By: Colby Wilson, Senior Writer
The things we take for granted in modern sport were once considered revolutionary. And revolutionaries get remembered.
And thus, we induct Philip Farinella into the Austin Peay Athletics Hall of Fame.
Coming out of high school in Winter Haven, Florida, Farinella… well, he was kind of a little fella. 5-9 and 165 pounds does not a feared linebacker make, regardless of time period. But in an era where strength and conditioning were not a focus, Farinella began his own lifting regimen and protein-packed diet and, by his senior campaign, had packed on 30-plus pounds as part of his transformation from portentous to fearsome throughout his stay in Clarksville.
It's kind of hard to pack on 30 pounds of muscle in modern times. Now, let's head back nearly 60 years; before strength and conditioning coaches, before nutritionists… what is merely how things are done in the modern age were ideas and practices kind of considered to be out there in Farinella's era. He might not have brought it into mainstream, but he's a shining example of maximizing one's abilities and leaving it all out on the field—or in the weight room.
Out of this origin story began a career of terrorizing opposing offenses. By the time it was all said and done, Farinella was the prototype that every Governor linebacker would spend their careers being measured up to. Let's be honest: for the longest time, a player winding up at Austin Peay meant they were a little small, a step slow or otherwise lacked in some way that made the bigger schools say thanks, but no thanks at some point during a recruitment process. Farinella proved that diagnosis didn't have to be permanent and that a man could change his stature by literally reshaping himself, and altering the course of his football career, through determination and brute force of will.
One of only 10 players in program history to lead the team in tackling in back-to-back seasons, Farinella's 183-tackle 1967 campaign is the second-most by a Gov in program history, while the 112 solo tackles notched by Farinella as a senior will likely stand the test of time as the program record. This was aided by a 31 (!!!!) tackle contest against Findlay (Ohio) and helped Farinella gain the Russell Award (given for scholarship, leadership and ability) and Joy (precursor to the Legends) Award.
What set Farinella apart – you know, aside from the gaudy tackling numbers and the astounding physical transformation – was his nose for the ball. His eight career fumble recoveries remain the program record, highlighted by four recoveries in 1966 alone. He was, simply, an insatiable football player who would sacrifice everything to dive to the bottom of the pile after a loose ball.
Off the field, Farinella was senior class president during his Austin Peay tenure. After graduation, Farinella became a celebrated coach in both football and track and field, specializing in throws in the latter, at Fort Pierce Central, Winter Haven, Santa Fe Catholic and most recently at Victory Christian in central Florida.
