Staten Island Sports Hall of Fame
Relive It All Again
John D’Amato, a High School All-American linebacker at Monsignor Farrell, played in the Rose Bowl as a freshman at Ohio State.
After transferring to Massachusetts to be closer to his family, D’Amato was a two-time All-Yankee Conference player, and helped lead the Minutemen to the NCAA Division II quarterfinals as a junior, and the I-AA championship game as a senior.
Cliff Brantley was a 1,000-point scorer at Port Richmond High School, with multiple 40-point games; but he was a better baseball pitcher – striking out 18 batters in a game – destined for the majors.
Drafted by the Phillies, he set a minor-league strikeout record, and was in the big leagues at 23. But Brantley barely had time to flash his potential – taking a no hitter into the sixth inning against the Mets – before a rotator cuff injury cut short his career.
Jack Taylor earned 120 big-league wins and a reputation as an ironman on the mound in 10 seasons with the 1890s New York Giants, Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds.
Taylor was the ace of the staff in Philadelphia, where he won 23, 26 and 20 games in consecutive seasons with the Phillies, and finished all but 26 of his 235 career starts.
A two-sport high school star, Geraldine Saintilus was an All-Big East basketball player at Seton Hall, where she set records for scoring, rebounding and steals, and was named New Jersey Player of the Year and Big East Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
At Curtis High School, Saintilus led the Warriors to three Staten Island championships and a city semifinal in basketball, and three more Island titles in softball.
Ben Sarullo, an All-City lineman at New Dorp High School, played on undefeated teams at New Dorp and Wagner College and captained both schools before devoting his life to coaching at Monsignor Farrell High School.
Sarullo served six seasons as Farrell’s jayvee coach, and 11 more as defensive coordinator. In 30 years as a head coach, his teams won four CHSFL championships and the 1986 Metro Bowl.