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Week 2
Mike
DEACENTIS

1962-1965

What are you doing now?
I'm kind of retired and living in New Albany, because here in about six months, I'll be 80 years old.

I've been a developer for a long time, about 35, 40 years. Before that, I was an ironworker. Coming back from Vietnam, I started out as an ironworker, and then I got into the excavating business. In the last 30 years, I've been in the development business.

Married? Children?
We're coming up on 60 years. Our anniversary will be 60 years in October. And we've got two kids. My oldest is Michelle, she'll be 60, and Michael will be 57.

What is the fondest memory from your playing career at DeSales?
Probably the fondest was the year we played Watterson at North High School (in 1965). I think the score was something like 14 to 17 or 18, something like that.

We lost to them, and they were ranked probably number one in the city then. We almost pulled it off. But being a school only four years, you know, we did really well.

DeAscentis played a key role in the Stallions nearly pulling off the win over the Eagles. He completed a 47-yard pass to help set up DeSales’ first touchdown and added a two-point conversion, later scored on a rushing touchdown as the Stallions rallied from a 12-0 deficit. DeSales ultimately came up just short, falling to Watterson, 18-14, in front an estimated 8,500 people at North High School.

What made playing for DeSales so special?
Coach Sharrock was the coach, Father Berendt was the principal, and DeSales was just starting out. It was a great high school. It was a great experience to go to DeSales High School for four years.

What was your best game?
Probably my best game was the last game of the season, when we played Watterson (‘65 game), the last game of the season when we played. That was probably my best game that I played.

What was it like playing for Coach Sharrock?
He was just one hell of a coach. He really was. That's all I could tell you. He cared about the individuals.

And back then, he was the football coach, the basketball coach and the baseball coach when they first started out.

Then, I think my senior year, they started bringing on other coaches. I think Jerry Conners was coming on to be the basketball coach, and Jim Herold would come on to be the wrestling coach.

But Sharrock started out, coming from Rosary. He was the only coach we had there at the high school when we started our freshman year.

When you think back on your DeSales football career, is there something you appreciate more today than you did at the time?

You know, since I never went to college, I guess I look back at DeSales and it was just a great opportunity to go to DeSales.

I lived in the Linden area, and I was about two blocks away from Linden-McKinley. So I was very fortunate. My parents sent me to the Catholic school, DeSales, which was a haul to get there.

But it was just a great experience. It really was, to go there. A lot of good friends. A couple of them have passed away here recently, but a lot of good memories.

Do you still follow the Stallions and if so, how closely?
I follow them every year. I follow the school every year, and I follow all the sports programs every year for DeSales.