Football Hall of Fame

Front Row: (L-R) Rollie Groeper, Bill Seitz, Stu Montgomery, Bob Guinnee, Art Harmon, RoUle Ingold, Pete Vonachen.

Second Row: Coach Ennio Arboit, Jim Robitske, Bill Connors, Sam Delgado, Dick McLinden, Paul Clinch, Ralph Jordan, George Coyle, Earl Beetler.

Third Row: Bob Vespa, Rev. Sylvester Palacz, Jack Donnelly, John Pavich, Dave Gibbons, Willie White, Harold Gregg, Jack Errion, Bob Traeger, John Tomic.

Not Pictured: Jim Marcus, Vince Clinch, Jerry Donnelly, Tom Flanagan, Herb Ferlmann, Chuck OíBrien.

THE POTENT 1942 Spalding Institute football team, coached by the beloved Ennio Arboit, also a member of the Greater Peoria Sports Hall of Fame, was the third unbeaten team in the history of the school but the first to go through a season without a tie game.

Brilliant on offense and exceptionally stern on defense, the Irish scored 258 points, averaging 32.2 a game, while allowing but 18 for the season.

Spalding produced five shutouts, with only Woodruff among city schools able to score on the Irish. The only scare for this talented team came in a narrow 7-6 win over Quincy Notre Dame.

A dozen Irish gridders were named to the all-Greater Peoria team including ends Stu Montgomery (honorary captain) and Jack Errion (who later became a head football coach at Spalding), tackles Jack Tomic and Jim Robitski, guards John Pavich (All-State selection), and Bill Seitz, center Jack Donnelly and backs Rollie lngold (both team and Greater Peoria Coaches' MVP), Bob Traeger, Bob Guinnee, Dick McLinden and George Coyle. This "Dream" Season climaxed the High School playing career of 18 seniors.