Perhaps it began in 1948: Unbeaten in the league and winner of the City-County championship game. 

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Perhaps not, because what followed was a .500 season.

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And so the Christian Brothers Academy football squads from 1950-1954 were selected to be honored into the GSSHOF.

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Hall of Famer Walt Ludovico coached those editions of the Purple and Gold. Ludovico and assistant Tony Sylvester fashioned offenses scoring a five-year average of 28 points a game. Most impressive was the '52 attack, directed by three-time all-City quaterback Chuck Zimmerman (himself a Hall of Famer) and averaging 38 points per game. Fullback Frank Cappelletti (another Hall inductee) was an awesome runner and blocker on those teams.

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If you consider that eye-popping, how about a defense that in winning 35 in a row authored 21 shutouts and gave up a measly 3.0 points per game!

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CBA won three City-County titles during that five-year span. No game was played following the '52 or '53 seasons, during which the Brothers blanked 12 of 13 victims and enjoyed a gaudy point differential of 462 to 6. Anyone think CBA would not have been 5-for-5?

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Stellar linemen were critical to CBA's success on both sides of the ball. Those five CBA squads being honored included 26 first-team all-City selections, 19 of them up front (tackle-to-tackle). Center Mike DeLucia, like QB Zimmerman, was a first-teamer three consecutive years.

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CBA's all-City first team picks during the Brothers' reign:

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'50 - Roy Spadafora, C; Vic Ciciarelli, QB; Bill "Gallopallopalong" Cassidy, E; Ted Bertrand, G; and Joe Ryan, T.

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'51 - Mike DeLucia, G; Frank Cappelletti; FB; Dean-'Red' Bettinger, E; Dan DeLany, G; Bob Costa, T; and Zimmerman, QB.

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'52 - Jim Fitzgerald, T; Jim Vacco, T; Dan DeLany, G; Mike DeLucia, C; Frank Cappellitti FB; and Chuck Zimmerman, QB.

 

'53 - Len Basile, E; Ned Weinheimer, T; Pete Monteleone, G; Mike Delucia, C; and Chuck Zimmerman QB. (Bob Congel was a second team all-city tackle who has gained some notoriety as a mall developer).

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'54 - Ray Poniatowski, E; Tony Donati, G; Joe Tirinato, T; and Tom McPherson, QB.

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Of the 35 consecutive victories, only one was by four points or less, which was a 14-13 squeaker over Central in '54. That's how dominant CBA was on the football field, year after year. And that's why nearly a half-decade of CBA football is honored as the 2007 Team of Honor.