Mike Carnevale talks HOF induction
TROY, N.Y. » It was only two hours before his Hall of Fame speech that Mike Carnevale had any idea what he was going to say. Always, a jokester, the former semi-pro football great had debated over whether to be funny or sincere as he took the podium.
It had been 38 years since Carnevale had retired from the Troy Sammys to pursue a full-time police position. He’d been on the defensive line for six years, stuffing up the run game to the tune of a 15-0 season one year.
As the time came near to make his speech, it was clear the direction he wanted to go in. He formulated a humble speech, highlighting his late parents, and gave the honor the distinction it deserved.
“I just spoke right from the heart,” Carnevale said. “I spoke about how much this meant to me. About how I surrounded myself with good players, wonderful people, my family. It was very emotional. That’s going to stick with me forever.”
The induction took place last weekend in Canton, Ohio — the site of the professional football Hall of Fame. Carnevale was nominated for the award by a former teammate, Tommy Manning. His nomination was reviewed by a regional committee, then passed along to the Hall of Fame committee.
He’s now one of just more than 450 people in the semi-pro Hall of Fame — a list that includes Vince Lombardi, Johnny Unitas and Jim Foster.
“He was a very intense, get everything done, try to be the best, you only have one shot at it,” said former Sammys coach Dave Fleck. “He gave it everything. You never had to worry about the effort that he was going to put forward. He came to play.”
Fleck is a member of the Class of 2012 to the semi-pro Hall of Fame, and spoke about how he he hated facing Carnevale when he coached at a nearby team. He recalled how popular the Sammys were in Troy back in the day, and how Carnevale was the heart of a very successful team.
After Carnevale left the Sammys, he coached the game for a while as an assistant at Tamarac High School. He was a longtime police officer. He said that part of the criteria for becoming a Hall of Famer was the work you did in the game and in the community after your playing career ended. And he checked off all those boxes as well.
Carnevale remembers joking
with a former teammate when a running back on another team was inducted. The teammate, a defensive back, said he didn’t even remember him. Carnevale joked that it was because he never let the running back get past him. “We had a great defense,” Carnevale said. “We became a powerhouse. We were a powerhouse for like 2-3 years.”
Carnevale’s induction is just one in a long line of inductions for family members in recent months. His niece, Kate Rose, was inducted
into the Hall of Fame at Columbia High School. His nephew was inducted for being a part of a La Salle Institute state championship hockey team. His brother was inducted into the New York State Basketball Association as a referee. So Canevale’s whole family has had a lot to celebrate. And it all culminated on Saturday with a trip to Canton, to see give Mike an award 38 years in the making.
“You read a lot of garbage in the paper. And there’s a lot crap on the news,” Carnevale said. “But this is a family of Hall of Famers. It kind of brings a little tear to your eye.”