Dennis Belliveau
Athlete, Class of 1965
Todd Becker
Athlete, Class of 1980
Philip Schoenig
Athlete, Class of 1980
Bobby Williams
Athlete, Class of 1993
Matt Sallila
Athlete, Class of 1997
Jeff Guenette
Athlete, Class of 1999
Christine (Laakso) Shaw
Athlete, Class of 2004
Courtney Jacobs
Athlete, Class of 2004
Mark Ambrose
Coach
2004 Softball
Team
During the mid-1950’s Fitchburg High School football had gone through a rather serious drought. The Red Raiders had generally finished below .500 and had lost five straight contests to arch-rival Leominster. But Head Coach Ed Sullivan had begun to see the light at the end of the tunnel as the 1956 football season came to a conclusion. The Raiders had defeated Athol and Hudson who were not football powerhouses, and the Raiders had played a strong first half against the very powerful LHS. The Red Raiders were returning veteran running backs Pete Stephens, Ken Rostedt and Norm Dooley. Veteran linemen Harry Karis, Howie Marvell and Brian Sullivan were to be joined by younger players like Roger Kielty, Allen Muir, Dana Valiton, Pat Monteverde and Gene Archambault. Coach “Sully” had high hopes for this group, and he also felt that Mike Conry and Bill McNally would be excellent in the defensive backfield. But Coach Sullivan and his new assistant, Jim Meredith, felt that a solid quarterback was needed to trigger the Raider offense.
Walter “Buzzy” Congram had come to Fitchburg High School in his sophomore year from T.C. Junior High School, and immediately made a strong impression as a basketball player for the Raiders. He was a solid shooter and could play a strong inside game. Along with his fellow classmate Dave King, “Buzzy” had been a solid contributor to the Raider quad which had won the North Worcester County championship, and gone to the Western Mass. tourney. He had also been an excellent competitor for the track squad with excellent sprint speed, and good ability in field events like the high jump and long jump. Obviously he was an athlete. But he had never played football. Why? It was a bit of a mystery which we will not investigate here. Classmates who played football began trying to get “Buzzy” to give football a shot as did the coaches. Somewhere between his junior and senior year, Congram decided to give quarterback a try. In the summer of 1957, “captain’s practices” were held in the open fields of “Buzzy” Congram’s Ashburnham home. Slowly the intricacies of the QB position began to be learned by the new kid on the block. Confidence grew in the Red and Gray squad as the 1957 campaign approached. FHS would open against cross town rival Notre Dame, who had been developing a solid program.
Then disaster struck. Junior Roger Kielty was injured in a freak accident just before the first contest, and then the Raiders traveled to the Bernardian Bowl, and played poorly. “Buzzy” had a tough first game, and some felt that the experiment would fail. But against a tough Nashua eleven there was marked improvement, but the Raiders fell 13-0. Due to a flu epidemic the annual Gardner game was cancelled. “Buzzy” and his teammates were furious. They truly believed they were going to knock off the mighty Wildcats. The Raiders fell to Marlboro 27-19, but the Panthers had a twenty game winning streak and “Buzzy” Congram was really beginning to show sparks of excellence. He had developed a nice rapport with his basketball teammate Dave King who was also a first year player.
People did not realize it, but Fitchburg would not lose another football game in 1957. St. Bernard’s, Hudson and Athol easily fell before the rapidly improving Red Raiders. Each week “Buzzy” became more and more comfortable at the quarterback position. But all the skeptics said, “Wait until they face the Blue Devils and Dick Robichaud.” Thanksgiving dawned cool and crisp. The contest began, and LHS’ star came as advertised, but the Red and Gray were holding their own. Ken Rostedt and Pete Stephens were running freely against the Blue Devil defense and the Raiders were excellent defense. “Buzzy” Congram was handling the offense like a veteran field general, and the Raider loyalists were loving the effort.
As the clock at Doyle Field wound down, the impossible seemed to be occurring, the three touchdown underdog was continuing to lead the contest. The referee stood over the ball, and the Raider sideline erupted with joy. Final score FHS 20 LHS 14: for his efforts in the Turkey Day Classic “Buzzy” Congram was awarded the Bernard St. Germain Trophy as the Raider’s most valuable player. This was quite an accomplishment for a first year football player. How good was the Raider quarterback?
Coach Jim Meredith, who was an original Hall of Fame inductee in 2001, had just joined his former coach Eddie Sullivan as an assistant coach. When “Jungle Jim” graduated, he went to Boston University to play football for the Boston University Terriers who were coached by Angelo “Buff” Donelli. These were the famous Terriers who were led by the legendary Harry Agganis. One of Jim’s teammates was Marco Landon from Leominster High. “Sully” and Coach Meredith felt that “Buzzy” Congram was a legitimate college prospect, so they contacted Coach Donelli who was now coaching at Columbia University. They told “Buff” that they had a kid with limited experience who could truly develop at the next level. “Buzzy” Congram was raw, but his upside was tremendous.
Coach Donelli listened to Jim and “Sully” and so in the fall of 1958 Walter Congram Jr. appeared at the entrance of Columbia University at 116th Street and Broadway. Within a short period of time, the Columbia coaching staff decided that “Buzzy” would probably not be their quarterback, but his athletic ability had impressed them enough to look for a new position for the former Raider. This is where “Buzzy’s” basketball ability and natural physical strength came into play. Soon he found himself playing on the Lion’s offensive line at the tight end position. Columbia University in the 1980’s and 1990’s was subject to ridicule because of its poor won-loss record, but the Columbia Lions of “Buzzy” Congram’s era were no laughing stock. The modern Ivy League was created in 1947, and in the nearly sixty years of its existence, Columbia University has only captured one league title and that was in the fall of 1961. The starting offensive end on that squad was “Buzzy” Congram of Fitchburg High School.
In the spring of 1962, “Buzzy” made a fateful decision. Since his football career was completed, he decided to go out for the crew squad of the university. He immediately took to this new challenge, and soon the sport of crew would become a major factor in his life. During the last forty years coaching crew has become a central factor in “Buzzy” Congram’s life. He would tell you that only his family has a greater priority. His coaching career would take “Buzzy” to many educational locations all along the East Coast, but he is probably most identified with Northeastern University.
For nearly a quarter of a century “Buzzy” led N.U., and he helped N.U. become highly competitive with the likes of Harvard, Yale and Princeton which was not an easy task. His reputation has reached the international rowing community with his connection to the Olympics. Following his leaving Northeastern in 2001, “Buzzy” coached at M.I.T. Just recently he accepted a coaching position at Dartmouth College. Good decision in 1962 to try out for the crew team, “Buzzy.”
Today “Buzzy” is married to the former Aina Josefsson of Sweden, and has two children, Will Congram aged 19 and Sofia aged 2, and will soon undertake a new adventure at Dartmouth College. Football and rowing have been good to Walter “Buzzy” Congram and now he is a FHS Hall of Famer.
If you were an eleven or twelve year old kid in the 1940’s or 1950’s, and you went to Ashburnham Street School, Goodrich Street School, Hosmer, Hastings or Nolan, and you loved sports, your favorite day of the week occurred when Mr. Secino came to your school. You liked Mr. Secino. What was there not to like. He was a good guy, and he taught you how to play football, basketball and baseball. When you organized your school teams Mr. Secino would referee, officiate or umpire your games. This was a truly good guy. Mr. Secino was Al Secino – FHS Class of 1931 – who was truly one of the great athletes who graduated in the magnificent athletic year which was FHS of 1930-1931. Of course Mr. Secino would never brag about his athletic accomplishments, it was not his way. Typically, when Al Secino was informed by his nephew, David, that he had been inducted into the FHS Hall of Fame he was thrilled and overjoyed. But the first words out of his mouth were, “The Class of 1931 was the greatest and all her great ones belonged in the Hall.” He was always the good teammate, and you know he may well have had a strong point. The teams of 1930-1931 were filled with young men named Carl Fellows, Rollie Blake, “Duke” Savitt, Bill Whelan, Armas Fillback, Donald Allan, Ray Belliveau, Paavo Lahti, Norman Morin and so many others. Some of these athletes have already been named to the FHS Hall of Fame and others will eventually be included in the Hall.
Early in September of 1930, the Fitchburg Sentinel reported that Coach Amiott had greeted a large and enthusiastic group of candidates for the Red and Gray football squad. The paper also noted that there was one notable absentee from this group. Al Secino had not been seen at Crocker Field as the athletes were given their physicals by Doctor Adams. This would be a serious set back for the hopes of the Red and Gray if “Five Yard” Al Secino was not to play in the campaign of 1930. Family considerations had caused Al Secino to miss those first practices. It was 1930 and the Great Depression had struck America after all. A few days later the local newspaper reported happily that “Five Yard Al” had reported to practice and immediately been placed in the starting backfield with Blake, Allan and Tom Williams.
Coach Clarence Amiott had installed a high powered offense which featured strong passing, down field laterals, and shifty reverses. But if opposing defenses were to be controlled, then the Raiders would need a strong inside running game, and that would be handled by Al Secino and his bull-like rushing into the middle of the line. Following crushing blocks thrown by “Battleship Bill” Whelan, Howard Miller, Joe Seney, and Carl Fellows, Al Secino never was held for a yardage loss throughout the whole season. Rollie Blake and Donald Allan were sensational with their razzle-dazzle as FHS steam rolled opponents early in the season, but Al Secino was always the keystone to the Red and Gray offense. When the FHS “milk drinkers” crushed Waltham 21-0 the Boston press raved that Blake, Allan, Secino, Whelan and fellows were amongst the very best players seen in Massachusetts that football season.
In week eight of the 1930 season a “Clash of Titans” took place at Crocker Field when mighty Brockton came to town. When the dust had settled the Fitchburg Sentinel proclaimed that the FHS/Brockton might well have been the finest contest ever played on Crocker Field. Unfortunately the Shoe City boys were able to hand FHS their only loss of the season 20-13. As the FHS yearbook stated when Al Secino took the old pigskin, the fellows he came in contact with realized they were hit. So it was with Brockton. Secino, Allan and Blake were sensational despite the loss. Colleges were beginning to look at the FHS players particularly that tough halfback from the Water Street area. Following that Brockton loss the Red and Gray continued to roll toward their 10-1 season, and the backfield members continued their brilliance. With their 6-0 victory against Leominster on Thanksgiving morning the 1930 Red and Gray squad had finished one of the greatest football seasons ever.
Following the football season, Al immediately joined the basketball squad which dominated during the Amiott years. Although he was not a starter Al Secino was a valuable contributor to the hoop squad which went 12-4 in the regular season, but was able to capture the MIT tournament which runs emblematic of the state basketball championship during that era. Their victories over Eastern Mass. powers Salem, New Bedford and Lynn England showed the quality of the Fitchburg program.
Upon his graduation from FHS in 1931, Al Secino enrolled at Hebron Academy to strengthen his academics so that he could gain entrance into the better schools which were recruiting him like Columbia, Catholic University and Notre Dame. But the choice of Catholic University by Al Secino to further his football career was greatly influenced by another Fitchburg Hall of Famer, John Oliva, who convinced the Secino family that Catholic was a great choice for their son. Today Catholic University does not ring any bells when people talk about college football, but in the 1930’s it was a different story. Catholic played against schools like the University of Maryland, Boston College, Georgetown and Providence College which were gridiron powers of that era. Al Secino fit right into the scheme of things regarding C.U. football lettering all four years of his collegiate career. But there was one aspect of Al’s career that he could not control and that was injury. In the 1937 issue of The Cardinal which was Catholic’s yearbook the following was said about Al Secino, “It is only the injury jinx which followed him throughout his entire collegiate career that prevented him from being one of the greatest backs in C.U.’s football history.”
How high is this praise? In early December of 1936 The Fitchburg Sentinel announced that Catholic University had been invited to play in the second Orange Bowl game to be played in Miami. Catholic would represent the northern section of the country while the University of Mississippi would represent the South. Catholic would defeat Mississippi 20 to 13 in that contest which reveals the quality of their program. Unfortunately as was often true of Al’s college career his was injured in a practice session and was unable to compete. But one of our newest Hall of Famers was a true force in college.
Following his college years Mr. Secino returned to Fitchburg and took a position in the school system as a physical education instructor at the elementary level. Al is extremely proud of the hundreds of young men who got their first taste of athletic competition playing for their respective grammars. Yearly Mr. Secino would spend hundreds of hours officiating the games which the kids played. He could go to Crocker Field any Saturday afternoon and watch boys, whom he had instructed, wearing the Red and Gray. He took great pride in their athletic accomplishments.
Today Al Secino lives in Richmond Hill, Georgia following his retirement as a teacher in 1977 where he lives with his daughter Keta Kaminsky. Mr. Secino was married to his wife Betty (Cornacchini) for sixty-three years and they had two daughters Keta and Bonita Secino Miracle. Al is very proud of his children, three grandchildren and eight great grandchildren. Al Secino is a true man of Fitchburg High and now a Hall of Famer.
When Darren Bennett arrived at Academy Street in the fall of 1986 much was already expected of this young fifteen year old, and by the time of his graduation in June of 1990, much had been achieved. Today we will honor Darren Bennett with his induction into the FHS Athletic Hall of Fame for his exploits on the basketball court, but we will also remember his tremendous achievements at Crocker Field in the springtime for the track and field program and also on the gridiron for the Red Raider football squad during the autumn months.
Fans of FHS sports first became aware of Darren Bennett as a member of Doug Grutchfield’s “Little Team That Could” the Red Raider basketball squad of 1987-1988. For a long time Red Raider fans remembered this squad as one of their favorite fives. The undersized Raiders included co- captains Derrick Bennett and Mike Goodchild, point guard Nick Pappas, center Pete Ghilardi, the Trainor twins, Mike and Tim and our inductee Darren Bennett, a young untested sophomore. Not a great deal was expected of this group,
which seemed too small and too inexperienced to continue the excellence of the Raiders of the 1980’s? But as the Christmas season rolled around, FHS fans began to notice some very positive results as the Raiders defeated opponent after opponent. Goodchild and Derrick Bennett stepped forward, and filled the scoring void left by the graduation of Norbert Pickett. Pappas was running the offense smoothly from the point guard position. The Trainors were playing killer defense in the “Chinese” and the youngster Darren
Bennett was scoring in double figures and lending a rebounding presence upon the boards. Darren was playing like a veteran and the Raiders never missed a beat when he stepped upon the floor.
As the long winter evenings of January stretched into February, the hottest ticket in town became the Brickyard as Wachusett Regional, Leominster, St. Peter’s, St. Bernard’s and mighty St. John’s fell before the rabid defense which Coach Grutchfield called the “Chinese”. A priest from St. John’s who was filming the game for Bob Foley told the public address announcer that he “loved the Red and Gray squad which attacked opponents as soon as they exited the locker room. He said they played like the inner-city kids from Baltimore,” high praise indeed. Even as a young sixteen-year-old sophomore, Darren Bennett’s long arms and legs, along with his quick reflexes made him a major clog in the “Chinese Defense,” and his neat ten to twelve foot jump shot became a key to the Raider offense. As March approached Fitchburg, once again qualified for the District Championship, but still, not much was expected from the “Little Team That Could.”
But soon that perception would change forever, and sophomore Darren Bennett would be in the middle of a great run. After a fantastic comeback against Marlboro at the Brickyard, the Raiders knocked off Wachusett Regional, and marched into the Worcester Centrum to face unbeaten Milford for the District E Championship.
Darren Bennett had come a long way from middle school games played before a few dozen fans at Memorial Middle School.Before five thousand screaming Red Raider fans, Darren and his teammates completely out played a shocked Scarlet Hawks squad, which had entered the tournament ranked number one in Central Massachusetts. As his older brother Derrick and Mike Goodchild held the championship plaque at mid-court, it had to be a tremendously satisfying moment for the young sophomore, who had just completed his first varsity season. Following their great victory at the Centrum, the Raiders headed west to Springfield to face a very talented Chicopee High squad, unfortunately the dreams of the “Little Team That Could” were shattered by the excellent Chicopee squad, but certainly young Darren Bennett looked forward to two more seasons of outstanding basketball under Coach Grutchfield.
As the 1989-1990 basketball season approached, Raider nation was abuzz with a terrific veteran squad led by Darren Bennett, Jack Scott, Randy Shoemaker and outstanding youngsters from the junior varsity program like Danny Brasili. Things looked very good as Coach Grutchfield opened practice shortly after Thanksgiving, and became even better as the Raiders began play early in December. Ayoung freshman sensation Luis Cotto emerged as a dynamic force at the center position and with Darren, Jack Scott and Randy Shoemaker the Raiders began to dominate Central Massachusetts. Scott’s wonderful outside jump shooting, Cotto’s amazing skill around the hoop and Darren all round excellence made FHS an almost unstoppable machine.
Then disaster struck in a seemingly meaningless game in mid-Januaryagainst a weakAlgonquin squad. With the Red and Gray leading by thirty points early in the second half, Jack Scott was undercut as he went up for a shot, and hit the floor breaking his wrist. The hearts of the Raider fan sunk as they watched Scott being led off the floor. But senior captain Darren Bennett rose to the occasion as he rallied his teammates like Randy Shoemaker and Luis Cotto to continue their excellent season. The Raider machine led by Darren and his young teammates continued to roll into the playoffs while Jack Scott was on the mend. Darren did it all with his scoring, rebounding, defending and most importantly his overall leadership as FHS rolled to a 17-3 regular season record. After knocking off Westboro rather easily in the first tourney game, the Raiders took on archrival St. John’s where Darren went wild with thirty points as the Raiders marched into WPI’s Harrington Field House for the final game against powerful Burncoat of Worcester. In a game for the ages, the Raiders were nipped in the last seconds by Burncoat 75-73, which some old-time fans call the best District final ever. Darren Bennett’s basketball career at FHS was finished, and he did not get that second District trophy, but he and his teammates had come, oh so, close.
Most Red and Gray fans remember Darren Bennett for his exploits on the basketball court, but there was much more to Darren’s Hall of Fame career at FHS than basketball. In fact his greatest individual accomplishment might have occurred as a member of Raider’s track and field squads during his four years at Fitchburg High. He was a wonderful hurdler in the 100-meter highs and 300 intermediate as well as a solid long jumper and championship level triple jumper. Starting in his junior year, Darren became a major contributor to the success of the Red and Gray squads of the 1980’s. He was the leading point getter for the Raider squad, which captured the District E Division IChampionship with the aid of his second place finish in the 300-meter hurdles, and third place finish in the 100 meter high hurdles. He also raced with the 4×400 relay squad of Evol Stewart, Nick Pappas and Brandon Auger, which captured the District title in a school record time. But the best was yet to come!
Darren was selected as a tri-captain on the 1990 FHS track and field squad, which would establish records unique in the long athletic history of FHS. Simply stated the 1990 squad was loaded with superstars. The squad was 11-0 in springtime meets, which extended the undefeated streak from the previous two campaigns to 24-0.
Then it was on to the State Track and Field Championship, where Darren, Craig, Evol and their fellow teammates led FHS to a magnificent third placefinish in the state competition, a terrific accomplishment on the senior’s graduation day. Team members walked into Crocker Field on that Saturday afternoon clad in their track uniforms under their cap and gowns.
