The legend of Paul Arrigoni, the winner of the RHS’ Excellence in Athletics Award in 1933, has lived on long after a tragic automobile accident claimed his life during his freshman year at Fordham University. In football, he was a powerful, shifty runner, a capable field general and a fair kicker who came up with his greatest performances when the chips were down.

While his basketball abilities were just average, he excelled in baseball. A versatile player, he was used as a pitcher, catcher, outfielder, and infielder and he played all the positions well. Jack Coffey, Fordham’s varsity baseball coach at the time, called him one of the greatest high school hitters he had ever seen and put him down as a sure fire major league prospect. Arrigoni played catcher on Fordham’s unbeaten freshman nine in 1934 before he was killed.