On June 7, former Saint Peter’s football players from the classes of 1965 to 1972 gathered in The Duncan Family Sky Room at the Mac Mahon Student Center for a fun-filled afternoon of food, drinks and memories.
“The camaraderie these football players and, most importantly, friends had from 40-plus years ago never left us,” said Joseph Sirangelo ’71, chair of the 1965-1972 Football Reunion Committee who originally suggested the idea of a football reunion to the Office of Advancement and External Affairs. “With the emotion present in the room, it was clear that we still felt the same way for each other as we did back when we were students and teammates at Saint Peter’s.”
Sirangelo made the reunion notable by bringing in memorabilia from his gridiron days, including newspaper articles, old uniforms, Saint Peter’s football game statistics going back to 1872 and yearbooks showcasing former football teams and players. Many alumni took to the stage to speak about their experiences on the team, plays they had made during critical games and the dedicated coaches that led the teams to success both on and off the field. A video played throughout the event that featured photos of the alumni from their glory days as football players.
“The skills we learned playing football and as teammates carried us on into our careers,” added Sirangelo. “There’s no ‘I’ in team. The work ethic we learned by being team players allowed us to become successful in our professional lives. It didn’t matter if we were part of a winning or losing team. We all learned the same life lesson: to remain a united front in the face of any obstacle.”
Joseph Quinlan, director of athletics at Saint Peter’s University, was on hand to welcome the former players back to campus. He discussed the University’s current athletic teams and its student-athletes, who he described as being not only dedicated to their sport, but also exemplary academic students.
This event was made possible by the 1965-1972 Football Reunion Committee: Sirangelo; Mark Campbell ’72; Leonard Scattereggia ’71; Anthony Amato ’72; John Mucci ’71; The Honorable Frank T. Carpenter III ’68; Thomas Brodo, Esq. ’69; and Joseph Spano ’70.
A portion of the ticket sales was donated to the athletics department at Saint Peter’s University. Interested in making a gift to Athletics or one of the University’s other priorities? Please visit saintpeters.edu/giving.
To view photos from the football reunion, please click here.