Eddie Cripe was an All-City performer in two sports for Cathedral High School during an era when the school did not participate in spring sports. Cripe also earned all-state honors for football in multiple publications. He guided the Bluebirds to an undefeated 10-0 season and state championship in six-man football in 1951. CHS outscored opponents by an average score of 51-9 and defeated Alvo 59-12 in a battle of undefeated teams in the 1951 state championship. A mid-season tilt pitted CHS against an Axtell team that had not lost a game since 1947. Cripe scored seven touchdowns in the game. Cathedral High also enjoyed tremendous success on the basketball court behind Cripe’s all city campaigns, earning recognition in the Class B and Class C Catholic basketball tournaments.
Cripe married his wife Joyce and had two children, John and Carole. He was an avid golfer and loved attending his grandson Dylan’s sporting events. Cripe passed away in February of 2011 at the age of 76.
Lincoln Journal Sports – 1952: “Cripe has been the Cathedral wheelhorse all basketball season, just as he was on the gridiron last autumn when his speedy legs powered the Bluebirds to the state championship and landed him an All-State berth. Cripe’s name has been in the headlines a lot of times during the present basketball grind and last fall.s football season. But the publicity hasn’t gone to his head. “I’m only as good as the rest of the team,” he said earnestly. “We’ve got a great gang.” One coach voting for all-state football performers failed to mention Eddie Cripe of Lincoln Cathedral. Cripe scored seven touchdowns against that coach’s team in a single game.”
