The History of Newman's Prominent Athletic Program

     The three “A’s”: academics, arts and the athletics are present at just about every school in the United States. Isidore Newman School is known for its excellence in all three categories. It has always provided some of the best academics in the entire south. The arts have always been a focal point of the school and students love to participate in all fields of art. Many great artist and scholars have come through Newman. And almost every one of them was a Newman athlete as well.

     When the stereotypes of a Newman student are listed (white, Jewish, uptown, upper-class) it is hard for one to grasp how they may be so successful athletically. Through great coaching and dedicated individuals, Newman Athletics have reached the pinnacle many times, in all sports.

     There have been many extraordinary coaches that have had tenures here at Newman. Ed Tuohy, Anthony Reggie Reginelli, and Billy Fitzgerald were some of the best coaches in all of high school sports around the country. Tuohy was a genius basketball coach while Reginelli controlled the successful Newman football team.  

     Reginelli and Tuohy came to Newman in the same year (1960) and they changed the athletic program around 360 degrees. A new set of rules was put in place and these young and talented coaches were prepared to make this program successful. Newman’s rise to the top of high school athletics would begin in 1960 with the arrival of the two new faces.

     Coach Reginelli first came to Newman as an assistant coach for football in 1961. He would later receive head coaching honors. He was born in southern Arkansas in a little city on the Mississippi River. When he came to New Orleans to play baseball at Tulane University, he fell in love with the city. After college, he had hopes of playing professional baseball, but due to the closing of major leagues around the nation he took a coaching job at Holy Cross to work with Ed Tuohy. This is where the two met, and ultimately decided to come to Newman together. Once Reginelli came here, the Newman football program was headed in the right direction. Although Newman has never won a state championship in football, it has always been a prestigious club, and it was made prominent by Reginelli. He finished with a 203-63 record at Newman. He was a rough and tough, old-school styled coached who demanded 100 percent effort from his players.

     Ed “Skeets” Tuohy was raised in Chicago and first came to New Orleans for college. He was recruited by Loyola University for basketball. After his college days, he moved on to becoming a basketball coach. In 1959, Tuohy agreed to become the head basketball coach for the Greenies and little did he know, he would have an everlasting imprint on the school. Coach Tuohy was known for having great relationships with his individual players. This is what helped lead Newman to state title after state title in the 1960’s. Tuohy’s son, Sean, was a great athlete at Newman. He was a tremendous basketball and baseball player and got to play for his father for one season, before Skeets’ sudden death of a stroke at the age of 49. Sean Tuohy went on to be one of the most successful athletes in Newman history. He got drafted out of high school to go play for the Cincinnati Reds in baseball. Instead, he accepted the basketball scholarship that the University of Mississippi offered him. He went on to set many school and conference records. The most impressive being that he holds the all-time assists record in the SEC. Today, Sean Tuohy is a TV broadcaster for the Memphis Grizzlies. Sean and his wife Ann Tuohy, also are known for their adoption of Baltimore Ravens tackle Michael Oher and his role in Michael Lewis’ The Blind Side.

     The 1960-1961 seasons for the basketball and football teams will never be forgotten by Greenie fans. Combining for a flawless 40-0 record, Newman dominated the gridiron and hardwood floors in this highlight year. In football, The Greenies went 8-0, winning the Riverside League District. In basketball, during Ed Tuohy’s first season at Newman, the Greenies pulled off a perfect 32-0 record, winning the state championship.

     After the prime time days of Tuohy and Reginelli, another coach would rise to the top of the high school sporting world. Coach Billy Fitzgerald, who specialized in baseball and basketball, would take over the reins of Newman athletics and become a legend.