One cannot forget Darren Bennett’s efforts on the gridiron for the Red Raiders in his senior season. After foregoing football in his junior season, Darren decided to give the game a shot in his final season and Coach Ray Cosenza’s initial campaign. It was a somewhat difficult season for the squad, but Darren rose to the occasion with an excellent effort from the quarterback position. He was selected to the Mid-Wach All Star squad and was awarded the Anthony Martines Award, as the team’s most valuable player. Coach Cosenza has stated that he personally feels that Darren’s best sport could very well have been football.
Darren Bennett has come a long way from the gymnasium of Memorial Middle School, and today the Fitchburg High School Athletic Hall of Fame gladly inducts this unique three sport athlete and gentlemen into its midst. Congratulations Darren!
The young athletes of Fitchburg High School stare at the lens of the camera. They are members of the National Champion basketball squad of 1926, and their names are Myllykangas, Maffeo, Oliva, Fanos and Allan. In the upper right of the second row stands their leader, the legendary Clarence N. Amiott, but who is the gentleman standing at the extreme left? His name is Ralph Howard who has the title of business manager and also secretary-treasurer of the FHS Athletic Association. It is nearly ten years later, and the Fitchburg Sentinel announces on its Page 8 sports page that Fitchburg High will be facing the Gardner Wildcats at Crocker Field, and that general admission tickets can be purchased from Ralph Howard at the Circle Street gate for 25 cents.
Now we move ahead twenty-five years, and the Sentinel has a small item announcing that tickets for the 1961 Thanksgiving Game will be available at Fitchburg High at the business offices located on the third floor. Any Red and Gray fan should contact Ralph Howard if they are interested. Cost of the tickets will be three dollars. For more than forty years Ralph Howard was an individual who was vitally involved with Fitchburg High, and its athletics, and known by all the community.
Who was Ralph Howard? If one goes back to the class book of 1915, one would see the picture of young Ralph who was known for his frolicsome attitude and getting into minor trouble around the corridors of FHS. This does not sound like an individual who would be involved with education for nearly one half a century. But that is exactly what would happen. Ironically Ralph’s graduation year was the exact same year that Clarence Amiott began his coaching career. This partnership which would later develop did not seem possible in 1915. During the years of World War I, Ralph worked at FHS as a substitute teacher and following his graduation from Salem State Teachers College he was appointed a regular member of the FHS faculty in 1920. Within a decade Mr. Howard would be appointed the head of FHS’ commercial department, and would hold that position for more than three decades. Even later, Ralph Howard was appointed assistant principal in charge of business affairs. That was Ralph Howard’s professional position, but to the citizens of Fitchburg, and the students of FHS he was the “Guy who sold the tickets.”
And in the years before television that was a very big job in the community. In 1949 the Fitchburg Sentinel and its sport’s editor, John Connolly, put together a wonderful football guide which gave endless information about FHS football. One section told about attendance at Crocker Field from 1935 to 1948. Games against Gardner, St. Bernard’s, Arlington, Brockton, Watertown, Woburn, and, of course, Leominster often were attended by four and five thousand fans. Keeping track was Ralph Howard’s job and he did a wonderful job.
As a student of the Class of 1915 Ralph Howard had participated in the Junior-Senior Relay Race which took place between Worcester and Fitchburg. When the race was later contested at Crocker Field in which thirty students from the junior and senior classes ran one half mile, Ralph Howard could always be seen at the official’s table keeping track of the individual runner’s times. This was a job which Ralph Howard took year after year with glee.
Ralph Howard worked closely with his great friend Coach Amiott to develop the Fitchburg High School Athletic Association which is still a key element in making FHS one of the best run programs in the state. His foresight and hard work done those many years ago can still be seen today. The FHSAA allowed Fitchburg football squads to play intersectional football games against schools like West Technical High in Cleveland, Ohio, and Proviso High of Maywood, Illinois, which is located just outside of Chicago. It was after the Proviso game in 1924 that Coach Amiott and Ralph Howard brought the kids to the White House to meet the silent man from Massachusetts, President Calvin Coolidge. That was the type of influence which the FHSAA controlled during this era, and Ralph Howard was at the epicenter of the action.
John Connolly, the renowned Sentinel sports writer during the forties, fifties and sixties, wrote in the pre-season football guide that Ralph Howard was Red and Gray all the way. Mr. Connolly hit the nail right on the head. Ralph Howard was omnipresent at all FHS activities whether they were football and basketball games, Senior Class plays, competitive plays or Junior-Senior Proms. One thing which he greatly enjoyed was setting up the Grand Promenade at the Senior Prom when the Senior Class and their dates marched around the gymnasium at Fitchburg High. He always felt that the kids were showing what was great about FHS. And to Ralph Howard that was extremely important.
In 1949 the aforementioned John Connolly stated that Ralph Howard was as well known in area schoolboy sports as most of the top coaching personalities. When you consider that coaching giants like Charlie Broderick of Leominster, Walt Dubzinski of Gardner and FHS’ Marty McDonough were on the scene at that time, that was a wonderful compliment given to Ralph Howard.
After more than forty years in education, Ralph Howard retired in 1962 having given most of his adult life to the students of his beloved Fitchburg High. Mr. Howard is no longer with us, but today he will join the Hall of Fame of FHS alongside many of the athletes he had seen perform wearing the uniform of the Red and Gray. Ralph Howard became a member of the Hall in which his great friend Clarence N. Amiott who was inducted in 2001. Both Red Raiders would be pleased. Welcome to the Hall of Fame, Mr. Ralph Howard.
There they stood quietly at the starting line of the cross-country course at the Gardner Municipal Golf Course. They were Fitchburg High School’s Magnificent Seven, Maritza Rosario, Kim Walsh, Annica Ambrose, Eva Heckel, Marcie Cheries, Carrie Bloxson and Karma Tousignant, and they were about to create FHS sports history. Throughout the wonderful fall of 1989, these seven kids and their teammates had been blazing across the cross-country courses of Central Massachusetts defeating all comers. Standing at the starting line they giggled, smiled, waved to their parents and friends lining the course and stretched to prepare themselves for the run of their lives.
Their coach, Mark Ambrose, could be seen dashing from place to place as he prepared his girls. During his fifteen year coaching career, Mark had waited for just such a day. He walked over to one of the girls and whispered into her ear, and Annica smiled. Her father seemed to have struck her funny bone. Next, Coach Ambrose called his girls into a tight circle, and reminded them about the simple strategy which he had devised in the last forty-eight hours. Coach Ambrose knew that his best runner was very good, but he also knew that other competitors would burst to the lead and probably carry the day. His girls had another job to carry out if victory was to be theirs. By reading the results of competitions at the District level which had been held the previous weekend, Coach felt that his kids had to stop either Newton North or Amherst for FHS to be victorious. Coach told each runner that their responsibility was to defeat at the finish line the Newton North or Amherst girl who was directly in front of her. Fitchburg High would be the hunters on this gray November morning.
For many seasons, FHS had been contenders for District and League championships, but teams from schools like Wachusett Regional and particularly Shrewsbury had frustrated the Red and Gray. But 1989 had been altogether different. When the team gathered at their beautiful Coggshall course, Coach Ambrose’s gang would burst from the starting line like a herd of runaway horses and when they came out of the woods the Red and Gray would blaze toward victory. Usually it would be the smiling Maritza who would lead the pack, but following closely would be the ever-steady Kim Walsh and Annica Ambrose. Often Kim and Annica would be leading their opponents first runner which gave FHS an insurmountable lead, but would come the youngsters. In the fall of 1989, the Red Raiders had a tremendous group of underclassmen. Eva Heckel, Carrie Bloxson, Marcie Cheries and Karma Tousignant were a revelation for Coach Ambrose. Most squads are lucky to have one or two good runners, the Red and Gray were loaded top to bottom.
Followers of cross-country knew that something special was happening in Fitchburg when the Raider ladies crushed Shrewsbury. The Colonials are very good, but they could not withstand FHS in 1989. At the Mid-Wach League championship held at Coggshall, the Red and Gray uniforms kept swarming across the finish line as Coach Ambrose and the kid’s parents howled with glee. On Veteran’s Day weekend in eighty-nine, the Raiders traveled to Gardner to show the world that they were for real. Excellent runners and excellent teams had faltered upon the hill of Gardner, but this was not an ordinary team. Raider’s ’89 had the stuff of champions. The gun sounded and the Shrewsburys, Nashobas, Wachusett Regionals and Milfords fell before the Big Red Machine. As they rounded the bend and raced up the long home stretch at Gardner, the Red and Gray emerged. On they came like an irresistible wave. The Red Raiders had their championship, but they were still focused on the ultimate goal, the states.
Dick Mulligan stood in front of the girls with the staring gun uplifted. The runners burst forward and raced down the long six hundred yard stretch. Fans raced across the field to watch the girl’s head for the hills. Red and Gray runners were bunched in packs, focused on their competitors. Most spectators headed back across the field to the finish line to wait. Runners appeared on the homestretch. Where were the Raiders?
Then Maritza was spotted as she raced homeward. When she crossed the line it was recorded that she was 20th. She was shuffled down the chute, and then huge yells from the Red and Gray faithful arose. Doug Grutchfield was on his tiptoes looking for the Red Raiders. Tired and in pain they came forward. Grin faced and determined they raced toward glory. Kim, Annica, Eva, Carrie, Marcie and Karma crossed the finish line and all embraced as their leader, Maritza, raced back to the group. Had they done it? It was too close to call. The runners, Coach Ambrose, FHS students, friends and parents quickly walked toward the Mt. Wachusett gymnasium to await the results. Fathers and mothers hugged their conquering heroes, and the tension rose. Did we win? Did you beat your girl to the finish line? Clipboard in hand, Coach Ambrose nervously awaited judgment. Officials were located in a separate room. It was close. “I think we won!” Then there was a commotion. A clipboard went flying into the air and Coach Ambrose raced to the center of the gymnasium and performed a near perfect cartwheel. MaryLou Retton would have been proud. Girls in Red and Gray uniforms began to scream and cry at the same time. Fitchburg High was the state champion. One long time FHS sports fan who writes for the Telegram called it “the single most exciting victory he had ever seen for the Raiders.”
There would be assemblies in the auditorium, slide shows and victory parties, but that instant of victory was simply the best. Now the girls could truly say, “We Are the Champions.” Today Maritza, Kim, Annica, Eva, Carrie, Marcie and Karma have all gone their separate ways. But for one shining moment they were the victors and that will always be theirs. Now the FHS girl’s cross-country team has been placed into the FHS Hall of Fame. Hail to the victors.
Thanksgiving morning of 1968 rose dark and gloomy as thousands trudged toward ancient Crocker Field to watch the annual Turkey Day Classic between the Red and Gray and the Blue Devils. There was a hint of the approaching winter in the air as the eagerly awaited contest approached. But spirits in the Raider locker room nearly matched the weather outside. Coach Marco Landon had known, for a day or two, that he would be without the services of his outstanding senior quarterback, Chris Petrides, who had been injured in the week prior to the Turkey Day Classic, and that he was definitely out of the game. Petrides had triggered a high-powered Raider offense which featured the pass catching of Tom DiGeronimo and the running of the Boudreau twins, Richie and Ralph. Now that seemed to be gone, but Coach Marco Landon had an ace up his sleeve and he knew it. That ace was named Allen Glenny.
Allen Glenny had come to FHS with a well-deserved reputation as an outstanding quarterback who could dominate a contest with his passing and running. In his sophomore year Allen had split the quarterbacking duties with Chris Petrides and both QB’s had performed extremely well for the Raiders in 1967. But Coach Landon had decided that he was going to go with a single quarterback in 1968, and his choice was Petrides. Allen Glenny had every reason to be disappointed, but he did not sulk. Instead, when Coach Landon installed him as the Raider’s free safety on defense, Allen played like an All Star. A difficult situation had been handled maturely by the junior quarterback, and now fate would allow Allen the opportunity to show the right stuff.
The 1968 Raiders were an outstanding squad which had only lost one contest, a highly controversial game against powerful Nashua. Raider faithful will tell you that the Red and Gray had been robbed by the men in stripes at Holman Stadium, but the Blue Devils were also tough that season. The smaller and quicker Devils were aided by the slippery conditions on Crocker Field and seemed to be hindering to the Raider’s lightning quick offense. But the new FHS quarterback had risen to the occasion. His passing to Tom DiGeronimo was crisp and his running of the option play was Fitchburg’s main running weapon. And Glenny continued to be a force for the Red and Gray defense. His passing and running had laid the Raiders into a 16-14 lead as the clock wound down and Crocker Field held their breath as LHS lined up for a possible game winning field goal. When the Raiders blocked the attempt, FHS had a precious Turkey Day victory and a star had been established. For his efforts on Thanksgiving Day thirty-five years ago, Allen Glenny was named the St. Germaine Award winner which was given annually between the 1950’s and 1970’s to the best Raider on Turkey Day. The back-up, who was never really a back-up, had come through with flying colors. Allen Glenny would win many other gridiron awards during his days at FHS, but his performance on Thanksgiving Day would have to be considered the most memorable.
But football might not have been Allen Glenny’s best sport. When he entered FHS in the fall of 1966 many area sport’s fans knew more about Glenny, the baseball player, than Glenny, the football player. Standing six foot two inches tall and swinging from both sides of the plate, Allen Glenny was a classic baseball player. He simply looked good at the plate and in the field because he was. Allen was a 400+ hitter who hit with power to all parts of the field. Like many switch-hitters, Allen looked smoother from the left side of the plate, but he really drove the ball when he batted right-handed. Many balls that he smacked landed in the bushes in right-center field or found their way into Crocker’s covered grandstand, and a few flew over the roof. Allen was an outstanding defensive player who could scoop the ball at first base or roam the vast expanses of centerfield. During his junior and senior years, he was named to the All Star squads which represented the north county region, but Allen was also picked by the Worcester County coaches as an All Star. When the Raider season ended in June, Allen was an outstanding American Legion player for Leominster and later the Cleghorn Legion. In his senior year, Allen was picked to play in an All Star tournament at Fenway Park.
Allen Glenny’s senior campaign was a blur of Raider touchdowns as the high-powered offense rolled through opponents defenses. The scoreboard at Crocker Field was almost like an adding machine as Glenny marched the Raiders up and down the field. Excellent Nashua and Gardner squads tumbled before the Raiders. College coaches began to inquire about number twelve who quarterbacked the Red and Gray. Schools like Boston College, Dartmouth, Yale and Harvard inquired about Allen who was a high honor student at FHS who would achieve a gold “F” for his academic excellence. But their inquiries would be fruitless because Allen Glenny wanted a Service Academy appointment, and so when the United States Military Academy came calling, Allen jumped at the opportunity.
Following his graduation in 1970, Allen immediately headed to Annapolis, Maryland, to become a member of the Naval Academy’s Class of 1974. He would play four years of football at Navy, establishing many offensive records during his junior and senior seasons when he was Navy’s starting quarterback. This is quite impressive when you remember that it was Roger Staubach’s records that were broken. He was awarded the outstanding player trophy in the Army-Navy game of 1973 which Navy won 51-0.
Allen Glenny had always wanted to be a Naval Flyer and upon completion of four years at Annapolis, he was accepted into the Naval Flight program which he completed successfully. Unfortunately on April 17, 1980, Lieutenant Allen R. Glenny was tragically killed in a plane crash in American Samoa while on a training mission. His family, the Naval Academy and his hometown community of Fitchburg mourned that tragic loss. Today FHS honors its fallen hero with induction into the Hall of Fame.
In the Red and Gray of May 1937 the sports editor in an article entitled “Stars of 1937 Pass in Review” had the following to say about Donald “Ossie” MacLean; “This dashing senior was an outstanding player on the gridiron and on the basketball floor. Ever since his debut as a sophomore, he has been considered a real “find” in the sports world. He co-captained the 1936 football team and was captain elect of the baseball nine. He would probably be unanimously voted the most valuable athlete of 1937.” Certainly his classmates felt highly about this stylish southpaw who had excited Raider fans throughout the 1930’s.
During the years of America’s Great Depression, Coach Clarence Amiott had a group of great athletes pass through the corridors of FHS who are still remembered by old time fans with great pleasure. Kids named Bill Mackie, Jimmy Leo, Bill Whelan, Lauri Shattuck, “Duke” Savitt, Ray Belliveau, Paul Glenny, Rollie Blake are recalled as being Raider stars. But whenever those names are recalled, the name “Ossie” MacLean is always brought to the forefront. There was something about the sweet throwing lefty that has never been forgotten. Donald Francis MacLean was your typical three sport start who found the games easy to play, but played those games with a great intensity. His high school yearbook talked about “Ossie” being FHS’ finest example of sportsmanship. Whether on the football gridiron, baseball diamond or basketball court, MacLean would fight you tooth and nail, and then shake your hand a the games conclusion.
Some athletes have the ability to score lots of points, hit long homeruns and run faster than all other competitors, but some athletes have the ability to get the job done in the clutch when the game in on the line. “Ossie” MacLean would fall into that latter category. Whenever the Red and Gray needed the big play “Ossie” was your man. In 1935 in MacLean’s junior season, Gardner’s Wildcats came to Crocker Field with one of their strongest teams ever. Led by two powerful running backs named Frank Michniewicz and Leo Lajoie, the Cats were poised to knock off FHS. On the evening before the contest exuberant Cats fans had painted Crocker Field which did not sit well with the Raiders. Ten thousand fans squeezed into Crocker to watch this class of titans, and they would not be disappointed.
With five minutes remaining in the contest, Gardner’s Lajoie had put the Wildcats ahead 18-12 and things appeared desperate for the FHS squad. But Gardner kicked to “Ossie” which zigzagged to his own forty-three yard line. Then the lefty fired a 37 yard pass to Pat Lattore to bring the ball to Gardner’s twenty yard line and Crocker Field rocked with excitement. Two more passes placed the ball on the two yard line but less than a minute remained when Joe Torcoletti burst into the end zone. Game tied 18-18. Coach Amiott called Torcoletti’s number for the extra point, but he was hit and fumbled, but the ever alert “Ossie” MacLean fell on the loose ball. Final score – FHS 19 – Gardner 18. That 1935 football squad was one of Amiott’s finest groups only losing to a terrific Brockton squad led by Lou Montgomery.
The spring of 1936 brought disaster to the city of Fitchburg. During a March thaw, the Nashua River overflowed its banks and Crocker Field was covered with nearly six feet of water. Throughout the spring and summer months New England remained wet and the ground saturated. Crocker Field never recovered. If you look at the 1937 Boulder, you will see that the Red and Gray only played eight games that season which disrupted the efforts of the good FHS squad which entered the Thanksgiving contest with a 4-3 record. The week before the FHS-LHS contest the skies opened and so Crocker Field was a sea of mud. Ten thousand fans watched a strong Blue Devil squad dominate the first half and as the mud-caked squads left the field the score was 6-0 Leominster.
What occurred next is one of the legendary stories of the Fitchburg-Leominster Classic. When the Red and Gray reached their locker room Coach Amiott immediately had the players take of their muddy uniforms and put on dry ones. The Leominster fans howled in astonishment as Fitchburg emerged from the clubhouse. As the squads jogged onto the field, Amiott told “Ossie” MacLean what play the Raiders would call when they tied the contest. A special play had been practiced by FHS which would break “Ossie” loose. The Raiders took the second half kickoff down the field with “Ossie” sprinting into the end zone and scoring the extra point. Fitchburg High would fight and scrap to hold their one point lead and when the final whistle blew it was FHS 7 – LHS 6. Coach Amiott believed that MacLean was special and the special ones get the job done in the clutch.
