During ceremonies on Jan. 27, Bishop Grimes Junior/Senior High School welcomed its newest class of Hall of Fame inductees – a famous team from the 1980s, along with three outstanding individuals.
The inductees:
1984 Football Team
Head coach Paul Taylor led the 1984 Bishop Grimes football team to one of the most successful season in program history, surpassing several records while tying for the Onondaga League’s Central division championship.
Tailback Paul Parker set season marks for rushing yards (1,311) and points (82) as Parker and Eric Updike combined for 2,710 yards of total offense.
Grimes won eight games that season, all in a row, setting two more school marks while its defense recorded five shutouts and allowed just 28 points all year, surrendering just 104.4 yards per game. Linebackers Mike Antonacci and Joe Familo, middle guard Scott Klaben, tackle Tim Nord, and cornerbacks Mike Rogers and Chris Zimmerman led that group.
Jamie Cangemi (Class of 1983)
Considered the best baseball player in the history of Bishop Grimes, Jamie Cangemi was recruited to play baseball at Ithaca College following an outstanding high school career.
During his senior year at Grimes, Cangemi threw three no-hitters and maintained a batting average above .400, while making first-team All-OHSL Central his sophomore, junior and senior years.
In 1986, Cangemi was selected in the seventh round of the Major League Baseball Draft by the Milwaukee Brewers, then spent six seasons in the minor leagues. Then he went on to coach at the high school and college level and, to this day, works in youth baseball player development.
Tara Brisson (Class of 2001)
A three-sport standout, Tara Brisson was an integral part of basketball, soccer and softball teams at Bishop Grimes. On the basketball court, Brisson scored more than 1,000 points, reaching that milestone as a junior during a Section III Class C-2 playoff game against Waterville.
At Hobart and William Smith College in Geneva, Brisson played all four years for the basketball team, leading them in rebounds and assists her junior and senior years while leading them to the NCAA Division III Sweet 16 as a senior.
Then Brisson earned a Master’s Degree in athletic administration from Plymouth State University, served as an assistant basketball coach at Williams College and St. Anselm, and then went to the Tilton School, where she now serves as athletic director.
Mary Beth Kelley
No coach in Bishop Grimes history has won as much as Mary Beth Kelley, where she has guided the cheerleading program for 22 years, first at JV coach, and then as varsity coach.
Six of her teams have won Section III titles, starting in 2008 and 2008 and continuing with Fall Cheer titles in 2013 and 2014, plus Winter Cheer titles in 2014 and 2015. There were also four runner-up finishes, the most recent in 2007.
Several of Kelley’s teams have earned placements at a host of invitational tournaments, too, winning the 2002 CNY Cheerleading Challenge and the 2007 Heart of Champions.
