Bi Cat Walk List Is Now Available Online

Sixty-seven posters adorn Bradwell Institute's Cat Walk, a hallway lined with poster-sized photos of former Tiger student athletes, and coach Jeff Miller said the project is still moving forward and folks can help out by going online.

Miller, the Tigers' defensive coach, said he has four more movie posters he is preparing and he's waiting for some information on another one. The posters represent former BI student athletes who went on to play college-level sports and graduated with an academic degree.

Miller said he put together a complete list, which is available at the Tigers' athletic website: www.biathletics.net

"We got all this stuff loaded on our website," he said. "It has the names of who is on the wall, who is missing, who we've contacted and who we are looking to contact and more."

Miller said they've expanded the project and will be creating plaques for each sport, bearing their respective region titles and records.

He said they were able to secure eight sponsors for the plaques, including the school's JROTC program.

"I think it's great, a lot of the teachers love it and our JROTC program has gotten behind us and they are offering their support," Miller said.

The coach thinks the Cat Walk has garnered the attention he hoped for. He said his plan was to inspire the kids.

"On the first day of school, I'm out in the hallway and I notice that coach Eastlake, the softball coach, is giving her ninth-graders a tour of the school, showing where the classes are and where to go, and she brought them down to the Cat Walk and she asks them to find certain people on the wall," Miller said.

The coach said the students were walking up and down the hallway, searching for names and realizing they recognized current faculty members and professional athletes that once attended the school.

"The biggest thing is the students tell me, 'Well, one day, I want to be up there,' and I tell them, 'First you have to get your grades and then you have to get better in your sport and here are the things you have to do as well as sticking it out in school,'" Miller said.

The coach said he is busy preparing for the upcoming football season but is still chipping away at his list.

"The enthusiasm behind this has gone way beyond what I expected," he said. "People in the community are helping me and when I call somebody to help me find somebody, they are doing it."

August 17, 2010