Although “Ossie” MacLean is primarily remembered for his exploits on the gridiron, he was a valuable member of the Raider basketball teams for three seasons. Back in the 1930’s Fitchburg played one of the most demanding schedules in the state and annually were selected to play in the MIT tournament which was the state tourney in that era. Particularly in “Ossie” MacLean’s last two years he was one of Amiott’s key people. And yet most people who know “Ossie” MacLean including his son, Don, will tell you that his best sport was probably baseball. Throwing from the left side with a dazzling assortment of pitches, “Ossie” was nearly unhittable in high school. The Red Sox and old Boston Braves showed a great deal of interest in Fitchburg’s star pitcher, who would still be throwing in the old twilight league in the early 1950’s.
“Ossie” was married to his beloved Dora and they had three children, Donald Jr., Barry, and Susan. Barry was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2001. “Ossie” MacLean loved his old school and now is honored as one of its Hall of Famers.
On a late July evening in the summer of 2002, a large group of students stood outside the home of Chris Woods, silently holding candles in remembrance of an individual who was loved and admired, Donald Woods. When asked why they stood so reverently on this warm summer night, kids spoke of the kindness that Mr. Woods had shown them so many times over the years. When they needed fatherly advice, or even the kind understanding of a grandfather figure, Mr. Woods had always stepped forward with just the right words. When word of his death reached these students and athletes of Fitchburg High School, they acted in the only fashion they understood, they returned the kindness. Mr. Woods would have said “thank you” to one and all as he always had. Sometimes the children truly have the clearest vision.
Donald Beaumont Woods lived into the twenty-first century, but he was an individual of the 20th century. Growing up in his beloved Fitchburg, Mr. Woods would talk about walks on Main Street on a Friday evening in the late 1930’s during his high school years. Main Street was brightly lit as hundreds of Fitchburgers hurried to finish their weekly shopping, and teenagers would hurry to watch the early show at the Fitchburg Theatre. These were happy days which never left Mr. Woods. He would be a member of the Class of 1940 at Fitchburg High when it was newly opened on Academy Street. Pride would enter his eyes as he told you that “40” was the first group to go to FHS’ new building on Academy Street. During his high school years, the diminutive Mr. Woods was actively involved with the Yearbook as the business manager, and he also was elected as the president of the Drama Club. He received a letter sweater with an “F” as a member of the varsity tennis squad and was actively involved with intramural sports. If you enter Chris Woods’ office at FHS there is a picture of a proud young Donald Woods running in the Junior-Senior Relay with a Class of 1940 symbol prominently shown on his chest. Like many of his generation who had undergone the tests of the Great Depression and watched his community begin to spring to life once again, Donald Woods never forgot his roots. He felt that it was his duty to give back to his community and school.
December 7,1941, was a “day which would live in infamy” as F.D.R. stated, and it would change Mr. Woods’ life forever. Like all the young men of the “greatest generation” who rushed to enlist after the Japanese attack upon Pearl Harbor, Don Woods heeded his nation’s call and entered the United States Marine Corps. in May of 1942. During World War II, Don Woods served as an airborne radio and radar operator flying numerous tricky and dangerous operations during the Pacific War against the Empire of Japan. It was an experience which Don Woods would proudly recall throughout the rest of his life. As a matter of fact, he reenlisted in the Marine Corps Reserves in 1974 at the age of fifty-two and would remain in the Reserves until 1980. His two favorite phrases were always “Hail to the Red and Gray” and “Semper Fi.”
Returning home to Fitchburg in the middle of 1946, Don set about establishing his post-war life. He began working for Foster Insurance and eventually would reach the position of vice-president in the company. During his thirty-five years with Foster’s, Donald Woods actively supported many organizations which tried to help the community of Fitchburg. He was chairman of the Fitchburg branch of the American Red Cross, president of the Fitchburg YMCA, Rotary Club member, a friend of the Fitchburg Public Library, and a friend of Coggshall Park and a lifelong member of the Fitchburg Historical Society. His time was Fitchburg’s time. Early in the 1950’s, Donald was married to his beloved Janice and they had two children, Marli and Chris, who were raised as loyal Raiders.
In the early 1980’s Donald Woods retired from his career in the business community and began his work as a keeper of the candle for FHS. Few, if any, individuals contributed more time and effort into preserving the rich heritage which is Fitchburg High School. Don was elected to the executive board of the FHS Alumni Association and his continually diligent work soon found him being elected as that board’s president and CEO. Raising funds, so that FHS kids could go to college, became one of his life’s goals. During this time period he decided that he would help out by becoming a substitute teacher which has to be one of life’s tough jobs. But Don Woods was unique. So kids would tell you that the old Mr. Woods really loved to talk about World War II history, City of Fitchburg history and FHS tradition, even if it was a biology class. And they loved it.
In the late 1980’s, FHS’ beloved Crocker Field began to show her age. The seventy-year ago pearl began to have serious structural problems, and there was even talk of closing down the field. The grandstands were in serious trouble and money was needed to renovate. Public funding was limited, and so Don Wood’s sprung into action. He helped organize the Crocker Field Restoration Committee which immediately began to collect money for the project. Thousands of dollars were raised and although the old field still needs more work, it was truly saved by the efforts of Mr. Woods’ Committee. Fitchburg High and our community must always be grateful for Don’s decisive actions.
Finally there is the matter of track. Don’s son, Chris, has been involved with FHS track for a decade and a half. Mr. Woods began to volunteer at track meets, doing the little projects that go unseen. Hurdles to be set up, mats to be moved, and races to be judged. Don Woods did not have to be asked to help, it was done naturally. He was everywhere to be seen. He was the good worker. In 2001, Mr. Woods was selected as an Olympic Support Runner as the Olympic Flame passed through Massachusetts. Don Woods humbly accepted the honor, as was his way. Some individuals star on the fields of athletic endeavors and others star in life. Donald B. Woods choose to make his beloved Fitchburg High School a better institution and we now honor him with membership in our FHS Hall of Fame.
In the spring of 1970 athletic director John Conway submitted to the Fitchburg School Committee the name of Douglass Grutchfield for the position of head basketball coach at Fitchburg High School and athletics in FHS never looked backwards. The former Look Magazine All American from the University of Massachusetts had immediately established himself as a coaching force to be reckoned with his teams at Amherst High and Belmont High and he took the local basketball scene by storm in that initial season. Instilling in his players an intense desire to win, Coach Grutchfield took a group which had barely finished above .500 in previous seasons and encouraged and pushed them to an outstanding 16-2 regular season. The Raiders would not capture a District title in that initial season of 1971, but a statement had been made. The Red and Gray were going to challenge for basketball supremacy in Central Massachusetts and beyond.
Coach Doug Grutchfield felt that a system had to be established which identifies Fitchburg basketball. Soon all his junior high coaches were gathered together and “The System” was taught first to the coaches and then to the players. Grutchfield’s idea was that the good basketball teams won because they applied constant defensive pressure upon their opponents until the opponents collapsed and victories would follow. Soon there began to appear in the vocabulary of FHS players something about “The Chinese”. The training at the junior high level took a year or two, but by 1975 Coach “Grutch” had players like Joe Dizuzio, Mike Petrides, Ray Spagnuolo and Doug Romano who had outstanding skills and also understood the system and in March of that year, FHS captured the first of six District titles of the “Grutchfield Era.” That squad took their talents to Bentley College to challenge an outstanding Don Bosco squad which had swept through Eastern Massachusetts. The Boston Press stated that mighty Bosco, with three Division I prospects, would crush the Red and Gray.
Over 3500 people packed into Bentley and the Red and Gray under Coach Doug Grutchfield showed that Fitchburg High could play with the big guys. Dizuzio slashed to the basket, “Spags” played field general, Petrides hit form the outside and Romano and Harry Xarras muscled underneath. Old timers sat in the stands and talked about the olden days of Amiott, FHS and the Tech Tourney. Fitchburg would lose that contest by five points, but Grutch’s gang had brought respect back to the way in which basketball was played at FHS.
Between 1975 and 1995 Central Massachusetts had some of the most intense rivalries ever encountered in our region. There were storied high school programs, outstanding coaches and great individual players and the Fitchburg High basketball team was always in the middle of it. The Red Raiders played storied games against the likes of Doherty High of Worcester, St. John’s of Shrewsbury, Wachusett Regional, Notre Dame, Milford, Holy Name, St. Peter’s and Leominster. Coach Grutchfield, matching wits against Duane Curriveau, Billy Gibbons, Buddy Mahan, Steve Mancuso, Ron Mazzaferro and of course Bob Foley of St. Peter’s and later St. John’s. Sometimes the Raiders would be victorious, sometimes they would come out short, but the level of competition was always intense.
There were so many games and individuals that it is difficult to remember them all, but some certainly stick out. Fitchburg’s Tony Jones versus Doherty’s Tony Jefferies in the 1977 contest was a clash of giants. St. John’s great Matt Palazzi against the Raiders of David Marshall, Johnny Connolly, Mike LeBlanc, Paul DiGeronimo and sophomore Mike Connolly’s late basket at the Hart Center at Holy Cross in 1983 was an all time victory. The Red and Gray did not get a chance to challenge for the state title because of Prop. 2 ½. The 1985 squad, which escaped continually from defeat to face mighty Brockton in the Centrum was one of Grutch’s real miracles. Kids named Barry, Connolly, Carlson, Gilchrist, Earley and Wirtonen came oh so close. Then there was the “little team that could” in 1988. Coach Grutchfield to a group of hard working scrappers and captured the Districts with a magnificent upset. In the annuals of FHS basketball under Coach Doug Grutchfield the post-season of 1992 might have been the most startling. Led by super star Zack McCall and cool-handed point guard named Jeff Scott, the Raiders took on the world and came so close. First St. John’s fell to the Red and Gray in the Districts and then Springfield Central, which had won 50 games straight, fell before the brilliance of McCall and Jeff Scott’s foul shots, and finally the overtime defeat against South Boston. McCall’s effort will live in the annals of FHS basketball.
Throughout this period there were battles with the officials, Saturday morning practices with Coach John Cordio arriving late with coffee and donuts, long bus trips to Milford, Springfield, Holden and Worcester, and lots of laughs and tears. Overseeing this whole period was Coach Douglass Grutchfield. During his tenure, FHS won twenty-one League Championships and seven District Division One titles, reached the state semi-finals five times and the state finals twice. Coaching at FHS, Amherst and Belmont, Doug personally had 588 victories which placed him in the top five in Massachusetts history. For his efforts Doug was elected to the Massachusetts Coaches Basketball Hall of Fame in and just one month ago, he was placed in the New England Hall of Fame as a coach. Doug has also been elected to the University of Massachusetts Hall of Fame. While at UMass he established 13 individual scoring and rebounding records, and was named All-Conference, All-New England and All-East in 1961.
But Doug Grutchfield’s greatest accomplishments might not have happened on the basketball court. In 1984 he was named athletic director of Fitchburg and his accomplishments were amazing. Taking a program in trouble, Doug pushed, prodded and shoved FHS sports into the modern era. Crocker Field was modernized with lights and an all weather track and the new Fitchburg High School has a magnificent field house with unbelievable facilities. Doug Grutchfield loves sports history and his individual efforts in preserving the clubhouse may have his most personal accomplishment. Trophies were shined, pictures hung, programs preserved so that future generations will know about FHS’ history.
For his efforts he was selected Mass. Athletic Director of the Year in 1994, National A.D. of the Year in 1996 and was invited to the White House and served on the national task force entitled “Building Character Through Sports.” In 1998 he was elected President of National Council of Secondary School Athletic Directors and in 2000 named a National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association Distinguished Service Award Winner.
Doug is married to the former El McNamara – Class of 1973 and his five children Lee, Peter, Karen, K.C. and Hannah and now he belongs to the FHS Hall of Fame.
America was mired in the Great Depression in the early 1930’s and the city of Fitchburg had not escaped the ravages of this economic disaster. All along the banks of the Nashua River, once hearty business ventures stood closed and hundreds of workers were tossed from their jobs. Every week another factory would close or severely cut back on the workers hours. It was a desperate time for America’s society. But strangely at that time the children of those immigrant factory workers were accomplishing fabulous deeds at Fitchburg High School under the tutelage of their legendary coach Clarence Amiott. Whether on the gridiron or the basketball court, the young men of FHS were creating a Golden Age of sports. From 1930 to 1937, Fitchburg High School and its athletic accomplishments were second to none. In a melting pot of first generation immigrants from Finland, Italy, Ireland, Canada and the British Isles, Fitchburg High was conquering all challengers. Kids with names like Whelan, Blake, Fellows, Oliva, Secino, Fillback, Lahti, Leo, MacLean, Shattuck and so many others were making their community proud. Thousands would flock to Crocker Field on a Saturday afternoon to pay fifteen cents to watch their Raiders take on Brockton, Arlington, Waltham, Medford, Framingham and Gardner and generally come out on top. In to this mix of players came a dynamic kid from the West Street area named Milton Savitt who will forever be remembered as the “Duke.”
As the Great Depression deepened in 1930-31, the Doyle family of Leominster donated a wonderful parcel of land to the community of Leominster so that they too could have an outstanding facility for their children. All through 1930 and 1931, workers cleared land, erected a field house and built baseball fields and a track. But the prize was going to be a football field which would compete with Fitchburg’s Crocker Field.
As Thanksgiving morning approached in 1931, the two communities along the river tingled with anticipation regarding the upcoming match. Fitchburg was loaded, but the Leominster High gridiron fortunes were on the rise. Charlie Broderick had just arrived in the Comb City and a sophomore tailback named Ronny Cahill was beginning to create his legend. So hundreds jumped on the F&L trolley cars that morning of November 26, 1931, to watch an athletic contest which is still recalled over seventy years later.
The Red Raiders and Leominster were evenly matched like to heavy weight boxers. Led by their “Battleship Bill” Whelan and a fleet of small running backs named Moran, Fillback, and Belliveau, the Raiders had battled the feisty gang from LHS for three quarters. Throughout the first thirty-five minutes the Raider attack had been highlighted by “Duke” Savitt’s slashing dashes into LHS’ defense. As the game entered the final quarter, the score was knotted at 7-7, and the Raiders were backed up to their own fifteen or sixteen yard line. Coach Amiott called for the off tackle slant which would feature “Duke.” The huge Whelan centered the ball and leveled his defender, the Raider offensive line worked like a Swiss watch, and “Pete” Lahti swung from his end position and cut down the LHS safely. As the Fitchburg Sentinel stated seventy-two years ago, “Savitt burst through the hole, swivel-hipped a defender, broke loose down the LHS sideline as the crowd screamed and raced into the end zone untouched.”
It has been called the perfect play by Raider fans, and “Duke” apparently waved to the Leominster fans as he raced past their stands which caused them to howl. Like Babe Ruth’s legend, we are not sure about the wave, but we do know that the “Duke” went 85 yards for the touchdown. Leominster’s effort faltered after the touchdown, and the final score stood at 24-7, in favor of the Raiders.
But “Duke” Savitt was not a one-play wonder. He was a three-year starter in football and two year starter for the Red and Gray basketball squads which continually played in the Old Tech Tourney which was originated at M.I.T. The Red Raiders captured that tourney in 1931 with victories over Eastern Massachusetts’s squads from Salem, Lynn and New Bedford. Coach Amiott’s squad would reach the finals in 1932 only to fall in the finals to Brockton. “Duke” was a key player on those championship squads through his FHS years.
He was one of the very best, but it was his flair and style that caused people to talk about “The Duke” forty years after his career at FHS was concluded. His efforts were always good, but often verged on the spectacular. If he played today he would be said to have a great deal of charisma.
During World War II, “Duke” enlisted into the military and served three years in the United States Navy where his commanding officer was Captain Gene Tunney, Former heavy weight boxing champion. Following WWII, Milton Savitt became involved in various entertainment and athletic projects. He was sports publicity manager for the well known Fitchburg Paamco Basketball squad in the late 1940’s and later would be heard on radio stations in Fitchburg, Gardner, Lowell and Medford. He died in 1973 at the age of fifty-eight. Shortly before his untimely death, Fitchburg played Brockton at Crocker Field. The stands were packed as the old rivalry was renewed. When “Duke” arrived at the contest, there was a buzz in the stands. He was always one of FHS’ favorites who now resides in the Hall of Fame.
During the autumn of 1944 as World War II continued to rage across the continent of Europe and on the islands of the Pacific, the Class of 1948 entered the hallowed halls of FHS. Four years later this group of young people had established a record of scholastic and athletic excellence which allowed The Boulder – 1948 to proclaim that “48” was the best class that ever attended Fitchburg High School. Fifty-five years later that proclamation of pride still holds very strongly. During our first two inductions into the FHS Hall of Fame the Class of 1948 has had three athletes honored by the Hall. Bob Duncan, Ray Ablondi and Joe Cushing all members of the Class of 1948 have had their pictures placed upon the wall. Each in his own way made their marks upon Fitchburg High’s athletic history. Other members of that unique class might eventually find their way into the Hall of Fame.
On Monday afternoon October 20, 1947, readers of the Fitchburg Sentinel turned to page eight and saw the headlines of Saturday’s game against archrival Gardner: FHS Tops Gardner, 13-6, Before 6000; Cushing Scores Twice. As the readers eyes scanned to the right they could see the Red and Gray number 14 racing 57 yards down the sidelines toward Gardner’s end zone. Behind great blocks from Hans Thoma, Mike Martin and “Bucker” Shea, the Raider All-Star had broken open a very close contest. As one looks in the picture’s background one can see the huge crowd watching the contest. This was a period in which FHS had a great many outstanding gridiron stars who are still remembered today, but some will tell you that number 14 might have been the best. The Boulder told you that Joe Cushing was an extremely versatile athlete who starred on the gridiron, baseball diamond and on the ski-slopes of New England. And the yearbook also told you that outstanding athlete was also a recipient of the Gold F. Joe Cushing did it in the classroom and on the athletic field.
But it was on the gridiron where Joe Cushing’s star shone most brightly. Coach Marty McDonough was blessed with many stars who could carry the ball in the period between 1945 and 1950, but the one individual who seemed to rise to the occasion when it was most needed was the Raider’s number 14. Teammates on those 1946 and 1947 squads of FHS could count on excellent running from guys named Ablondi, Crohan, Balaban, Capone and big “Corky” Erwin on his famous end arounds for the McDonough teams, but the blond-haired Cushing seemed to have the explosive running style which broke games open. John Connolly, the well-known Fitchburg Sentinel sportswriter of the 1940’s and 1950’s described Cushing’s famous run against Gardner in the following manner: “Belliveau’s punt was taken by Cushing on his own 43 yard line and the blond block buster snake hipped his way through the entire Wildcat team for a brilliant 57 yard run for the second touchdown. Numerous visiting tacklers had shots at Cushing, some of them hitting him, but bounding off his driving frame. The last potential tackler was wiped out by Thoma as Cushing raced toward the end zone.”
