Al Carapella

Al Carapella (born April 26, 1927) is a former American Football defensive tackle who played for the San Francisco 49ers.

Al Carapella

Interview by Dick Forliano From Eastchester350.org

Al Carapella is 83 years old and lives with his wife Reva in Eastchester on Woodlot Road. He grew up in Tuckahoe and went to Tuckahoe High School during World War II. His coaches at Tuckahoe High School were Charlie Albierto and Bob Smith

Al does not lose a baseball game in 1943 and 1944 when he played at Tuckahoe High. They won the Southern Westchester Athletic Conference against schools that were two to three times larger in population. There were only 38 students in his graduating class and in football most players were forced to go both ways. He remembers beating Eastchester in the annual Thanksgiving game in 1942 and 1943, but not in 1944.

Al was not allowed to play any high school sports his senior year. The summer after his junior year he played baseball in the New York Giant organization as a 15 years with permission from his older brother. He ended up playing for Richmond in Virginia. When he returned for his senior year, he was declared ineligible to play high school sports. He did play for the Tuckahoe Robins and Jackie Rosenstein managed that semi professional team that dominated amateur baseball. In 1949 Al hit 8 home runs in 15 games as the Tuckahoe Robins went undefeated into the playoffs. He was the first to hit a home run into the Bronx River and remembers another home run that traveled over 435 feet. Al was not around for the playoffs because he had to go back to the University of Miami.

He wrote in his high school year-book that he wanted to play college sports. But World War II put that dream on hold. Al was sent to Germany and was asked to play football for the Berlin Bears. Because of his play his service time was shortened to 18 months and he returned home.

His high school football coach, Bob Smith, knew people at the University of Miami and arranged for Al to receive a football scholarship. Al remembers boarding a train to Florida and not realizing when he came to Jacksonville that he still had 8 hours more to travel. Upon arriving in Miami he hired a cab to drive him to the campus. The cabbie charged him twenty dollars. When he arrived on campus in the falloff 1947 he met his roommate. It was Frank Smith from Eastchester who became a star half back at Miami. In 1950 Frank Smith in the first five games led the nation in scoring racking up ten touchdowns in five games before his season was shortened with a devastating head injury. In 1951 Al Carapella became the first All American in the annals of the University of Miami, playing both offense and defense. He was also a catcher on the University of Miami and had an opportunity to play professional baseball under Pepper Martin from the old gas house gang In the Saint Louis organization. Al’s favorite sport was baseball but he chose football over baseball because of the length of the season.

The University of Miami was a haven for great players from the town. All five of the Smith brothers played at University of Miami, Frank and his twin brother Elmer, Ken, and Russel. Russell would go on to play five seasons as a sensational running back for the San Francisco 49ers. Trent Serini, the younger brother of All Pro Washington Serini also had a stay at Miami.

After winning All American honors Al was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers. His ambition after college was to go on to both teach and coach on the collegiate level. The baseball season was too long going from February to the end of September.

In college he did not play against any African Americans because of segregation in the South.

He played in the annual college all-star games where they beaten badly by the Cleveland Browns quarterbacked by Otto Graham and coached by the legendary Paul Brown.

Al played 5 seasons for the 49ers achieving from 1951 to 1955, achieving All Pro status in 1954. Professional football teams at that time only carried 33 players and there was no taxi squad. Players had to play hurt. Al played both guard and tackle on offense and on defense he played both on the line and line backer. Sometimes he played both ways. Al was extremely fast. In college he could outrun the backs but because he was 6 feet tall and 230 pounds.

The 49ers were a good football team with a million-dollar backfield. In 1954 the quarterback was YA Title, Fullback was Joe Perry, and the two half-backs were John Henry Johnson and Hugh McElhenny. Al Carapella along with the million dollar backfield won all NFL honors that year. The record of the team was 9-3 and 1.

Al has a great story about the first time he played against Washington Serini, the All Pro lineman of the Chicago Bears who played football at Eastchester High School. When they first lined up from scrimmage, Washington punched Al and knocked him out. On the next play from scrimmage Al returned the favor. The official, Sam Giangreco, from Pelham, go in between them asked what the hell were they doing and to cut it out.

After the 1955 season Al went on to play one year in Canada. There he had a serious knee injury. He retired from active play and went on to college coaching and teaching. He met his wife at Riva in Indiana and continued to coach and teach health and physical education In Kansas, George Washington University, and the University of Virginia. When first child was born, he felt that he needed a more stable source of income and he moved back to Tuckahoe and became an educator in Mount Vernon school system.

When asked about the most important things in his life Al mentioned his faith and his family. Family unit is the key to all. I grew up in a cold-water flat in Tuckahoe with 10 familie- like our own. We had 10 mothers and fathers.