DANVERS — When Bill O’Brien took the stage during Saturday’s Athletic Hall-of-Fame breakfast ceremony at St. John’s Prep, he emphasized two important words in his acceptance speech.
“The people,” said O’Brien (Class of ’88), head football coach at Boston College and former offensive coordinator with the New England Patriots. “We all stay in touch and it’s been 40 years.”
The four-sport athlete on the football, basketball, track and field, and baseball teams didn’t point to individual achievement.
“You had to understand your role here,” said O’Brien, a two-way lineman on the gridiron. “I played hard and was tough…”
Better yet, he was a strong teammate – through and through – who would “run through a brick wall” for his fellow Eagles.
“It’s a life-changing place,” said O’Brien, who has since spent four decades coaching football. “This is one of the most special places I’ve ever been.”
Saturday’s inductees were O’Brien, Tom Gately (’98), Eric Conrad (’02), Jon Loyte (’03), Nick Zolotas (’07), Ryan Fortin (’12), Brandon Bingel (’13), Tucker Mathers (’13), and Johnny Thomas (’14).
Terry Bleiler was the morning’s Crystal Eagle recipient for his photography work within the school’s athletic programs, while Peabody native Mike Uva (’10) served as Master of Ceremonies.
“It was going to challenge you in every way,” said Uva, a multi-media sports journalist for the past decade and current weekend sports anchor at WPRI-TV in Providence. “When you surround yourself with the best, it’s going to bring out the best in you. … The core of my work ethic started here in Danvers at St. John’s Prep.”
Thomas, another Peabody native and a dominant running back who amassed 3,709 yards rushing, is a former Catholic Conference Offensive Player of the Year who went on to play at Penn State University.
At the podium, he touched upon his belief that sports lead to strong perseverance and teamwork.
“This means more than words can describe,” Thomas said. “It shaped me into the athlete I became.”
Bingel, a former multi-sport star who also hails from Peabody, sparked the golf program’s state championship run in 2010. The two-time Catholic Conference MVP also delivered four stellar seasons on the diamond.
“From the day I stepped on campus… it’s the best decision I’ve ever made,” he said. “I am forever grateful to have gone to St. John’s Prep and to have been an Eagle.”
The City of Peabody’s third inductee of the morning, Zolotas, was a Catholic Conference All-Star on the links and basketball court.
“It’s such an honor and I appreciate everything The Prep has done for me,” said Zolotas, who went on to play golf at Salem State University.
A sergeant in the Swampscott Police Department, Loyte played basketball, football, and baseball while at The Brotherhood. He later participated in NFL preseason camps with Tampa Bay, Buffalo, and the New York Giants.
“It’s a very special place that opened doors I couldn’t possibly have imagined,” he said. “It’s a good day.”
Saturday consisted of opening remarks from Head of School Ed Hardiman, followed by a prayer, a breakfast buffet, acceptance speeches, and, of course, plenty of laughs and photos to go around.
“I told my mom and dad I wanted to go to a public school,” O’Brien said. “At 14 years old, they sent me here and I can see why.”
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