The Red and Gray squad had a very deceptive record in 1947. Their record was 5-2-3 which really does not look that outstanding. In their first contest the Raiders were surprised by a fired up St. Bernard’s squad in a 7-7 contest and later FHS would also tie Manchester, New Hampshire, and Clinton who in that post-war period were very strong elevens. The three tied ball games do seem to lessen the overall record. But two other contests showed the true grit of the Raiders and Joe Cushing was in the middle of the action. Before 5000 fans at Crocker Field, an underdog Red and Gray squad solidly defeated an unbeatable Watertown team, which was being hailed as one of Massachusetts best, 20-0. The local press stated “that Joe Cushing, who is making a habit of the trick, took advantage of the two well-executed quick opening played to romp 32 and 34 yards for first and third period touchdowns. The play of Cushing, a member of the North Worcester County All Star team of 1946 completely stood out.” Cushing’s explosive running behind his excellent offensive line had broken the spirit of the Eastern Massachusetts champs.
Later in the season on Thanksgiving Day the Raiders went to Doyle Field to take on the Blue Devils who were slightly favored. The Devils had whipped St. Bernard’s 50 to 7 and only lost to Arlington, so FHS was considered a long shot. As they had done throughout the post-war period, McDonough’s boys rose to the occasion. The Raider defense stopped Leominster cold and “Bucker” Shea had a tremendous day scoring two touchdowns, but press covering the contest stated that Joe Cushing’s hard-charging running kept Leominster on their heels all day long. Following the 1947 campaign, Joe was named to the North Worcester County All-Star squad for the second year in a row and he received an additional honor being named to the 1947 Worcester County All Star which was instituted for the first time in that season of 1947.
As soon as the gridiron season was completed, Joe Cushing headed to the slopes which has been his life long love. In 1947 and 1948 he was the Massachusetts Junior Downhill Skiing Champion. Although there was no direct connection to FHS athletics, this was still quite an athletic foreshadowed his future career. Following graduation from FHS, Joe attended Dartmouth College and Boston University and then during the Korean conflict, entered the military as a member of the Army Security Agency. During the late 1950’s Joe Cushing became involved with becoming a consultant in ski area construction. He joined Sno-engineering Incorporated in 1961 and retired in 1995. In his 34 years Joe was involved with over 400 ski projects all over the world in which his particular expertise was the designing and layout of new ski areas including Loon Mt. and Waterville Valley in the 1960’s. He became part owner of the company and now has locations in Vermont, New Hampshire, Colorado and Washington. Joe was married to Mary Mitchell of Cincinnati, Ohio and they have four children, Joe III, Catherine, Chris and Mary, called Minnie. Today Joe Cushing becomes a member of the FHS Hall of Fame.
Early in the 1970’s, local basketball fans began to hear about a kid who was playing in the Biddy League at B.F. Brown gym every Saturday morning. Old-timers would tell you that this ten-year-old kid could handle the ball like Bob Cousy. It was even said that his ball handling reminded some people of the guy who played at Notre Dame High in the 1950’s. That guy’s name was Craig Corliss. Maybe that was only proper because the coach of the Elks team was none other than Mr. Corliss. The Biddy League kid’s name was John Pappas. Some Biddy League superstars never develop beyond the age of twelve, but young Mr. Pappas simply got better every day, and twenty years later, Fitchburg High fans like Mr. Warren Moge can recall individual moves that John Pappas made on the basketball court that he still does not believe.
Doug Grutchfield established a dynasty in Massachusetts’s basketball history for three decades. Games against the likes of St. John’s, Holy Name, Doherty, Wachusett Regional, Durfee, Springfield Central, Cambridge Rindge and Latin, Don Bosco, Brockton and so many others are remembered with great fondness. It was great basketball and it was fun. Names like Dizuzio, Petrides, Spagnoulo, Rahnasto, Marshall, DiGeronimo, Bennett, Connolly, Barry, Gilchrist, Pickett, Romano, Morales, McCall and oh so many others bring a smile to the faces of Red and Gray fans. Mr. Arthur Peterson who watched them all and took careful note of the games events which always had an especially kind word for that magnificent little point guard who joins the FHS Hall of Fame in 2003.
John Pappas was an All Star the first day he ever set foot on the floor of the old Brickyard. He practiced hard, he played hard and he never quit. John Pappas had more fancy moves with a basketball in his hands than any other player than Bob Cousy, but this writer never saw him make a move which would not get his teammates in a better position to score an early lay-up. Just ask Tom DiGeronimo, Class of 1982, who was Johnny’s teammate for three years, about the passes he received from John. “DiGe” was barely six foot one, and he was playing underneath against the giants of Central Massachusetts and scoring enough points to accumulate 1000+ in his career. Tom could leap and he was strong, but John’s perfect uptakes and dump passes set Tom up for many an easy basket. John Pappas would score over 1000 points for FHS as did his partner Tom, but I wonder how many assists John Pappas had during his three-year career.
If you go back to the record books to find out the records of the squads playing between 1980 and 1982, you might wonder what the fuss is about concerning this Pappas kid. Certainly during this long period of basketball excellence, which spanned more than three decades, the years 1980-1982 look quite average. Sometimes you have to be in the right place at the right time. Probably no coach developed excellent big men than did Coach Grutchfield, but you cannot develop height. You either have it or you don’t. Fitchburg High was small during John Pappas’ year on the hard wood floor. His fellow co-captain DiGeronimo played center at six feet and so one can see that victories came with effort and hard work.
The Hall of Fame is a place for individuals who achieved and rose to the occasion. Is there any basketball game which loyalists of the Red and Gray remember as far as John Pappas is concerned? Of course there is. It took place on a cold bitter February evening in the year of 1982 at the Leominster High School gym. Both the Blue Devils and the Red Raiders were tournament bound during eighty-two. They were solid, but they were not going to defeat the St. John’s of the world in 1982. Did it matter? Not really, because this was Fitchburg versus Leominster.
Leominster had a veteran squad and they would dominate throughout most of the contest. Sometimes John Pappas could be criticized for being to unselfish. Many evenings “Grutch” would stand in front of the bench and plead to John to take the fifteen-foot jumper instead of throwing that new perfect pass. Next time down the floor John would look for the pass and John Cordio, “Grutch’s” right man, would reiterate the plea. But the call would go unanswered. With less than six minutes to go in the contest the Blue Devils were in the driver’s seat. The teams exchanged baskets and the Raiders remained in deep trouble.
Pappas looked over to the bench and then he took control. The packed Leominster house did not realize that they were about to watch one of the most spectacular displays of basketball magic ever performed in Central Massachusetts. The dynamo from Greek Town began a relentless drive to take the Raiders over the top. His incredible quick first step had Leominster defenders gasping for breathe and grasping for a ghost. The 8 to 10 point lead shrunk but there only remained two minutes on the clock. The Fitchburg cheering section was on its feet howling with glorious delight. Blue Devil faithful sat in shocked silence and awe. The point was taking a victory right out of their hands. With seconds remaining on the clock, John Pappas, with ice-cold water in his veins, sunk two foul shots to send the game into overtime.
Leominster was done and John wove through their defenses in the overtime period to give the Red and Gray a remembered victory. As the jubilant fans rushed to the floor, John looked into the stands for his number one fans, his mother, dad and Uncle John. You had to see Hall of Famer John Pappas to believe it.
One individual who did believe was Wally Halas of Clark University. The five foot ten inch Halas knew a point guard when he saw one. Clark was building a dynasty under Coach Halas and John Pappas would be a building block. He would play five years at Clark. An injury in his sophomore year allowed John to play a fifth year and that brought about the true measure of John Pappas. From 1985 through 1987 Clark was participating in the Division III NCAA tourney. In John’s junior year, he was All New England, captain of Clark and the go-to-guy. He returned in his fifth year as captain once again, and with great expectations, but found himself on the bench. Coach Halas had been enchanted by a scoring point guard and so John sat. Crushed and hurt, John kept his mouth shut. When the team started slowly, John was reinserted and Clark rolled.
In March, Potsdam State came to Clark with a 69 game win streak. Oh they were good and Clark put them down. Who was the ringmaster? Clark went to the Final Four and that’s where FHS Hall of Famer belonged.
Today John lives in Plano, Texas with his beautiful wife, Suzanne (Swarzel) with their two daughters, Alexandra and Victoria. John is a regional marketing director for the Lincoln Financial Group. Welcome Aboard, John!
In March of 1938 the beloved Clarence N. Amiott was forced to leave his Fitchburg High because of an illness which would unfortunately take his life in November of 1942. Mr. Amiott was interviewed by a student reporter of the Red and Gray who questioned the coach about his twenty-five years at Fitchburg High. Coach Amiott was asked about the hundreds of young men who had competed for FHS during his quarter of a century. When asked which athlete was the best overall athlete during that time Mr. Amiott did not hesitate. Mr. Amiott said, “I think perhaps that the greatest all-round athlete was Larry Hobbs.” No greater honor could have been bestowed upon an athlete who grew up in Fitchburg’s Golden Age of Athletics.
Lawrence G. Hobbs was an individual who epitomized the term, All American Boy. During his four years at Fitchburg High School, Larry earned sixteen varsity letters which had only been done once before by Coach Amiott himself. He had lettered in football, basketball, baseball and track and field from his freshman year through his senior year, a truly amazing accomplishment. And these were years of glory for Fitchburg High. But there was Larry Hobbs then the superstar on the athletic field. During his junior and senior years, Larry was the president of the class of 1923.
The yearbook may well have told about the young man that was Larry Hobbs. It stated, “These humble words are all too few, to say how much we think of you.” The book further states that Larry Hobbs was a “manly fellow of fine character” and we sure could not have had a finer president. To us his words were law, whether the honors of the class is placed in sports or studies, Larry is so good at both that he alone would place the class honor at its highest point. He is a true friend to us all in an equal way. High praise indeed from fellow students.
The athletic teams which competed for Fitchburg High School in the 1922-1923 interscholastic year were truly amongst the finest to ever compete for the Red and Gray. Names like Ervin Beach, Bart Hodge, Joe Miller, “Anchor” Oksanen, Leo Boudreau, Joe Dooley, Alver Polson, and “Henny” Groop are amongst Amiott’s most storied athletes, and front and center during that wonderful year was Larry Hobbs. This magical season would begin in the fall of 1922 with a Red and Gray squad going 10-1 with its only loss being to Proviso High of Illinois in an intersectional match of great magnitude. Fitchburg took on the heavy weights of Eastern Massachusetts, Brockton, Waltham, Lowell, Boston College High along with ancient rivals, Leominster and Gardner, and all fell before the mighty Red and Gray machine. Bart Hodge and Ervin Beach were accused of being illegal college players because of their great size, but it was the uncanny play calling, nifty run and pinpoint passing of Larry Hobbs which allowed the Red and Gray to roll through their magnificent season.
When the football season concluded, it was time to put on the old high cuts and start the hoop season. What a season it would be! Fitchburg’s regular season record was 17-3 and then they were invited to the Tufts Tournament which was also called the Tech Tournament, and playing against schools from Vermont, Rhode Island and Connecticut and final Northampton, the Red and Gray emerged victorious. Then it was on to Chicago, and the National Basketball Championship. They would be defeated in the second round, but their season had been remarkable. Once again Larry Hobbs had been a key component of this tremendous squad. The Red and Gray referred to Hobbs’ accurate shooting and all-round play which sparked the squad to victory after victory.
Following the winter basketball campaign, Larry Hobbs really got busy in the spring of 1923. When the snow melted at Crocker Field, Hobbs could be seen shagging flies in right field during practice sessions, and then heading over to the pole vault area. Larry could be observed sailing over the bar and landing into the sawdust. In the 1920’s young athletes were allowed to compete in both baseball and track and so young Mr. Hobbs saw no reason why he should not give it a try. Obviously he had some idea about what he was doing. His teammates elected him baseball captain and a key element on one of the state’s better track squads in 1923. And all this time young Mr. Hobbs was earning excellent grades in the classroom.
When one looks at Fitchburg High athletics and the contributions which Larry Hobbs made to that glorious year, one must remember that he had been contributing to Red and Gray victories since his freshman year. During those years, the Red and Gray took on the mighty from all across the northeast and Larry Hobbs was at the center of the action. Earning a varsity letter in any sport was not an easy accomplishment during the era of Clarence N. Amiott, but Larry Hobbs earned an amazing sixteen varsity F’s, a truly unbelievable effort.
In the 1923 class book when the editors humorously looked into Larry Hobbs’ future in life it was felt that Larry would be Coach Amiott’s assistant. His classmates in a joking manner had truly hit upon the quality which separated him from most other great athletes. Through his personal character, intelligence and athletic prowess, Lawrence Hobbs was truly a coach on the field during playing days at Fitchburg High.
When Clarence Amiott can look across twenty-five years of glorious athletic excellence for Fitchburg High, which he orchestrated, and say that Larry Hobbs was the best ever, that is truly a great honor for this kid named Hobbs. He was truly Fitchburg High’s “Natural.” Eighty years after his graduation from FHS Lawrence G. Hobbs will enter the Hall of Fame. All the Fitchburg High community is honored to bestow this award. No one was ever more deserving.
Historically, swimming has been considered a minor sport in most school systems unless you lived in the community of Gardner, Massachusetts. Many area sports fans know that the Gardner Wildcats have dominated swimming for nearly seventy years. Having the Greenwood Memorial swimming facility was a tremendous advantage. Long before their girl’s squads began to dominate the state, Wildcat boys were number one. But in the early 1960’s a group of young swimmers from Fitchburg High led by two dedicated swim coaches began to challenge that Wildcat domination.
In 1955 the Fitchburg YMCA opened a new facility on Wallace Avenue which brought about an interest in competitive swimming which resulted in FHS having a wonderful group of swimmers who would compete at the highest state level. The centerpiece of the new “Y” was an ultra-modern 25-yard swimming pool, and swimming competition began almost immediately. But championship teams and championship swimmers are not created over night. A youth swimming program was put into effect in the late 1950’s and by the early 1960’s was beginning to bear fruit. A very young enthusiastic swimmer named Vince Herring was placed in charge of the FHS swim program at the YMCA and soon the Fitchburg Sentinel began to have reports that the young swimmers were capturing statewide competitions.
If you look closely at the results, there seemed to be a family name which continually appeared in those swim results and the first name was not always the same. The last name was McNamara, and they seemed to have lots of swimmers in the family. Results showed that young swimmers, Mike, Tom and Richie were doing quite well on the boy’s side and three young girls named Elly, Jane and Anne seemed to be capturing blue ribbons on the female side. This rather amazing aquatic family certainly was getting its money’s worth under the direction of Vince Herring. Although the whole family seemed to be accomplishing a great deal, Michael McNamara appeared to be the best. As the swimming medals began to pile up, the McNamara swimmers were soon competing at the high school level. Coach Herring gave up the coaching at FHS, but he was followed by another coach named Bob Christie. And the quality of swimming by FHS began to challenge the best.
When Mike McNamara joined the Raider swim program, kids like Les Meehan, Rick Haudel, Steve Holt, Joel Goldfarb and Steve Smith were all making FHS a formidable swimming team. On December 21, 1964, the Fitchburg Sentinel reported that the Red Raider swim team easily defeated Brockton 80-14 in their first meet of the season. In its account of the event it was duly noted that freshman Mike McNamara showed great promise by finishing second in the diving competition and swimming the butterfly stroke for the victorious 160-yard medley team. A swimming career had begun on a high note. Throughout his freshman season, Mike McNamara’s major triumphs was to place from the diving board, but as he headed into his second year of competition, Mike’s excellence in the pool would be noted.
In 1966 the Fitchburg High swim program under Coach Christie came of age and Mike McNamara became a major contributor. Cambridge Rindge and Latin, Leominster, Brookline, Worcester Academy and the Winchendon School all fell before the Raiders, and then on February 20, 1966 the ultimate victory was headlined in the Sentinel, “Fitchburg Mermen Capture Area Title by Edging Gardner.” With their 50-45 victory over the powerful Wildcats, the Red and Gray had climbed the highest mountain. Sophomore Mike McNamara had been immense in the startling victory by capturing the 100-yard butterfly and 160-yard medley. Honors were beginning to mount. Later the FHS sophomore finished fifth in the states and gave promise of becoming a major player at the state level.
In Mike’s junior year at FHS, the Red Raiders did not attain the lofty heights of 1966, but individually he had become dominant in his two specialties, the butterfly and the 160-yard medley. Central Massachusetts swimmers could not pace with the rapidly moving Raider. In the state meet held at UMass Amherst, Mike captured a solid fourth place which was FHS’ top effort of the day. Things were looking up for Mike as he approached his senior year as one of the Raider captains. As America marched through that most dramatic of years, 1968, the Red and Gray returned to dominate the local swimming squads with terrific victories over arch-rivals Leominster and Gardner, and Mike McNamara would conclude his FHS swim career with a remarkable season. Virtually unbeatable in his two events, Mike traveled to Brookline High hoping to capture his first state title. And so it came to pass. Swimming in his final high school competition, Mike McNamara reached for the gold. With a time of 58.3 seconds, he became a state champion. His truly remarkable swimming had come to a magnificent conclusion. Mike would later finish third at the New Englands, but that was somewhat anti-climatic. It should have been noted that Mike was part of an FHS 400-yard medley team which was second to Gardner, but in finishing second had smashed the old state record.
Today Mike is a sales representative for Burk Technology and when asked to name his hobbies, not surprisingly, he listed swimming. For a short period of time in the late 1960’s, FHS enjoyed a Golden Age of swimming and Mike McNamara was a leader in making FHS one of the best. Today he becomes a member of the FHS Hall of Fame.
The early 1980’s saw the emergence of women’s sports upon the American mind. Figure skaters who dazzled us with their pixie like moves were not the only athletes who could compete. Title IX which had been passed by Congress was beginning to take effect. Young ladies like Nancy Lieberman and Cheryl Miller were beginning to show their expertise on the basketball court. Soccer mothers were taking their daughters along to practice on Saturday morning as well as Junior. In Central Massachusetts there could be seen the beginnings of serious competition between softball, basketball, field hockey and track and field squads from every high school. As was true with their male counter parts, certain schools began to excel. Within a few years the St. Peter-Marian and Wachusett Regional basketball teams were tooth and nail for Division I honors. The Guardians of St. Pete’s had great softball with pitchers named Ashelton and Bishop who could throw bullets. Into this mix would come a tall, shy young lady who would establish records in female athletics which are still high water marks in 2003. Her name was Pam Briggs and today she is being inducted into FHS’ Hall of Fame.
Pam Briggs entered Fitchburg High School in the fall of 1981 and almost immediately became involved with field hockey. During Pam’s four years at FHS the Red and Gray field hockey squads’ difficulty against the Central Massachusetts powerhouses, but her playing gained enough respect from opposing coaches so that Pam was given all star honors in her senior year.
