1969 Brooklyn Championship Team

By today’s standards, the ’69 team wasn’t big, nor very fast or particularly strong, but they were unified and led by Adam Cirillo entering his 30th and final season at the helm of Tech football. There was talent, along with intelligence, but unity, togetherness and leadership were their greatest attributes. Nobody better exemplified that spirit of unity than the captain and offense guard, Jim Konnick. He stressed the idea of team first above any individual accomplishments. This would prove to be key to their success.

The defense was a force to behold led by Daily News 1st team all-city safety, Doug Leary. The offense was a balanced attack coordinated by quarterback Tony Bartolomeo. The team, as a whole, was made up of a group of overachievers who followed the example of coach Cirillo and team captain Konnick. This combination of unity and talent was evident as the 1969 team went undefeated (7-0) and won the Brooklyn Championship. Only a last second loss to Far Rockaway shattered Tech’s quest for an undefeated and an undisputed “mythical “ city championship. They would share the title with Far Rockaway and John Adams. Despite the disappointment, the 1969 team was a great example of what Coach Cirillo looked for in his team and individual players. He was quoted as saying “This was possibly the best team he ever coached!”