Paul Bartolomeo

Tribute Page Paul "Bart" Bartolomeo coached the football team at South Catholic (a k a Southeast Catholic), Bishop Neumann and St. John Neumann for 33 seasons (1946-78), winning xxx games, two Catholic League championships and one City Title(along with a tie in another CT). This story was written before he coached the Pirates for the final time . . . By Ted Silary Since circulation figures for Saturday editions of most newspapers are not exactly sky high, you might have missed an important story on Nov, 11, one that announced the imminent retirement of Paul Bartolomeo after 33 years as head football coach at St. John Neumann High (nee Southeast Catholic, nee Bishop Neumann) in South Philadelphia. So, while informing the laggards on one hand and beginning to give the man his proper due on the other, let us remind you that tomorrow's Thanksgiving morning game with arch-rival Southern at 12th and Bigler streets will really be the last. As you might remember -- having fended off rumors for all of this season and, undoubtedly, a few others -- Bartolomeo told the team of his decision back at school following the Pirates' first win, 20-12, over Roman Catholic at the A.A. Garthwaite Field in Conshohocken. But if you think the man they call "Bart" was overcome by emotion before that night was over, just try to catch his act about 12 noon tomorrow. "I don't look forward to walking off that field," Bartolomeo said. "It's going to be tough. I hope I don't make an ass of myself. "You know, I thought I could handle it OK after the Roman game, my last in the Catholic League, and for awhile, I did. But when we got back to school, I just couldn't do it any more (according to reports that leaked out later, Bart cried uncontrollably). I still feel depressed about it because coaching football is something I've loved so long. "The word has slowly gotten around school. When kids come into my office and say they're sorry, I tell them not to worry and to just feel happy for me, that I'm finally doing it. Thirty-three years. Boy, that's amazing." Strangely enough, Bartolomeo did not even seek the coaching job at Southeast Catholic, then located at 7th and Christian Sts., when it opened in the spring of 1946. AFTER SETTING many records at Southern from 1931-33 - known as " Iron Man," he played every minute in 24 straight games - Bart became a star at Holy Cross, assisted one year at Southern (1938), two at Roman (1939-40) and in 1942 joined the Navy, which made him a chief specialist in athletics and sent him to coach the JV at Dartmouth. "I came home in October of '45 and I was set to work for a finance company," he said. "I got a visit from Jack Ryan (long-time schoolboy reporter for The Bulletin) and he asked me, 'Bart, would you like to coach at South Catholic? ' I said, 'Hell, South Catholic can't even win a ballgame.' He told me, 'Well, you don't have much choice because I already put your name in.' Before I knew it, I had the job. I started teaching in March of '46. "We lost every game my first year and, in the middle of it, I went and asked the athletic director if I could play sophomores. He told me to go ahead. We won half our games the next year and we won the title in '48. In the next five years, we lost just one game each year and the teams that beat us won the championship. In '54, we won again. continued right below . . . SEASON BY SEASON Catholic League 1946: 0-8 1947: 4-4 1948: 8-0 1949: 6-1-1 1950: 6-1-1 1951: 6-1 1952: 6-1 1953: 6-1 1954: 7-0 1955: 4-2-1 1956: 5-2-1 1957: 5-2 1958: 7-2 1959: 2-7 1960: 5-4 1961: 5-4 1962: 3-4-1 1963: 2-3-1 1964: 3-2-1 1965: 5-2 1966: 2-5 1967: 4-3 1968: 5-2 1969: 4-3-1 1970: 3-5 1971: 3-4 1972: 4-3 1973: 1-6 1974: 3-4 1975: 3-3-1 1976: 1-6 1977: 2-5 1978: 1-6 Total: 131-106-8 --- Overall 1946: 0-9 1947: 4-5 1948: 10-0-1 1949: 6-2-1 1950: 8-1 1951: 8-1 1952: 7-2 1953: 7-2 1954: 10-0-1 1955: 4-3-1 1956: 6-2-2 1957: 6-2 1958: 8-2 1959: 3-7 1960: 6-4 1961: 6-4 1962: 5-4-1 1963: 4-4-1 1964: 3-5-1 1965: 7-2 1966: 3-6 1967: 5-4-1 1968: 7-3 1969: 5-4-1 1970: 4-6 1971: 4-5 1972: 6-3 1973: 2-8 1974: 4-5 1975: 5-4-1 1976: 2-7 1977: 3-7 1978: 2-7 Total: 170-130-12 -- CATHOLIC LEAGUE TITLES 1948 1854 CITY TITLES 1948 (tie) 1954 "THE '48 TEAM gave up only one TD through 10 games, then beat North, 19-7, in the championship game. That was my best defensive