A state-champion Bishop O’Connell Knights football team from the past was recognized during halftime at the high-school homecoming game on Saturday (Oct. 26).
A number of members from the 1983 O’Connell squad were present. They gathered at midfield for a photo as the teammates stood behind a banner noting the squad’s Virginia State Catholic championship won during that 1983 campaign.
The team finished 9-2 overall that year and 4-2 in the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference, including a 20-19 victory over Gonzaga College High School, long a league power.
The private-school Knights opened that season with a 42-0 victory over Ballou of D.C., then routed the Yorktown Patriots, 33-3, in their second contest. O’Connell and Yorktown were regular Arlington rivals back then.
After the halftime recognition, the 1983 members, including then assistant coach Jim Hayes, gathered near one end zone and talked a while.
“O’Connell had a lot of good players back then,” said Hayes, who later became head football coach at O’Connell.
That 1983 team, which included 18 seniors, was inducted into the O’Connell Sports Hall of Fame in 2021.