But basketball and softball were Pam Briggs’s two natural sports during her Red Raider days. Standing five feet eleven inches tall was a natural for the B-Ball game. Many girls who stood near six feet during this era were merely large players who took up space under the board. Their movements very often appeared awkward and clumsy. This was not Pam Briggs even as a freshman. She had silky moves around the basketball with a wide assortment of head fakes which constantly placed opponent’s centers into foul trouble. Plus Pam Briggs had a deadly fifteen footer from the key which never touched net. Even during her freshman and sophomore years Pam was consistently in double figures. In the winter of 1983-1984 Coach Tony Alario’s girls stepped up their level of play. In earlier seasons, schools like St. Bernard’s and Holy Name were easily defeating the Red and Gray, now the Raiders were coming out on top. Players like Kelly Rice, Denise Caouette, Sharon Carriere, Leona Earley and Jen Larson were making major contributions to the Red and Gray effort, but it was Pam Briggs who was making Fitchburg tougher. Her efforts against the upper tier opponents was particularly noticeable. Pam was tough against St. Peter’s and Wachusett Regional and against Notre Damn Academy she hit for a career high 37 points. But her twenty-one against Wachusett made her all-star caliber. One other opponent which Pam Briggs loved to defeat was arch-rival Leominster. In Pam’s junior and senior years, the Red and Gray never lost to the Devils.
As Pam Briggs approached her senior year at FHS there were goals which she hoped to attain in her final season. She believed that the improved Raiders could become a rival contender for the District Title against the likes of St. Peter-Marian and Wachusett Regional, and she hoped that she could reach the 1000-point career scoring mark. Both of these hopes and desires of 1985 were attained.
The Red and Gray rolled to an outstanding 16-5 record which was the most successful in school history up to that time. The Boulder for the Class of 1985 dwelt upon many of the teams’ outstanding victories but it was a loss which really told the true story. Wachusett Regional had always been the Raiders nemesis and as write-up said not only had FHS’ girls never defeated the Mountaineers, but they had never been close. But the Raiders and Pam Briggs were ready in mid-February of 1985 for the Green Wave. The tenacious Red and Gray defense harassed the taller Wachusett girls throughout, allowing their ace, Pam Briggs, to take over the offense. Sophomore Karen Lamarine tied the game 49-49 with forty seconds to go, but alas the Mountaineers pulled out a heart breaking 51-49. Pam had been immense in probably the biggest game of her career. Hall of Famers play big when it most counts and Wachusett defenders could not stop Pam who scored 27 points in that huge contest.
Later as the season drew to a close, Pam calmly stood at the foul line and sank her 1000th point. During her final season Pam Briggs averaged 20 points, 11 rebounds, three steals and three blocked shots per game. As those statistics suggest she was extremely active in every contest. For her efforts in eighty-five Pam was selected to the Telegram and Gazette All Star Team honoring the very best in Central Massachusetts.
But Coach Tony Alario always said that Pam’s best sport was softball. To put it simply, Pam could hit and she could hit with power. During her high school career, Pam Briggs saw an evolution in girl’s softball. When Pam started as a freshman for Coach Alario, most softball pitcher threw the ball underhand at medium, but by her senior year Pam had seen the advent of the modern softball hurler who could whirlwind the pitch at sixty plus. It really did not make a major difference to Pam, she just was a hitter. During her four years at FHS, Pam’s overall batting average was .367 and career slugging percentage regarding home runs, RBI’s and extra bases was tremendous. She hit twelve four baggers, drove in 87 RBI’s, had 87 hits and led the Red and Gray to a 53-23 record with two District finals. During Pam’s last season the Red and Gray made it to the District finals only to lose to St. Peter-Marian and the all time pitcher Rachel Bishop. FHS softball had risen to the top during Pam’s career.
Following her Red and Gray days, Pam attended Keene State College where she played basketball. Today she works for the Sonoco Packaging Company at the Devens Complex where she is a supervising manager. She was truly one of the pioneers of female athletic excellence at FHS. Many more female athletes from FHS will enter the Hall of Fame, but Pam Briggs can say she was a pioneer.
On March 12, 1990, the Sentinel and Enterprise reported in huge headlines that the Red Raiders of Fitchburg had stunned top-seeded Holy Name 44-40 to capture their first ever District E Division I girls basketball title at Harrington Auditorium. Next to the account of the game was a photograph of Paula Goodchild which was entitle “Runs the Show.” Truer words were never spoken. During that magical month in 1990 in which an unheralded group of girls named Baxter, Sweeney, Normandin, Smith and Rosebush marched to the state final at the Worcester Centrum, it was the steady hand of number twenty-four who guided the Raiders to victory.
During that wonderful three week period in which the underdog Red and Gray shocked the high school basketball world, Paula was the kid who got the clutch rebound, sunk the tie-breaking foul shot or sunk the key three pointer. When Coach Tony Alario needed a defensive stalwart to shut down Holy Name’s All Stater, Anne Marie Olson, it was Paula Goodchild who was called upon to make the defensive stop. When the Red and Gray traveled to Springfield to take on an undefeated and heavily favored Agawam five, it was Paula Goodchild who controlled the contest. The Raiders had raced to an early lead which shocked the 5000 plus fans screaming in the stands, but in the second half, Agawam made its expected run at FHS. As the Red and Gray’s lead began to disappear, there stood the Raider point guard calmly dribbling the ball at the top of the key. Ice water seemed to be passing through her veins and her teammates could sense their leader’s calmness. Soon the final buzzer would ring and Fitchburg’s gang of underdogs would head to the state finals. It may well have been Paula Goodchild’s finest hour in the Red and Gray uniform, but that is difficult to say, because her career at FHS was filled with so many great moments.
Late in her senior year as Paula competed for the Red and Gray, her softball and basketball coach, Tony Alario, talked about his four year star. Coach Alario talked about her versatility in both sports, but then he talked about Paula Goodchild as a winner and a leader. During that spring season, Paula had missed a game because of illness and he coached stating that this was the first game or practice which she had missed in four years. That is the type of athlete which every coach dreams about having on his squad. Paula Goodchild was truly a coaches dream. Paula may be best remembered for her exploits on the basketball court, but Coach Alario stated that, “She was the best third baseman I had ever coached and one of the best I had ever seen. She’s got quick hands, charges the bunt well and is an excellent hitter, whose career average was over .400.”
But points per game, batting average, rebounds or extra base hits were not what Paula Goodchild was all about during her four years at Fitchburg High School. It was not a coincidence that the Fitchburg High girls teams had some of their most successful years during Paula’s four years at Academy Street. There is a sport’s cliché that teams do not have the letter I, and you will notice that neither does Paula. During the period from 1986 through 1990 the FHS girls were constantly fighting for championships in softball and basketball. Many good athletes competed, but Paula Goodchild was always in the middle of the mix. Individual awards would be presented to Paula. For instance, following her great senior year, Paula was named the Central Massachusetts Division I Player of the Year and her name was found on the all star softball teams in her junior and senior years. But it was the winning that always counted.
As has been stated earlier Paula was a four year starter on both the basketball and softball squads, but she was also a four year player on the field hockey team. During her years at FHS the field hockey team grew progressively stronger and by her senior year, Paula had become one of the better players in the region. Field hockey was used to get prepared for the basketball which she loved, but the true athlete seems to excel in whatever they attempt.
During her four years at Fitchburg High School, Paula Goodchild’s name would continually be found upon the school’s honor roll. Class work was considered important to Paula just as sports were. Following graduation from FHS in 1990, Paula enrolled at Worcester State College to further her education. While at Worcester, Paula concentrated on basketball and started four years for the Lancers. Her leadership helped the Worcester squad attain post-season play-off status. During this period Paula was named to a number of all star teams in the state college league. Paula was named her team’s MVP in her junior year at Worcester State.
In 1994, Paula Goodchild graduated from Worcester State college with a teaching degree specializing in special education and has taught in the Fitchburg Public School System for the last nine years at the Crocker School and the Goodrich Street School. She is married to Greg Gastonguay and they have an eighteen month named Samantha. Paula will tell you that Samantha is her greatest achievement.
Title IX was enacted in 1972, and now the Fitchburg Hall of Fame has Debbie Dion, Class of 1972, Pam Briggs, Class of 1985, Paula Goodchild, Class of 1990, and the 1989 Girl’s State Cross-Country Champions as members. Thank goodness for Title Nine!
Paula Goodchild quietly entered the halls of FHS from the tiny St. Joseph School and established an athletic career which will be remembered for many years to come. Welcome to the Hall of Fame Paula Goodchild.
Larry Hobbs, Class of 1923, received sixteen varsity letters during his four years at Fitchburg High School. This 2003 Hall of Fame inductee was named by the legendary coach Clarence N. Amiott as his greatest all round athlete. I believe Mr. Amiott would have enjoyed meeting Peter Bergeron, Class of 1978, who will be inducted into the Hall with his all timer – Larry Hobbs. Peter Bergeron would receive nine varsity letters in football, outdoor and indoor track and field and basketball. But classmates, coaches and opponents will tell you that Peter could have received six varsity letters in a single season if he had been allowed to compete. He never played a single inning of baseball at Fitchburg High, but local Little League and Babe Ruth League coaches will tell you that Peter Bergeron was the best of his age group. During his years while competing for FHS, Peter could well have been the model for such fictional sport’s heroes like Frank Merriwell and Chip Hilton. This is Peter Bergeron – Fitchburg High School, Hall of Famer.
Before Mr. Bergeron entered FHS, he passed through the corridors of B.F. Brown Junior High where he received the Gentleman-Scholar-Athlete Award which is given to the outstanding ninth grader. In his information page for the Hall, Peter stated that his parents, George and Theresa, were his biggest supporters, biggest influences and greatest role model. George and Theresa did a terrific job.
With his strength, speed and competitiveness, Peter was a perfect candidate for the Red and Gray football squad in the fall of 1975, and soon the young sophomore found himself a regular in Marco Landon’s defensive backfield and getting frequent opportunities to show his running skills on offense. During these seasons, the Red and Gray had winning seasons, but they were not spectacular. When Peter returned to Crocker Field in the fall of 1976, the junior running back was selected to the go-to-guy in Coach Landon’s offense and the long-striding halfback became one of the best in Central Massachusetts as the Raiders showed signs of major improvement, but the overall record was barely above five hundred.
In the fall of 1977 a new regime was begun by appointed head coach David Horgan, and within days there were reports circulating around Fitchburg that the Red and Gray could be extremely tough in the fall of 1977. Names like Jimmy Pappas, Ricky Jones, Les Ricks, Kevin Conway, Shaun Tienharra, and Terry Enwright began to be discussed on talk radio and in the coffee shops. But the coaches and the kids on the squad knew that Peter Bergeron would be their main man in 1977. Soon the leaves of autumn began to turn and the Red and Gray football squad became the talk of the town along the Nashua River. The offensive backfield of Bergeron, Pappas, Atkinson and Conway were rolling through and around enemy defenders.
The undefeated Raiders met St. John’s at Pioneer Field in the middle of October in what could be only called a classic shootout between gridiron giants. Hundreds of fans had traveled down from Fitchburg to watch this Horgan football squad and they did not disappoint. High powered offenses marched up and down the field only to be challenged by stalwart defenders. Jim Pappas and Captain Peter Bergeron were simply wonderful for the Raiders. When the dust had settled the Red and Gray had a tremendous one-touchdown victory. Later Fitchburg would lose a difficult 21-20 contest to an excellent Bedford High squad, but redeem themselves against a powerful Milford eleven with a large defensive tackle named Howie Long. In that contest “Apples” Atkinson would break his leg late in the contest and that would prove to be very important on Thanksgiving morning. Fitchburg dominated the Devils on Thanksgiving, but a first half touchdown drive which would have given the lead was foiled by an unfortunate fumble. Peter Bergeron was all over Doyle Field, but when the final whistle sounded, FHS had been defeated 7-0. At the end of the football season, Peter Bergeron was named to the Central Massachusetts Super Team and he was awarded a four-year athletic scholarship to the University of New Hampshire.
But the gridiron game might well not have been Peter Bergeron’s best sport, that would be track and field. Peter Bergeron was simply a monster in a track uniform whether he was throwing the javelin, sprinting in the 220 and 440 or blazing in his specialty, the half-mile. Coach Ed Gastonguay loves to tell a great story about Peter’s athletic ability. In 1977-1978 a young Norwegian exchange student named Eric Hansen entered FHS and asked if he might participate in cross-country. Considering the fact that he was on Norway’s Junior Olympic squad, Ed thought that was alright. Late in August Eric and Peter went out to jog on the cross-country course. Of course it was going to be a race, not a jog. As the two runners emerged from the woods, Ed was amazed to see the tall muscular football player leading the kid from Norway. Peter Bergeron never ran cross-country, he was too busy starring on the football field.
Twenty-five years have passed since Peter Bergeron last stepped on the track at Crocker field and he still holds the half-mile record with a time of 1:57.4 which is truly amazing considering that he was running on a fifty-year-old cinder track. Peter was also a part of a mile relay squad which in 1977 ran a record setting time of 3:28.7. That squad consisted of Tim Biliouris, Brian Zanghi, Steve Romano and Peter. He also holds the indoor record in the 1000 in a blazing time of 2:18.6 which helped Fitchburg capture the state Class C championship in his senior year at FHS. He was also awarded the student-athlete award in his senior year at Fitchburg.
Peter Bergeron’s record was extremely impressive at the University of New Hampshire where he was Yankee Conference All Star Defensive in his junior season and given the 12th Player Award in his final season. Peter was also All Yankee Conference for Indoor Track in 1981. He was a terrific Wildcat. Today Peter is the assistant principal at the James Mastricola Middle School in Merrimack, New Hampshire and lives in Goffstown, N.H. with his wife, Heidi and their three children Matthew, Haley and Hannah. Fitchburg’s All American kid is now a Hall of Famer.
Kids grow up wanting to be the star quarterback who flings the game winning touchdown against the arch-rival, or hits the key three point shot to bring the District championship back to the old alma mater. That same kid wants to stand on the mound, and hopes that he can throw that sharp breaking curveball over the outside corner to bring down the defending state champion. Instead that kid becomes an All-American cross-country runner at the University of Massachusetts, and the Division I NCAA Cross-Country Coach of the Year 2000-2001. That kid would be Randy Thomas who will be inducted into the Fitchburg High School Hall of Fame in 2003.
Growing up on Hawes Street, young Randy would hike over the hill to Crocker Field to watch the Red Raiders led by guys named MacLean and Muir win another glorious victory for FHS. In the spring of 1966, that same kid now in junior high would go to cold and damp Crocker Field to watch his older brother Scott playing centerfield for a Raider squad which go to the District finals. His father, John, made sure that his kids, Scott, Randy and Jason, had red and gray flowing through their veins.
In the fall of 1968, a tall gangly sophomore decided that he was going to give cross-county a try. The Red and Gray at that time were coached by the gentle giant, Erkki Koutonen, who had guided the Raiders to many great victories. Young Randy Thomas had not done much long distance running, but under the encouraging hand of Coach Koutonen, Randy improved every day and found that he had an aptitude for long distance running. Sophomore year brought some success on the hills of Fitchburg, but Randy decided to go for the gold as he entered his junior season. He could be seen running the hills of Fitchburg as he prepared for competition. Baseball and basketball may well have been his first loves in sport, but Randy Thomas began to realize that the loneliness of the long distance runner might be his game. The fall of 1969 was a break out year at the high school level. Running against outstanding squads from Wachusett Regional and Gardner, Randy soon showed that he could compete with the best. That fall he qualified for the state championship to be run at Franklin Park and finished twelfth in the state. Randy’s senior year at FHS was sure to be a triumph.
Disaster struck in the summer of 1970. As Randy trained arduously on the hills of Fitchburg during July and August, he noticed that he was becoming more and more fatigued after every practice session. He thought nothing of his fatigue and continued his training. Finally he could barely get himself out of the bed in the morning, and a doctor’s appointment was made. The doctor’s findings were devastating to the young athlete. Randy had contracted a serious case of “Mono” which can be horrible for any athlete particularly long distant runners. The young athlete’s dreaming of championships in his senior season were destroyed and no college coach would be breaking down the doors on Hawes Street to offer scholarships. Randy’s cross-country season was gone. Randy spoke jokingly of his victory at the last indoor track meet when his illness had subsided. He was victorious in a twenty-two-lap one-mile race and the yearbook pictured a less than svelte runner crossing the finish line in the FHS basketball gym. Randy, who was an honor student at FHS, was accepted to UMass, but there was no athletic scholarship.
In the fall of 1971, Randy Thomas asked to speak to the cross-country coach, Ken O’Brien, about joining the cross-country squad. Coach O’Brien took one look at Randy and was immediately skeptical. His walk-on was twenty-five pounds over weight and was nicknamed “Fitchburg Fats” by Coach O’Brien. Soon O’Brien learned that he had a diamond in the rough. “Fats” was outdistancing his teammates as the pounds disappeared and the running legs returned. By 1974, “Fitchburg Fats” had become somewhat of a running legend at UMass. Yankee Conference, Eastern Regional and the national championship trophies began to find their way back to Amherst. Randy Thomas had become a nationally known champion. In 1974 Randy was named an All American, but he was only just beginning.
Randy will tell you himself that Carl Lewis was never threatened by his foot speed in the 100-yard dash, but Mr. Lewis would not have challenged Randy in any event over 800 meters. Between 1977-1980 “Fitchburg Fats” was a long distance running machine who seriously challenged track’s record book. When you read the list of Randy’s records you will be simply amazed. Amongst his records at the time, Randy ran the fastest 10,000 meters, 15,000 meters, 20,000 meters, 30,000 meters, ten mile race and half-marathon in American track history. Also in 1978 Randy Thomas finished fifth in the Boston Marathon with the fastest debut marathon in American track. In that same season Randy Thomas was the fifth ranked marathoner in the world and was listed as the World’s 8th fastest Road Runner. His times in the ten-mile (46.36) and 30,000 meters (1:30.34) were also World Records. As the old television commercial stated, Mr. Thomas of Fitchburg “had come a long way, baby!” In 1982, Randy Thomas was inducted into the University of Massachusetts Hall of Fame. Ken O’Brien certainly discovered a diamond in the rough on that fall afternoon over thirty years ago.
As Randy’s running career began to wind down in the mid-1980’s and adulthood became a little more serious, Randy Thomas decided to get involved in coaching. Following UMass he resided in the Boston area so that he could train with great runners like Rodgers, Meyers and Salazar. Boston College was basking in the post-Flutie era and was attempting to upgrade their sport’s programs at all levels. In 1987 the Eagles made a wise decision. Randy was selected first to be head cross-country coach and assistant track and field coach. In the following sixteen years that has evolved so that Randy is in charge of almost all of B.C.’s track programs. Maybe the fact that he was made Coach of the Year for New England in 1992 and 1993 and the Big East in 2000 would cause the Jesuit fathers to select the kid from Fitchburg.
Finally in 2000-2001 Randy was selected the Division I Coach of the Year in Women’s Cross-Country. That is simply wonderful. Today Randy lives in Medway, Massachusetts with his wife Marcia Evans Thomas of Nashoba Regional – Class of 1971 and his two children, Ian and Benjamin. Welcome to the Red Raider Hall of Fame.