team. The '54 team was based more on offense. That was our best at putting points on the board. "You know, I never planned to stay around for 33 years. It just happened. In the early days, we had regular football, a few weeks of spring football, then it was into baseball (Bart has coached that for 32 years and is in his ninth as the athletic director) and before you knew it, it was early August and we were back into football. One season just evolved into the next. "Hell, before I knew it I'd put in 12 years, then 20, then 25. I thought about getting out of it at that time, but I never brought myself around to doing it. The longer you wait, the harder it is. That's why I've got to do it now." Though he often carries himself in a serious manner, Bart's deep-down humor is quite infectious when he permits it to surface. Over the years, many a player, after messing up, has heard the line, "You're going to be one of the chapters in my book." "I'VE OFTEN THOUGHT about writing a book," Bartolomeo said. " It could really be worth reading, filled with little anecdotes I've gathered over the years . . . the sad times, the happy times, the exasperating instances, the great people I've known, the horses' asses I've known, the irate parents. Who knows, I still might do it. Unfortunately, I've never written that kind of stuff down. "I wouldn't go into Xs and Os at all. There are enough books for that. What it would be, would be a book for guys who are trying to decide if they'd like to be coaches. Maybe I could forewarn some guys a little. "One year at camp, we had a doozy of an experience. We were practicing one morning and when we finished, I saw two of my kids walk off into nearby woods. I didn't give it much thought, but the next morning we're practicing again and this cop car comes steaming toward me. "The cop gets out and says, 'When's your team leaving? ' I tell him tomorrow so he says, 'Make sure of that and keep them under control.' "I'M THINKING, 'God, what could have happened to get this guy so upset?' As it turned out, during their journey my players had come across a big wheel- type valve and twisted it open. "Hell, they didn't know what they were doing - they could have been setting off an H-bomb and destroying the country - but what happened was, they drained all the water out of a man-made pond that was stocked with expensive fish. And the fish all died." Aside from his coaching and story-telling talents, Bartolomeo is also a whiz with records and stats. Not only does the list of All-Catholic players which accompanies this article come directly from file cards in his desk, but if you are so inclined, you can find out the exact number of games in which a player participated. He also has a list of which players won varsity letters. And when Bartolomeo says he can recall almost every first name, don't even think of mounting a challenge. UNDERSTANDABLY, Bart is reluctant to classify his players because that's one sure way to receive a lot of flak. (For the record, though, tackle Ed Cook went the furthest, playing from 1958-67 in the NFL with the Cardinals and Falcons. Bart this year is coaching Cook's son, Ed Jr., a junior defensive tackle). You won't believe this, but the elder Cook was not picked first team All-Catholic in his senior year, though Jack Ryan did name him first team All-Scholastic. "Besides the quality of some of our players," said Bart, "the thing that's always amazed me has been their tenacity. Every day, it's down to League Island Park (now FDR Park), where there are no facilities to take a shower or even relieve ourselves. "A LOT OF TIMES, the building the kids change in - which has no hot water, broken windows and usually stinks - is colder than the outside because it's brick with a cement floor. When we were at the old school, the kids used to take the trolley and they'd arrive in drips and drabs. Now we go down there in shifts and come back in shifts because we don't have enough big vehicles." As Bart, who coached the Pirates to Catholic League baseball titles in '52, '53, '58 and '60 and holds the honor of being No. 1 on the school system's seniority list, prepares for his final football game, his overall record is 169-130-12. Against Southern, it's 25-6-1. "You know," he said, "I'd appreciate it if you get in my views on coaching. In all my years, I've wondered