laughed and explained that the jerseys were a tribute to the camaraderie between DLS and St. Joe’s," Lang said. "The response has been positive and the boys absolutely love them.”
St. Joseph’s High School, also founded by the Christian Brothers, was De La Salle’s biggest rival from 1926 until 1964, when the school closed its doors. De La Salle took in many of its students, with approximately 60 students finishing their senior year at De La Salle Collegiate (then located at Conner and Glenfield in Detroit).
To this day, St. Joe’s alumni still attend De La Salle senior alumni luncheons, the Christian Brothers’ Dinner and other school events. In addition, a hallway in the school is dedicated to the memory of St. Joe's High School.
John Gawryk is one such alumnus, who hails from St. Joseph High School’s Class of 1958.
“It’s absolutely wonderful to see current students paying tribute to St. Joe’s,” he said. “I’m extremely proud to be a Blue Jay and to see that it is still represented.”
He’s thrilled to see the jerseys have given new life to the memory of his alma mater. “The kids look great in their blue-and-white jerseys,” he said. “I wish them great success this season.”
For James Spicuzzi, a junior on the varsity bowling team, “wearing the St. Joe's jerseys reflect on our long heritage as De La Salle students, and show the journey that we took. I feel that the St. Joe’s jerseys reflect the brotherhood of not only our current team, but also the many teams prior; we don't just bowl for ourselves but we bowl for our team and the alumni who support us.”
Fellow teammate Jacob Fester, a junior, echoed his thoughts.
“It means to show the true spirit of our school and the evolution of how it came about to where it is now,” he said. “I feel that not just in bowling. but also as a school, it shows how things have changed but still resemble a true brotherhood. I feel it definitely reflects our brotherhood as it shows we can represent De La Salle in many ways, even through a uniform.”
Their coach agreed.
“The brotherhood is obviously very strong and has a very deep history,” Lang said. “I think the jerseys are a great tribute to those who have come before us. We will wear them with pride and we hope to make our brothers proud.”