Early in January, 1960, a group of anxious and nervous Senior English students sat in their seats awaiting the arrival of the venerable Miss Lillian Taylor to emerge from her office so that class could begin. Miss Taylor’s entrances were always things of beauty as she stormed toward her desk to begin another classic lesson. On this particular day, Miss Taylor appeared to be a little more agitated than usual. It seems that a group of former FHS athletes had gotten their names in the paper for some mischief over Christmas Holiday. One did not besmirch the reputation of FHS as far as Miss Taylor was concerned. In her one-person dialogue she said that real men and athletes did not harm their school’s reputation with childish behavior, real athletic men always acted like Ray Ablondi from the Class of 1948. This member of that English class had to find out who this Ray Ablondi character was. Over the passing years, I have discovered that Mr. Ray Ablondi was one of FHS’ finest athletes from the 1940’s and one of our most distinguished graduates ever. And today Ray Ablondi has found his place into our Hall of Fame.
When Ray Ablondi is discussed, the first word that comes to mind is speed. He was possessed with mind-boggling speed which would serve him well upon the gridirons of Central Massachusetts and upon running tracks all across the New England region. And it was this blazing speed which would separate from other athletes of his era. Post-World War II, Fitchburg was a community of factories and thousands of lunch pail workers. And as we emerged out of the conflict of World War II, FHS would be graced by the presence of outstanding athletes with names like “Bucker” Shea, “Corky” Irwin, Joe Cushing, Bob Duncan, Jim Meredith, Mike Martin, Dick Erickson, Charlie Bowen, Art Capone and small buzz saw from the State College area named Ray Ablondi. One of the proudest accomplishments of the Class of 1948 was that they never lost to Leominster on Turkey Day.
That was where the athletic heroics of Ray Ablondi first came to the attention of his Fitchburg. Nineteen forty-five is one of the world’s most famous years. World War II came to an end and the American heroes returned home. Once again people could concentrate upon their own lives and that was a true part of the city along the Nashua. The Red and Gray football team was young and it was good and victories began to return to Crocker Field. During the late 1930’s and the war years, Charlie Broderick’s Blue Devils had begun to dominate the Turkey Day Classic. The Red and Gray of 1945 wanted to put a stop to that. On Thanksgiving morning 1945, it rained and then it rained some more. The underdog Raiders slogged it out in the mud against large opponents. Sophomore Mike Martin’s punts kept the Blue Devils backed up against their end zone and then the Raiders got strong field position. The ball was pitched to Ablondi, his offensive tackle, Gene Casassa, got a solid block on the linebacker and Mike Martin threw the key block on the last defender and Ablondi streaked into the end zone form fifty yards out. Thirty-five years later Ray Ablondi would only remember the block thrown by his diminutive teammate, Martin. He did not talk about the blazing speed of the halfback who scored the touchdown which allowed the young Raiders to tie LHS 6-6.
Following his dynamic sophomore year at FHS, he would become a marked man for enemy defenses in his next two gridiron seasons. When Ray was healthy he was always capable of going the whole distance which he did with great frequency, but the injury jinx would hound him continually. But the Raiders continued to flourish in the late 1940’s with an explosive offense and tough linemen who made it difficult for their opponents. Despite his injuries, Ray was an integral member of those squads in the Post-War era.
In football, the big guys try to knock down the little guys, but in track and field the sprinters can let it fly. And Ray Ablondi could really blaze. Under the watchful eyes of his two coaches, Steve Woodbury and Jim Chalmers, Ablondi prospered on the cinder track at Crocker Field. He was an excellent hundred yard man who would consistently capture first place in dual and district meets, but it was the 220 which would become Ray Ablondi’s event. By his senior year, Ray had become unbeatable at his chosen distance. One warm May afternoon he blazed to victory in the unbelievable time of 22.00 for the sprint. Track officials at Crocker Field had to check their watches to make sure that no mistakes had been made. Fifty-five years later that record still stands as the all time best ever at Crocker Field.
Ray Ablondi was not done in that spring of 1948. In early June he competed in the New England Track and Field Championships and was victorious once again in his specialty, the 220-yard dash. But that was not the only victory for FHS at the New Englands. Teaming with teammates Norman Goguen, Ronald Balaban and Henry Brunell, Ray anchored the Red and Gray to the New England 880-yard championship.
Ray Ablondi was an all star on the athletic field, but he was a superstar at Fitchburg High School. His classmates selected him as their class president during junior and senior year and he was awarded a Gold F for academic excellence. When it came to select the Class of 1948’s General Excellence winner, Raymond Ablondi was the logical choice. When you scan the 1948 Boulder one notices immediately that Ray Ablondi was always willing to perform in class plays or in speech competitions. He was FHS’ Renaissance Guy.
Following his graduation, Ray Ablondi enrolled at Middlebury College in Vermont and competed in track and field for four years, and in his senior year he was elected co-captain. He was selected to the President Men’s Undergraduate Association and was the recipient of the Dutton Fellowship for Study Abroad. In 1955 he received his Ph D. from the London School of Economics from the University of London. He spent thirty-five years with Ford Motor Company and from 1980 to 1990 he was the Director of Market Research for North America. His work helped Ford introduce a new line of products which included the Taurus, Thunderbird, Explorer and Ford Truck.
He married Shirley Aaltonen, Class of 1949, and had three children, Christine, Lynn and Chip. The Ablondi’s are enjoying their retirement years in Simpsonville, South Carolina. Ray Ablondi – a true Hall of Famer – FHS is proud of your achievements.
In the spring of 1959, the Fitchburg High School baseball team, under the direction of first year coach Jerry O’Rourke, was having an excellent season which surprised many observers in the north county. The Red and Gray had graduated a number of veteran players from the Class of 1958, lost Billy Mundie in a tragic car accident and lost a promising prospect when Doug King, considered the finest hitter developed in the area in 20 years, moved away from Fitchburg. But when the season opened, the Red and Gray began to win immediately. During that spring, FHS was winning with two sophomore starting pitchers and an infield of mainly untested sophomores and juniors. But that squad had one mainstay who would make all the difference in 1959. His name was Ronnie Thompson, and many believe that he was the finest baseball player developed in the Fitchburg area in the last fifty years. During his first two seasons playing for the Red and Gray, Thompson had batted well over .400, but 1959 would be his finest hour.
Hall of Fame inductee, Ronnie Thompson was the captain, the leader who led by example on and off the field. His defensive play behind the plate in 1959 was flawless. Enemy base runners did not steal on Ronnie Thompson and his teammates will tell you even today that Thompson did not have a single pass ball in his senior season. And then there was Captain Thompson’s handling of the pitching staff that season. The sophomore’s Vic Helin and Alan Thompson, Ronnie’s younger brother, had great stuff, but they could be a little wild. Thompson handled the pitchers with ease, and the field generally led his squad toward the District play offs.
During that spring there was added pressure on Ronnie because he was being closely scrutinized by the scouts who were flocking to Crocker Field to watch this prospect. Middle-aged men with small notebooks sat quietly in the stands and watched every move which Ronnie made during the contests. It did not fluster the young catcher in the least. He continued to rip the cover off the ball, driving in runs at a very rapid pace, and his teammates began to follow his lead. Kids like Doug Prevost, Bill Burke and John DiGeronimo began smacking the ball over Crocker Field and the wins continued for the Raiders. Late in May, the Raiders ran off eight straight victories as squads from Gardner, Leominster, Athol and Clinton fell before the surprising Red and Gray squad. And the invitation to play in the Districts arrived.
The four schools selected to play in the tourney were Gardner, Northbridge, St. Stephen’s of Worcester and FHS and early in June a single elimination tourney was played at Fuller Field in Clinton when the pairings were announced, FHS’ opponent was the Wildcats of Gardner High. During the regular season the Raiders and Wildcats had split two closely contested games. With young Vic Helin pitching a wonderful game, the surprising Raiders pounded Gardner to bring about a 10-2 victory. As was the case throughout the season, Ronnie Thompson led the hit parade with three solid base knocks including a base clearing triple. But unfortunately Cinderella’s ride came to an end against St. Stephen’s who were the defending state champions. But even in defeat, Ronnie Thompson had held up his portion of the bargain with two hits in a losing career.
Ronnie Thompson’s high school career was concluded, but June 1959 held more thrills for FHS’ all-star catcher. On the evening of June 12, 1959, as his fellow classmates hurried off to graduation parties following their FHS graduation ceremony, Ron Thompson returned to his home at 93 Highland Avenue to meet with officials of the Boston Red Sox. With his proud parents and younger brother, Alan, looking on, Ronnie signed a major league contract. His life long dream had been achieved.
But there is much more about Ronnie Thompson’s athletic career at Fitchburg High. He was one of those typical three sport athletes which produced in the 1950’s and 1960’s. But unlike many FHS athletes who traditionally played football, basketball and baseball, Ronnie’s third sport was hockey. When Ronnie and his family moved to Fitchburg from Woburn, Ronnie already had a background in hockey so it was only correct that he would undertake hockey when FHS started its program in 1958. When schools begin new programs the first years can be difficult, and they were for FHS. As the Raiders took their licks against squads from Marlboro, Auburn and Hudson, their one standout was the kid from Woburn, Ronnie Thompson. In 1959 Ronnie was selected to the All Star team from the Central Massachusetts Hockey League.
During Ronnie’s years at FHS, the gridiron team which had slumped during the mid-1950’s had begun a revival under Head Coach Ed Sullivan and assistants Stan Goode and Jim Meredith. In 1957 the Red and Gray had shocked Leominster 20-14 and as the 1958 season began hopes ran high. Coach Sullivan had a major hole to fill in his offensive backfield. “Buzzy” Congram who had led the Raiders in 1957 had graduated, so Coach Sullivan turned to Ronnie Thompson. How did the baseball catcher do? He did quite well, thank you. The Red and Gray in 1958 were led by veterans Allen Muir and Roger Kielty and they would be the mainstays. Fitchburg would finish their season with a fine 6-3 record which included a convincing victory over archrival Leominster. One vivid memory of that cold Thanksgiving morning was Ronnie Thompson standing tall in the pocket firing a bullet to Dana Valiton to give the Raiders an early lead. Following the 1958 season, Ronnie Thompson was named first team all star for the old North Worcester County Sportswriters football team. Quite an honor for an old baseball player.
Following his graduation, Ronnie Thompson played in the Red Sox farm system which was highlighted by his selection to the All Star Team in the Sophomore League in Texas while playing for the Alpine Cowboys. That season Thompson batted .310, hit 24 home runs and drove in 112 RBI’s. In 1963 Ronnie stopped playing baseball. For the last twenty-one years, he has been a tool and dye maker for 3M corporation in Columbia, Missouri. He married Joan Crawley from Leominster and they had two children, Dave and Susan, and five grandchildren. Welcome to the FHS Hall of Fame – Ronnie Thompson.
During the late 1960’s, Fitchburg High School had a number of athletes with names like Glenny, Petrides, LaRoche, Boudreau, Marabello, and Palmer who would distinguish themselves upon the playing fields. But the consensus of most observers from that period is that of Tom DiGeronimo, Class of 1969, the single most outstanding individual. Tom DiGeronimo, who stood barely six feet tall and weighed no more than 180 pounds, was a terror on the football field, basketball court and baseball diamond.
In the fall of 1966, Coach Marco Landon greeted his Red Raider squad at Crocker Field late in August and looked out upon a sea of young anxious faces. Fitchburg High was coming off a very discouraging campaign from 1965, but there seemed to be some hope for the future as the squad met for the first time. The Class of 1969 had completed a spectacular freshman campaign in which they had dazzled their opponents, and that team was supposedly loaded with prospects. Coach Landon soon found this to be true as the newcomers shone in early practices. One player in particular seemed to outplay everyone on the field and he was a wide receiver named Tom DiGeronimo. Whenever the quarterbacks threw the ball in DiGeronimo’s direction, the talented kid would reach up and grab the pigskin and head down field. Defensive backs found him almost impossible to tackle and Coach Landon soon had him penciled in as a starter. Tom DiGeronimo was tremendous on defense and his ferocious hits had old-timers talking about superstars from the 1930’s and 1940’s.
The Red and Gray squad was very young in that fall of 1966, but they gained a reputation for all out effort and a “never say die” attitude. The Red and Gray traveled to Stone Field to take on powerful Gardner and the young sophomore was the best player on the field. The young Raider squad won some and lost some in that fall of 1966, but the youngsters were getting stronger every contest. Opponents were having difficulty with Tom DiGeronimo whenever he had his hands on the ball and enemy halfbacks constantly looked for the hard-tackling sophomore.
Thanksgiving morning of 1966 was bright and sunny as ten thousand fans converged upon Crocker Field to watch a highly favored Leominster Blue Devils take on the young Red Raiders. Little did they realize that they would be watching a coming out party for Tom DiGeronimo. Coach Landon and his assistants realized that their young squad could not slug it out with the large Devils squad, so they decided to open up their offense. Reverses were going to be run out of spread formations, and the ball was going to get into Tom DiGeronimo’s hands. As the ball flew all around Crocker Field the sophomore end made one spectacular catch after another. When the final whistle blew Leominster had eked out a 14-12 victory, and Fitchburg High had themselves a superstar. For his individual efforts, Tom was awarded the St. Germaine Trophy which was given to the Raider’s MVP in the Turkey Day Classic. He would receive the same trophy in his junior season against the Blue Devils. Following his sophomore year, Tom was named to the North Worcester County All Star Team by the Sentinel. He would receive that award in his junior and senior years also, making him one of the few to ever accomplish that feat.
When the football season ended, Tom DiGeronimo would head to the basketball gym on Academy Street where he starred on the varsity squad for three years. During his junior and senior years Tom spearheaded an exciting basketball squad under the leadership of Ted Paulauskas which saw the Raiders battle all the best in Central Massachusetts. Particularly memorable were the contests played against St. Bernard’s at the old Brickyard on Academy Street. The Blue and Gold were in the midst of a great basketball run with players like Ron Gabriel and Danny Small. The Raiders were much smaller than St. Bernard’s so it was up to Tom DiGeronimo to battle the Bernardians under the board. Tom stood barely six-feet tall, but he could jump through the roof and was strong as an ox. The Raiders and Bernardians split four games back in 1968 and 1969, and old timers still remember DiGeronimo and Small under the boards. It was the stuff of legends. During his junior and senior years Tom was selected for an all county all star squad for his efforts.
In the fall of 1968 the Fitchburg football squad was loaded with kids like Chris Petrides, Leo LaRoche, Yogi Dipasquale, Alan Glenny, Mike Thibeault, Roger LaRoche and others, but Tom DiGeronimo was the key. Due to a weather-shortened schedule and bad officials in Nashua, the Red Raiders record was only 7-1. This team could have played anybody. Tom DiGeronimo was all over the field in every contest. Late in the season FHS played an undefeated Athol squad and the coaches decided to go to Tom. When the dust settled FHS had a 41-6 victory and DiGeronimo had caught a dozen passes.
Tom DiGeronimo concluded his high school career with a victory over Leominster. Alan Glenny, playing for an injured Petrides, got the ball to Tom and with Randy Palmer’s block of LHS’ kick, FHS had their win.
Tom DiGeronimo was an excellent baseball player for FHS in his sophomore and senior years and ran track in his junior year. He certainly was an all-round athlete during his FHS years and deserves his Hall of Fame selection. During his high school years, Tom did not neglect his studies, making the honor roll with great regularity. He then went to Harvard University where his college career was ended by injuries. For the last fifteen years Dr. Thomas DiGeronimo has practiced medicine in Florida and he is married with four children, Elliot, Ryan Cristina and Vivian. Welcome to the Hall of Fame, Tom DiGeronimo.
During the period between World War I and World War II the super weapon which all nations were trying to develop was the modern battleship. With their mighty guns and steel plated armor, the so-called Dreadnaughts were considered invincible. In 1930 and 1931 the Fitchburg High School football squad had an 18-2-1 record against some of Massachusetts’ finest elevens. The only squad which defeated the Red and Gray during that period was mighty Brockton which almost never lost. You might wonder why these two pieces of information were placed together in this Hall of Fame booklet. Well, the Boulder of 1932 will give you the answer.
Next to the name William Earle Whelan are the following comments: First; Victories that are easy are cheap and Secondly; “Battleship Bill,” as the sportswriters call him, is our broadest smiles. There would be something very wrong indeed, if Bill emerged from a scrimmage on the gridiron, on the basketball court, or an equation test without a wide grin. He has a happy go-lucky way about him, and seems to take everything as being in a day’s work. Being one of Fitchburg High’s all time greats was something which “Battleship Bill” seemed to take as the norm. In the Red and Gray a football is shown trying to escape a very large foot and the caption states, “Bill is getting such a rugged reputation that even the ball resorts to flight.” If you grew up in the 1950’s and 1960’s and listened to your father or other Red and Gray athletes and fans talk about Bill Whelan, they would talk about him as a very special player. In those two football seasons FHS’ juggernaut scored four hundred forty-five points while only allowing sixty. And who was the hub of the squad, “Battleship Bill” Whelan. He played center on offense and defensive tackle, and nobody moved him.
During his years playing for Fitchburg on the gridiron he was generally considered to be one of the finest football players in the state. But football may not have been his finest sport. Bill Whelan was a three-letter man on Amiott’s great basketball squads which annually contended for the title at the MIT tournament which was comparable to today’s state championship. In Whelan’s senior year he was elected team captain for the squad which went to the finals of the Tech Tourney only to lose to Brockton 20-19. As we true in football, FHS and Brockton were the great basketball squads of that era. The two squads had split two regular season games and then the state final was decided by one point, and Bill Whelan was in the middle of it. His rugged rebounding style allowed fast moving players like Paavo Lahti, Reino Fillback and Ray Belliveau in Amiott’s quick passing offense. His tremendous physique was able to shed opponents easily so that he could capture the rebounds for the Red and Gray.
In Whelan’s junior season he spearheaded a defense which shut off nine of their eleven opponents which was truly an amazing accomplishment considering the competition. The efforts of the defense was almost as outstanding in “Battleship Bill’s” senior season. To give an idea of his importance I would like to quote a part of a poem honoring the 1931 squad written by an Eero Cooke, Class of 1932 entitled A Likely Lot.
Whelan comes next in our hall of fame Or “Fighting Bill” his better known name. He believes, as you have probably heard, That a tackle should not be seen, but heard.
Following his graduation in 1932 Bill Whelan enrolled at Manhattan College which was playing big time football at the time against the likes of Fordham, Georgetown, Providence and Rutgers. Bill Whelan and his exploits on Crocker Field were even known about in the Big Apple. He returned to the area and began working at the Norton Company in Worcester. In 1950 at the young age of 38 Bill Whelan was struck down by a sudden heart attack which shocked his community of Fitchburg. More than fifty years after “Battleship Bill” Whelan’s tragic early death, his alma mater is placing him in its Hall of Fame where he rightly belongs.
The young men stare into the camera from the distant past. Proudly they hold the five basketballs, which represent victory in far away Chicago, Illinois. In the second row is the can’t be forgotten trophy which represented a national championship. Like their hometown community of Fitchburg, these young men of the nineteen twenties represented so many ethnic groups. There are Finnish, Irish, Greek, Italian and British-American sons of European immigrants who came to America to better themselves. And standing on the far right of the photograph is the man who molded them into a national champion the immortal Clarence Noah Amiott.
