Jesuit College Preparatory School of Dallas is an outstanding establishment rooted in the principles of the Jesuit order and sharing those values with others in order to educate the young members of our society. Jesuit has six tenants in the Profile of the Graduate, each tenant representing a core quality of Jesuit education. Five tenants- Open to Growth, Intellectually Competent, Religious, Loving, and Committed to Working for Justice- are shared by many Jesuit schools throughout the world. Jesuit Dallas also employs a sixth tenant, Physically Fit, that many other Jesuit schools do not include in their profile. Physical activity helps instill the many aspects of each standard in the Profile, allowing each student to take care of the body and the talents that God has given us while nurturing the qualities Jesuit seeks to find in each graduate.
Steve Koch has worked tirelessly for thirty years in order to ensure that Jesuit athletes are able to compete at the highest level with amazing facilities while simultaneously developing each athletes ability to become a true Man for and with Others. During his tenure at Jesuit, Coach Koch has established ten new sports programs to raise the total amount to twenty-one total programs, well above the average standard for high schools across the country. With so many different opportunities for athletes, every student at Jesuit can find his passion, often times in non-traditional high school athletic programs.
Many of these programs have established themselves as national powerhouses, able to compete with many of the top schools in the country with specially niche programs for specific sports. During Coach Koch’s career, Jesuit has captured 79 UIL district titles and 49 total state championships.
The UIL Battle
One of Coach Koch’s most notable accomplishments was helping Jesuit to join the University Interscholastic League, UIL, which prior to Koch’s battle had been a public school only league. Initially Jesuit did not have a desire nor a need to join the league before Coach Koch replaced Gary Pasqua ’55 in 1994. Quickly, however, the Catholic league Jesuit was a part of soon began to fall apart. Many of the smaller schools soon left the league in order to join the Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools, TAPPS. Soon it fizzled down to a mere four schools left, and then two, the other school being Strake Jesuit in Houston.
Coach Koch then went to Father Postell, the then president at the time, about seeking to join the UIL, which Father Postell agreed to. Koch went to the UIL with several Jesuit athletic coaches in conjunction with Strake’s athletic staff in order to attempt to join. UIL said no. They then had to go to the UIL executive board to seek acceptance, which they did for a few years before realizing the futility of it, getting voted down each time.
The other option to join was through the Texas legislature, which both schools eventually did with lobbyists who were graduates from both Strake and Jesuit. Koch shares his memories of the struggles of the of the initial senate hearing, how he told the senate, “We will follow the rules, we won’t recruit, we just want a place for our students to compete.” Despite this, Jesuit did not initially succeed in joining. They went through many years of the struggle, Koch sharing how “one year we would get through the senate but not the house” and vice versa. Sometimes they would never schedule a hearing or would not allow them to take a vote. Koch described it as
“there was a thousand ways to kill it but only one way to get the bill passed.”
During this time, they were still going to the UIL Legislative Council and petitioning every year, however nothing was working. Finally, Jesuit had come to an important decision in the battle. “We filed a lawsuit with the state of Texas [on grounds] of discrimination.” The lawsuit sat on the judge’s desk for one year before it was eventually thrown out, which Koch knew it would, but Jesuit could now appeal the case. Jesuit went to a circuit court in New Orleans, and represented by Jesuit alumni and parents, presented their case. Despite the many years of denial and rejection, it appeared the UIL was now powerless and their loss evident. In order to avoid paying millions in legal fees, the UIL then settled with Jesuit Dallas and Strake. They called Coach Koch, Father Postell, and others into a meeting in Austin and asked them if they promised to follow the rules, Coach Koch told them the same thing he had been telling them for years, “we will recruit students, but we won’t recruit athletes.” Koch recalls,
“after ten years of fighting and hitting [our] head against the wall and taking every avenue, it took one forty-five minute meeting to resolve the issue”
UIL Success
Jesuit joined the UIL in an odd year for district zoning, meaning that football schedule had already been set, as a result, Jesuit could not compete in UIL football for the first year until the rezoning, leaving basketball as the first major sport to compete in UIL. No one believed that Jesuit could win, a small private school with half the student body of their competitors. In the very first year of competing however, Jesuit won the district title in basketball, something no one ever thought would be accomplished.
Since that first district title Jesuit has continued their success in many different sports, including UIL state championships in soccer and baseball. In 2010 soccer finished as the top team in the nation according to ESPN.
