2008 Athletic Hall of Fame Program

The Third

Saint Peter’s Prep

Athletic Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony & Dinner

October 30,2008 Liberty House Jersey City, N.J.

Sponsors &Donors We are grateful for this evening’s sponsors, who have given so generously.

Their donations will support the Hall of Fame Scholarship Endowment.

Sons & Daughters of Saint Peter Joseph Cooney, '45 In honor of Hugh Doherty, '09

John Verdon, '57 In honor of Rich Skinner, '57

Table Sponsors John Crotty, '56

Tom Schember, '79

Dr. Hugh F. Doherty, '45

The following have sponsored a Jesuit or Special Guest or have donated directly to the Hall of Fame Scholarship: Vincent Brennan, '57 Robert Burke, '53

Doug Gronda, '86

J. Paul Schaetzle, '71

Brian Kloza, P'91, '94, '02 Tom Schember, Sr., '55

Joseph Burakevich, '56

Kenneth Kunzman, '54

Robert Schwarze, '54

Thomas Gangemi, '79

James Richardi, '60

John Verdon, '57

John Savage, '57

Saint Peter’s Preparatory School Presents

The Third

Athletic Hall of Fame

Induction Ceremony & Dinner Honoring: JOHN CROTTY, ' 56 (Basketball) ED GRANT, ' 43 (Sports Journalist/Supporter) DAVE ILARIA, ' 98 (Wrestling) JOE KEALY, ' 88 (Tennis) FRANK NICOLETTI, ' 62 (Basketball) TOM SCHEMBER, ' 79 (Soccer) RICH SKINNER, ' 57 (Football) JACK SZEIGIS, ' 58 (Baseball) ELNARDO WEBSTER, ' 87 (Football) WAYNE ZDANOWICZ, ' 60 (Football) THE 1958 FOOTBALL TEAM

POSTHUMOUS INDUCTEES: CARMINE CAMPISI, ' 50 (Football) HUGH DOHERTY, ' 09 (Football, Basketball and Baseball Coach) KEN HARBACE, ' 53 (Football) GEORGE MURTAUGH, ' 22 (Football) TOMMY MYERS (Football Coach) JOHNNY SLANE, ' 22 (Football, Basketball and Baseball) JACK WELTER, ' 43 (Football and Baseball)

Program

For the Evening Master of Ceremonies Joe Parkes, S.J., '62

Invocation and Welcome Bob Reiser, S.J. President

Order of Induction Carmine Campisi, '50 † John Crotty, '56 Hugh Doherty, '09 † Ed Grant, '43 Ken Harbace, '53 † Dave Ilaria, '98 Joe Kealy, '88 George Murtaugh, '22 † Tommy Myers † Frank Nicoletti, '62

Tom Schember, '79 Rich Skinner, '57 Johnny Slane, '22 † Jack Szeigis, '58 Elnardo Webster, '87 Jack Welter, '43 † Wayne Zdanowicz, '60 The 1958 Football Team † posthumous

Dinner in the Grand Ballroom

Pride & Glory

The 2008 Inductees Posthumous Inductees

Carmine Campisi, '50

Ken Harbace, '53

Hugh Doherty, '09

George Murtaugh, '22

Johnny Slane, '22

Tommy Myers

Jack Welter, '43

John Crotty, ' 56 John Crotty started at Prep in 1952. Despite a sophomore year injury, John established himself as one of Prep’s great basketball players. In his senior year he averaged 20+ points a game and received numerous honors, among them: MVP in the Jesuit Metropolitan Tournament, First Team All Jersey City, First Team All County, and All Tournament Team in the New Jersey State Tournament. At the time, John was only the third Prepster to make the All Tournament Team.

He entertained numerous college scholarship offers at graduation, deciding on the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. During his career there, UNC won the NCAA Championship and was ranked among the top teams in the nation.

John attended New York University Law School, graduating in 1964 and settling into a career on Wall Street. He lives in Spring Lake with his wife, Gail. Athletic prowess runs in the Crotty family: Gail was inducted into her high school’s sports hall of fame in 2003; his daughter Megan played tennis at Georgetown, his son Michael played basketball at Dartmouth, and his son John played basketball at the University of Virginia and played 11 seasons in the NBA as a point guard.

