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ST. THOMAS HIGH SCHOOL
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HOUSTON, TX
George Mehaffey ’53
A TCIL all-state center who anchored the Eagles to consecutive state basketball
titles in 1952-53, graduating as the program’s all-time leading scorer.
Mehaffey was the Texas A&M team captain, selected second-team all-Southwest
Conference in 1957 and later drafted by the St. Louis Hawks of the National
Basketball Association.
Following his Aggie career, Mehaffey toured with a team of college all-stars who
competed against the Harlem Globetrotters, and then served active duty in the
United States Air Force, playing for Mitchell Air Force Base in the AF world
championships.
Mehaffey coached San Jacinto High School and Lee High School (HISD) from
1961-1969 before accepting an assistant coaching position at Rice University
with Don Knodel and helping the Owls to the program’s last conference
championship and NCAA tournament selection (1970).
Mehaffey died at age 69 in 2004.
Mike Mulvihill ’56
A rare two-sport talent who contributed as a freshmen to the Eagles second
TCIL state football championship in four years. He pitched the Eagles to state
baseball titles in 1953 and ’55-56, plus the STH American Legion team to the
1953 state championship.
Mulvihill accepted a football scholarship to Oklahoma State University, eventually
focused on baseball exclusively and was a member of the 1959 national
champions who finished off a 27-5 season by defeating Arizona for the College
World Series title.
Mulvihill graduated from Oklahoma State with a Bachelor of Science in Geology
and spent a distinguished corporate career as vice president and sales manager
with The Mott Company. He has served as president and general manager of
Sea Isle Property Owners Association and chairman of the Galveston Planning
Commission, spent years as a board member of the Galveston Chamber
of Commerce, the Galveston Zoning Commission and with the Coastal
Development Task Force.
Ted Nowak ’70
Presented with the 1970 Fr. Carl Mitchell Allnoch Memorial Award for
Excellence in Academics in only its second year of existence.
Nowak was a three-sport varsity star in basketball and baseball where he was
named to the TCIL all-district teams. He was a two-time state football champion
in 1968-69, leading the Eagles in interceptions his senior season, when he was
one of five nominees for the Greater Houston student-athlete of the year.
Nowak was later named as punt returner to the STH McDonald/Davis all-time
team by STH Sports Hall of Fame coaches Joe McDonald and Burr Davis.
Nowak accepted a baseball scholarship to Rice University and was named the
Owls Most Valuable Player in 1974, leading the team in batting (.301), hits
(37) and runs scored (37) during their fourth-place finish in the Southwest
Conference.
Nowak received a Bachelor of Commerce degree from Rice and then launched a
highly successful 35-year career in the banking industry. He is currently the CEO
of the Memorial Office of Independent Bank.
Jerry Pizzitola ’60
A versatile two-sport star and key contributor to the 1960 STH state baseball
champions. Pizzitola hit .373 during the TCIL 15-team double-elimination
tournament while driving in five runs.
Pizzitola then accepted a baseball scholarship to Texas A&M University where he
earned two letters and was a member of the Aggies 1964 Southwest Conference
champions, advancing to the College World Series.
Pizzitola was also a three-year two-way STH football performer, earning all-
district honors at offensive guard and defensive tackle in 1959-60.
Pizzitola later spent two decades as president of Regal Foods, but made his
last-standing reputation at the top of Houston food services when he took over
operations of Shepherd Drive Bar-B-Q in 1983, changed the name to Pizzitola’s
BBQ, and “Houston’s Home for Spareribs” remains the oldest continuously
serving barbecue restaurant in the city.