In 1950, St. Joe hired a Lebanese math teacher who would also take the reigns as the coach of the football team. It is unlikely that anyone at the time realized the monumental impact this individual would have on the school. But when Bill Rayfield retired from St. Joe, four decades later, the reputation of the Bruin football team would be acknowledged in every corner of the state.
Nafe David
He wasn’t stout. He wasn’t skinny, he had back then what I thought was a perfect physique, he got curly hair, always had a smile on his face.
Roger Parkes
And he was probably a Syrian or something like that. He was from Middle Eastern descent because a lot of people at the St. Joseph were Catholics. And he was a really hairy guy, you know. And he was always walking around, you know, without his shirt on, you know, but he looked like he had on a bare shirt. You know,
Nafe David
even when he got upset with you. There was a little smirk on his face. You know, you could tell that he’s on you. But you could tell that he really wasn’t mad at you, you know.
Narrator
But like the priests and nuns that ran the school, Raphael demanded discipline and toughness from his players. And his practice has served as the crucible in which he would forge these qualities.
Leonard Thomas
Typical day for a St. Joe football player being we were downtown, we did not have a field downtown to play on. So we had to go to St. Mary’s, for practice and for our games. So after school was on we’d have to go and lock room you dress out, get your practice, you know, equipment on. And everybody had to get on the bus and coach Coach Raphael, I was screaming at somebody because they were like, you know, come on, we gotta go. Because it took 15 to 20 minutes to get across town, riding over there, everybody would be kind of apprehensive as to what drills coach was going to put us through that day, you know, what we were going to do?
Con Maloney
When we got out of Battlefield, the first thing he would say, go around the trees, boys, and we’d take off running and we’d run down around the trees, probably 150, 200 yards, maybe even longer. It felt like at times, but that was the way he started practice every day.
Nafe David
And when he said, “Run”, you ran for whatever reason you felt in your mind that you didn’t want to disappoint us, man.
David Mcnamara
We wore long sleeve jerseys. We were not allowed to drink water. If we were not practicing. We had to keep our helmet on.
Nafe David
Nobody even thought about goofing off.
Leonard Thomas
Starting on August 15. Every year, we started two days, which was usually two weeks leading up to the first game, but it was not easy. We dreaded it. I mean, I did not look forward to two days at all. We just wanted to get through and get to the season. And then things changed after that. 95, 100 degrees. Humidity 600% up, it was tough
David Mcnamara
Probably became dangerously close to dehydration. But we did we did survive that
Roger Parkes
One time we had some boxing gloves down there, Okay, so we he got us to go to box each other, was turned out to be horrible. Some guy got his nose broken.
Con Maloney
And Raphael walked over to him “What’s wrong with you?” He said, “Coach I hurt my leg” and he reached in his pocket I’ll never forget it pulled out a band aid and stuck that band aid right on his legs. And he said “now you’re okay, let’s go!” and got up and went. I mean, that was the way Raphael was. I mean, if you didn’t sit there with a bone sticking out you were gonna play.
Narrator
But as with all great coaches, there was a purpose to Raphael’s coaching methods. And more importantly, the players understood and embraced it.
Al Nuzzo
He was a teacher. I mean, he taught algebra, taught me pre-calculus. But even on the football field, he was always teaching. I mean, we were never the bigger team or the faster team, but we were a good team. He always knew where to position his players coach, Raphael ahead that thing about putting his best 11 on the field. If I can put my best 11 on the field with Joe best 11 we can compete with anybody.
Al Nuzzo
But he also taught us about hard work, and just persevering through difficult times, and loyalty, you know, to your teammates.
Ron “Kowboy” Johnson
Just I thought I could accomplish anything. Not just a football field, but my classroom.
Al Nuzzo
Those things. While they help you a lot on the football field. They really help you more down the road. And it was just a pleasure to play for.
Narrator
As Raphael took firm control of the St. Joe football team. He developed a reputation within the school that captured the imagination of younger students.
Andrew Mattiace
Coach Raphael had been at St. Joe for me Two years before I arrived. And so I learned a lot about that and his history as a young kid, and was looking forward to playing and knowing getting to know him.
Con Maloney
He was really the backbone of so much of what St. Joe was with regard to athletics because he coached everything. Football, basketball, baseball. And as we got further into it,
Roger Parkes
Coach Raphael, was a very tough coach to play for. He was not, he didn’t, he didn’t give me any breaks. There was no breaks out there. And that was good for me.
Con Maloney
But he was a stickler for doing it right. He was a stickler for doing it his way. And whenever anything was going on in the school, you could have assured that Raphael was in the middle of it, or he was on the outside helping direct what was going on.
Nafe David
He was the type of man that you admire. His character was beyond reproach. And he was always concerned about you as an individual. He always made you feel like you were the most important person he was talking to.
Narrator
While many St. Joe’s students viewed coach Raphael as a father figure on campus. He was an actual father to a daughter and three sons. And just as he brought his parenting skills to work, he often brought his work into the family home.
Bill Raphael
I know my brother probably said that he didn’t bring football home. But he did a little bit, especially after you lost a game. I remember one day lost to sign out (6:12) my senior year. And it was either Saturday or Sunday evening at the dinner table and it just also came out. “What’s your excuse?” I don’t have one.
Mark Raphael
He would he just wasn’t a football coach. He just wasn’t a school teacher. He combined both of them. And maybe because he taught in the classroom out on the football field. He taught the football field in the classroom. So they were they were an integral part of each other. But the St. Joe football was very important.
Narrator
If there was ever any question how important St. Joe was to Coach Raphael, that question was conclusively answered by his four decade body of work at the school.
Al Nuzzo
Man, I’m sure that Coach Raphael had plenty of opportunities go to bigger schools. And he chose to stay at St. Joe. And that was our game.
Con Maloney
In general bill Raphael was stability insofar as the high school is concerned. I mean, the fact that he was there, he was a force that you did not necessarily take on, you respected, and he pretty well did things the way he wanted them done.
Narrator
Even after Raphael’s retirement, his legacy and reputation continued to impact the St. Joe campus and football program. In 2005, Raphael was the subject of a book documenting his illustrious career as an educator and coach. A special book signing at famed Lemuria bookstore made clear the wide reaching impact of Raphael’s life.
Mark Raphael
There was a book written about my father about 10 years ago. And they had books on it. But that night, there was an overwhelming crowd that that showed up for the books on it and really felt honored and embarrassed. Because there’s a book written about him and he felt like what did he do, that they had written about him, but he was he was he was very honored, very, very honored.
Sam Lupe
But St. Joe wouldn’t have been St. Joe without him.
Roger Parkes
He was a great person. He’s a great role model. And he was great for St. Joe. I don’t think we would be maybe sitting if it wasn’t for Bill Rayfield.
Al Nuzzo
And I always respected him and I always wanted to do well for him. I wanted him to be proud of me, is even hard to put into words.
Mark Girard
I could not I would not have been the teacher and the coach that I’ve been last 25 years without Bill Raphael, mentor father, hero, legend.
Nafe David
There’s not many times in my life that I hadn’t come into town. See some fans of mine that are younger or older than me, and coach Raphael always becomes part of our conversation. And I can’t even begin to explain the effect of Coach Raphael has had on St. Joseph high school. Unbelievable!