     Coach Fitz was born in New Orleans and went to Jesuit for high school. He moved on to Tulane, playing both basketball and baseball for the Green Wave. Out of college, he got drafted by the Oakland A’s in the first round and played five seasons of minor league ball. In 1973, Coach Fitz came to Newman as an assistant basketball and baseball coach. After coach Tuohy passed of his stroke in 1975, Coach Fitz took over. If there is one characteristic given to Coach Fitz, it would be that he is a winner. Over his 26 seasons as basketball coach at Newman, Fitz had a 551-221 record including five state championships. During his 34 seasons as baseball coach, Fitz finished with two state titles in 2000 and 2003. Overall, Coach Fitz has spent 60 seasons coaching high school athletics which spans to be approximately 1,500 games coached. He is recognized nationally thanks to one of his student-athletes, Michael Lewis. In March of 2004, the article entitled Coach Fitz’s Management Theory was published in a New York Times magazine. Also, Michael Lewis’s novel, Coach: Lessons on the Game of Life, is about Coach Fitz’s life-long impressions on his athletes. Coach Fitz was more than an athletic coach; he taught his boys how to be successful off the field as well, in the game of life.

Updates for the Current Newman Athletic Teams

Football: The season for football came to an end for the 2010 Greenies after a second round lost to East Feliciana. The Greenies were impressive this year, finishing with an 8-4 record playing in the toughest 2A district in the state. Head coach Nelson Stewart had another good season to add to his resume. Odell Beckham was the highlight of the 2010 Greenies team. On his way to play Division 1A football, he had a stellar senior season, leading the Greenies in yards, yards from scrimmage, receptions, and touchdowns. Ryan Brenner, Wes Fischer, Richard Brennan, Chase Crowell, Andrew Sperling, Jacques Klick, Xavier Henry, and Campbell Wallace were fantastic senior contributors who will be remembered for what they did on the field.

Soccer: The Newman Soccer season has just gone under way. Led by seniors Spencer Roy, Will Chadwick, and John Preston, the Greenies have an under rated and balanced club mixed with senior leadership and young talent. Look for the Greenies to have a successful season as they look to go deep into the playoffs, and a shot for a 3-peat in state.

Basketball: The Newman Basketball season has just started after months of conditioning, practicing, and preparing for a long journey. Newman is deep this year, in all positions. With an abundance of guards, and solid play in the paint, the Greenies have a balanced team up and down its roster. Led by seniors Michael Markowitz, Odell Beckham, Will Bryan and Mitchell Bernstein, this club is looking to go deep in the 2A playoffs this year. After last season’s 10-0 perfect district record, and a 14 seed for the playoffs, the Greenies look to build on last year’s success and take this program to new heights.

Baseball: The Greenies Baseball team is young and skilled. With only two seniors: Chris Riess and Aaron Kaye, the Greenies will be relying on their young studs to help carry this team. Under coach Guilliot, the program is looking to have another successful season. The Greenies look to have a solid rotation with Chris Riess and Daniel Martinez as the 1-2 punch every baseball team needs. With solid hitting and stingy defense, the baseball club looks to have another successful season, during this post-coach Fitz era.

2010-2011 Newman Basketball Preview

      
      This year’s Newman Basketball Team has high expectations due to the talent, experience, and leadership within the locker room. Last year turned out to be one of the most successful years in Newman history, as the Greenies went 10-0 in district play and earned the 14 seed in the class 2A basketball tournament. Returning all but one player from last year, and picking up a new face from out of town, the Greenies’ roster has years of experience and the team knows how to win.

     “The chemistry from the coaching staff, down to the freshmen is great in the locker room,” said senior Will Bryan. “With the great chemistry this team has, plus already knowing Coach Todd’s system, we have the potential to have a special year.”

       Last year’s magical season ended with a second round loss to Red River. It was a close game that could have gone either way. The Greenies lost by two, and their starters had played lots of minutes, not just in that game, but over the course of the season. “We wore out our six guys… we were right there, and we really could have won,” said Coach Kemper Todd.

      This year, Coach Todd has the luxury of a deeper line-up, with game experience, and this should prove to be essential to the team during district play and on into the post-season.