why everybody wants to kill the coach all the time. I mean, you never hear of someone coming into a school and saying, 'Hey, your chemistry teacher stinks. Why not hire me?' "BUT WHEN IT comes to football - all sports, really - evvvv-ree- buddy's a coach. You go down to the corner saloon and it's loaded with Joe Paternos and Bear Bryants." Meanwhile, there's only one Paul Bartolomeo and you can rest assured he'll be missed. "Ah," said Bart, leaning back in his office chair and folding his arms, "I'm looking forward to the chance to relax. But I'll have to learn how to do that all over because it's been so long I probably forget. If I have one regret, I guess that's it, that I didn't spend enough time with my family. "Anyway, even though I won't be part of it next year, I'll still be in the middle of it. You know what I mean? I just can't fade away." NOTE: In Bart's last game, Neumann beat Southern, 7-6, as Bob Hayes ran 1 yard for a score on the second play of the fourth quarter and Ernie Cimadamore kicked the PAT. This coverage occurred after "Bart" steered the Pirates to the 1954 City Title . . . 30,000 See South Romp to City Title, 34-0 -- -- Below are the players who earned first or second team Coaches' All-Catholic honors during Paul "Bart" Bartolomeo's 33 seasons as the coach at South Catholic/Neumanne. Pos. FIRST TEAM Year Pos. FIRST TEAM (Cont.) Year C Dick Gagliardi 1948 L George Stuski 1971 E Joe Schultz 1948 DL Mike DiSalvatore 1971 B Bill Brannau 1948 LB Mickey Adams 1971 T Dick Gilroy 1949 L John DiFeliciantonio 1972 E John Lavin 1949 DL John DiFeliciantonio 1972 B John Solari 1949 DE Nick Notto 1972 G John Bonavitacola 1950 L Paul Ruffenach 1973 E John Lavin 1950 DE Sam Armadio 1974 B Tony Latronica 1950 DB Joe Esposito 1974 G Joe DiGrazio 1951 E Jerry Smith 1975 B John McDonnell 1951 QB Mike DeLuca 1975 B Lou Solari 1951 DE Pat McLaughlin 1975 T Joe DiGrazio 1952 C Gabe Mastrobuno 1976 E Joe Kelly 1952 E Jerry Smith 1976 G Anthony Scelzi 1953 DL Ed Braceland 1976 E Charley Bastian 1953 L Carmen Faralli 1977 G Tony Capuano 1954 DL Nasario Dunn 1977 T Ray Lardani 1954 DB Rich Yannelli 1977 B Jim Grazione 1954 DB John Masciocchi 1977 B Bill Boegly 1954 DE Lou Cambria 1978 T Pete Patane 1955 Pos. SECOND TEAM Year B Jim Joyce 1955 G Ed Garstkiewicz 1947 G Gene Burgese 1957 G Jim Greider 1948 E Andy Terifay 1957 T Ed Czarnecki 1948 B Pat Drass 1957 E Lou Mimmo 1948 E Andy Terifay 1958 B Jim D'Amico 1948 B Dick "Reds" Mattioli 1958 T Ed Cook 1949 G Pat McCann 1960 B John Butrus 1949 B Earl Geissler 1960 G Al Del Vecchio 1950 B Frank Borrelli 1960 T Pete Sandusky 1950 C Joe DeWitt 1961 E John Smith 1950 G Anthony Giuliante 1961 C Ray Liberatore 1951 G Ron Hill 1963 E Don DiMatteo 1951 G Lou Penna 1964 T Tom Healy 1952 RB Joe Naselli 1964 B Joe Moshinski 1952 E Jim Gaynor 1965 B Charley Muzio 1952 QB Tom DiMuzio 1965 G Tony Capuano 1953 L Mike Barbieri 1966 B Bill Boegly 1953 L Frank Seeley 1967 C Nick D'Antonio 1954 L Ralph Zagrabbe 1967 E Jim Tobin 1954 RB Tony Malerba 1967 B Joe Nardo 1954 C Ed Lamb 1968 T Al Banfi 1955 L Fran Seeley 1968 E Tony Squilla 1955 RB Tony Malerba 1968 B Bob Capone 1956 C Ed Lamb 1969 C Pete Jurgaitis 1958 L Dennis Patrizio 1969 RB Ron Chiumento 1961 DE Don Capone 1969 RB Rocco Lombardo 1964 DB Joe Sirolli 1969 C Nick Fantazzi 1965 E Bob Smith 1970 L Steve Caporiccio 1965 -- Recaps of Catholic League Championship Seasons 1948 Decided in Regular Season South (8-0-0) In a night game before 30,000 at Shibe Park, the Pirates improved to 8-0-0 and captured their first title in 14 years of CL membership by topping West, 13-0. South had never before posted better than a .500 league record. The first TD came as Joe Schultz blocked a punt and Dick DeLuca ran 7 yards on a return. Jim D'Amico's interception set up Bill Powers's 1-yard TD run. North went 7-1-0 for second. 