Roncalli High School has announced that they will dedicate their football field to longtime educator Bob Tully. The school will honor Tully during the season opener at home on Aug. 23 against Southport. The football facility will be renamed Bob Tully Field at Roncalli Stadium. Tully is in his 58th year at Roncalli, and his tenure predates the school, as he began at Chartrand High School, which occupied the current Roncalli building, in the fall of 1962.
Roncalli president Dr. Joe Hollowell noted, “This year we are celebrating 50 years of excellence in Catholic education at Roncalli. Over the past 50 years, there is no one who has done more for our school and community than Bob. He is a never-ending source of energy, optimism and love for young people. His passion for the students of Roncalli is unmatched.”
During his career at Roncalli, Tully has served in a variety of positions. He has served as the school’s head coach in both football and track, athletic director, superintendent of Finance, campus minister, religion teacher, bus driver and currently serves as the vice president for Mission and Ministry. For the past 50 years, Tully has also worked as a representative and tournament official for the Catholic Youth Organization.
Tully has had a multi-decade involvement with the Roncalli football program, including serving as an assistant coach on the inaugural team at Roncalli in 1969 and spending four years as the program’s head coach from 1970 through 1973. The 1971 and 1972 teams combined for a 15-5 record and were the first two winning teams in program history. Tully’s 1972 team went 8-2, a record that was topped only once in the first 12 years of the program. Tully later served as an assistant coach for nearly 30 years during the tenures of Bill Kuntz and Bruce Scifres.
Last fall, Tully, along with former Roncalli football coach Bruce Scifres, was inducted into the Indiana Football Hall of Fame.
