The Schenectady City School District Athletic Hall of Fame Committee is pleased to announce that the 2018 inductees will be Paul Bricoccoli, Gary DiNola and John Parillo. The dinner and ceremony will take place on September 17 at Glen Sanders Mansion. It will also include a tribute honoring the late Chuck Abba (MP ’44).
About the Inductees
Paul Bricoccoli played three years of varsity football and baseball at Linton HS and was a 1961 honorable mention selection on the Wigwam Wiseman Scholastic All-American Football team. He was an All-County quarterback in 1960 and 1961. He was also selected to the All-Class “A” League Football Team as a junior and senior. Bricoccoli started on a defensive unit that was unscored upon vs. Section II opponents in 1961. He was also an All-County pitcher in 1962. He went on to start at quarterback at the University of Rhode Island from 1963 to 1965. Bricoccoli coached varsity football at Glens Falls HS from 1973 to 1999. His teams finished with a cumulative record of 149-80-3, won eight league titles, three Sectional championships and the 1993 New York State Regional Championship. He is a member of the Glens Falls HS Athletic Hall of Fame and Capital Region Football Hall of Fame. Bricoccoli was presented the Service to Football Award by the Capital District Chapter of the National Football Foundation in 2017.
Gary DiNola coached boys’ basketball at Mont Pleasant HS and Schenectady HS. His 1997-98 Schenectady team won the NYSPHSAA Basketball Championship, finishing with a record of 28-1, losing to Rice in the Federation Semifinals. It is often mentioned as one of the greatest teams in Section II history. Several of DiNola’s players went on to play Division I basketball, including Willie Deane (Boston College & Purdue), James Thomas (Texas) and Jason McKrieth (Rice). DiNola’s 1986-87 Mont Pleasant basketball team won the Section II Class “B” title and Regional title, advancing to the NYSPHSAA Semifinals. His 1987-88 MPHS team won the Big Ten title and advanced to the Class “B” Sectional championship game, finishing 20-3. DiNola was also an assistant coach under Doc Sauers at SUNY Albany from 1989-1994 (three NCAA Tournament berths & an Elite Eight appearance in 1994). He coached lacrosse at Albany Academy and won two Sectional titles. He is an Upstate New York Basketball Hall of Fame member.
John Parillo was a cross-country and track standout at Nott Terrace HS. He won the 1952 New York State Cross-Country Championship, easily breaking the existing course record. He also won the 1952 Proctor Cross-Country Run (in record time) and the first annual Vestal Invitational Cross-Country Meet in 1952. Parillo broke the existing Grout Run record, but finished second in 1952 (losing by one second). He led his two-mile relay team to victory in the 1952 Schenectady Interscholastic Sports Carnival. He was recruited by Notre Dame, Penn State, Syracuse and Northwestern. He ran at Union College and was undefeated in 1955 and 1956 in 13 dual and triangular cross-country meets. Parillo set cross-country records at Union, Alfred, Colgate, Vermont and Hamilton. He won the 1955 NYS Small College cross-country championship (new course record) and the 1957 NYS Small College mile (record time). He also won the two-mile at the 1956 NYS Collegiate Track & Field Association Championships. Competing against runners from all collegiate levels, Parillo finished 18th in the 1956 IC4A Cross-Country Championships at Van Cortland Park and 24th in the 1956 NCAA Cross-Country Championships at Michigan State. He set Union’s mile record. He is a member of the Union College Athletics Hall of Fame.
The September 17 event will also feature a tribute honoring Chuck Abba (Mont Pleasant ’44), who played football at Mont Pleasant and on the undefeated 1949 Union College football team. He was a respected teacher and assistant coach for outstanding teams (football, basketball & baseball) at Nott Terrace HS. Abba later became an administrator and superintendent of schools in the Schenectady City School District. He is a member of the SCSD Hall of Fame (honoring graduates who have distinguished themselves in their careers and in their commitment to their communities). Abba passed away in 2017.