     Coach Todd raves about the leadership of Michael Markowitz and other seniors on the team. “Michael Markowitz is just a winner,” Todd says. “You can’t say he’s the most skilled player, or smoothest or most athletic or any of those things, but he is a winner.” Markowitz serves as the voice between the players and coach: “He’s very caring about the team. He’ll just tell me point blank at times if he thinks that I’m pushing them to hard, or I’m riding someone too hard, or I’m wrong, just flat wrong.”

     This summer, Newman participated in the De La Salle Summer League and looked impressive, losing only 1 game in a league that featured Saint Charles Catholic, Holy Cross, and East Jeff among others. Now, in year two under Coach Todd, the players have adapted to their new coach, and are familiar to his style of basketball.     

     This Newman team, led by Markowitz and seniors Odell Beckham, Mitchell Bernstein and Will Bryan, has a wide variety of skill sets, with each individual player bringing something unique to the team. Sam Kohnke, junior, is a sharpshooter with range. Over the summer, Sam worked on all aspects of his game making him a focal point for defenses preparing to play against Newman. Duke Douglass is possibly the most exciting player on this Newman team to watch. The 6’4 sophomore sensation is an excellent low-post player that has developed a deadly mid-range jumpshot over the summer. Once football season ends, Braden Weaver and Odell Beckham look to get back into basketball form, and become major contributors to the team, with their knowledge of the game and athleticism. Hudson McAshan and Joren Grue provide depth at the forward and center positions. In addition, Jonathan Drennan and Saunders Alpaugh, round out the Greenies young and athletic frontcourt. Michael Hagan-Daniel, is a new kid from San Antonio, TX. He is an athletic, 6’1 junior with excellent ball skills. He is a dangerous and clever offensive threat, looking to score whenever he touches the ball.

    Newman’s first scrimmage is upon us. Practice has begun and team captain Michael Markowitz is anxious for this upcoming season. “We like to think we are working just as hard, if not harder, than all of our competition, and I cannot wait to just get out there and ball hard.”

Odell Beckham

    

     There have been many sensational athletes that have come through Newman, and there is a very special one, in the graduating class of 2011. Odell Beckham Jr. has been breed from the moment of conception. His mother, Heather Van Norman, has an extensive list of accomplishments in track and field. She graduated from LSU in 1994 after being named an all-American six different times. She brought home three separate national championships for the Tigers, in 1993 alone. Since she has graduated, Van Norman has had coaching jobs on four different colligate track teams, and continues coaching track today. Odell didn’t just have one parent who stared at LSU… he had two. Odell Beckham Sr. was a standout football player. Highly recruited out of Marshall High School in Texas, Odell Beckham Sr. was primed to have a great college career and move on to the NFL. A torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) ended his career at LSU and hopes for an NFL dream. No one at Newman has had a better pool of genes than Odell Beckham Jr.

     As a young boy, baseball, soccer and basketball were the sports that Odell excelled at the most. He played on the prestigious travel New Orleans baseball team, NORD, from the ages of 9-12. He played center field and batted lead-off. In soccer, Odell was a stud forward with great ball control and played at CSA (Carrollton Soccer Association), which was a travel team that played the best competition in the south. In the center of Odell’s heart is the game of basketball. “It was my first love” Odell explains. A skillful point guard on the court, Odell excelled in basketball the most as a child. In middle school, he was so good at basketball; predictions were flying around about him being able to play college basketball. Finally, high school came around, and the game of football was picked up by Odell. Since starting his career in football, Odell knew the gridiron is where he belonged. “He is an absolute animal and dominates high school football,” said Ryan Brenner of his teammate and friend. According to rivals.com, Odell is ranked as a 4-star prospect (out of 5) and is regarded as a top sixty prospect in the nation. With more than 10 scholarship offers from colleges around the nation, Odell has narrowed his pick down to two schools: Miami, and LSU. National signing day is on February 2, and he has to choose before then. “I don’t have anything finalized yet and we won’t until February 2^nd, but I defiantly know where I’m leaning,” explained Odell. “You’ll have to wait until then, to find out where exactly I’m going to end up.”