Proudly the Class of 1926 and its yearbook proclaimed that the 1925-1926 team was best ever known in the history of Basketball at the Fitchburg High School. The team went through its entire schedule without a single defeat. Well, the class book was incorrect, the Fitchburg squad did have a single loss in the Tufts Tourney which was regarded as the New England championship. Fitchburg, despite its solitary loss to archrival Brockton, was invited to the Chicago Tournament hosted by the University of Chicago and its famous athletic directory Amos Alonzo Stagg. The Fitchburg five then defeated squads from Billings, Montana, Roswell, New Mexico, Nanticoke, Pennsylvania, Salem, South Dakota and finally, Fargo, North Dakota.
The Red and Gray starting squad was led by a dynamic duo named Lauri Myllykangas and John Oliva who provided speed and finesse for the offensive concocted by Coach Amiott. But this was not a two-man squad. Anastos Fanos was the huge center who controlled the boards, which is the key for any squad, which tries to win championships. But Fanos was not just a huge player who collected rebounds. In a key regular season contest he had scored a tremendous twenty points against a strong Manchester West squad. Alfred Matteo from the Water Street area of Fitchburg worked alongside Fanos giving FHS a strong one-two rebounding punch and David Allen was Mr. Steady for Coach Amiott’s squad. Substitution in basketball was not as great as modern basketball, but Coach Amiott did not have to worry when replacements were needed. Players like Tauno Puhakken, Dan Quinn, Jake Morey, and Kenneth Davis were extremely capable of playing the Amiott game. Young Mr. Davis kept a diary for the Red and Gray and he reported on the National Championship in the following fashion:
April 3 – Today I had “The thrill that comes once in a lifetime.” At 2:30 p.m. we met Salem, SD in the semi-finals. Salem certainly was a wonderful team; in fact it was our toughest opponent. Talk about thrills. You don’t know what they are unless you saw the thrilling hair-raising Fitchburg-Salem game. With 20 seconds to go in the regular game and Salem leading 16 to 15 captain Myllykangas called time, to find out how many seconds remained. Now a technical foul was called on Salem because the coach spoke to the player from the sideline. Then Mylly shot a basket and tied the score. In overtime we won 18 to 17.
Tonight came the greatest thrill. We best Fargo, ND 25 to 14 in the finals and we were proclaimed the National Basketball Champions. Gee! It feels great to be a “champ.”
Monday April 5 – It fells good to be home again. Fitchburg certainly gave us an enthusiastic welcome. It seemed as if everyone was at the station to greet us. I haven’t been able to collect my thoughts. Yet – I’ve heard too much cheering, yelling and praising.
Seventy-five years later, Fitchburg High still sings the praises of this group of young men who performed so nobly upon the basketball court and brought glory to Fitchburg, Massachusetts. Truly a team for the ages.
On the afternoon of January 2, 1917, Fitchburg’s Main Street merchants saw a unique sight as they peered out the windows of their shops. Hundreds of Fitchburg High School students were marching up the main thoroughfare of Fitchburg waving class banners while they sang school songs with tremendous joy. Early that afternoon FHS principal Charles T. Woodbury had announced to the student body that Alvah Crocker had donated a gift of thirty-eight thousand dollars to the children of Fitchburg. This donation was to be used for the construction of the most modern athletic facility in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, if not the whole United States of America.
As the mass of smiling faces reached the Upper Common, they paused for a moment at the base of Prospect Street. It was then decided that all would ascend the steep street, so that they could serenade their great benefactor. This was the spirit of the thriving industrial community, which lay upon the banks of the Nashua River, and the Crocker family truly engendered that community spirit.
Why did Alvah Crocker decide to donate this magnificent gift to the children of Fitchburg? Apparently one of Mr. Crocker’s young sons had returned home one afternoon with bruised and bloodied knees, which he told his mother that he had received while playing on the open field, which lay next to the Nashua River near Circle and Broad Streets. At the dinner table that evening Mrs. Crocker related the story to her husband, and so the head of Fitchburg’s most renowned industrial family sprang into action. Mr. Crocker decided that the children of his beloved Fitchburg should have better.
The results of Mr. Alvah Crocker’s actions would be the masterpiece which can be found today less than one hundred yards from Fitchburg’s Upper Common and bears the Crocker family name. Alvah Crocker was not an individual who did things in a second rate manner. Only the best would be asked to construct this new athletic complex. Mr. Crocker contacted the architectural firm established by Frederick Law Olmsted who had developed Central Park and the Emerald Necklace of Boston in the 19th century. Planners arrived in Fitchburg and began to plan this most modern of facilities. Their plans included a clubhouse, running track, open and covered grandstands, a baseball and football field and tennis courts to be used by Fitchburg’s youth. Throughout 1917 and 1918, while America fought World War One, construction continued upon the facility. In May of 1919, Fitchburg High played Gardner High in a baseball contest in which 10,000 townspeople attended. Just before the first pitch was thrown, Mr. Alvah Crocker stepped to the mound and tossed the ball to the catcher. Thousands cheered this friend of Fitchburg.
Eighty years later young men and women get opportunities to play at the athletic complex known as Crocker Field. The years have brought great changes to Crocker Field, but the generosity of Mr. Alvah Crocker still shines through at his facility. Visiting players enter Crocker Field and look in awe at this beautiful park. Students of Fitchburg High School play upon a field, which has seen great athletic achievement over the last eighty years. At this first Hall of Fame induction once again we would like to sing out, “Hail to Alvah Crocker.”
In early October of 1959 mighty Nashua High School traveled to Crocker Field to take on the Red and Gray of FHS. Fitchburg entered the contest with a 2-0 record but had not looked particularly strong against inter-city rival Notre Dame the previous weekend. But lightning was to be unleashed upon the visitors from New Hampshire. Lightnings name was Barry MacLean, and he was to electrify the city of Fitchburg for the next three years as few athletes have done. Early in the second quarter MacLean started around the Nashua right side, stopped on a dime and threw a perfect pass to waiting receiver John DiGeronimo. In the third period Barry raced off tackle and out sprinted the whole Nashua defense. Final score was Fitchburg 14 Nashua 0.
One week later the Red and Gray took on Gardner High, which it had not beaten in eight years. Early in the first quarter MacLean took a Gardner High punt on his fifteen-yard line, sprinted up the visitor’s sideline and eighty-five yards later, he stood in the end zone. A legendary athletic career had begun. Fitchburg High athletes who saw Barry MacLean run with the football will tell you that he was the most exciting of all time. One particular MacLean run is frequently mentioned as the most dynamic of his career. On a brisk and sunny Thanksgiving morning, a heavily favored Red Raider trailed arch-rival Leominster 14-0, and the fans were very anxious and nervous. Leominster received the second half kick off, but they were forced to punt to FHS after a few plays. Unfortunately for LHS, the kick settled into MacLean’s arms and he took off with a blast up the sidelines. Two Leominster players hit Barry at the twenty-yard line, but he bounced off and continued goal ward. He was hit a second time, appeared ready to go down, but maintained his balance and then shifted into second or third gear. Eighty-five yards later Barry MacLean stood in the end zone and Crocker Field was hysterical.
Barry MacLean was simply a fabulous football player. During his three years at FHS, he was a unanimous choice on the old North Worcester County All-Stars, which was established by the Fitchburg Sentinel. He was the only area football player to be named First Team All-Star in his sophomore, junior and senior years. In the years from 1959 to 1961 Fitchburg high had very good football teams, but Barry MacLean was always the single best player on the field.
During his three years at FHS Barry MacLean was a starter for the basketball squad. He was never the fanciest player on the basketball court, simply the steadiest. He would dazzle you on the football gridiron, but he did very easily on the basketball court. Many old timers will tell you that Barry MacLean could have averaged 20 points a game, but instead he did all the dirty jobs for FHS. If the Red and Gray needed rebounds, strong defense and precision passes, MacLean got the job done. In Barry’s senior year Fitchburg High had a wonderful basketball squad led by excellent players like Joe Spagnuola, Larry Shattuck, Dave Rissanen and Leon Drury, but MacLean was an all star on this team of All-Stars.
Following a 16-2 regular season, the Red and Gray reached the Western Massachusetts tourney after capturing two out of three victories in the Central Massachusetts competition. When Fitchburg reached the Springfield College field house, Barry really turned it on against Drury High of North Adams and Springfield Commerce. Fitchburg lost to Pittsfield and its star Mark Belanger, but old time fans will tell you that the badly sprained ankle of Barry MacLean took away a victory. Barry was that solid a basketball player. For his efforts on the court in 1961, Barry MacLean was selected a North County All-Star. During his sophomore year, Barry played baseball and earned a varsity letter, but decided that track would be his better sport. He was so very right. Barry MacLean became one of the finest quarter mile runners in the history of Fitchburg High. Running on the cinder track, Barry’s times were consistently in the low fifties. He was a District Champion in his senior year with tremendous time just over 50 seconds flat.
How good was Barry MacLean? Ask any Leominster High athlete over the age of fifty who was the best all around athlete they ever saw and they will tell you Barry MacLean. You will not get many arguments in Fitchburg either. Barry MacLean was one of a kind on the athletic field.
It was November of 1941 and the Fitchburg High School Red and Gray eleven were preparing to face arch-rival Leominster at Doyle Field. The young Raiders begun their season slowly with loses to Eastern Massachusetts powerhouse Ridge Tech and Arlington, but as the season progressed the Marty McDonough-coached squad had gained momentum. With solid victories over strong opponents like Gardner, Belmont, Brookline and Worcester North, the Raiders appeared ready to break a four game losing streak to Charlie Broderick’s Blue Devils. On Thanksgiving Day the Red and Gray led by Nick Ricci and Tony Martinez outplayed the Leominster eleven in every department and as the final whistle sounded, FHS had a choice 14 to 6 victory. This 1941 squad was senior-dominated but there was a young sophomore playing at safety who had impressed all FHS loyalty with his sharp tackling and booming punts which dug FHS out of many holes. His name was Charlie Pappas and he had so impressed Coach McDonough that he was already calling defensive signals. The future looked good for FHS football and the kid from Greek Town.
But world events would soon change many of these expectations. Europe had been aflame for more than two years as Hitler’s armies marched across the continent. Three thousand miles of the Atlantic Ocean seemed to have kept America immune from the madness of war. But less than three weeks after that 1941 Thanksgiving Day contest, things would change for America and also FHS’ number thirty-seven, Charles Pappas. Japan would bomb Pearl Harbor and America’s youth went to war. Amongst these young men would be Marty McDonough and that had a direct effect upon FHS football fortunes.
Fitchburg’s football squad would struggle during the war years, but one individual showed his excellence upon the gridiron. The Fitchburg Sentinel would tell its readers about the exploits of number thirty-seven of the Red and Gray. Against a strong Gardner squad in 1943 the Sentinel spoke of “bone busting line cracking by Fitchburg’s Charles Pappas” and on Thanksgiving Day it was reported that, “Charles Pappas stunned the 8500 fans with a 63 yard punt which soared out of the end zone spiraling far over DiPasquale’s head and being downed on Leominster’s thirty-seven yard line. And against a strong Belmont squad from Eastern Massachusetts, the Sentinel said that, “Belmont started the usual desperate aerial attack which was stopped when Charlie Pappas leaped high in the air on the Fitchburg 30 yard line and came down with the ball and headed like a steak for the goal line. As he sped up the sidelines, Red and Gray blockers gathered around him and he raced clear to Belmont’s thirty yard line where he was tripped up by a desperate tackle.” In his junior year it was reported that Fitchburg’s quarterback Charles Pappas had been selected by the Wildcats of Gardner High to their all-opponent team. Despite the Red and Gray loss, Pappas’ blocking and punting had earned him the nod from the Wildcats.
When the football season ended, Charles Pappas immediately would put away those cleats and hustle to Fitchburg High’s gymnasium to begin the basketball season. In 1943, as World War II raged, Charles Pappas was a key member of the Red and Gray basketball team, coached by Bill Provenzani which reached the Western Massachusetts finals with a great 47-43 victory over West Springfield. Ed Kaarela and Dave Anderson scored in double figures for FHS, but it was the overall brilliance of Charles Pappas, which carried the Raiders to victory. Throughout his three varsity years on the Red and Gray squad Charlie Pappas continually made the big play. And then it was reported in the Sportfolio in the Sentinel that, “Some of the fellows who did so well on the football and basketball teams will be heading out. Most of them are going into the armed services. Charles Pappas is now a member of Uncle Sam’s team and one whale of a good competitor will pass from the scene. Pappas was a bundle of dynamite on the football field and a cool basketball performer and he was the type of youngster who needs no glorifying for being just a high school boy. Charles had a tremendous amount of poise and balance. He was the kind of athlete that gave a team “guts and backbone.”
Charles Pappas was a great athlete of FHS and now he is a Hall of Famer. The honor is greatly deserved.
Nearly eighty years later a member of the Class of 1987, Spiro Kandianis in writing a remembrance of his final Thanksgiving Game would say the following about Coach Amiott: “The day of our memorable game was bitter and cold, and Leominster was ahead 6-0 at halftime. Coach Amiott made us change our muddy uniforms during the half, and it allowed us to warm up and go out onto the field with renewed determination and spirit. When we got the ball, we came back and scored a touchdown and then the extra point. We won the game 7-6.”
When Mr. Amiott had to take a leave of absence in 1938 because of the illness which would ultimately take his life, the Red and Gray dedicated itself to him and wished for his healthy return. Clarence Amiott was and still is a legend in the community of Fitchburg. From 1913 to 1933 Coach Amiott directed the youth of FHS to an amazing seventy-nine percent winning record. In two hundred and eleven football games Coach Amiott’s team won 148, lost 52 and had 11 ties against the finest high school competitors in New England. His 1933 squad was a perfect 11-0 and claimed the mythical state championship while his 1916 team went 11-1, the 1922 squad team went 10-1, losing only to Proviso High of Illinois, and his 1927 squad went 9-1, giving up only one touchdown during the whole season.
Coach Amiott’s basketball squads won well over three hundred games, which included numerous district, state and New England championships, and, of course, the 1926 basketball squad captured the national championship in Chicago, Illinois by defeating schools from all across America. That squad had an amazing 29-2 record on its way to the national championship. In 1918 FHS cancelled its basketball season because Coach Amiott had enlisted in the United States Army to win victory in Europe against the Huns. That lost season really showed the importance of Coach Amiott to FHS and its basketball team.
But for more important than victories was the influence of Coach Amiott upon the young people of Fitchburg. He helped to shape character and instilled in all his players the principal of sportsmanship and self-control. Because of his ideals and because of his personality, all members of his teams truly admired Clarence N. Amiott. He was the single most important individual in the history of Fitchburg High athletics. When Coach Amiott passed away on November 12, 1942, the whole city of Fitchburg mourned their great Coach Amiott.
In 1972 the United States Department of Health, Education and Welfare drew up regulations pertaining to the Title IX of the education Amendments Act of 1971, which made discrimination by reason of sex unlawful in schools receiving federal aid. The regulations called for equal expenditures on women’s sports and equal access to sports and physical education facilities. This was the Magna Carta of women’s sports in America. Deborah Dion graduated from Fitchburg High School in the class of 1972. She was unfortunately excluded from the major benefits of Title IX while she attended Fitchburg High School. Upon graduation from FHS, Debbie Dion went to college at Fitchburg State College where she was able to excel in basketball, softball, volleyball and tennis throughout her four years at FSC. In 1976 the Falcon basketball squad led by Debbie Dion was co-champs of the Massachusetts State College League and won the E.A.I.A.W. Invitational Championships. Obviously her athletic abilities at Fitchburg State were proven and she was inducted into their Sports Hall of Fame in 1984.
But what about Debbie Dion at Fitchburg High School during the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. Her high school coach at Fitchburg High, Elsie Studley, referred to Debbie Dion as the finest women’s basketball player that she has ever seen at FHS. During her senior year Debbie averaged 23.5 points a game while scoring 257 points in eleven varsity contests. Against Holy Family she dropped in an astonishing fifty points in leading the Red and Gray to victory. This is still the most points ever scored by a female basketball player at FHS. In that season of 1972 Debbie was the key player in leading her to key victories over arch rival Leominster, St. Bernard’s and Gardner. That 1972 squad was really one of the pioneers for women’s sports at Fitchburg High. Kids like Beth Rahnberg, Casey Ratcliff, Debbie Bennett and Debra Belliveau along with Hall of Famer, Debbie Dion were breaking new ground every time they walked upon a basketball court. Unfortunately Debbie Dion did not have the opportunity to play a full varsity schedule of twenty games with post-season tournaments. How many points would she have scored if she had been given the chance?
When one looks at old yearbook pictures of the basketball contests played in 1971-1972, the pictures seem somewhat wrong. The uniforms are not very snappy and fans are almost non-existent. But still, one cannot ignore a season scoring over twenty-points and fifty-points and in a single contest. Today’s young ladies who got the opportunity to play tournament games in front of hundreds of fans should be grateful for these early efforts.
Debbie Dion was a standout in her era playing against more established schools, which had been contesting in basketball games for a much longer time. In her senior year Fitchburg was very competitive against all of their opponents and was primarily through the efforts of Debbie Dion. It is only fitting that Debbie Dion, Class of 1972, should be a member of the Fitchburg High School Hall of Fame.
Shortly after graduating from Fitchburg High School in 1976, Doug Romano was quoted in the Fitchburg Sentinel saying, “When I was in high school, I tried to get the most out of it that I could. I was always busy and I tried to get in as many different things as was possible.” This small statement is a very good summary of a high school career, which included athletics, class leadership and even stage acting. Doug Romano was the picture of the true student athlete.
During his three years at FHS, Doug Romano never stopped competing. Under Coach Marco Landon he was a three year starter at the end position on both defense and offense. When the gridiron season was completed, Doug would immediately head to the FHS gymnasium and begin basketball practice where he played for three years under Coach Doug Grutchfield. As the spring months rolled around, one could find Dougie walking down to Crocker Field to practice tossing the discus and the shot put. The kid did not have any spare time. And Doug Romano was excellent in all three of these athletic competitions.
Fitchburg High football during the mid-1970’s was good, never great. Even Doug will tell you that his squads were somewhat undermanned in those years. Kids like Dan Wuoti, Jason Thomas, Louis Pappas and Doug Romano gave everything they had, but sometimes they came up a little short. But the effort was never lacking, particularly in the case of Doug Romano. His hard hitting efforts at defensive end and tight end did not go unnoticed by football observers of Central Massachusetts’ football.
Following his senior gridiron campaign, Doug Romano was named to numerous All Star teams and was selected for the prestigious Harry Agganis All Star football game held every summer at Lynn’s Manning Bowl. That was particularly fitting since Doug’s head coach Marco Landon had played with the great Agganis at Boston University. The colleges did not ignore Romano’s efforts during his FHS football career. UMass, UConn and UNH came knocking on Doug’s door with scholarship offers following his senior year. He accepted a scholarship to the University of New Hampshire and he was selected the Wildcat’s captain after his three years as a starter at the tight end position.
But Doug Romano’s high school career as a basketball player might well have been more distinguished than his gridiron career. Under the coaching of Doug Grutchfield the Red and Gray had wonderful basketball squads in the mid-1970’s. With teammates like Ray Spagnuola, Dave Caputi, Tony Jones, Joe Dizuzio and Mike Petrides, the Red and Gray were always in the tight of District championships. In Doug’s junior year, the Raiders, with excellent play from the squad, captured FHS’ first District title in nearly twenty-five years. But it may have been an effort in his senior year, which symbolized the type of athlete that Doug Romano was. Following sixteen points from St. John’s Mike Palazzi in the first half, Coach Grutchfield made a change. As he stated, “In the second half we decided to switch to a diamond and chaser with Doug Romano on Palazzi. He got just two points in the second half and that was the difference. Their offense was at a standstill.” By the way, Doug Romano also scored a game high 22 points in that St. John’s game. Doug Romano was not the fancy basketball star, but he always did the little things that led to victory for FHS.
