TONAWANDA NEWS
Published: November 16, 2009 06:40 pm
HALL OF FAME: St. Joe's to induct '09 class
Staff ReportsKENMORE — St. Joseph’s Collegiate Institute’s Alumni
Association will honor some of the best athletes ever to don the Maroon and
White during the 16th annual Sports Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony Friday at 7
p.m. at the Kenmore school, located at 845 Kenmore Ave.
This year’s inductees include the first player ever to play in a Division I
ice hockey game with a prosthetic limb, the current Marauders baseball coach,
and the driving force behind the creation of the Sports Hall of Fame.
The 2009 inductees are: Michael J. Diggins, Clarence “Bud” Smith ‘35,
Dennis P. Riley ‘58, Thomas C. Toy Jr. ‘68, Rick “Rico” Mariano ‘70,
Michael E. Ginal ‘96 and the members of the 1954 and 1955 Varsity 8 crew
teams.
Tickets for the event are available at the door for $25. For more information,
call the Institutional Advancement Office at 270-4113 or e-mail czanghi@sjci.com.
Michael J. Diggins
One of the most successful coaches in St. Joe’s history, Diggins’ first
coaching assignment was at Bishop Fallon and, in 1969, he began a 13-year stay
at Bishop Turner. In 1982, Diggins began teaching at St. Joe’s and took over
the cross-country team from the legendary Bob Ivory one year later. The program
never missed a beat, racking up 16 regular season titles, 16 undefeated seasons,
16 All-Catholic crowns (including 13 consecutive), and 108 total wins during his
tenure.
Teaming up initially with Jim Roland ‘69 and later with Matt Hellerer ‘75,
Diggins guided the St. Joe’s track team to 13 regular season titles, with 12
undefeated seasons, and 15 All-Catholic championships. During his tenure at St.
Joe’s, the track team ran to a 107-15 record. His cross-country squads at
Bishop Turner and St. Joe’s were a combined 183-43 with 18 regular season
titles and 17 All-Catholic championships. His track teams went 194-31 with 19
regular season championships and 20 All-Catholic titles.
Clarence “Bud” Smith ‘35
Smith’s exploits in the athletic arena would prove to be legendary for the St.
Joe’s community. In his sophomore year of high school, Bud became a
three-sport varsity star, quarterbacking the football team to a 4-2-1 record,
leading the basketball team to an 11-5 mark and guiding the baseball club to
9-1. Smith played a major role in each of those successes.
During his junior year, Smith steered the St. Joe’s football team to a 6-1
record and the private school championship. A hard-hitting outfielder, Smith led
the Marauders baseball club to a 16-0 record and the private school title. In
his senior year, Smith concentrated solely on football, serving as a captain and
guiding the gridders to their second consecutive private school title.
After graduating from St. Joe’s in 1935, Smith worked in local industry and
learned the tool and die trade before moving to Massachusetts. There, he served
the Navy at the Boston Navy Yard. When the war was won, Smith returned to
Buffalo with his wife, Mary Margaret Hardy. Smith and a handful of neighborhood
fathers started a grassroots organization whose efforts eventually led to the
creation of the Grand Island Little League in 1955.
Dennis P. Riley ‘58
Dubbed “Dennis the Menace” by the Buffalo Courier Express, Riley excelled in
basketball and baseball. On the basketball court Riley controlled the offense,
set up plays and drove the lane. His all-around play led the Marauders to a
regular season co-championship and a first team All-Catholic berth. As a junior
on the baseball team, Riley pitched behind fellow St. Joe’s Sports Hall of
Famer and future major leaguer Frank Kreutzer. Riley helped the Marauders to the
Burke Division championship with a nine-strikeout performance against Bishop
Ryan.
After graduating from St. Joe’s, Riley went on to Niagara University where he
earned a degree in natural science. From there, he attended the Marquette
University School of Dentistry in Milwaukee, where, in 1966, he graduated with a
D.D.S. degree. Riley subsequently entered the U.S. Air Force, serving in the
Department of Oral Surgery during the Vietnam War. Riley and his family then
moved out to San Diego, where he joined an endodontic group, and taught two days
a week at the University of Southern California’s Dental School. In 1973, he
opened his first of five endodontics specialty locations, and retired from his
practice in 2006.
Thomas C. Toy Jr. ‘68
Toy was known to all in the St. Joe’s community as one of the most
consistently active board members who has ever worked with St. Joe’s Alumni
Association. His affinity with St. Joe’s began in the early 1960’s, when his
parents allowed him to take the entrance exam to St. Joe’s. Toy exceeded his
parents’ expectations then, and remained one of the most loyal and active
Marauders until his untimely death earlier this year. As an athlete, Toy was an
integral member of the undefeated 1967 football team, ranked No. 1 in New York
State, and the undefeated track teams of 1967 and 1968.
Still, it is what Toy did for St. Joe’s after his graduation that warrants his
induction into the Sports Hall of Fame. As a member and former president of the
St. Joe’s Alumni Association Board, Toy was the driving force behind the
creation of the St. Joe’s Sports Hall of Fame, and served as its chairman
since its 1994 inception. Additionally, Toy was one of the organizers for the
St. Joe’s-Canisius post-football game party. As a result of his efforts, he
was chosen as the St. Joe’s “Man of the Year” in 1990 and inducted into
the school’s Signum Fidei Society in 2004.
