Bernard Vincent Santaniello, one of the most colorful andcomplete college football players of his time, rode a wave ofpopularity that led him to a career in public life that equaled orsurpassed his greatest gridiron feats at Franklin & MarshallCollege. Bernie was a classic pulling guard on three of Al Homan'ssingle-wing teams of the mid 1930s. Dubbed "Bananas," Berniegraduated from Central High School in Scranton in 1931. He wascaptain of the Scranton team in 1039 and 1931 and played fullback.He went to Blair Academy the following year under the aegis of AndyKerr, the football coach at Colgate, as a fullback with theexpectancy of entering Colgate.
When Kerr asked Bernie to remain at Blair another year, Bernierefused and went home to join up with his buddy Joe Medwick.F&M coach Al Holman then recruited the pair of them. Holmanmoved Santaniello to guard, which he took to as though he had beenplaying the position all his life. That was in 1933. A year afterhis graduation in 1937, and for the next 40-odd years, Bananas waseither playing or coaching and for the latter he always had his bagpacked to take over at his alma mater, F&M, or MillersvilleUniversity. He began coaching jobs at F&M as freshman linecoach in 1944, followed by varsity line coach in 1944-45 andassistant varsity coach from 1962-68. He first coached atMillersville in 1940-41.
He also was line coach at Lancaster Catholic in 1942-43, andcoached the Lancaster Presidents for nine years from 1945 to 1954.He was the line coach again at Millersville and took over thechores of head coach for three years, 1951-53; and line coach againfrom 1954 to 1957. In 1961 Santaniello became director of studentrecreation and intramurals at F&M, and remained there until1972. His last post at F&M was his adieu to coaching. But hispopularity was such and his recognition factor was so strong thatthe Republican Party persuaded him to run for Lancaster CityCouncil in 1966 and he won handily.
He was expected to run for reelection in 1972, but the GOPpersuaded him to run for Register of Wills instead, a county-wideoffice, which he also won. He was one of the best-known men inLancaster. Bananas said that the best F&M team he played in wasthe 1935 Dips. The Holman teams were playing Rutgers, Lafayette,Dartmouth, Richmond and Fordham, among others, in those days. The1935 team Bananas referred to helped open the new Randalls Islandfield in New York in 1936 against Fordham.
