James J. Weindel
Jim Weindel was a three sport star at Bennett in the early 50’s. He was a backfield star in football, the starting point guard in basketball, and a catcher in his specialty, baseball. In football he started for the Tigers in his junior and senior seasons, a team that went undefeated but couldn’t play in the Harvard Cup game because of an overage player. Highlights include scoring a TD on a 43 yard play to defeat arch rival Kensington, breaking a 4 game losing streak to the Suffolk Ave. school. Weindel also scored a Touchdown in the Kensington game in his senior year for a two year win streak against the rival Knights. He later attended Mississippi State on a football scholarship.
In basketball, weindel was the starting point guard on a team that did not win the Yale Cup, but defeated the team that did, the legendary Emerson High powerhouse, in both his junior and senior years.
Weindel’s specialty was baseball. A three year varsity player, he was the All-High catcher in 1952. His batting average that year was .392, and he caught for Johnnie Zeitler (B.S.H.O.F. ) and Earle Hannel, on a Cornell Cup championship team. After a stint at Mississippi St., Weindel signed a professional baseball contract with the Chicago Cubs. He rose to the level of AAA in 3 years of pro ball. He later played with the top amateur local baseball team, the Simon Pures, where his batting average was .342.
Jim Weindel served in the U.S. Army, is married with 3 daughters and 5 grandchildren.
