Lifelong Friends Reunite for Knicks Championship Celebration

Doug Bertinelli and Pat Hannafin are retired workers from the New York City Sanitation Department. They have been friends since middle school. They recently brought out a banner they made in 1973 when the Knicks last won a championship. This banner reappeared 53 years later as the Knicks achieved another victory.

They met in 1969, attending middle school and playing basketball together at Blessed Sacrament Roman Catholic Church on Staten Island. In their first season, they became champions. The following year saw them waiting outside Madison Square Garden all night to secure tickets to see the Knicks’ win.

By 1973, they were high school seniors. Bertinelli worked part-time as a grocery cashier and stock boy to afford tickets to see the Knicks win their second title. Hannafin crafted a banner using a bedsheet and a marker for them to bring to the Manhattan celebration. Over time, the Knicks faced challenges, and the banner ended up stored in Hannafin’s attic.

The two friends never stopped celebrating their love for the team. On a Thursday, they attended a Knicks celebration parade with their vintage banner, demonstrating their enduring fandom. For Bertinelli, 71, and Hannafin, 70, it was a special moment. They retired from sanitation work, with families bridging the gap between Knicks titles.

Hannafin became a devoted New York sports enthusiast, often seen with signs at games, and collected memorabilia. Bertinelli wasn’t shocked that his friend preserved the banner for so long. Bertinelli, residing in Barnegat, N.J., traveled over an hour to Staten Island to watch a Knicks game with Hannafin. “It felt like the old days,” Bertinelli remarked, even with a game loss, as they enjoyed pizza together.

The friends attended St. Peter’s Boys High School on Staten Island. Later, they worked at different sanitation garages. Hannafin had a morning shift in Manhattan, while Bertinelli was a supervisor on Staten Island. They both became fathers with daughters born three days apart. Bertinelli made sure they worked together whenever possible.

Interestingly, Hannafin never owned a cellphone, maintaining the same house phone number that Bertinelli memorized. Both took the Staten Island Ferry to Manhattan, reminiscent of their teenage years when finals tickets were more affordable and available for multiple games. “Dusting off that banner was the best part,” said Hannafin. Bertinelli happily made the journey back to accompany Hannafin to the parade.

They acknowledged that the celebration felt larger this time. “We don’t see each other often now,” Hannafin said, reflecting on the distance between their homes. Yet, their connection to the Knicks endures more than half a century later.