Ed Grant, ' 43 Ed Grant has been a mainstay of sports writing in North Jersey for decades. A Prep graduate of the class of 1943, Ed attended Saint Peter's College, graduating in 1948, during which time he served in the United States Army, stateside during World War II. In 1944, he began writing for the Jersey Journal. He moved on to the Catholic Advocate in 1956, serving terms as Sports Editor, News Editor and, finally, leaving the Advocate in 1988 as Managing Editor.

During his long career, Ed served as a special correspondent for both the Newark News and the Newark Star Ledger and as been a contributor to the New York Times and the Encyclopædia Britannica. For 57 years, Ed has been married to Catherine Fellmer, sister of classmate Frank Fellmer.

Dave Ilaria, ' 98 A wrestler since the age of 6, Dave Ilaria has gone on to stand out among the pantheon of Prep Wrestlers. Dave wrestled all four years at Prep, amassing a record of 83-12 with 52 pins in Varsity and 102-12 with 63 in JV and Varsity combined. In his sophomore, junior and senior years, Dave finished in first place at the Ridgefield Holiday Tournament and was selected for both the Jersey Journal's First Team All-County Wrestling and the Catholic Advocate's First Team Wrestling All Stars.

Dave continued his streak in college, wrestling at Seton Hall University, with a record of 70-32 and 18 pins, and at The College of New Jersey, with a record of 44-6 and 17 pins.

After college, Dave joined the coaching staff at Loras College in Dubuque, IA, where he coached 3 All-Americans and 9 National Qualifiers. Dave currently serves as the Assisatant Coach at The College of New Jersey, where he has coached 6 AllAmericans and 12 National Qualifiers.

Joe Kealy, ' 88 If you were to pick up a Petrean or a Petroc or a copy of the Jersey Journal in the mid-80s, you would see words like “phenom” and “unstoppable” preceding Joe Kealy's name.

From 1985 to 1987, Joe compiled a tennis record of 70+ wins and 1 loss within Hudson County. He won the Hudson County Championship as a freshman and sophomore and the Boys and Mens Championships as a Junior. In 1987, as a junior, he reached the All Boys State Final - to finish #2 in the state and was selected to the Prince All-America Team. Joe played the same National Junior circuit as Andre Agassi, Jim Courier and Michael Chang, and beat Todd Martin who was later ranked Top 10 in the world. Joe received over 70 Division I scholarship offers, and chose to attend the University of Virginia.

Unfortunately, Joe suffered a career-ending eye injury. Nevertheless, he finished his career at Prep as the most decorated tennis player in Hudson County high school history. Joe resides in Jersey City with his wife Emma and daughter Olivia. He heads a small mid rise construction company and serves as Chairman of the Jersey City Zoning Board.

Frank Nicoletti, ' 62 Frank Nicoletti has the distinction of earning Honorable Mention All County in both baseball and basketball. He led his 22-0 freshman basketball team, averaging almost 20 points per game, scoring over 30 points in a number of games and 40 points in his final game. His senior year at Prep saw his basketball team go 12-0 in county play, and Prep again won the county championship, finishing the regular season with a 22-1 record. Frank finished his high school career by scoring 82 points in three tournament games. His 1200 career points are second only to Jim Barry in Prep basketball history. Frank received over fifty scholarship offers, and decided to attend Syracuse University, where he played three varsity years under Coach Jim Boeheim on a team that included Dave Bing, who would become one of the 50 greatest NBA players of all time.

Frank continued his education at Suffolk University Law School and was admitted to the New York State Bar. He has his own firm, Nicoletti, Gonson, Spinner & Owen, and specializes in insurance law and litigation. He has lived in New York City since 1970, is a widower, and is currently engaged to Irina Gallagher.

Tom SCHember, ' 79 Tom Schember, the son of Thomas A. Schember, '55, played soccer for Prep from 1975 to 1978. He was part of a talented group of freshmen that helped re-build Prep's soccer program under Ron "Rock" Prezioso after the loss of several key players. A four year varsity starter, Tom played center forward and developed into one of Hudson County's premier scoring threats with career totals of 78 goals scored and 32 assists. He holds the Prep scoring records for both career and single season goals (32); records which stand after 30 years. Tom received several post-season honors, including 1st Team All County (1977 and 1978); 1st Team All State – Parochial (1977 and 1978) and All State Honorable Mention (1977 and 1978). Tom played Division I college soccer at Davidson College in North Carolina. He was a two year starter at Davidson, scoring 7 goals before injuries cut short his career.

