Archbishop Hoban High School is a family. It is a place where voices are heard, unending history is built, and proud traditions leave lasting impact on the generations who walk its halls. Class photos adorn the walls memorializing the members of the Hoban family, its legends, and various bloodlines. Each has a story, some more captivating than the others, but one legacy stands out, my own.
My Hoban story begins in 1962, when my great-grandfather, Tony Paris, joined the Hoban family as a physical education teacher, guidance counselor, and football coach. Alongside student council, he helped pioneer Mum Day, giving rise to the revered annual tradition.
Tony was promoted to head football coach, guiding the first team to play on Hoban’s Dowed Field in 1964. By his side, my great-grandmother, Hazel Paris, took on the role of team mom. Before there was Chapel on game days, Hazel would prepare Friday night pregame meals at the Paris’ home, serving up her signature ‘white spaghetti,” pasta with oil. Even today, Hazel can be found near the 35-yard line on Friday nights, with white spaghetti on the family dinner table.
Tony and Hazel raised three children: two daughters and a son. Their oldest daughter, Debbie Burgoyne (Paris), was unable to attend Hoban, as it was an all-boys school, but was immersed in the Hoban spirit.
“I couldn’t go to Hoban,” Debbie recalled, “but I still remember Hoban as a place where I always feel welcome, at home, and happy.”
Her sister, Cynthia Terry (Paris) ’74, was a member of Hoban’s first coed Class and cheered for the Knights.
Tom Paris ’79, their brother, was just two years old when his dad became Hoban’s head coach.
“I grew up at Hoban,” Tom said. “Tony took Tom to two-a-day practices, where he’d take naps on top of the football dummies!” Hazel added with a smile.
It is no surprise Tom followed in his father’s footsteps. After playing for Hoban, he began coaching in 1986 under head coach Clem Caraboolad, continuing on and off for nearly four decades.
Although Debbie did not attend Hoban, she made sure her sons did. My father Tony Burgoyne, and his twin brother, Timothy ‘Tim’ Burgoyne, graduated with the class of 1996.
During their senior year, Tim played linebacker for the Knights. Before their first home game, Debbie helped craft flags spelling out H-O-B-A-N. Tony and Kevin Griffith ’96 became the first students to lead the football team onto the field, a tradition that continues today.
Cynthia’s son, Tyler Krummel ‘07, continued the Paris’ football legacy playing under the lights of Dowed Field. The same lights his cousins, aunt, uncle, mother and grandparents stood under all those Fridays before. Tyler excelled academically and athletically, becoming the first in the Paris line to play football at the collegiate level.
Tom’s children, Jacqueline and Jordan Thomas “J.T.” also attended Hoban
Jacqueline Paris ‘12 served as team manager and, during her senior year, was awarded the Monsignor Dowed award, the highest award given to hoban students. Coincidentally, or perhaps not, Tom received the same award during his freshman year in 1975, making them the first father-daughter duo to win this prestigious award.
J.T. Paris ‘15 became the fifth member of the Paris family to play football for the Knights. He was part of Hoban’s 2015 state championship football team, the first to bring home the gold.
“Standing in the horseshoe with my dad winning our first championship, that’s my greatest memory,” J.T. said.
Today, the legacy continues with my sister, Madaleyna “Maddy” Burgoyne ‘24. Like her great aunt, she cheered on the sidelines during football games. During her freshman year amid the challenges of the Covid Pandemic, Maddy reestablished the Hoban women’s gymnastics team, becoming a three-time letter winner in the sport.
Now, I walk the same hallways as they did. I see the class photos of my family and so many others hanging proudly on the walls. Hoban connects us all and has strengthened the bond of my family’s legacy.
“It’s a family. It’s a home,” Tom said when asked what Hoban means to him. And like any family, no two stories are the same. From football to flags, from gymnastics to mock trial, my activity of choice, what remains is the act of showing up and participating. That is what shapes a legacy.
“The Paris family continues to support the Hoban tradition across generations,” Debbie illuminates. With Hazel’s recent endowment of the Tony and Hazel Paris Family Scholarship, the Paris name will stay intact at Hoban.
`Once a knight, always a knight.