Greater Syracuse Sports Hall of Fame
Celebrating 38 Years!
Founded in 1987, the Greater Syracuse Sports Hall of Fame pays tribute to the men and women whose achievements in the world of sports have made Syracuse synonymous with athletic success, and have brought special honor to our community.
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2026 GSSHOF Team of Honor is 1972 ESM Football Squad
Syracuse, NY — Even to this day — 54 years later — it’s hard to imagine how that 1972 football team from tiny East Syracuse-Minoa High School accomplished perfection.
Just the year before, Coach Jack Griffin sat his 19 seniors for the season finale and played juniors and sophomores. Those Spartans only won one game in 1971.
But the County North Division’s smallest school, facing much larger Fayetteville-Manlius, West Genesee, Cicero and North Syracuse, performed a gridiron miracle.
How do you go from the ’71 basement to ’72 King of the Hill when you lost starting quarterback Jack Pultorak (broken wrist) in a pre-season scrimmage
Sophomore Rusty Godlewski to the rescue. He filled the void … and a squad led by tackle Tom Conway (ES-M’s only two-way player), running back Britt Dahlin (who threw more touchdown passes than the QB), running back Victor Nastasia and long snapper/backup center Greg Heidelberger went undefeated and untied.
Yes, 9-0-0. Not only did ES-M defeat all foes, but the Spartans totally dominated all those big boys. They outscored opponents 236-72 (average score 26.2 to 8).
Among the highlights was a mid-season crossover game against Solvay, unbeaten at the time and ranked No. 4 in the state. Billed as the ‘Little Super Bowl,’ it attracted thousands, causing traffic to back up on 690. The Spartans won handily.
ES-M finished the season ranked 16th in the state, the area’s winningest team (one of only two without a loss) and first in the history of the County League (later the OHSL) to win nine games in a season.
To say ES-M dominated All-League selections would be an understatement. Griffin was Coach of the Year. Five Spartans were named first team All-League, five made second team and 11 earned Honorable Mention.
What’s attainable now was unattainable in 1972. There was no Sectional, no Regional, no State Championship. So how far might that team could have gone?
But for all they DID accomplish, the 1972 East Syracuse-Minoa Football Team becomes the Greater Syracuse Sports Hall of Fame’s 2026 Team of Honor.