Football | 7/7/2026 2:04:00 PM
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Saint Francis University will recognize its 2026 Athletics Hall of Fame Class on Friday, July 24. The class includes 11 student-athletes, one coach, and two teams. In the weeks leading up to the Hall of Fame ceremony, we’ll spend the summer catching up with these standout athletes and celebrating the achievements that earned them a place among school’s all-time greats.
In 1969, a group of college students set out to revive a football program that had been dormant for more than a decade. They borrowed equipment, found a coach and raised money for travel and other expenses.
It didn’t take legendary coach Art Martynuska long to find a talented group of players. Three years later, he led the team into a game at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh. That season, Saint Francis finished with a remarkable 7-1 record and a No. 1 ranking at the club level.
Later this month, the 1971 Saint Francis Club football team will be inducted into the Athletics Hall of Fame. Without the efforts of its players, student directors and coaches, the modern football program would not be where it is today.
There was plenty of optimism surrounding the team entering the fall of 1971.
Rich Fiore, who played on both the offensive line and at linebacker, told the school newspaper, The Loretto, that his team was being overlooked.
“Football at Saint Francis College is of a higher caliber than most people think,” Fiore said.
He believed the team could compete with any small college program and even predicted it would go undefeated.
Jay Roberts was a newcomer to the team that season.
“A lot of these guys could have played at a different level of college football at other schools, but they were here for an education,” Roberts said. “I think that’s what made it special because it was fun. There were no scholarships, no pressure. When you play because you want to play, it made a big difference.”
Roberts would go on to set numerous offensive records on his way to the Saint Francis Athletics Hall of Fame, but even he wasn’t sure how good the team could be.
The season opened with a 34-8 win over Catholic University. A week later, Saint Francis traveled to Three Rivers Stadium for a matchup with rival Duquesne. In a 2019 interview with Saint Francis Athletics, the late Chuck Connelly reflected on that game.
“It was our first time playing on artificial turf. We had to borrow shoes for that game,” he said.
Duquesne scored early and often that Saturday in October, handing Saint Francis its only loss of the season.
Connelly took over as quarterback during his senior year and developed into a dual threat every time he touched the ball, rushing for more than 1,000 yards. The offense found its rhythm in victories over St. Vincent, American University and Steubenville.
Arguably the biggest win of the season came in Wilkes-Barre against King’s College. The Golden Knights had won the club championship the previous year. On the second play from scrimmage, King’s took a 7-0 lead on a 92-yard touchdown run.
Saint Francis answered immediately when Roberts raced 63 yards for a touchdown to cut the deficit to 7-6.
The defense then stepped up. Frank Gemino intercepted a pass, and a few plays later running back Allen Andrews found the end zone to give Saint Francis a 13-7 lead.
The teams traded scores throughout the remainder of the first half, including an 87-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Roberts. Despite the explosive offense, Saint Francis went into halftime trailing 21-20.
The defense, which had surrendered 197 yards in the first half, clamped down after the break. Saint Francis held King’s to just 45 second-half yards and did not allow another point.
Connelly scored the go-ahead touchdown on a quarterback sweep, and Saint Francis held on for a hard-fought 27-21 victory.
Martynuska later told the school newspaper, “They like to play against the best.”
Not only was it the biggest win in the team’s short history, but players from that squad still believe it was the best game they ever played collectively.
Saint Francis wrapped up the 1971 season with a 22-12 victory over Niagara.
Decades later, that team is still remembered for the fun atmosphere it created on campus. Teammates give a lot of credit to Dixie Murphy. As a student, he served as the team’s general manager, leading efforts behind the scenes to raise money, sell tickets and build a fan base.
And all agree, none of their success would have been possible without the dedication and leadership of coach Martynuska.
“His heart was bigger than he was,” Roberts said. “Art was the kind of coach who inspired you, and you wanted to play hard for him.”
(Information for this story was collected from recaps in ‘The Loretto,’ as well as interviews conducted in 2019 when Saint Francis recognized the 50th anniversary of the start of club football.)
