1947-1951 (The Glory Years)
Coaches Harry Wright and Mickey Connolly fielded teams that competed against the best high school and preparatory teams in the nation, posting a 35-4-1 record over five years.
Big-time football had truly arrived in Rochester. Nationally acclaimed sports columnist Jimmy Powers of the New York Daily News called Rochester, "one of the hottest prep football towns in the country." Or put another way by Elliot Cushing of the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle, "Aquinas football has reached the big-business stage. It has mushroomed from obscure corner store to a tinseled supermarket." Games regularly drew more than 20,000 fans and one game, Thanksgiving Day, 1948 drew more than 23,000.
Harry Wright 1946-1948
In 1946 Harry Wright became the second varsity football coach in the history of the sport at Aquinas Institute. He and assistant Neil Green brought "big time" football to Rochester.
At Aquinas his teams over three years won 18, lost 3 and tied 2. In 1947 and 1948 Aquinas began to play nationally recognized teams. His teams those two years were 7-1 and 7-0-1. The 1948 team was acclaimed as the national highschool champions.
Under Wright Rochester saw first class football. All previous local sports attendance figures were broken. Crowds of over 19,000 attended games at Red Wing Stadium.
Harry "Mickey" Connolly 1949-1951
Coach Connolloy became the third coach to lead the Aquinas football program. Taking over for Harry Wright and rolling right along. His three year record was 21-3 and the 1950 team was the only truly undefeated and untied team during what has been called "the glory years." The turnstile success at Red Wing Stadium inspired the building of Aquinas Memorial Stadium on Ridgeway Avenue. "In the days when Aquinas Institute was a national high school football power, playing teams from Texas, Nebraska, Michigan and New Jersey..., the 1950 team might just have been the best the school fielded." The 1950 team was considered to be the best high school team in the country.
