Moment 01 — 1914
1914
Born on Broadway
In September 1914, Holy Name High School opened its doors as part of Holy Name Church at Harvard and Broadway, in the heart of Cleveland’s south side.
The parish itself was already a cornerstone of the neighborhood. Holy Name Church had celebrated its first Mass in 1854 under Bishop Amadeus Rappe, and grew into one of the first substantially Irish churches in Cleveland — a heritage that still echoes in our school colors and our nickname today.
One of the first private, co‑educational Catholic high schools in the Cleveland area.
From the start, Holy Name was something new. It welcomed both young men and young women through its doors at a time when that was far from the norm. Affiliated with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cleveland, the school set out to form not just scholars, but people of faith and character — a mission that has never changed.
Moment 02 — Early 1920s
1920s
The Green Wave Is Born
Our mascot was born in the early 1920s. Holy Name’s football team played with such coordination that opponents described facing them like being engulfed by a giant green wave — calculated, relentless, impossible to hold back. The green also honors the school’s deep Irish roots.
Calculated, relentless, impossible to hold back.
To this day, our teams are the Green Wave, and our scrappy underdog spirit earned a second beloved nickname: the “Little Davids,” for the way Holy Name took down far larger schools.
The wave lives on our seal, too. The Holy Name crest carries the Greek letters Chi (X) and Rho (P), the first two letters of the name of Christ. The letters rest upon a wave and are encircled by the school’s name and founding date — faith and identity bound together in a single symbol.
Moment 03 — 1926
1926
“The School’s The Thing”
Our motto was adopted in 1926, when the phrase first appeared in the school paper. The article that introduced it was pointed in its message: personal glory in any single field of school life means very little. What matters is the school, the community, and the good of all — a value that still anchors Holy Name a century later.
The School’s The Thing. Together, we rise.— Holy Name’s motto, adopted 1926
Moment 04 — 1937
1937
The Alma Mater
On May 13, 1937, John “Jack” T. Hearns composed the Holy Name Alma Mater. Known as the “Music Man of Cleveland,” Hearns had won John Philip Sousa’s Silver Cup in 1929 as director of the Parmadale band and went on to lead the John Carroll University band.
His melody for Holy Name remains ours alone.
He also wrote the alma mater for St. Ignatius High School — but his melody for Holy Name remains ours alone.
Moment 05 — 1946 & 1961
1946
The Charity Game
Few schools our size have left a bigger mark on Cleveland sports. On November 23, 1946, Holy Name played in the annual Charity Game — the city’s high school championship — against longtime rival Cathedral Latin at Cleveland Municipal Stadium. The crowd numbered 70,955, still the second-largest attendance for any high school football game in American history. Cathedral Latin won that day, 35–6.
70,955 fans — the second-largest crowd in American high school football history.
Fifteen years later, the Little Davids got their revenge. In 1961, a Holy Name squad led by future college-coaching legend Frank Solich beat Cathedral Latin 12–7 to win the Charity Game, with Solich running for 184 yards and two scores. The Green Wave went on to claim an OHSAA state football championship in 1975, followed by state titles in baseball (1981), girls’ soccer (2006), and volleyball (2018).
Moment 06 — 1977
1977
A New Home
By the 1970s, Holy Name had outgrown its original Broadway Avenue home. In 1977, the high school moved to 6000 Queens Highway in Parma Heights, settling into the former Nazareth Academy building. The move united Holy Name with the all-female Nazareth Academy, which had been run by the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph — bringing two proud traditions together under one roof.
Two proud traditions together under one roof.
The high school’s roots never left the old neighborhood: Holy Name Elementary School still stands on Broadway Avenue, teaching kindergarten through eighth grade to this day.
