I JOURNAL AND SENTINEL f )J ! t ,) WINSTON-SALEM, NORTH CAROLINA Played for Deacons Ex-Football Star Is a Doctor Now By Jeanette Reid Staff Reporter EAKSVILLE - Nick Sacrinty two adopted sons, Paul Nicholas, L traded a promising profession• five, and Thomas George, 18 al football career for a doctor's months. shingle. And he's hanging the "Paul is getting large enough shingle here. that he enjoys getting out in the Although the choice meant back yard and trying to catch a giving up immediate big monc \ football," said the former star and public recognition for years athlete. "At times I have tried to of costly study and hard work help coach little leaguers, but the he hung up his helmet in 1947'. afternoon schedule wouldn't fit Despite later football offers, the into my medical practice." helmet stayed on the nail. Dr. Sacrinty has had little con• "I missed it, yes. But I've had nection with football in the last no regrets. You see, I always few years, except for watching wanted to be a doctor," said the games. That is, until last year dark-haired, congenial Dr. Saerin• when he was invited to be a guest ty at his new office here. at the Crystal Anniversary of the . After the game, he Had he not been so· intent on was surprised with a plaque ele• becoming a doctor, he would have vating him to the Hall of Fame stayed in pro football. and commemorating his scoring Staff Photo by Jeanelle Reid "I loved it," he said. "That's of the first touchdown in the first Dr. Nick Sacrinty is proud of football plaque and medical diploma. football at its ultimate. When you Gator Bowl game in 1946. get the best college players from His football career began about all over the nation together on a 1938 when as a ninth grader he want him to play for you, too?" met. "I knew the longer I stayed In addition to his football tro• team, football almost becomes made the Reidsville high school Walker said, "Yes." out of school, the harder it would phies and plaques, he now has an art." · first string. The conversation became se- be to go back," he explained. his medical diploma, his license Reidsville Native "But I had two brothers bet- rious. Walker offered Nick the One of his greatest honors, he tc practice, certificates of special said, was being selected to play medical achievement. plus his A native of Reidsville, Dr. Sac• ter than I was," he said. same scholarship his brother had Phi Beta Kappa certificate from Undefeated Team received. And Nick took the of• in the East-West game at San rinty moved here from Jackson• fer. But because he was late Francisco, and then being cho• Wake Forest College and the ville, Fla., after practicing a year sen outstanding player that year. comparable Alpha Omega Alpha there. His office is in the new "John had been captain the starting in the term, he couldn't membership certificate f o previous year. The team was un- play that season. He is the only Wake Forest play• r m Professional Building on Monroe er ever to play in an East-West Bowman Gray School of Medi· Street. defeated and he was named All· So the next year, 1943, Nick professional game. cine. He graduated from Reidsville Southern. ~he next t"."o )'.ears Bo 'Sacrinty played his first year of High School, where he was a foot• was captam and &:1dsv1.lle won . He was named ball star; then Wake Forest Col• the s.~ a t e championship both Number 1 tailback on the All- lege, where he was also a football years, he continued. Southern team. star; and from Bowman Gray "The next year I was captain, The next year he was hurt and School of Medicine in 1952. but I had typhoid fever in the played very little. He interned at White Cross Hos• summer before school started," But in 1945 he was captain of pital, Columbus, Ohio, and then he said. "I didn't get to play in the Wake Forest team. He was became assistant resident in in• but two or three games at the chosen All-State and All-Southern. te:nal medicine at City Hospital, end of the season. And the team And Wake Forest won the Gator Winston-Salem, After 31 months didn't win a championship." Bowl. in the U. S. Navy, he returned to But he played enough to get an Winston-Salem as assistant resi• offer from the University of His senior year he was chosen dent in internal medicine at Bap• North Carolina. And he almost first string All-Southern along tist Hospital and received a fel• became a Tar Heel. with Tar Heel Charlie Justice, lowship in gastroenterology under But expecting to be drafted, he and also Regional All-American. Dr. David Cayer. went to VPI 'for six weeks, then He won the Teague Trophy for Upon the opening of the new quit with the intention of joining the outstanding male athlete of Morehead Memorial H o s p i t a I the Air Force. the two Carolinas. here, Dr. Sacrinity decided to However, his father took him Although he had a seven-year come back to North Carolina. to Wake Forest to watch his contract, he played only one year Leaksville did not have an in• brother Bo play. of professional football. That was ternist. During a conversation with with the Chicago Bears in 1947. He and his wife, the former Coach "Peahead" Walker, the el• And he was chosen Rookie of the Jane Frazier of Siler City, live on der Sacrinty half-jokingly pointed Year. He still remembers the Co ntry Club Road. They have to Nick and asked, "Don't you day, Dec. 14, he hung up his hel- P.ige 26-Winston-Salem Journal. Winston-Salem. N. C., Monday, July 16, 1979 The Legend of Peahead When Deacs Beat the Biggies

