He was also intimidating during the freshman dance in the slip from 1973 Leave a comment
Their ferocity are exactly what brought him in order to St. Dominic. It actually was a small college or university, which have up to 150 students for the for each group, and never a vintage power. Nevertheless sporting events advisor, Tom Capozzoli, got within St. Dom’s for around several age, and today he previously a star pro-his child Tony, that has claimed brand new national Punt, Citation & Stop tournament couple of years in a row. This new sports agencies decided to draw in participants who would let the latest Capozzolis victory a title just before Tom resigned. Hodne try among them, and additionally an excellent teammate from the Levittown Reddish Devils take a trip cluster, Dave Smith. Hodne was not also Catholic. He was just rangy and you can violent, a keen intimidator.
You to recalls a teacher becoming fired just after he attempted to alert Hodne’s mothers regarding their young buck
It actually was kept during the Knights from Columbus Hall; the fresh new recreations professionals installed doing a large round table, showing each other. Hodne wound-up doing things they talk about even today. The guy pulled an effective girl at dance under-the-table when you’re his teammates lived in their seats-a work one made their profile in a few household, plus some home undid hers. “To get very truthful to you, most of us indicated the newest fist during the their own,” claims Marge Galtieri, an effective St. Dominic cheerleader plus one regarding Hodne’s classmates. “We evaluated their unique. However, possibly i judged her completely wrong, taking a look at the occurrences of one’s following decades.”
And you can in those days, I had it happening
Hodne was of Wantagh, a conveniently center-group city between your little packets out of Levittown therefore the satisfaction from Robert Moses’ sight on boardwalk of Jones Beach. He’d a challenging-functioning father, a charming and elegant sexy Sapporo women mommy, and siblings having just who he was close. The guy turned a most-Much time Area linebacker whoever very identity rattled competitors. However, in ninth degree, Todd Hodne is actually good polarizing shape at the St. Dominic, because the inside ninth level, Todd Hodne was speaking of breaking the rules. He put their blade to school and you can, considering Poggioli, “definitely” left the household within his fists as he, as the a great freshman, battered a senior exactly who challenged him. He together with bragged on stealing vehicle stereos and you may creating robberies. Their teammates listened, and so they needed to decide whether to trust your and you can just what to do when they performed. Dave Smith is this new son out-of an excellent Nassau Condition officer, and if they were every sophomores, the guy advised their father one Hodne try breaking on mans properties. Smith’s dad contacted Hodne’s regional precinct, and that examined. The result, states retired administrator Wear Smith, is you to definitely Hodne, within 15, is actually “custodialized” by teenager fairness agency out-of Nassau County and you may compelled to get back the fresh new music equipment he’d stolen. The new intervention made enduring foes away from Hodne and Smith, both to the linebackers on the St. Dominic Bayhawks. However it none turned off Hodne nor threatened their standing on party.
A lot of Hodne’s teammates think about Tom Capozzoli repeatedly taking up having your which have school directors. Ralph Willard, who was the latest sports director at the time and proceeded to coach baseball with Rick Pitino at the Louisville, claims, “I really don’t think about here getting people complications with Todd, to be honest. I simply remember how the guy struck.”
St. Dominic acquired the official Catholic Senior high school Activities League title when you look at the 1975, inside the Tom Capozzoli’s finally 12 months since the direct coach. His son Tony, a senior, is called basic-group Procession The-American, and he purchased Penn Condition once the a quarterback and you may a beneficial kicker. Todd Hodne, Dave Smith and John Poggioli had an added year together, and though Hodne and you may Smith used to have a fistfight towards school staircase, Hodne and you can Poggioli were seen as close friends. In reality, Poggioli said he stayed regarding friendship since the the guy didn’t see getting away. He had been interested in Todd Hodne and then he try scared of Todd Hodne when you look at the equivalent scale, and Hodne made him shell out whenever Poggioli made an effort to arise away from under their swing. When Poggioli is actually an excellent junior, he told Hodne that he you’ll test with the university play; Hodne replied by the sneering, “You may be no actor,” and throwing a good pail from water on the their head. Whenever Poggioli had an excellent crush towards the an effective girl called Janet, the guy wouldn’t dare inquire their particular away while the Hodne, even though not their boyfriend, got stated their unique. “Within my number of years at the St. Dominic, nobody requested me aside as they were so scared of Todd,” Janet Shalley remembers today. “I could simply date boys off their universities. “
