1920-1930

Please click on a decade to see a timeline of athletic achievements and milestones from that era.

1921: Albert "Al" Smith Hired

Latin was a backbone of SPA instruction, and Al Smith combined that subject with coaching boys in football and in life for decades. He was fondly remembered for his influence as a coach and his mentorship of students and athletes during his era at the Academy.

1925: Football at SPA

Football at St. Paul Academy was an important part of student life. Each fall, the team would kick-off the season and play against area schools, including rival Blake School. Over the preceding ten years, the two schools would go back and forth with wins, with Blake having a slight upper hand with 5 wins and 2 ties. During the 1924-1925 season, the SPA team would  tie Blake 6-6, continuing their close rivalry.

1925 - New SPA Gymnasium

A new gymnasium, dedicated to Charles N. B. Wheeler, opens at the Randolph Campus. While it is equipped with a maple floor and has excellent natural light from banks of north and south second story windows, its locker rooms are too small for the growing student population.

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1925: Field Hockey at Summit

At Summit School, field hockey was immensely popular. Each year grades would compete against each other for the championship.  For the 1925-26 school year, the freshman-sophomore team claimed the championship with a 3-1 win over the junior-senior team. The freshman-sophomore team was captained by Eloise Owens '29 and Mary Turner '30.

1927: Summit Basketball Thrives

Under the leadership of Miss Pease, the Summit basketball squad put together a fantastic season. The school claimed a win against St. Mary's (33-17) and a tie against Backus. The squad was noted as being one of the better teams that Summit had assembled.

1928: New East Wing on Randolph Campus

In 1928, the new East Wing opens at the Randolph Campus. The lower floor offers locker rooms with direct access to football fields and hockey rinks, and an equipment storage "cage."

1929: - C. Richards "Dick" Gordon '29 Graduates

C. Richards "Dick" Gordon '29 graduates. As a writer and then Editor-in-Chief for the Academy’s Now and Then publication, following the athletic endeavors of others was Dick’s forte from an early age. He went on to become a beloved sportswriter locally for the Minneapolis Star Tribune and then a national correspondent for Sports Illustrated when it began publication in 1954.