The first varsity head coach of this storied Staten Island HS football program has died

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Al Forte, the first varsity head coach in Monsignor Farrell’s storied football program’s history, died on May 11.

The Newark, N.J., native, who was living in Arizona at the time of his death, was 90.

Farrell opened its doors in 1961 and by the time the Oakwood school was ready to play varsity football three years later, Forte was hired after making a name for himself guiding Red Bank Catholic’s program in New Jersey. He wasn’t even 30-years-old when he landed the Farrell job, but behind a little-used, pro-style offense, he got the ball rolling on what would become a highly successful program.

Forte is survived by his wife, the former Lucille D’Errico, who he met as a teenager during his days at Barringer High School (N.J.). The couple would have been married 70 years this July.

The ex-Oakwood resident is also survived by his son Albert Dominic, daughter Debra Jean and brother Gerald.

Forte, who graduated from Seton Hall University, was predeceased by his daughter Patrice Angel.

“Al was kind, and a very good person,’’ said legendary Farrell football coach Ben Sarullo, who coached the junior varsity under Forte for two seasons. ”He taught me a lot about being persistent, about not giving up and most importantly, being tough with the kids, but compassionate. And that’s what I got from him.

”Al was actually the second coach Farrell hired,’’ added Sarullo, who was a part of Farrell’s program for 45 years, including 30 as head coach. “George Baumann was the first, but he coached the JV and when (Forte) came in to coach the varsity, he ran a little-used pro-set offense and he was very successful behind it.’’

“He was exceptionally fair as a coach,’’ praised former star running back Glen Overstrom, who was not only on Farrell’s first varsity football team, but played each of Forte’s three seasons as varsity coach. ”We played with an undersized offensive line, but he made things work out along with (offensive line coach) Brother Sable.

“(Forte) had intuition, he was ballsy and he wasn’t afraid to let people know what he thought about them and I was the perfect example because I was the bane of his existence,’’ Overstrom said with a laugh.

In addition to coaching the varsity football team, Forte was a physical education teacher at Farrell.

Although the Lions only went 2-4 during his first season in 1964, they were competitive from the start. They registered wins over Curtis and Fordham Prep and dropped a one-point decision to Cardinal Farley, which entered the game undefeated for three-plus seasons.

The following year, Forte hired Sarullo to guide his junior varsity team and the program took off. Not only did Farrell finish the season undefeated in 1965 (7-0-1), but it scored a whopping 207 total points (an average of 25.9 ppg.) behind Forte’s pro-style offense. In addition, the Lions’ defense only allowed 39 points the entire season while shutting out the opposition five times.

“Al was a savior — we started our first varsity season under him,’’ said Overstrom, “His coaching was very good. By installing the pro offense — we were the only team to use it in New York City at the time — it was a completely different look. We didn’t even pass that much out of it. But what it did was spread things out where a little (guy) like me could bust through and break away for long runs.’’

The Lions turned in another strong season behind Forte in 1966. They won their first six games, including their first victory over perennial powerhouse New Dorp en route to a 6-2 mark that included a season-ending loss to another heavyweight in St. Francis Prep.

Forte left Farrell after the 1966 season and was replaced by another legend in Dennis Barrett. He finished his three-year tenure with a 15-6-1 mark.

According to Sarullo, Forte returned to New Jersey where he also had a coaching stint at Pope John XXIII Regional High School in Sparta.

In addition to coaching football and being a physical eduction teacher at Farrell, Forte also coached the varsity baseball team between the 1966-67 campaigns. In fact, he led the Lions to back-to-back SIHSL championships and an impressive 25-3 record, according to former player Joe Nugent.

Forte was inducted into Red Bank Catholic’s Hall of Fame in 2018.

According to Calvary Catholic Cemetery, when he relocated to Arizona in 1983, he worked in insurance and continued coaching football at Seton Catholic HS before retiring in the early 2000s.