It was during an ND alumni event in Santa Barbara.
He was such a gracious gentleman. If I didn't know who he was when I met him, I would not have learned it from him.
Very humble man. Still very handsome as a super senior citizen.
What an honor it was to meet a man who had been coached by the Rock.
Emphasis mine.
After high school Faridoni appeared headed for The College of the Holy Cross, the alma mater of his Hall of Fame coach Andy Natowich. Peter opted instead for a scholarship to play baseball at the University of Notre Dame. On September 14, 1951, Peter headed off to Notre Dame, but things did not work out. His time there was short and he soon returned to Brattleboro.
Born in Quincy, Mass., on September 16, 1933, Peter Faridoni was raised and educated in Brattleboro, graduating in the last BHS class. The fall after graduation, BUHS opened and would graduate its first class in 1952. Faridoni would accumulate 11 varsity letters at BHS. After Notre Dame, Faridoni served during the Korean Conflict (1950-1953), was discharged, moved to San Francisco for about five years and then returned to Brattleboro where he would meet his future wife, Barbara. He purchased The Sportsman's (Sporty's) Lounge on Canal Street, very popular particularly among sports enthusiasts. He was an avid supporter of BUHS athletics and a supporter of the Little League and American Legion baseball programs. He sponsored local softball teams for many years. Faridoni died on October 28, 2007.
Peter Faridoni's teammate, Joe Tatro (BUHS Class of 1954) commented, "Peter Faridoni was the best high school athlete I ever saw."
Special thanks to Ken Tatro for his prodigious efforts in accumulating this information, largely from the Brattleboro Reformer archives. Peter Faridoni has been nominated by Tatro for the inaugural class of the BHS/BUHS Athletic Hall of Fame to be inducted in a formal ceremony and dinner at Post 5 American Legion in Brattleboro on November 14, 2020.
This news reel says 1930 but I thought the return was made in 1929. (It was later adjusted from a 96-yard return to a 100-yard return.)