Fairfield College Preparatory School (Fairfield Prep) is a Jesuit prep school located on the campus of Fairfield University in Fairfield, Connecticut. It is an all-male school of about 900 students, founded by the Society of Jesus in 1942. Operating with the approbation of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bridgeport, Fairfield Prep is self-sufficient with no diocesan or government financial assistance.
Students
Students come from 51 towns across Connecticut, with the majority of the students from Bridgeport, Trumbull, Stratford, Norwalk and Fairfield. Approximately 25% of Prep students share in more than $2.2 million (2017) in financial aid.
Athletics
Fairfield College Preparatory School is part of the Quinnipiac Division in the Southern Connecticut Conference. The school fields 15 varsity sports including football, soccer, cross country, basketball, ice hockey, swimming & diving, wrestling, skiing, baseball, lacrosse, track & field, rugby, golf, crew, and sailing. Prep's athletic teams have won 48 CIAC state championships and numerous other state titles in non-CIAC sports. Over the years many athletes have won individual CIAC state titles in cross country, track & field, swimming & diving, wrestling, tennis, and golf.
Hockey
Prep has won 16 state championships, the most recent in 2014 where Prep defeated Darien 2-1 at the Yale Whale.Prep has had three players work their way up to the National Hockey League, including Chris '94 and Ted Drury '89, and Mark Arcobello '06. Matt Sather '93 has coached the hockey team since 1999, leading it to nine state championships.
Swimming and diving
The Jesuit swim team is coached by Rick Hutchinson '87. Prep posted three straight undefeated seasons from 2007 to 2009 and won the CIAC Class L Championship in 2007. The Jesuits placed second behind rival Greenwich High School in the CIAC Class LL Championship in each season since the Class L title in 2007. In 2012, Fairfield Prep finished undefeated for the first time since 2009, and won their 8th straight SCC championship. The team won the 2012 Class LL and State Open Championships.
Lacrosse
Prep’s lacrosse program has won six state titles since 2006 with three runner-up finishes during that time. The team won most recently in 2013, beating Staples High School, for the school's 5th state championship. Christopher Smalkais coached the team for 33 years from 1983-2016 and won six state championships. He was inducted into the Connecticut Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2013. His introduction speech was given by 2011 Hall of Fame Inductee Howard Benedict, longtime New Canaan High School Lacrosse coach and a '63 Fairfield Prep alumnus.
Tennis
Prep's tennis team has won 10 state team championships, with the most recent in 2003. Todd Paul, Class of 2003, won the Class LL Singles Championship four years in a row.
Rugby
Prep Rugby has been perennial contenders under Coach Frank Decker, and have been runner-up in every state championship match except one. Archrival Greenwich High School won the championship each year. Prep rugby has many notable alumni, including Kenneth Stern '06, who attended Boston University and plays for the Philippines national team, and Will Brazier '01, who attended Fairfield University and played for the USA Tomahawks and the USA Falcons.
Rivals
Prep's rivals include Greenwich High School, Fairfield Ludlowe High School, Notre Dame of West Haven, St Joe's of Trumbull Darien High School, and Xavier High School
Other information
The tuition for the Fairfield College Preparatory School for the 2016-2017 school year is $19,200.
Notable alumni
Fairfield Prep has approximately 15,000 alumni living all around the globe. Notable alumni distinguishing themselves include:
- Gilroy Daly '48 - noted Connecticut judge and attorney
- Jeff Davis (writer) - creator and director of the popular show Criminal Minds
- Peter J. Denning '60 - computer scientist
- Kevin Heffernan '86 - actor/comedian/film writer/attorney (Broken Lizard)
- Pat Jordan '59 - acclaimed author of A False Spring, ranked #37 on Sports Illustrated's Top 100 Sports Books of All Time
- Kevin Kallaugher '73 - cartoonist for the Economist magazine
- George F. Keane - founder of the Common Fund
- Stephen Kellogg '94 - musician, Stephen Kellogg & the Sixers
- Robert Kowalski '58 - logician
- William J. Lavery '55 - former Chief Judge, Connecticut Appellate Court
- Justin Long '96 - actor and spokesman for Geico
- Mike McGlone '91 - actor and spokesman for Geico
- Sean McManus '73 - President, CBS News and CBS Sports
- Brian Monahan '78 - Attending Physician of the United States Congress and Rear Admiral in the United States Navy
- Peter Sarsgaard '89 - actor
- Yohuru Williams - dean of Fairfield University College of Arts and Sciences
Notable alumni distinguishing themselves in athletics include:
- Carson Wentz - professional hockey player, Edmonton Oilers
- Howard Benedict '63 - Hall of Fame lacrosse coach, English teacher
- Will Brazier '01 - rugby player with USA Tomahawks and USA Falcons
- Chris Drury '94 - former professional hockey player, 1998-99 NHL Rookie of the Year, Member of Team USA in Winter Olympics
- Ted Drury '89 - former professional hockey player
- Craig Kinsley '07 - 2012 London Olympic track and field athlete
- Matt Merullo '83 - former major league catcher
- Mike Porzio '90 - former MLB player (Colorado Rockies, Chicago White Sox)
- Bob Skoronski '52 - former professional football player, Offensive Captain of Green Bay Packers Super Bowls I & II Champions
- Matthew Burke '15 - entrepreneur and student at Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia PA
Notable former faculty
- John McLaughlin - television talk show host and advisor to President Richard Nixon
- Francis A. Sullivan - Jesuit theologian and ecclesiologist
References
External links
- Fairfield Prep Homepage
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Bridgeport
