As the School grew, so did the number of organized sports, some of which are no longer played today. By 1927, winter sports included fencing, soccer, riding, swimming, rifle, basketball, and wrestling. Five years later, ice hockey was introduced. In December 1932, The Week reported, “Do you know how many championship teams there have been developed in the past six or seven years? There have been eleven championship football teams, nine championship basketball teams, one championship lacrosse team, and ten championship baseball teams.” The writers asked, “How many will be added this year?”
The School hit an athletic milestone in 1936 with 15 different sports on the roster, including football, track, lacrosse, tennis, riding, baseball, crew, golf, and polo. In 1944, numbers were added to jerseys.
For more than 25 years, Leland Graham, a typing instructor and history teacher, photographed McDonogh athletic teams for the Legacy. His photos were also displayed in the game room in Lyle Building, and a 1964 exhibit of his work included all the sports in which McDonogh competed over the years. According to an article in The Week, “Mr. Graham pointed out that some of these groups did have undefeated seasons, but there was no actual league competition in those sports.”
