BHS Athletics Hero Frank Tripucka Passes

The following comes courtesy the Bloomfield School District. 

The Bengal athletic family suffered a significant loss with the passing of Legend Frank Tripucka. 

Mr. Tripucka excelled in three sports at BHS (all coached by Bill Foley) captaining both Basketball and Baseball, leading the latter to the GNT Championship. 

It was football where he made his greatest mark, earning all-state honors before moving on to Notre Dame where he quarterbacked them to an unbeaten season his senior year. 

He went on to a highly successful professional football career, culminated by his induction into the Denver Broncos Ring of Honor. The contributions of his children to Bloomfield Athletic lore are too numerous to mention. 

Mr. Tripucka never forgot his roots and was a long time member of the fifth quarter club. He assisted in the creation of the Foley Scholarship which he helped sustain for many years. 

Athletes to this day still receive the Foley Scholarship. His generosity extended to donations that jump started the refurbished Foley Field Complex. He attended Bengal athletic contests for many years and was a vocal supporter of the Bengals-win or lose. (albeit not as vocal as Mrs. Tripucka). 

Perhaps the most remarkable thing about Mr. Tripucka was that in spite of his numerous accomplishments he was so very humble. A major sports outlet recently took to naming the Mount Rushmore of individuals for each professional team, rest assured if Bloomfield Athletics had our own Mount Rushmore-Mr. Tripucka would be on it. 

UPDATE: U.S. Senator Robert Menendez released the following statement on Monday. “Today, a true hero of Bloomfield is laid to rest. While Frank Tripucka will always be remembered for his uncanny ability on the gridiron, the people of Bloomfield know his legacy extends so much further than that. As his son Chris was quoted saying, Frank Tripucka always talked about three things: Notre Dame, the Broncos, and Bloomfield. My thoughts and prayers are with his friends and family. He will be dearly missed in New Jersey and beyond.”