Along the way, he played a major role in the college's financial health and enrollment, built a football stadium, offices and weight room, won 300-plus games and mentored many lives.

Wilcox, after serving as assistant coach, took over the program in 1979 and presided over its transformation into a consistent winner and regular NAIA playoff qualifier.

The Ravens defeated Northeastern Oklahoma State 14–13[12] in the Mineral Water Bowl in Excelsior Springs, Mo.

It rekindled CIC rivalries against schools such as Washburn and Emporia State at times, and also regularly played Missouri Western.

The Catholic colleges are separated by 56 miles and their meetings, especially in basketball, defined seasons and packed gymnasiums for decades.

It traditionally started with beer and Wheaties breakfast at The Wharf and included a rivalry t-shirt mocking the Hawks before an afternoon game.

Rockhurst students enjoyed visiting Atchison to rearrange a rock formation spelling "St. Benedict's" by changing the "B" to "R" and painting it blue.

Several times, Rockhurst fans attempted to invade the Snakepit seating area in the Benedictine gym and had to be forcibly removed.

In 1970, St. Benedict's students celebrated a seven-game basketball win streak over the Hawks by taking out an advertisement in the Kansas City Times.

The copy recounted St. Benedict's two NAIA titles and taunted "The Raven Sports Arena Awaits You Hawks."

In 1990, Benedictine students kidnapped the Hawks mascot costume,[13] performed during a soccer game and returned to Atchison with the prize.

"The Ravens, on the loose all season, flew up and down Bourke field yesterday and in fewer than twenty minutes after the start had a strangle hold on the honor and glory that goes with crushing Rockhurst college's Hawks, their traditional rivals."

Late in the 1980s, Benedictine's program improved under coaches Del Morley and Mike Sickafoose and the rivalry became competitive again.

1964-65 Ravens 85, Hawks 83 at Municipal Auditorium – Darryl Jones scored 25 points, 18 in the first half, to help St. Benedict’s defeat the reigning NAIA champions.

1968-69 Ravens 75, Hawks 69 in Atchison – Tim Moore scored 27 points to give St. Benedict's its sixth straight win over Rockhurst.

1987-88 Ravens 96, Hawks 76 in Kansas City – Benedictine snapped a 20-game losing streak in the series with Tony Russo scoring 22 points.

1991-92 Ravens 82, Hawks 74 in Kansas City – Technical fouls and a potential scuffle in the final seconds highlighted Benedictine’s win.

Darryl Jones, a 6-foot-5 forward, and Chic Downing, a 6-foot-7 center, are the lone Ravens to earn first-team NAIA All-American honors.

Benedictine featured great chemistry, three-point shooting and strong defense in 2018-19 and it resulted in a remarkable season.

Host Regis College won the title after finishing as the 1949 NAIA Tournament runner-up earlier that month.

Running back Don Brown and center Truman Ashby are Benedictine football players named first-team NAIA All-American twice.

In 1994, Benedictine hired Steve Huber, an assistant coach at Bradley University and a man with a passion for recruiting.

Huber changed the program quickly and its success continued under current coach Chad Folsom, an Atchison native who played at Maur Hill Prep.

The Ravens won Heart of America Conference titles in 1998 and 1999 and advanced to the NAIA Division II national tournament in 1997, 1998 and 1999.

The 1999 Ravens made 42.6 percent of their three-point shots to lead NAIA Division II for the second time under Huber.

Huber left Benedictine after the 1998–99 season to continue a career that included stops as an assistant at Central Missouri, Louisville, San Diego State and Creighton and the head coaching job at Drury.

BC entered the national tournament seeded second and defeated Daeman 73–60 and Doane 56–55 before losing to College of the Ozarks 73–64 in double overtime in the quarterfinals.

[citation needed] In 1933, according to a Kansas City Star report, St. Benedict's and Rockhurst were informally considered for membership in the MIAA (then known as the Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association).

In 1992, Benedictine joined the Heart of America Athletic Conference for all sports, a group that the school had long targeted for its geographic and institutional fit.

The mascot "Rocky" is associated with St. Benedict, as legend has it a raven would bring the sixth-century saint food during his time as a hermit in the mountains near Subiaco, Italy.