Which former Bishop Kelly athlete has ascended to the highest level in the sport of football? The answer may surprise you: it’s Tina Heffner Pagano ’80, an outstanding  student-athlete who shined on the Knight’s sidelines for four football seasons in the late 1970s.  And now, with the news that the Indianapolis Colts selected Chuck Pagano as their new Head Coach, Mrs. Pagano has set a new standard for former BK athletes, as nobody has advanced to this level — ever — in the 48 years of the school’s existence.

It should be noted that Tad Miller had a try-out with the New York Jets following his incredible career at Boise State, and Zach Thiry got a look in Philadelphia. And Cody Hawkins did pilot Team USA to a World Title following a record-setting career at Colorado. But BKfootball.com used an elaborate  rating system to determine that being the wife of a Head Coach in the National Football League is slightly above all over Alumknight performance. If  you have an opposing viewpoint, please send your thoughts to  midknightmedia@gmail.com for our review and consideration.

Although she wasn’t actually a member of the football team at BK, Tina was an important part of the program’s success. And her three brothers were all outstanding during their days on the gridiron, including Tom ’82, Terry ’86, and Tim ’95.   The athletic achievements in the Heffner family weren’t limited to the boys, as Tina and her sister Tami ’78 were both involved in athletics at BK as well, including multiple seasons on the school cheer leading squad. And it was on those many Friday nights in the  fall that Tina, working on the sidelines for dozens of football games throughout the Snake River Valley as part of the cheer squad, established her personal credentials in the BK football program.  The NFL was but a distant thought.

Congratulations to all the Paganos and Heffners. Go Colts!

 

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