Former Staten Islander Fran Hirschy remembers his inclusion in the Aug. 15, 1966 issue of Sports Illustrated like it was yesterday.
“Bear Bryant was on the cover,” remembers the now 71-year-old, Matawan, N.J., resident of the legendary Alabama football head coach, who was wearing one of his many checkered fedora hats while barking out orders to a player in the cover photo.
Hirschy’s historic accomplishment of tossing six no-hitters, including five straight perfect games, in the spring and early summer of 1966 at Mid-Island Little League for Aliseo’s Market was featured in SI’s Faces In The Crowd, where amazing feats by ordinary athletes of all ages were highlighted.
“I think I pitched 10 games that year and allowed only one run,” said the righty-throwing Hirschy. “I had a nasty curveball that dropped off the table.”…