Front Row: John Diethorn, Ron Knetzer, Ed Gremba, League President Sam Bryen, Ralph Mordino, Ray Korzenowski.
Back Row: Coach Bob Brennfleck, Rick Kesich, Andy Piagessi, Tony "The Tank" Colangelo, Manager Walt Evans, Bob O'Connor, Georgie Mahfood, Mark Donato, Coach Ralph Spadafore.
Missing: Tony DelMastro, Tony Griffith and Butch Liebman.

Note: Coach Bob Brennfleck, team assistant and manager of Sam's Hardware, died suddenly on July 12, 1966. Not completely recovered from the shock, the team was eliminated, 4-1, by Carrick in District 4 play.

Brennfleck's in-house team, Sam's Hardware, however, came on strong at the end of the season, winning an eight-inning tie-breaker game, 2-1, over Droz for the first half title and edging West Liberty A.A. for the second half crown to claim the undisputed league championship.

The title would have been Brennfleck's second with Sam's Hardware. Instead, coach Walt Evans, a late-season replacement, guided the team through the final weeks to seal their triumph. For Evans, it was his fifth straight league title, and sixth in seven years, a streak dating back to 1960. During that span, the only other team to reach the top was Brennfleck's Sam's Hardware, in 1961.

Another note of interest regarding this 1966 team: Standing top row, fourth from the left is Tony Colangelo, known then as Tony the Tank. Thirty-one years later, in 1997, Colangelo, now known as "The Bear", ascended to the presidency of the Brookline Little League, the first program alumnus to hold the distinguished post. Guido "retired" from the presidency after the 2001 season.

* Photo reprinted from the Brookline Journal *