Drew University Athletics

The Rangers were still the Circuit Riders when Gene Sacco played for Drew, but time has not diminished his achievements.

After excelling in baseball, soccer, and football at Chatham (N.J.) High School, Gene played football at Rutgers before leaving to enlist after Pearl Harbor. He was one of the Army Air Corps' "Flying Fortress" (B-17) bombardiers, completing 64 missions and receiving the Air Medal and a Presidential citation.

On his return to civilian life, Gene enrolled at Drew. Here his classics major and baseball prowess made him well known to Drew's legendary classicist and coach, Sherman Plato Young. As a player, Sacco was a power-hitting center fielder from 1947 to 1950, earning batting honors many times in his career. He led the team in batting average for three years (.396 in 1946, .409 in 1947, and .387 in 1948), hit at a .389 clip in 1949, and also led in runs batted in 1947 and 1948. In a game in 1948 season he hit for the cycle (homer, triple, double, and single in the same game), and Montclair State University alums may still remember his 425-foot homer that cleared the ball park and ended up in a tennis court.

Gene significantly contributed to the team's season records of 11-1 in 1948, 10-5 in 1949, and 10-6 in 1950. The Acorn (April 16, 1948) told the Drew community that "you won't want to miss seeing Gene hit those 400-foot drives," and the "veteran batting ace" was repeatedly mentioned by the Morristown Daily Record. He was named by Doc Young to his "dream team" to hit fifth in the order, and he treasures a note from Young that calls him "one of the best hitters in American college baseball," and "a great team player."