Notable Bolles School Alumni

The United States, in comparison to many other countries in the world, has produced an impressive number of high-level athletes across a variety of sports. From national championship teams to individual Olympic gold medalists, the number of accolades that American sports teams and individual American athletes have accumulated throughout history is nothing short of extraordinary.

This success is in large part due to the quality of American high school sports programs and their ability to develop world-class athletes. One such high school program that is known to have produced great athletes across many sports is The Bolles School in Jacksonville, Florida.

This storied program boasts a long list of athletic accomplishments, including 140 team state titles, 487 team district titles, and 17 national titles. Additionally, The Bolles School has produced a whopping 82 athletes who have gone on to have successful careers at the professional and Olympic levels.

Here are just a handful of notable Bolles School alumni who have made a name for themselves as professional athletes:

• Baseball
  • Rick Wilkins: The 1985 Bolles graduate enjoyed a successful baseball career in the MLB, playing as a catcher for the Chicago Cubs, Houston Astros, San Francisco Giants, Seattle Mariners, New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, Saint Louis Cardinals, and San Diego Padres.
  • Larry Wayne “Chipper” Jones: A third baseman for the Atlanta Braves, Bolles alumnus Chipper Jones was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2012.
• Football
  • David Treadwell: Treadwell graduated from the Bolles School in 1983, going on to play football for Division I powerhouse Clemson University and then as a placekicker for the Denver Broncos and New York Giants.
  • Edward Dezmon “Dez” White: White played on the Bolles state championship-winning football team in 1985. He went on to lead a successful career at the professional level, playing as a wide receiver for the Chicago Bears and Atlanta Falcons.
• Basketball
  • DeCovan Kadell “Dee” Brown: 1996 graduate Dee Brown led a successful career in the NBA, including being named to the NBA All-Rookie Team his first year of play. Throughout his professional career he played for the Boston Celtics, Toronto Raptors, and Orlando Magic.
• Swimming
  • Ryan Murphy: At the 2016 Olympics in Rio, Ryan Murphy continued the American men’s dominance in the backstroke events, winning individual gold medals in the 100-meter and 200-meter backstrokes.
  • Caeleb Dressel: Dressel has established himself as the fastest man ever in swimming after breaking multiple American records in the sprint events while swimming for the University of Florida. His success has since been carried over to the professional level. At the 2019 World Championships in Gawngju, South Korea, Olympic gold medalist Dressel broke the legendary Michael Phelps’ world record in the 100m butterfly. 
  • Joseph Schooling: At the 2016 Olympics, 21-year old Schooling defeated Phelps, his childhood hero, for gold in the 100m butterfly. Schooling’s medal is Singapore’s first-ever Olympic medal in swimming.

Written by: Elizabeth Levy