Al Brogna

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Al Brogna has and continues to have an ath-letic career encompassing a variety of fields. Al has always been a team player from his first football game at Pittston High School to his now current positions as an influential member of State Senator Robert Mellow’s and Raphael Musto’s governmental teams. Al’s career began at Pittston High School where he took the field at shortstop in baseball and as a tight end in football. He describes himself during these years (1953-1956) as average at best. Through perseverance, dedication, and pure de-sire, he educated himself in the fundamentals and strategies of these two American pastimes. After high school, he accepted an athletic scholarship at King’s College. While studying at•King’s, he excelled in every facet of college football and was named to the Division III Little All-American Team in 1959. He was a member of an intramural basketball team, comprised of football team members, which ran off a string of fifty-six consecutive wins. He scored an intramural record of sixty-three points during one victory. In 1961, his athletic career was finally appropriately awarded. Al was offered and signed a professional baseball contract with the Minnesota Twins. Al played in the Appalachian League in 1961 and held down the third base for the Wytheville, Va. team. In 1962, he was elevated to Fort Walton Beach, Fla., in the Florida State League. His time in professional ball gave him the opportunity to play with the three-time American League batting champion, Tony Oliva, and former manager of the Twins, Frank Quilici. He also took part in spring training with such greats as Harmon Killebrew and Rod Carew. In 1967, Al returned to the athletic arena, dedicating his time to officiating high school basketball and football contests. He has officiated in numerous District and State Playoffs in football and basketball, and the State Basketball Championship in 1985. He has been the referee in the Eastern Conference Football Championships for the last 12 years, the Big 33 Coaches Football game in 1979. Al also worked the first two P.I.A.A. State Championship Football Games in 1988 and 1989. Also a NCAA referee in Division II and III football for eight years. Al put all of his athletic experience to good use in leadership and advisory positions in the northeast community. His knowledge and experiences of minor league baseball provided this area with a tremendous asset when Scranton and Wilkes-Barre became interested in securing a minor league franchise. His role as President of Northeastern Baseball Inc. has proved invaluable in bringing back a part of his athletic career to this area in the form of Triple-A Baseball, the Scranton/ Wilkes-Barre Red Barons. He is involved on various committees and boards in the local community. Among them are the advisory board of the St. Vincent DePaul Soup Kitchen, the United ‘way of Wyoming Valley, Pittston YMCA, the Wilkes-Barre CYC, Wilkes University and King’s College.

Al is married to the former Mary Ann Abraham, and they are the proud parents of two children; Sandra and Al, Jr. Sandy is employed as a staff accountant after graduating from King’s College, and Al, Jr. is following in his father’s footsteps at King’s College, where he is a senior member of the baseball team, having been a starter since his freshman year at first base.