In 1977, Toy opened his own business, La Hacienda Brighton Restaurant, in the
Town of Tonawanda. Toy was known for his philanthropic efforts throughout the
Buffalo area, including many years working with the Special Olympics. Each and
every day he looked for ways to do nice things for people, from delivering food
and organizing philanthropic events for the needy, to making monetary
contributions for worthy causes.
Rick “Rico” Mariano ‘70
Mariano played one year of varsity basketball at St. Joe’s but it was his
three years of varsity baseball where his star shined the brightest. Mariano was
an integral part of the Marauders’ two consecutive Georgetown Cup championship
teams. An outstanding third baseman, Mariano hit over .300 as a sophomore,
earning him All-Catholic honorable mention honors. As a junior, he had a career
year, hitting .435, notching six game-winning hits and leading the league in
triples and RBIs. At season’s end, Mariano was named First Team All-Catholic.
He was also selected as the team’s co-MVP with fellow Sports Hall of Famer Joe
Scaffidi ‘69. After losing 10 players from the 1969 championship squad for his
senior year, Mariano was asked to shoulder much of the responsibility as captain
of the youthful team. He hit .390 and was 4-1 on the mound.
Mariano returned to St. Joe’s in 1991 as freshman baseball coach. In 1997, he
became the varsity head coach. The Marauders won the regular season title in his
first year and captured their first of two straight Georgetown Cups the
following year. That 1999 team was ranked No. 1 in Western New York.
In his 13 years as head coach, St. Joe’s has won seven regular season titles
and three Georgetown Cups with a winning percentage of .683. He is already the
winningest baseball coach in St. Joe’s history and is tied with legendary
coach Frank Schiavone with three Georgetown Cups.
Professionally, Mariano was a member of the Buffalo Police Department before
retiring in 1991 with numerous awards for outstanding police work and heroism.
Presently, Mariano is the owner of Bison Beverages in Cheektowaga, which he
opened in 1996.
Michael E. Ginal ‘96
Ginal is a true inspiration for the physically challenged. Despite losing a leg
to cancer at age 3, Ginal has overcome this challenge with phenomenal results.
In his relentless determination to just be “one of the boys,” he became one
of the most extraordinary high school athletes in Western New York. An avid
golfer, Ginal was a four-year member of the St. Joe’s golf team, helping the
Marauders to the league and All-Catholic championships in his freshman year. In
1995, he won the junior amputee golf championships of the United States, Canada
and Great Britain.
By his senior year, he was captain of the St. Joe’s squad. Still, his first
love has always been hockey. While recovering from his operation, Ginal watched
several Buffalo Sabres games, and soon decided that he wanted to play. Within
six months, he was learning to skate. By the time he started playing travel
hockey, he was the team’s full-time netminder and helped the team to the state
title. Ginal became the first freshman to ever earn a roster spot on the St.
Joe’s Federation team. As a sophomore, he was the team’s starter, and earned
the captaincy as a senior. All told, he won three Federation titles in his
four-year career at St. Joe’s, which culminated with his nomination as the
First Team goalie on the Federation All-Star Team.
After graduating from St. Joe’s, Ginal attended Harvard University, where he
was a walk-on for the varsity hockey team as a freshman, and eventually became a
three-year letterman. The first person ever to play in a Division I ice hockey
game with a prosthetic limb, Ginal was also a founding team member and is a
current member of the U.S. Amputee Ice Hockey Team. Ginal graduated cum laude
from Harvard University with a B.A. in History of Science, before earning his
M.B.A. from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. Ginal
is currently a marketing executive at Mike’s Hard Lemonade Co. in Seattle.
‘54-’55 Varsity Crew Teams
The 1954 and 1955 varsity 8 crew teams were an extremely talented group of
rowers who will go down in history as two of the most successful teams ever to
don the Maroon and White. The 1954 team registered the best schoolboy record in
the West Side Rowing Club’s history up to that point. The 1954 Marauders won
the U.S. National Championship in Worcester, Mass. The varsity eight of Jim
Wynne, John McCormick, Bob Carroll, Jim McMullen, Justin Strunk, Paul Kurban,
Dave Gillig, Larry Lauer and coxswain Joe Rotundo swept to the title by a length
over Washington and Lee High School of Arlington, Va.
One week later, they became the first American school to win the team title at
the Canadian Secondary Schools Rowing Association Point Championships. They were
also the first school to score a sweep of local honors by capturing the
Princeton Cup for All-High Supremacy and the Fraunheim Trophy for Catholic
schools.
With the return of Wynne, McMullen, Kurban, Lauer and coxswain Rotundo and the
additions of John Robshaw, Norb Overfield, Phil Shalala and Dave Schank from the
previous season’s junior varsity, the outlook was bright for the 1955 crew,
which successfully defended their All-High titles.
Wynne and McMullen later teamed with three other members of the West Side Rowing
Club to represent the United States in the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne,
Australia