Tom received an M.B.A. from Rutgers University in 1985. He is currently a Managing Director for Resources Global Professionals. Tom is married to Laura D'Antonio Schember, and they reside in Montebello, New York with their two children, Olivia and Tommy.

Rich Skinner, ' 57 Rich Skinner began his athletic career early: He was a heralded grammar school athlete and was elected regularly to the All Star teams for both Football and Baseball. Upon his arrival at Prep , he competed at the Varsity level in Football, Basketball, Baseball as well as Track. He was ultimately named to more All Star teams than any other athlete in Prep history. Richard continued his exceptional athletic career at Holy Cross, where he started (and was ultimately elected captain) for both the football and baseball teams. His commanding performance as a senior against Syracuse earned him a place on the All New England Football Team in 1960.

After graduation from Holy Cross, he assisted Coach Bill Cochrane with the development of Prep's football and baseball teams. During this period, he made his pro football debut as a member of the Metropolitan Arena Football League. Richard and wife Judith reside in Georgia, with their four children and nine grandchildren nearby.

Now retired from executive positions at Ryder Transport Systems and OKI Telecom, Richard enjoys watching his grandchildren participate in high school athletics—with a little grandfatherly advice from time to time!

Jack Szeigis, ' 58 Jack Szeigis played varsity baseball for Prep in 1957 and 1958.

Under the guidance of his uncle, Coach Bill Cochrane, in 1957, Jack was an All County pitcher for the South Hudson Championship team. In 1958, he was a First Team All State and All County performer for the unbeaten, 22-0 baseball team, the first unbeaten team in Prep history. Prep won the county, state, and Greater Newark Tournament crowns. Jack finished with an 11-0 record, with an ERA of 0.45, only allowing six runs all year. In the last week of the season, he shut out Nutley 4-0, Memorial 3-0 with a one-hitter, and Hanover Park 3-1 with a game-winning single in the seventh inning.

He continued his career at Holy Cross on a full scholarship. Jack was 8-5 in two years at Holy Cross before signing a minor league contract with the Minnesota Twins.

Jack worked for the New Jersey Turnpike Authority until his retirement in 2004. He and his wife reside in Spring Lake Heights. They have one daughter and one granddaughter.

Elnardo Webster, ' 87 Elnardo Webster entered Saint Peter's Prep in 1983 and played on the undefeated county championship freshman team. During the following three years, Elnardo became a force to be reckoned with on the football field as an outside linebacker and offensive guard. After graduating in 1987, Elnardo continued his education at Rutgers, where he was honored as Rutgers University's Top Scholar Athlete.

Drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers, he took a year off from his studies to play in the NFL. He returned to Rutgers to complete a joint degree program in law and business, graduating in 1996 with both a J.D. and an M.B.A. Currently, Elnardo is admitted to the New Jersey and District of Columbia Bar Associations, and is a partner at Trenk, DiPasquale, Webster, Della Fera & Sodono in West Orange, New Jersey. Among his many contributions to his community, Elnardo co-founded Sports Futures, a nonprofit organization benefiting inner-city youth. He has been recognized for his leadership both in his community and in the legal profession by the New Jersey Law Journal. Elnardo and his wife Samantha are the parents of two daughters, Morgan and Taylor.

Wayne Zdanowicz, ‘60 Wayne was born and raised in the downtown Jersey City area also known as the "Horseshoe" section for the location of its churches. He entered Saint Peter's Prep in September 1956.

While playing quarterback at Prep, Wayne was selected All County in 1957, 1958 and 1959, All State in 1958, All Metropolitan Prep by the New York Post in 1958 and All American by The New World (Chicago) in 1959. In college Wayne switched to running back. Wayne attended the University of Notre Dame for a year and graduated from the University of Rhode Island with a B.S. degree in Economics.

He signed with the Dallas Cowboys as a free agent.

