B.M.C Durfee High SchoolFall River Public Schools Job Fair
Class of 2004
ANDREA COSTA, Class of 1984
Andrea may be the greatest female athlete ever to play at durfee. Andrea went on to gain All-America status in both volleyball and softball at Eastern Connecticut University. At durfee, Andrea as all-league in volleyball, softball, and basketball. Costa was named the 1984 Female Athlete of the Year. She was a four-year starter in volleyball and softball and a three-year starter in basketball.
GEORGE "SKIP" DARMODY, Class of 1980
Skip was an outstanding cross-country and track star at Durfee, captaining both teams and setting school records in cross-country, 1-mile, and 2-mile runs. He was selected to the All-Scholastic teams in both sports and named as a High School All-American in 1980. Skip is one of only two Hilltoppers runner to break the 14-minute mark over Durfee's 2.8-mile course and held the record in that event for 13 years. He also competed for UMass Dartmouth in cross-country; won numerous local 5-mile road races, including the first two United Way races of Fall River; and was the high school winner in the New Bedford half-marathon.
PAUL HART, Class of 1984
Paul spelled success on the basketball court, where he was a three-year starter and Southeastern Massachusetts Conference All-Star and, like Brian O'Neil, helped the Hilltoppers to a 58-8 record over that span. He finished his Durfee career with 1,053 points and was named to the All-State team as a senior. Paul went on to UMass Dartmouth, where he started for three years and was inducted into the Corsairs' Hall of Fame in 1997 and again as a member of the 1986-87 team (27-1) in 2000. He was selected All-Little East for two seasons and won an All-America honorable mention in 1987 when UMass Dartmouth gained the Division Three number one ranking in the nation.
ROBERT HARGRAVES JR., Class of 1984
Bob was the outstanding three-sports star in 1984, a year when Durfee captured a state championship in basketball and finished with a 25-0 record. He averaged ten points per game for that Hilltopper team and was named to the All-Herald News team. The Athlete of the Year in 1984, Hargraves also was an All-League performer in football and baseball. He was a three-year starter at quarterback and on defense made a school record ten interceptions. Bob was a four-year starter in baseball, batting .393 as a junior when he led the Hilltoppers in hits, walks, runs scored, and doubles and .375 as a senior, leading the Red & Black in RBI's, runs scored, hits, and walks. He went on to start for four seasons at Providence College and was named All-Big East as a senior when he captained the Friars.
KAREN BENEVIDES HARRISON, Class of 1983
Karen was an All-Scholastic performer as a junior and senior in volleyball, basketball, and softball. She captained all three sports as a senior, leading the Hilltoppers to a Division One Southeastern Massachusetts Conference championships in basketball and softball and appearances in the South SEctional post season tournaments in all three sports. Karen was the ace of the pitching staff and recorded a no-hitter in Durfee's 1983 opener.
MICHAEL MEDEIROS, Class of 1976
Mike was a three-sport star at Durfee, gaining All-Scholastic honors in football, basketball, and baseball. A 3-year starter at shortstop, Medeiros finished high school with a .400 career average and was named to the Boston Globe's All-State team as a senior. Mike was the point guard on the Hilltopper basketball team, which reached the South Sectional Finals in 1976. He went on to the University of New Haven, where he completed three years with a .375 batting average and was All-New England as a junior and senior.
BRIAN O'NEIL, Class of 1984
Brian was a three-year starter and helped the Durfee basketball team to a 58-8 record over his tenure. The Massachusetts Player of the Year in 1984, Brian averaged 18 points per game as a senior; 16 points per game as junior; and 18 points per game as a sophomore and is a member of Durfee's 1000-point club. The Kaplan Award winner as the Hilltoppers outstanding player after his senior year, O'Neil also was an All-State first team choice of the Boston Globe and Boston Herald and a three-year All-Herald News selection. He went on to Stonehill College, where he was an all-conference performer in the 1986-87 season.
JERRY PERRY, Class of 1975
An outstanding baseball and football player for the Hilltoppers, Perry went on to the University of New Haven, where he helped win two College World Series titles before beginning a professional career with the Detroit Tigers and reaching the Triple-A level with the St. Louis Cardinals. A three-year starter in football, Perry's best sport was baseball, where he was a two-year All-Scholastic performer and named to the Boston Globe and Boston Herald All-State teams as a senior. A pitcher, Jerry compiled a 19-3 record with the 160 strikeouts, hurled two no-hitters, and a one-hitter in his Durfee uniform.
GARY ROSA, Class of 1969
Durfee's Athlete of the Year in 1969 and named the most valuable player in both football in baseball, he helped the Hilltoppers to a 14-3-1 record as a two-year starting quarterback in football, and the two-year second baseman batted .360 as a senior, leading Durfee to a Bristol County League baseball title. Gary was All-Bristol County in football and baseball and was given All-State honorable mention in football. Rosa also was Durfee's backfield coach from 1974-1978. He received a full scholarship to Boston University and went on to earn a Master's Degree.
NICK SALMON, Class of 1984
An outstanding football and basketball player at Durfee, Salmon went on to captain the University of Massachusetts football team in 1988. A three-year starter in basketball and two-year starter on the gridiron, Nick was a captain on the 1984 state championship basketball team, which was ranked 20th nationally. He gained all-conference status in both basketball and football and was awarded the Unsung Hero Award in football. At UMass, Salmon was a three-year starter and helped the Minutemen to Yankee Conference titles in 1986 and 1988.
CHARLES "CHUCK" WOJTOWICZ, Class of 1978
Chuck excelled in basketball and baseball and was a first team choice on the All-Herald News teams in 1976-77. He compiled an 18-3 pitching record, curtailed by an injury after a 5-0 start as as senior. Chuck was 9-2 on the mound in 1977 when the Hilltoppers won the South Sectional baseball championship. Wojtowicz also was a two-year starter on the basketball team, which was 26-0 and state champions in his junior year and 22-3 as state runners-up in his senior year. Later, Wojtowicz became one of the Fall River area's most outstanding golfers and joined the professional ranks for several season, playing out of the Montaup Country Club.
The 1957 State Championship Baseball Team
Russ Gibson
Jack Driscoll
Tom Arruda
Don Ray
Doug Baxendale
Bob Hargraves
Al Lavoie
Ed Pereira
Luke Urban
Frank Denardo
Stan Kupiec
Dick Campion
Gerry Elias
John Cipollini
John O'Brian
Dick Bonalewicz
Manny Sousa
Roger Alves
Charley Carey
John Sheahan