By Mary Garber but I still had time to belong to a fraternity. to take part in Slaff Reporter school activities and to have some social life. I met my EDEN - The stories about Coach Peahead Walker of wife there." Wake Forest often seem to get better with the telling. Dr. Sacrinitys older brother, Bo. was at Wake Forest when Nick Sacrinity, who played four years under Walker, in• Nick graduated from high school. Nick first went to VPI, sists that most of the tales are true. stayed there about six weeks and then came to Wake Behind the legend of the colorful Walker was a man who Forest with his dad to visit Bo. was a strict disciplinarian and a sound football coach who "Dad asked Coach Walker if he would like to have me had the ability to get the most from his players. play for him and Coach Walker said 'yes', so I decided to • ·· Peahead was rough on the field," Sacrinity said, "but come to Wake Forest," Sacrinity said. he was different in his office. He was a real friend. He Being a transfer he could not play his first year, but he might growl and scare the dickens out of you, but he was played four seasons after that. never abusive. Everyone respected him. I don't think there "I spent the first year scrimmaging against the varsity," was a player who was successful in Wake Forest football Sacrinitv said. "Peahead used to drive us hard in practice. who would ever say that Peahead Walker did him wrong." We used. to say that the games were easy because Peahead Sacrinity played tailback and safety in Walker's potent couldn't come on the field. He believed in conditioning. in single-wing offense. He was all in getting players in shape. He wanted you to pay attention on J!J-13. played only six games in 1944 because of a knee the field and he insisted that you did." injury. was all-Southern in 1945 and again in 1946 and Walker didn't mind giving a frightened freshman a hard played in the East-West Shrine game. where he was named time. When Sacrinity was a freshman, he needed a new the most valuable player, though the East lost that year 13- pair of football shoes, so he went to Walker's office to ask 9 .• for them. Sacrinitv scored the first touchdown in the Gator Bowl in "I had never met ." Sacrinity said. "I 1945 as the Deacons beat South Carolina 26-14. saw Coach Walker and he was talking to this big old guy, He holds the Wake Forest record for the most passes in• looked like he weighed about 300 pounds. Coach told me to tercepted in a single game. That was four against Clemson go to the shelf in his office and get a pair of shoes. I was rn 1945. the day the Tigers dedicated their stadium and reaching up to get them. when I heard this man growl Wake Forest beat them 13-6. Sacrinity also scored both behind me and here comes this giant of a man after me. I Wake Forest touchdowns. climbed up the shelf. Coach Walker and Hickman laughed On the side. Sacrinity majored in biology, minored in and Walker said 'Did you think old Herman was going to chemistry and math and made Phi Beta Kappa. eat you?"' Journal File Photo "It wasn't really all that hard ." Sacrinily said. "I went to Dr. Walt Kitchin. a Wake Forest graduate, came to a Nick Sacrinity, left, played tailback and safety under Wake Forest coach 'Peahead' Walker. surnmrner school every summer and tried to get off my practice session one day and a player had the breath toughest courses. the ones with the labs. Then I could take knocked out of him. Kitchin went over to him. then turned the field they found that the rain stopped just short of the derstood the boys he recruited. He knew how to get the a lighter load in the fall. When we went on trips, I would get to Walker and said, "This man isn 't breathing." football field. most out of them. He had the ability to see how good a the assignments from the professors before I left, take my "You're a doctor," Walker snapped. "You make him "See, boys." said assistant coach Bobby Kellogg, "You player could be. And he could put combinations together books with me and study. In that way. I never got behind breathe.·· can't beat Coach Walker. He has a direct line." that others would not think would work out. and that was what made the difference." Another time. according to Sacrinity, a Wake Forest Sacrlnity insists that all coaches were rough in those "We played both ways in those days. Six of us played Sacrinity grew up in Reidsville. where he played football player was knocked out in practice and was moaning. days. "One of the Wake Forest players transferred to every minute. Once, we went to Tennessee. They had such under George Wingfield and and had time to Walker gave the player. a stern glance and told the other Georgia and when we saw him a couple of years later. he a big squad, they couldn't even get them all in the dressing plav three other sports. help his dad in his restaurant and team members. "Let's move over here and get out of the told us Coach Walker was like a Sunday School compared to room under the stadium. There were so few of us we make top grades. way of that dead man ." Wall>· Butts. I played for Bernie Bierman and George rattled around. But we won 19-6. "Football gave me the chance to go to college. a chance I Sacnnity said the players used to hope if would rain so Halas later and they were worse. Halas was a really mean "We were close. We were friends. Wake Forest meant a would not have had otherwise." Sacrinity said. "When I that practice might be called off. One day it did start to rascal, lot to all of us. We were proud that we went to a small was at Wake Forest. I was there to study and play football, rain just before practice. but when the players walked to "I think the big thing about Coach Walker was that he un- school that could beat the big teams."