Members of 1997 football team at Springfield College

Item Information

Title:
Members of 1997 football team at Springfield College
Description:
Vic Innarelli poses for a photo with members of the 1997 football team at Springfield College on a hillside. Three players kneel in the front row with their helmets placed underneath them. Innarelli stands behind them with his arms wrapped around two of them. Seven men stand in the background looking forward. The third man from the left is John Cena. The man wearing number 78 in the front row is Chris Veraszto. There are many leaves on the ground around the players. The back of the photograph refers to the group pictured as being the Roach Patrol. Cena was a center during his time at Springfield College, so it is possible that the Roach Patrol refers to the offensive lineman at Springfield College. However, this is not confirmed. This photograph belonged to Vic Innarelli and was donated by his wife in 2019. John Cena played center for the football team during his time at Springfield. He was named to the Freedom Football Conference All-Academic team in 1996, 1997 and 1999. In 1998 and 1999, he was named to the Eastern College Athletic Conference New England Division 3 all-star first team and the New England Football Writers Division 2/3 All-Star Team. In 1999, Cena was one of the captains of the team and was named the team's top offensive lineman. He was named to the Hewlett-Packard NCAA Division 3 All-American team, the Football Gazette All-American team and the NCAA Division 3 All-East Regional First Team. After college, Cena went on to become a professional wrestler, beginning with Ultimate Pro Wrestling in 1999 and continuing on to the WWE (world wrestling entertainment). He has had 22 championship reigns and is a 15 time world champion. Vic Innarelli was considered an honorary member of the football team at Springfield College. Innarelli operated the barber shop on campus at Springfield College for over 50 years. During this time, he was devoted to the football team at Springfield College, as he never missed a game. Innarelli may have also did volunteer work coaching and was an advisor to the Monus Sabias Club, which appears to have had a relationship with the YMCA. Innarelli passed away on March 9, 2012. He was 81 years old. The Roach Patrol refers to the offensive lineman at Springfield College. The name came about due to the fact that offensive lineman are a huge importance to the success of a football team, but they often receive no credit for a team's success. Assistant Coach Rich Mannello, SC’s offensive line coor­dinator, decided to embark on a journey in search of his line’s identity. “I’m a firm believer in making a great unit through hard work,” said the ultra-intense football professor. “I had to find a way to get them to believe in themselves. If they didn’t believe, then it would mean that I failed as a coach. I wanted to build an inner circle of strength for them.” In the season of 1985 Mannello applied his football wizardry to the philosophical aspect of the gridiron. He sought to find some method that would unite the line and enhance their performance considerably. He came up with the “Roach,” the ul­timate psychological stimulator. “The Roach is the essence of life and the reason of being an offensive lineman,” he said. The Roach Concept was devised to give the line an intra-team challenge to excel and play as one. He continued: “If you put a lineman on their back, then that was the idea. A roach is a top-heavy creature, and if we do it just right, then they’re arms and legs will go up (like a roach on its back).” The players loved the idea and it has stuck ever since.
Date:
1997
Format:
Photographs
Location:
Springfield College Archives and Special Collections
Collection (local):
College Archives Digital Collections
Series:
Vertical Files
Subjects:
Springfield College
Springfield College--Sports
Springfield College--Sports--Men
Springfield College--Football
Innarelli, Vic
Cena, John
Veraszto, Chris
Springfield (Mass.)
Football
Football players
Footballs
Leaves
Places:
Massachusetts > Hampden (county) > Springfield
Link to Item:
http://cdm16122.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p15370coll2/id/23004
Terms of Use:
Text and images are owned, held, or licensed by Springfield College and are available for personal, non-commercial, and educational use, provided that ownership is properly cited. A credit line is required and should read: Courtesy of Springfield College, Archives and Special Collections. Any commercial use without written permission from Springfield College is strictly prohibited. Other individuals or entities other than, and in addition to, Springfield College may also own copyrights and other propriety rights. The publishing, exhibiting, or broadcasting party assumes all responsibility for clearing reproduction rights and for any infringement of United States copyright law.
Contact host institution for more information.
Publisher:
Springfield College
Identifier:
innarelli-vic-roach-patrol-97