On a breezy April Saturday before an O'Connell home baseball game, members of the 1963-1965 Knights baseball teams returned to their Bishop O'Connell field to be honored in a pre-game celebration. Between April 9, 1963 and May 3, 1965, these teams earned three Catholic conference championships while racking up a 42-game winning streak.
In attendance for this event were Bart Steib '63, Clarke Campbell '64, Tom Conaty '64, Greg Gibadlo '64, Michael Herrick '64, Charles Jackson '64, Dave Kirchgessner '64, Philip Thomas '64, Ron Gilbert '65, Chuck Hines '65, John Hickey '65, Joe Kirchner '65, Michael Lubeley '65, Mike Martz '65, Timothy McPherson '65, Richard Kramer '66, Patrick Noble '66, and family members of the late Bobby Becker '63 and Pat Laing '65. This group was joined by Brother Daniel Coleman (principal of the boys' division during this time), as well as family members of the late Al Burch who coached these teams. The teams' former faculty moderator, Leonard Lubbehusen, joined the ceremony by phone.
Before the start of the game, the 2017 edition of the Knights baseball team stood in line patiently to shake the hands of these storied alumni, and in return—one by one—they earned words of encouragement to go out and win one more for O'Connell. Led by Brother Coleman, the team prayed together in the tradition of the Christian Brothers: "Live, Jesus, in our hearts! Forever!"
Inspired by these O'Connell baseball legacies on that chilly afternoon in April, the Knights went on to defeat conference rival, St. Mary's Ryken, 10-0.
