RICK BRUNOT, during his days as a star at Youngstown State University. File / Star Beacon
RICK BRUNOT (center) was one of the stalwarts of the Conneaut football team during his career. He is shown with fellow captains Steve Mackey (left) and Gary McLaughlin. Brunot will be inducted into the Ashtabula County Football Hall of Fame on Monday. File / Star Beacon
RICK BRUNOT shares a happy moment with his wife, Patty Picard Brunot. He will be one of two Conneaut inductees into the Ashtabula County Football Hall of Fame on Monday. Submitted photo / Star Beacon
Brunot put it on the line
Former Conneaut great flourished when it came to getting physical
KARL PEARSON Star Beacon
Growing up
Like most boys, Brunot got his start playing out in the yard of the family home on Sandusky Street in Conneaut.
“I used to play with a lot of kids in the neighborhood,” he said. “I’ve loved football since I first started watching it.”
He eventually got into the Little Gridders program in the community in its first year.
“Even then, I played on the offensive and defensive lines,” Brunot said.
At Rowe Junior High, he played for Rob Eager, a longtime assistant at Conneaut High School, and Joe Zingaro. As a freshman, he played for Bill Parkomaki.
“Those were mediocre teams,” Brunot said. “We were maybe a little better than average.”
A Spartan existence
Being bigger than the average player at 6-foot-3 and 210 pounds, Brunot fit right into the lineup as a sophomore for the late Tony Nunes in 1977.
“I started from the time I was a sophomore,” he said. “Nunes was a good coach. He was hard to please. He was a perfectionist.
“He was a good coach to play under. I enjoyed learning from him. He taught me the basics, to work on my speed and strength. He pushed me to be pretty competitive.”
Conneaut was up against tough competition during Brunot’s career. It generally ran into some of the fine teams Hall of Famer Bob Herpy put together at Geneva, as well as competitive squads under Hall of Famers Paul Kopko at St. John and Mike Kaydo at Edgewood and tough teams at Riverside and Madison.
“It seemed like we were always battling with Geneva, Edgewood and St. John,” Brunot said.
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