Wayne met his wife, Pamela Clark, while at the University of Rhode Island and they were married in 1969. Together they have three children: Kristen, who graduated from Rutgers University with a degree in math , Robin, who earned a degree in marketing from the University of Delaware and Bret, who in May received his Masters degree in social work from Rutgers University. Wayne is currently a Vice President with Weichert Commercial Brokerage, concentrating on the leasing and sale of office and industrial properties in the North Jersey area.

The 1958 Football Team Prep's iconic football coach, Bill Cochrane, had 4 state championship football teams: 1946, 1951, 1955 and 1958. But it was the 1958 Prep football team that was undefeated and has come to be hailed as one of the greatest teams of its generation.

In a description of the game against Saint Joseph's of Philadelphia, the 1959 Petrean writes, “The Joes boasted a star studded line-up, but the Petreans boasted a team."

The '58 Football Team was led by some of Prep's football greats, among them: Rich Gronda, Phil Martorelli, Lou Rettino, Jack Dow and quarterback Wayne Zdanowicz; men who would go on to become Prep Legends and members of the Hall of Fame in their own right. It was a team of great depth, strength and character that will forever be remembered for its state championship; its undefeated season; and, perhaps most importantly in the minds of its generation of Prep men, its win over Memorial in November of '58.

Alumni Board This event was conceived by the Saint Peter’s Prep Alumni Board and nurtured by its Special Events Committee. For their extraordinary leadership we offer special thanks to the following: John Feeney, '80 President Prep Alumni Board

Joe Guarino, '86 Chairman, Special Events Committee Prep Alumni Board

We also acknowledge the individual and collective efforts of the Alumni Board membership: Bob Colacurcio, '73 Vice President

Ray Aumack, '55 Secretary

John Bergin, '50 Gene Boyle, '56 Kevin Brodbeck, '89 Chris Casazza, '97 Joe Casazza, '95 Lou Castelli, '66 Jack Caulfield, '71 Lou Cella, '50 Len De Pinto, '76 Sam DiFeo, '66

Gabe Doria, '81 Dave Finn, '82 John Gibney, '81 Joe Giglio, '87 Dan Gronda, '90 Rich Hamilton, '90 Jim Hardiman, '47 Steve Hudik, '85 Jerry Lally, '56 Joe Massarelli, '80

Phil McGovern, '76 Bob McNamara, '51 Bob Reiser, S.J. Jim Ryan, '66 Jack Savage, '57 Paul Schaetzle, '71 T.J. Sullivan, '93 Jim Supple, '65 George Taite, '73

Tony Azzarto, S.J. Gerry Bellotti John Bergin, '50 Lou Castelli, '66 Joe Cooney, '45 John Feeney, '80 Joe Guarino, '86

John Gibney, '81 Ed Grant, '43 Rich Gronda, '59 Jim Hague, '79 Rich Hansen Mike Hogan, '72 Jim Horan, '70

Jim Keenan, S.J. Joe Parkes, S.J., '62 Jack Raslowsky, '79 Paul Schaetzle, '71 T.J. Sullivan, '93 Joe Urbanovich, '65 Anthony Verdi, '95

Athletic Hall of Fame Selection Committee

Acknowledgements & Special Thanks The Saint Peter’s Prep Advancement Team played a major role in ensuring the success of this evening’s event.

In particular, we thank the following: For their leadership support: Bob Reiser, S.J. President

Francesca Lanning, P'10 Vice President for Institutional Advancement

Chris Casazza, '97 Director of Alumni Relations & Annual Giving

For their ongoing logistical support: Jan Butrym, '01, Diane Casazza, P'95, '97, Nancy Cunningham, P'99, '01, Jim Horan, '70 Mike Jiran, '03, Ginny Needham-Doyle, P’07, Renee Rivera, Anthony Verdi, '95 & Liz Walsh

Program Design: Mike Jiran, '03 Printing: CD Graphics (Joe Villanella, '79)

Pride & Glory It is our pride and our glory, Old in song and in story; And we cherish your name And we love your fair fame For the days of long ago.

And we your sons will be loyal To Saint Peter’s so royal.

May your banners still guide us Wherever we go!

It is a story of gladness, With no shadow of sadness; Our years spent with you, Saint Peter’s so true.

And you hold our hearts’ love yet.

And through the years we will treasure With a joy beyond measure The gifts you have given.

We shall never forget!