PETE CAPONE CLASS OF '80 YEAR OF INDUCTION: 2022 To say that Pete Capone was looking forward to his senior year of high school is an understatement. So, not even an injury was going to stop him. "As it turned out, I played eight-and-a-half football games in 1979 and the entire 1980 baseball season with a broken right wrist," he said. It was not a perfect year for the two-sport standout but it was pretty darn good. In the perfect world, Capone would be the starting catcher for the state championship baseball team. Capone was in the dugout as the backup catcher when the 1978 Steinert baseball team defeated Teaneck to win the state title. "I wanted to follow in Bob Miranda's footsteps," Capone said. "He was my hero." Head coach Ken Rauba confirmed Capone's journey from sophomore to senior. "It was a dream for Pete to be the varsity catcher at Steinert," Rauba told sportswriters from the Trenton newspapers in 1980. "His improvement over the last three years has been remarkable. "Pete is talented, but he had to put in a lot of hard work." He battled through a hitting slump and helped the Spartans go 22-5-1 and capture Mercer County and Central Jersey Championships. However, Steinert was not successful in the state championship game so his heart matched his broken wrist. Capone won the 1980 county batting title and was selected as the Knights of Columbus Outstanding Baseball Player in Mercer. He was first team All-County and All-Area in the Trenton daily newspapers and he also received All-State recognition (Second Team Group IV and Third Team All-State) by The Star-Ledger. "If you have an outstanding catcher, typically you're going to have an outstanding team," Rauba said. "Pete led the way, he made everyone better." "Pete Capone was always 'never say die,' especially in so many extra-inning games for us," Rauba recalled. "As a catcher, you're calling the game with the coach, and believe me, he was like a surgeon. His knowledge of the game and how to work it were impressive. "There is no way that the 1980 team would have had success that it did without Pete Capone." Capone, who also excelled in football at SHS earning two varsity letters and serving as a team captain as a senior, was selected for the Hamilton Kiwanis All Eleven Hamilton Township Team and received the 3-D Award at Steinert. He takes the same fire with him wherever he goes. He has been teaching in the Hamilton Township School District since 1984. He started teaching Health and Physical Education and is currently the Comprehensive Driver Safety Program Coordinator at Nottingham High School. He has coached baseball at various levels and football and wrestling in high school. With wife Pamela Jo, he has a son, Vincent, and the whole family loves baseball. RETURN TO THE HALL OF FAME MEMBERS PAGE