Think your “Johnnie Blood” runs red hot with the anticipation of another season in Collegeville witnessing football sage John Gagliardi coach his 60th year? Does your fall schedule completely hinge on the Johnnies playing football and who they’ll be challenging in the playoffs? If you answered yes, then I challenge you to compare your Johnnie Spirit to our newest contributor “Johnnie Tats”. This guy is completely off the charts….. Thanks for your story Pete!
—DustySJU
WHERE DID YOU GO TO SCHOOL…?
Have you ever noticed that when the majority of the population is asked this question they will respond with: “I went to the University of”…however when an Alumni of SJU is asked this very same question, the standard response is, and always will be: I AM A JOHNNIE!
As 2008 marks my 20 year reunion I thought that it would be appropriate to attempt (the best I can) to share my feelings for this magical place we call St. John’s. I am a second generation Johnnie (which compared to others is not that deep of a lineage) and to this day I will forever be thankful that my Dad (Colonel ret. Helmut F. Hacker, SJU ‘62) who in the Fall of 1958 got on that train in New York City and traveled some 1,500 miles to a aptly named place called Collegeville so that he could attend St. Johns University and of course become a Johnnie. A place where he made friends that to this day, some 46 years later, he still considers them to be the best guys on the planet. Guys like Gary Chalupsky, Denny Wiemerskirch, Jack Curtis, and Lt. Col (ret) Norm Lorsung. Or as they were, and still are more commonly referred to as: “The Council”. It was because of this never wavering message, delivered to me by my Dad throughout my childhood, which convinced me to, sight unseen, attend St. John’s and become a Johnnie. And now having met these tremendous men (over my lifetime) and other legendary Johnnies such as Bob Wicker, Rich Hall, Bernie Kukar and so on, I can honestly say that I whole heartedly agree with my Dad’s sentiments. One’s Johnnie buddies are indeed the best dang friends you will ever make, and ever have. Why? Because the saying” Once a Johnnie, always a Johnnie is not just a cliché marketing phrase in the Johnnie Nation. Rather this phrase does (simply) represent what we all believe and how we all feel about St. John’s, Collegeville, and the people we met during our time there.
And now, some 24 years after I first arrived in Collegeville, I proudly share the same sentiment about my fellow Johnnie buddies from my time at SJU. Guys like Bob Kapla, Dean Danninger and Mike Carlson. Fellow Johnnies that I did not know when I arrived at Collegeville and now would do anything for them, just as they would do anything for me. Yes, we lost track of each other for a couple of years here and there. But once we re-kindled our contacts thru attending games or other Johnnie Social events it seemed as if those 15-20 years melted away in an instant and we were again sitting in our Dorm rooms drinking beer and enjoying our time as Johnnies! I know, without doubt, that I could contact any of my Johnnie buddies at anytime and with any need, and they would be there for me, just as I would be there for them. Why? Because we are Johnnies, and nothing is stronger than the bonds of friendship made over four years of time spent together at SJU!
I to this day still consider the four years I spent at SJU the best time of my life. The opportunities to learn, be exposed to a diverse curriculum, make lifelong friends and become a member of what has to be considered one large fraternity is without a doubt priceless. And all of us who are proudly Johnnies, and therefore members of the Johnnie Nation, readily declare (and advertise this via our clothing choices) our loyalty to SJU cannot think of a better place to spend a Saturday afternoon (especially during Football season). What school has such a fervent fan base, such a tremendously successful Football Program and a group of Alumni that continues to pass along (during the tailgating and other social events) and the rights, responsibilities and privileges of being a Johnnie to the current generation of students?
Show me any other school that has such legendary figures such as Fr. Don Talafous, who always knew where you were from (and he would and still does tell you) and of course gave God a “B” in Theology. Then you can always be sure that Fr. Dan Durkin is always lurking, thus living up to his more commonly know moniker of Lurking Durkin the Sneakin’ Deacon! Or show me a school where I can walk into the Refectory (where I worked for 4 years) some 20 years later and still be remembered by name by such great people as Roger Hoffman, Carol Fries, Dix and others. Or show me a School where when we take our own children into the Bookstore on Saturday trips to SJU (so that they may start or add to their Johnnie wardrobes) and the same kind folks (like Mary Kay) who sold us books and our first Johnnie sweatshirts now make sure our kid’s are in the right size! These are all reasons why those of us who are Alumni have a deep and sincere love of a place called Collegeville and St John’s University! And why we are not simply Alumni, rather we are and will always be: JOHNNIES!
I for one, consider myself to be a dedicated and loyal Johnnie. My Wife (who is of course an Alumna of CSB…like so many of us Johnnies) uses vastly different terminology to describe my feelings and devotion to SJU. She likes to tell everyone that I am a “Freaky Fan”! This is due to the very large number of SJU labeled shirts, sweatshirts, hats, posters, vehicle license plates and lastly….but not least, the two (2) SJU tattoos (the SJU #1 logo and the Rat) I proudly wear. We should all take a moment and thank Thom Woodward (a.k.a. Woody) for being the man behind the SJU #1 logo. And to this day Woody still has one of the sweetest basketball shot strokes I have ever seen! And of course when I listen to Johnnie Football games on Saturday afternoon’s (assuming I am not at SJU in person attending the tailgating festivities and the game) she leaves the house due to the amount of yelling, teeth clenching, throwing of anything not nailed down, and the volume of overall disparaging remarks about the opponents (especially if it is the Tommie/Johnnie game) that tend to emanate from my garage! Well if these character traits define fanatical or Freaky behavior then I will proudly answer to “Freak Fan any day of the week! In my opinion it is my honor to be loyal to St. John’s because it is the least I can do to repay and honor what this fantastic place has given me, and all of us who can proudly declare: I AM A JOHHNIE!
During my lifetime I have been very lucky to have traveled the world and have seen many of its wonders. And I have been lucky enough to have shared this with my Dad. We have cruised the Nile, stood at the foot of the Pyramids, been to the Taj Mahal, stood on the Great Wall, seen Stonehenge, walked along Hadrian’s Wall, looked over the cliffs of Morher, and lived in Thailand together. And I even had the honor of “studying” abroad during my Academic tenure (London, Spring semester 1986). Yet to this day both my Dad and I, if asked, will say that our most favorite and treasured destination in this world is still located in the 56321 zip code, and it is called Collegeville and is the home of St. John’s University!
As I look back on the time that has passed since my graduation in 1988, I think about my Johnnie buddies and those Johnnies who are friends with my Dad. And I sadly remember those Johnnies that we have lost. Guys like Don Pribyl, Dave Boesser (from my study abroad trip) and one of the most famous Johnnies ever, Mr. Rich Hall (SJU ‘63). These truly wonderful people and the countless others we have lost are what make St John’s such a special place. Again this is the reason why all of us are not simply Alumni of SJU, rather we are Johnnies!
So as we rapidly approach another Fall, and a new class of Johnnies is added to the roster we should all be very proud of what those who went before us started. What we were tasked with continuing, and how, when it is our time we will in turn pass along to the newest members of the Johnnie Nation. I know that I am so very proud to be part of what many others consider a tradition unrivaled. And when my time on this planet comes to an end, and someone cares to remember me, all I can say is if it said”Pete was a good Johnnie” I will have considered my life satisfying and successful.
My name is Pete Hacker (a.k.a. Johnnie Tats) and every day I am thankful that I am a JOHNNIE!
