Paul Halas '74

Paul Halas may be the most talented all-around athlete in school history. He played football, basketball and baseball, particularly excelling in football and baseball.

Halas was a premier two-way player on the gridiron as an all-MBIAC quarterback and an all-state safety. By the way, he also handled the place-kicking chores. He helped lead the Jesuits to their first 11-win undefeated season and the MBIAC championship in 1973. 

He was a defensive stalwart on the basketball team, playing guard and forward and seeing significant varsity action his junior and senior seasons.

In baseball, Halas started at shortstop for three seasons and was named all-county and all-Daily News his sophomore and senior seasons and the MBIAC MVP his senior campaign in 1974, when he served as a co-captain. He hit over .300 each year, including .368 with a then-school record 25 hits as a sophomore and .458 as a senior with 27 hits (then also a school record) and only one strikeout in 59 at-bats. He was also a perfect 20-for-20 in stolen bases.

Halas attended Harvard, where he was captain and starting quarterback for the freshman team before moving to free safety on the varsity his sophomore season. He made all-conference as a senior, leading the Ivy League in interceptions.

He was also a three-year starter on the baseball team, hitting over .300 each season, and was captain in 1978 when the Crimson won the Ivy League and Eastern League titles and qualified for the NCAA tournament. Halas won Harvard's scholar athlete award and graduated with honors from Harvard and Harvard Law School.