A building was designed to accommodate 600 students, with a cornerstone ceremony held in May 1901 and a formal dedication in January 1902.
[1] The Book of Englewood, a history published by the city in 1922, describes the building as "an imposing edifice of red and gray sandstone.
"[2] In 1939, two years after his graduation from Fordham University, Vince Lombardi began his football coaching career at St. Cecilia; he worked there for several years before leaving to take a junior coaching staff position at Fordham, his alma mater.
[7][8] The boys' basketball team, also coached by Vince Lombardi, finished the 1945 season with a record of 21-3 after winning the New Jersey Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) Parochial state championship against Trenton Catholic High School by a score of 55-51 in the tournament final at the Elizabeth Armory.
[9][10] The baseball team won the Non-Public B state championship in 1975, defeating Bishop Eustace Preparatory School in the final round of the tournament.