Did you know that Brentwood High School has some famous alumni? No? Well, guess what? It does!  Here’s a short look

at three of them.

Actor Jack Scalia was born in Brooklyn on November 10, 1951, but grew up here in Brentwood with his five brothers

and sisters.  Here, he says, he learned the rules of the street.  “if one kid in our neighborhood had a kite, we all

had it.  Because if he wouldn’t let us play with it, we broke it.” Scalia was a three-sport star in high school,

good enough to get numerous athletic scholarships to college.  Eventually, he was the number one draft pick of the

Montreal Expos in 1971, only to see his athletic career ended by injuries the following year.  Fortunately, he was

later able to turn his rugged good looks into a successful modeling and acting career, appearing in many popular TV

movies and series.  He graduated from BHS in 1969.

James “Buddy” McGirt is a famous boxer who was the world welterweight champion.  Born in  Brentwood in 1964, McGirt

took up boxing at the age of 12 because he was too small for other sports.   People kept telling him he was a fool

and would never succeed.  But Buddy kept telling everyone he was going to be the first world champion from Long

Island.  And he did it.  He turned professional in 1982, right after graduating from BHS.  Over a fifteen year

career, McGirt compiled a record of 73 wins, 6 losses, and no contest, with 48 knockouts.  He retired in 1997, later

becoming a very successful an highly regarded trainer.

And one of the fighters he trains is his own son, James McGirt Jr.  Born on November 25, 1982, in Vero Beach,

Florida, McGirt also grew up in Brentwood.  He was a talented three-sport star at BHS, enough to win a basketball

scholarship to St. Petersburg Junior college in Florida.  That only lasted one year due to poor grades, so James

turned to boxing unbeknownst to his father, who found out when he entered an amateur tournament.  Since then, under

Dad’s guidance, James Jr. has compiled an impressive record of 12 wins, no looses, and 1 no contest.  He is

considered to a talented young prospect.  He graduated from BHS in 2000.    

-N. Ziino, Local History Newsletter,  November 2006