New Sports
“I am so thankful for the administration that has given me the freedom. It has never been what I wanted, it has always been a student WHO wanted to do it so let’s do it.”
Coach Koch has been involved in many new sports in our athletic program and has seen success in all of them. Hockey, a sport he helped create in 1999, won their sixth straight state title earlier this year. Crew got invited to the Henley Cup, the biggest regatta in the world, in 2016. Rugby is nationally ranked and just finished their season with back-to-back Varsity Cup championships.
“It’s just the Jesuit way. If we are going to do it, do it well and strive for excellence.”
Professional Success
Jesuit athletics has produced countless professional athletes in history, with the most recent notable athlete being Jordan Lawlar ’21, Perfect Games #1 overall high school baseball player in 2021 and 6th overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft who debuted last year for the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Also, among notable professional athletes Coach Koch has fostered is Masters Champion, FedEx Cup Winner, and PGA Tour Rookie of the Year Jordan Spieth ’11. Koch notes how “Jordan is so humble and so down to earth,” and thanks to this, Spieth agreed to come do the coin toss at homecoming flying in on a helicopter. The best part about it was no one knew it was happening or who was walking out until it happened. During the game, rather than staying secluded in a private box, Spieth spent the majority of his time in the student section.
Koch also recalls the success of Josh Bell ’11, Texas Gatorade/ESPN High School Player of the Year. A few years ago, Bell was in the MLB home run derby and so was another Jesuit alumni in the collegiate home run derby. If both found success, it would be the first time in history that both home run derby champions came from the same high school. later in Bell’s career he got the opportunity to face off against National Gatorade Player of the Year, Kyle Muller ’16. Koch remember vividly watching the game and thinking how amazing it is to see “our alums in a Major League ballpark who have had success and have made it big.”
Fond Memories
One of Coach Koch’s fondest memories is when Jordan Spieth played in the Byron Nelson with an exemption at the age of sixteen in 2010. During the first day, “half the school was gone to watch him play, his gallery was enormous with Jesuit families.” When Spieth had made the cut in the tournament, everyone was there to support him. “He was just a few strokes out and it was unbelievable.”
“Obviously winning those UIL state titles, [after the battle] you can’t beat that.”
The baseball state championship in 2016 was especially memorable for him, especially Jacob Palisch ’16. “Palisch no-hit Highland Park at their place, then we lost the game at home. In the third game they brought Jacob back in and you could see Highland Park’s excitement disappear when they saw Palisch warmup.”
Coach Koch says he has enjoyed the helicopters piloted by Jesuit grads bringing in people like Clint Bruce to do coin tosses and skydivers bringing in game balls.
Early in Koch’s career they struggled with getting students to come to basketball games. In order to incentivize the students to come early, Koch told the students “They could throw a roll of toilet paper after the first basket.” The next year, after winning the Catholic league championship, they faced off against Highland Park, who started an ex-Jesuit quarterback. Knowing that much of the toilet paper would be tossed at the ex-Jesuit student, the school said no toilet paper could be thrown. Upon telling the students, the students listened and found other means and having fun.
“Every guy that came had a pocket full of superballs.”
After the first basket was scored thousands of super balls came flying in the air and bouncing all over the court. “All season long we were finding super balls in the bleachers.” The tradition has since evolved into the Teddy Bear toss, an annual tradition of throwing Teddy Bears onto the court during an early season basketball game, usually during the Knights of Columbus Bob Stras classic.
Post-Retirement Plans
Coach Koch’s schedule has been dominated and controlled by Jesuit athletics for the past thirty years. There are about 450 games every year for Jesuit athletics. He likes to attend all home games and big away games if he can. He says, “When July 1 hits, I’ll need a couple of months to download and reprogram my brain.” Every year Koch goes to his cabin the last week of July before football really picks up and fishes.
“This August, when I’m not putting my fishin gear up for football, I think it will really hit me. I’m going to miss the students, the coaches and just what the school stands for. It is going to be bittersweet, very sad, but I am looking to see where the Lord will take me next.”
Coach Koch is thankful for all the relationships he has built in his forty-five years here and the special bonds he has made. Koch noted how he only wanted to be a math teacher and a coach, and it has turned into so much more than that.
On behalf of the entirety of the Jesuit student body and community, we thank you Coach Koch for your tireless service to the community and the countless hours you have put into making Jesuit athletics what it is now. Our community is better because of you and your hard work to provide a space where athletes can truly thrive under proper guidance, creating Men for Others in the world around us, and for that we thank you.