1954 Decided in Regular Season South (7-0-0) The title was clinched with a week remaining as the Pirates, before 25,000 at Municipal Stadium, downed St. James, 19-7. South extended an unbeaten streak to 14 games; St. James saw its streak end at 17. Bill Boegly scored once apiece on a reception and a run. Jim Grazione scored on an interception. In its finale, South hammered Roman, 39-0, as Grazione passed 11-for-13 for 209 yards and three TDs and scored on a 70-yard punt return. -- Recaps of Tie/Win in City Titles 1948 At Franklin Field Frankford 6, South Catholic 6 (tie) Frankford's Ernie Liberati rushed 28 times for 126 yards and a 1-yard TD with 2:10 remaining, then Dick Gagliardi blocked Howard Graham's PAT to preserve the tie. Liberati carried the ball seven times on Frankford's nine-play, 54-yard drive. South scored with 7:05 left on Bill Brannau's 12-yard toss to Joe Schultz, who was wide with his PAT. 1954 At Franklin Field South Catholic 34, Frankford 0 Jim Grazione completed 7 of 17 passes for 102 yards and two TDs to Tony DeSantis (4-71) as South extended its two-season unbeaten streak under coach Paul "Bart" Bartolomeo to 17 games. Grazione also had an interception. Bill Boegly added 131 yards and a TD on 15 carries and Jim Tobin made three catches for 31 yards. For Frankford, John Wright carried 13 times for 64 yards. Baseball Section . . . Recaps of Catholic League Championship Seasons 1952 South Decided in Regular Season Mike Nardi had three RBI on a triple and single as the Pirates downed St. John's, 9-2. Reliever Jack Catanio allowed two hits in six innings, striking out seven. He'd pitched a four-hitter the day before. John McDonnell had a solo homer. 1953 At Temple's Erny Field South 6, St. John's 1 George Chew had three RBI and Joe Catanio pitched a six-hitter as the Pirates topped the tiny Manayunk school. Mike Nardi (four singles) and Rocco Buonpastore (two hits, three runs) also starred. For St. John's, Jack Brill had the RBI and Joe O'Brien went the distance. 1958 Best-of-Three Series At Dougherty Neumann 6, Dougherty 0 Al Famiglietti allowed three hits and mowed down 14 batters while Charlie Chew had two hits and scored two runs. At Neumann Dougherty 8, Neumann 5 Jim Dalton had a double and three singles for four RBI and Jack Shepper spun a five-hitter. At Temple's Erny Field Neumann 4, Dougherty 0 After being hammered for 13 hits in Game 2, Al Famiglietti fought back with a four-hit, nine-strikeout performance. He also collected two RBI. 1960 At La Salle College Neumann 10, Judge 2 The Pirates exploded for four in the first and six in the seventh to fashion the rout. Ron Chiumento went 2-for-2 with a double and triple for three RBI while John Piccolo was almost as successful (2-for-3, double, three RBI). Frank Ciaciak allowed eight hits, fanned six. Judge pitcher Jake Gaffney went 2-for-3 with an RBI. - Recaps of Wins in City Titles 1952 At Shibe Park South Catholic 4, Frankford 3 Jack Catanio pitched a seven-hitter while Howie Cooper had two RBI and scored two runs. Charley Muzio started a three-run visiting fifth with a triple off the leftfield wall. The winning run scored in the eighth on a passed ball. Frankford's Frank Russo had a 380-foot double to left-center. 1953 At Connie Mack Stadium South Catholic 5, Central 2 The Pirates scored three in the eighth and one in the ninth to win it. Charley Muzio tripled to start the eighth and scored on Frank Rodano's single. Pinch-hitter Ray Norton later got two runs home on a single compounded by an error. Tony Catanio allowed six hits, all singles. Central's Irv "Itz" Lipoff went 2-for-4, with a steal and one RBI. 1958 At Connie Mack Stadium Neumann 6, Lincoln 5 The Pirates overcame a 5-0 lead and received a strong, two-pronged performance from Al Famiglietti. He gave up 10 hits and walked five and his mates made seven errors, but he fanned 10 to force Lincoln into stranding 15 runners. Famiglietti also drove in the winning run in the 10th and started a three-run rally in the seventh that featured Tom Daley's two-run, inside-the-park homer. Lincoln's Bruce Baron went 2-for-5 with two RBI. - 1952 Playoff Wins None Lineup Pete Ierardi, rf Lou Solari, 2b Jack Catanio, p John McDonnell, ss Charley Muzio, c Howie Cooper, lf Joe Tralie, 1b Lou Buscio, 3b Mike Nardi, cf 1953 Playoff Wins One Lineup Mike Nardi, 1b Joe Liciardello, 2b Charley Muzio, c Frank Rodano, ss George Chew, cf Jim Grazione, lf Joe Nardo, rf Rocco Buonpastore, 3b Tony Catanio, p 1958 Playoff Wins #Two (Best of Three) Lineup Ray Chiumento, 2b Ed Zoller, 3b Jim Fynes, cf Charlie Chew, c Al Famiglietti, p Joe Jacovini, 1b Bob Chew, lf Tom Daley, rf Joe Bannar, ss 1960 Playoff Wins One Lineup Pat McGinley, 3b Harry Marnie, c Ray Chiumento, 2b Earl Geissler, ss Ron Chiumento, lf John Piccolo, cf Tom Bow, rf Joe Laudadio, 1b Frank Ciaciak, p