When discussing athletic highlights, Doug always spoke fondly of a team victory, which could well have been his personal favorite athletic moment at FHS. In his senior year, Doug and teammates like Mike Gallo, Louis Pappas, Peter Bergeron, Garnett Ricks, Joe Blackwelder and others helped FHS capture the District III Class A Track and Field Championship. Doug recalled the sprinting of teammates like Louis Pappas and Mike Gallo and the long distance efforts of Peter Bergeron and Chris Woods. He did not mention the efforts in the discus of a certain Doug Romano.
At the conclusion of his senior year, Doug Romano was awarded Fitchburg High’s General Excellence Award, which is the school’s highest honor. His excellence on the playing fields contributed to this award, but Doug Romano was class president for three years and won the best actor’s award in the competitive plays in his junior year. Doug Romano was the true scholar-athlete at FHS, and now he is a member of the FHS Hall of Fame.
In 1913 the Red and Gray reported that the students of FHS were extremely happy that the Fitchburg School committee has selected a dynamic Clarence N. Amiott to lead the athletic program at FHS. It was also reported in that issue that Edward A. Adams had enrolled in Tufts Medical School. So it was that those two individuals whose lives would become so entwined in Fitchburg High School sports that we would have their stories reported in the very same issue of the Red and Gray. In his early years, Edward Adams had played football on the same squad with slightly older Clarence Amiott. Theirs was a relationship, which would prosper and endure until Clarence Amiott’s untimely death in 1942.
The FHS class book of 1913 reported, “that Eddie has been in the limelight for a good while, and has played on the football team for a couple of years and when he has nothing else to do, cuts meat to keep in condition. Finds time to have a good time.” Interesting that a future team physician would get great pleasure out of cutting meats.
Dr. Adams graduated from Tufts University School of Medicine in 1917 and practiced surgery at Burbank Hospital for more than 36 years. In 1929 Edward Adams had been selected as the first Team Physician for all High School athletic teams. It’s not surprising that Clarence Amiott was the athletic director and football coach at this particular time. For the next three decades Dr. Edward Adams would be a familiar sight at the Red and Gray football games as he tended to the numerous injuries that might occur during a football contest. When the autumn days began to turn colder, Doctor Adams could be seen emerging from the Crocker Field clubhouse with his famous raccoon coat, which was directly out of the 1920’s. When that raccoon coat appeared, FHS gridders knew that the Thanksgiving game would soon be upon them. In his later years, Dr. Adams would always be accompanied by his trusty black umbrella. He suffered from a sever case of rheumatoid arthritis, which had a crippling effect upon his ability to walk, and he always had to keep dry. Thus the need for that black umbrella. But you could not keep Doctor Adams away from Fitchburg High football games particularly during the Amiott Era. They were simply good friends and when the great coach passed away at a much too early age, Doctor Adams was deeply affected. He wrote a beautiful poem expressing his feelings and the community’s feeling to Clarence Amiott:
This wonderful poem is a great tribute to Coach Amiott, but it also shows the heart of a great individual, Doctor Edward Adams. When Doctor Adams passed away in January of 1963 his honorary pallbearers included these men of Fitchburg High, Martin McDonough, Edward Sullivan, Ralph Howard and Stephen Woodbury. This way was proper for this man of FHS. His good friend Dr. Paul Cochrane said that Doctor Adams expressed the idea that FHS sports, and the opportunity to be involved, gave him more than he ever gave it. Doctor Adams, we think you are wrong and now we would like to make you a Fitchburg Hall of Famer.
In The Boulder for the Class of 1947 a young Paul Cochrane, who is described as a sturdy football end, when asked about his future stated that his future would be experienced as Doctor Paul Cochrane. Few high school seniors are so aware of their own possibilities. And because this member of the Class of 1947 was so correct, the community of Fitchburg and the Fitchburg High School community have been blessed.
Always a self-effacing individual when Paul Cochrane was asked to give his remembrances of the Turkey Day Classic stated, “Those were the days of Skip Salvatore, Dave Chester and a junior named Marco Landon. My memory of those games was one of survival particularly in my senior year. I can remember chasing Salvatore and Chester all over the place. I don’t remember catching them ever. I was grateful to come out of the game with a 7-6 victory will all my parts reasonably intact.” Doctor, you must have done a fairly good job back in 1946 because those powerful Blue Devils did only score one touchdown!
Upon graduation from Fitchburg High School, Paul Cochrane enrolled at Middlebury College in Vermont in a pre-med program and after four years he was accepted to Tufts University of Medicine, which was the same school from which Edward Adams had graduated thirty-five years earlier. While Paul was at Middlebury College he continued playing football for the Vermont squad. So maybe that rather small FHS defensive end was not that bad a football player.
After his years at Tufts Medical, Doctor Cochrane served an internship and residency at Waltham General and Worcester City Hospitals, and returned to Fitchburg in July of 1958 to begin a Family Practice. It was shortly after his return to his hometown that Doctor Cochrane began to assist Doctor Adams who was having great difficulty with arthritis. Soon Paul Cochrane was taking on a large share of duties of team physician of his beloved Fitchburg High School. For more than forty years the student athletes of Fitchburg have been cared for by this quiet unassuming man who bleeds Red and Gray through his blood vessels.
During those more than forty years of service to FHS, Doctor Cochrane has seen many different kinds of things at Crocker Field on the playing field, but also in the stand. He has been called into the grandstands to care for individuals who have had heart attacks, strokes, dizzy spells, asthma attacks or simply drank too much alcohol and fell down and broke an arm or a leg. In a contest at Crocker Field an opponent’s end caught over his head in the end zone for a touchdown. The young player ran off the field with his arm over his head. Doctor Cochrane felt the young man might have been showboating, but when he reached the opponent’s bench his arm remained over his head. Paul was called across the field and the kid had not been showing off, he had a dislocated shoulder. Doctor Cochrane had the boy straightened out easily since this young athlete had suffered similar problems; all in a day’s work for both Doctor Cochrane and the young football player.
The name Warren Muir brings a ready smile to the face of Paul Cochrane. Of course, you are not a Red Raider fan if the memory of Fitchburg High’s All American does not make you smile. One incident which he remembers showed the intelligence of Warren Muir as well as his athletic prowess. The opponents kicked the ball toward Warren, but the punt bounced in front of Warren and it was surrounded by the other team. If memory serves me right, that opponent might well have been the Blue Devils. No whistle was blown by the officials. Warren scooped up the ball and headed for the end zone. The opponents just stood and watched, thinking the play would be called back. When the officials raised their hands for touchdown, there were some embarrassed faces on the field. You never expected any less from Warren Muir. Doctor Cochrane has cherished that memory for nearly forty years.
The nineteen-nineties have been especially enjoyable for Fitchburg’s beloved physician. He has stood on the sidelines with his son-in-law and cheered for the Raiders as they brought glory back to FHS. Thanksgiving morning we will find Doctor Cochrane quietly standing on the sideline ready to help any young athlete in distress. But as the men of FHS like Zack McCall, Ricky Morales, Chris Roy, Todd Steffanides, Danny Schneider, Frank McDonald, Jason Twomley, Marcus DiNatale and so many others have provided Fitchburg with another Turkey Day victory, Paul Cochrane smiles inwardly and loves every minute.
Doctor Cochrane wrote that he is very proud of my school, my teachers, coaches and students. His wife and three children graduated from FHS and all have done well in their chosen professions. He stated that he has been very fortunate to be involved in the sports programs at FHS over these many years. Fitchburg High is honored by his presence and today he deservedly becomes a member of the new Hall of Fame of the Red Raiders.
The year was 1938 and the events, which would lead to World War II, were happening all across the continent of Europe. In that year a young Finnish boy of eleven entered the United States and soon found his way to Fitchburg, Massachusetts. The young boy’s name was Erkki Koutonen and his life would become an All American story.
The young immigrant youth soon found himself in school and within a short period of time he was enrolled at B.F. Brown Junior High School where he would be profoundly influenced by two of his teachers. One was his gym instructor Voitto Lassila, and the other was his seventh grade manual arts teacher, William Provenzani and each would have a great effect upon young Erkki. Following his years at B.F. Brown, Erkki enrolled at FHS and was competing for the Red and Gray. In 1944, Erkki was a solid member of the Red Raider basketball squad which went to the Western Massachusetts tournament under Coach Provenzani. But World War II had its influence upon Erkki’s life. Before he could finish his senior year at Fitchburg High, Erkki was drafted into the service and became a member of the U.S. Marine Corps. While serving in the Marines, Erkki received two important documents, his high school diploma and his citizenship papers.
Following his years in the service, Erkki entered the University of Michigan in 1947 with the help of his teacher and friend, Voitto Lassila. Mr. Lassila was able to convince the people at Michigan that this young man from Fitchburg had tremendous athletic potential. Erkki Koutonen certainly proved his friend and mentor correct when he was selected for the United States Olympic team, which competed in the London Olympics of 1948. Erkki Koutonen’s event was called the Hop, Stop and Jump back in the 1940’s and 1950’s and today we know it as the Triple Jump. This young 22 year old was representing his new county, the United States of America, and his hometown, Fitchburg, Massachusetts. Erkki did not win gold, silver or bronze, but his efforts were good enough for his old hometown. Following the Olympics, Erkki decided to leave the University of Michigan so that he could remain close to his beloved Thelma.
But education was not forgotten and so Erkki entered Fitchburg State Teacher’s College in the Industrial Arts program. He would follow in the footsteps of his old manual arts teacher William Provenzani. Graduating from Fitchburg Teacher’s in 1948, Erkki would teach in Grafton and Bedford before returning to FHS in 1957. From 1957 through 1959, Erkki was an assistant coach for the outdoor track team under Coach Joe Hannon and became the head coach in 1960. He also helped establish the FHS boy’s cross-country program in 1959. In his very first year as the cross-country coach his squad was undefeated in dual meets and his sensational runner Dennis LeBlanc finished in the top five in the State Championship.
During the 1960’s Coach Koutonen established a program at Fitchburg High School, which was second to none in Central Massachusetts. His cross-country squads had an overall record of sixty-five wins and only twenty-seven losses during this period. His 1961 squad captured the Class B Championship and FHS captured nine consecutive Class A Lunenburg Invitational Championships. But his outdoor track and field teams were even better. His teams had an astonishing record of 70 wins and only 19 losses in dual competitions while capturing seven North Central Mass. Conference Championships and five District III titles. For his efforts as a track and field and cross-country coach, Erkki Koutonen was elected into the Massachusetts Track and Field Coaches Hall of Fame where he was considered a giant in his field.
Erkki Koutonen was always a giant of a man, but he was truly a gentle man who truly loved the young students with whom he came in contact. Erkki’s squads from 1959 to 1974 won many victories for the Red and Gray but the score was never important to Coach Koutonen. He cared for and helped all athletes, not just kids who competed for FHS. Winning track meets was something important, but Erkki Koutonen felt it was more important to develop young men who had started out in competition as boys. When he passed away in 1987, Fitchburg lost a completely unselfish and dedicated human being. He was an Olympian and an All American. Now he is a Fitchburg High Hall of Famer.
As the 1961 edition of the Red Raider football team stared at the camera for the team photo, number forty-one, Barry MacLean sat in the middle of the first row. This future FHS Hall of Famer was preparing for his final year of play for the Red Raiders. But if you looked closely at that picture, you would have noticed two very young faces staring intently at the camera. One wore the number twenty-eight which would be made part of FHS athletic history and his name was Warren Muir. Standing close to young Muir was a young man who wore a low number in the teens, and was listed as a back. This was freshman Jack Jerszyk who would not wear number fifteen for long, but who would remain closely connected to his fellow classmate Muir.
Soon that young freshman would be wearing the number seventy-four as he developed into an imposing force along the Red and Gray offensive and defensive lines as the Class of 1965 developed into a cohesive football machine. Jack Jerszyk and his fellow teammates Dennis Daulton, Steve Morey, Dennis Belliveau, Steve Allaire and Bob Girouard would open the holes through which their brilliant halfback could sprint. Jack Jerszyk always said it was the team effort which made the football season of 1964 so special for its members. There was intense pride as the squad developed an all for one attitude as each passing contest saw success.
When one reads the old faded pages of the Fitchburg Sentinel in the fall of 1964, Muir and junior tailback Bernie Araujo, along with quarterback Ricky Lehto, are gaining huge amounts of yardage and lots of this yardage was found behind the awesome blocks of the offensive line especially from two of the tri-captains Jack Jerszyk and his pal Dennis Belliveau. Coach Stan Goode loved the play of his line as they swept away enemy defenders.
In their junior year, many of this Class of 1965 had shown their ability with a terrific performance against Leominster at Doyle Field when they routed Leominster 20-0. In that contest, big number seventy-four was all over the field knocking Blue Devils to the gridiron as the Red Raiders dominated Leominster. Over and over FHS running plays went behind huge blocks thrown by Jack Jerszyk.
Thanksgiving morning of 1964 was so typical with its gray sky and bitter cold. Fitchburg came into the contest with a 6-0-2 record with ties against Nashua and Gardner. Heavily favored, the senior Red and Gray squad would meet an inspired LHS eleven, which led 8-6 late in the fourth quarter. Coach Goode turned to Muir and his senior offensive line led by Belliveau and Jerszyk to bring victory to Fitchburg. They did not fail. Three years of comradeship came together in that final drive. Jerszyk, Daulton, Belliveau and Girouard were leveling the Leominster defense. And Muir was just being Muir. Finally the end zone was achieved.
Thirty years later Jack Jerszyk spoke of the victory cigars smoked in the shower room by coaches Goode, Conway and Landon with their players. Tri-captains Jerszyk, Muir and Belliveau had snuck the stogies into the clubhouse for post-game celebration. He recalled the feeling of togetherness, which the Class of 1965 had at that moment of their lives. They and their coaches were truly a team and Jack and his teammates always savored that precious moment. Teammates are forever.
Jack Jerszyk was awarded a full athletic scholarship to play football for the Minutemen of the University of Massachusetts following his graduation from FHS. Following college he lived and taught in New Jersey, returning to Fitchburg High in the early 1990’s to teach in the special education program. Jack’s battles on the football field paled in comparison to his courageous efforts in his final days. His friends, teammates, and fellow teachers can never forget that final effort. Jack Jerszyk was a true Hall of Famer in that courageous effort.
Early in 1962, Red Smith, the nationally renowned sports writer for the New York Times wrote a column about a good football squad, which had played at Boston University under the leadership of “Buff” Donelli in 1952. Smith called the squad a good but not great team with several superior athletes. Amongst the athletes were the great Harry Agganis of Lynn, Tom Gastall, John Pappas and an outstanding lineman named Jim Meredith. This squad, which achieved a record of 7-2 played against some of America’s best squads like the University of Maryland and Miami University. But unfortunately it was a cursed squad. Smith told how John Pappas died of a brain hemorrhage following a contest at Syracuse, how Harry Agganis, our up and coming star for the Red Sox suddenly died of a brain clot in 1953 and how Tom Gastall crashed in a small plane in Chesapeake Bay.
Smith then wrote about Jim Meredith of Fitchburg High and I quote, “And then there was Jungle Jim Meredith. After graduation he was commissioned in the paratroops. He had a bad landing in Germany and broke a leg. Cancer developed and the leg was amputated.
Naturally he couldn’t fly or jump or fight anymore. They made him a wooden leg and he went back to Fitchburg and worked there as assistant coach for the Fitchburg High football team, stumping about on his artificial gam.
The news dispatch that started this whole piece was about him. It said that Jim Meredith, twenty-nine years old, had died of cancer in Fitchburg.”
Red Smith of the New York Tribunes respected the memory of Jim Meredith, but the members of the FHS Class of 1962 may very well have honored Coach Meredith in the best fashion:
The Fitchburg High School will always revere the memory of Mr. Meredith. Whether on the football field or in the classroom, he was a splendid example of a dedicated teacher and a true friend. His unselfish devotion and guidance to his students were characteristics of his many years at Fitchburg High. How can we, the Class of 1962, ever forget the warmth and good humor that he continually radiated? The sun has now set. Long gray shadows of evening have enveloped his body, but not his soul. When God called for such a fine individual, we suffered a great loss – heaven gained a great man. It is to Mr. Meredith, that we, the Class of 1962, dedicate our support.
Jim Meredith graduated from Fitchburg High School in 1950. Earning letters for baseball and football during his sophomore, junior and senior year. In his senior year at FHS in which the squad compelled an outstanding 7-2-1 record, Jim Meredith was a co-captain and he was named first-ream for the Worcester County All-Stars. During his three football campaigns, Jim’s FHS squads had a 19-6-5 record against very rough competition including the likes of Watertown, Woburn, Brookline, Wakefield along with arch-rival Leominster and Gardner.
But Jim Meredith was more than an athlete at FHS. His yearbook remembered Jim as, “A dynamic student excelling in athletics who is active in class student council activities while being very good at football. A great addition to our class, he is always willing to help.” That was the Jim Meredith beloved by Red and Gray fans of all ages.
During his last year Jim could be seen at Crocker Field encouraging the Red Raiders to greater glory. From 1957 to 1962 Jim Meredith was a daily reminder to every FHS student of loyalty to his country and his high school. He was a man to truly admire. He was always a Fitchburg High Hall of Famer. His untimely death was a great loss for our community.
In the year 2001, individuals like Mia Hamm, Lisa Fernandez, Joan Benoit Samuelson, Dot Richardson, Jackie JoynerKersey, and Chris Evert are almost household names. These were young women who got an opportunity to show their athletic prowess in the late 1970’s and throughout the 1980’s. Unlike their mothers who never really got a chance to have “a league of their own”, women of the last twenty-five years have had their day in the sun.
Fitchburg, Massachusetts, and Fitchburg High School was privileged to be able to watch one of America’s finest overall female athletes. Her name is Kathleen Erin Lawler and anyone who has ever watched Kathy compete knows that he or she has watched a true Hall of Famer. Growing up in the early 1970’s, Kathy was part of a New England generation that turned on Channel 38 and watched the amazing Bobby Orr. When her brother Kevin went off to the Wallace Civic Center to practice for his Youth Hockey team, Kathy asked, “Why can’t I?” Well, she could! In 1972 when Kathy was eleven years old, she was the second leading scorer in Fitchburg Youth Hockey. That was not a girl’s league, it was a boy’s dominated hockey league. But nobody dominated Kathy Lawler.
During her three years at FHS as a member of the class of 1979, Kathy Lawler earned three varsity letters on the FHS cross-country team, and was awarded the Coaches Award in 1978 for her dedication to the squad and her school spirit. Kathy played varsity softball in the years from 1977 through 1979. During those three seasons Kathy was named softball MVP each and every year. In 1979, Kathy Lawler received recognition by the High School All-Americans for Athletic Ability, Scholarship, Leadership and Sportsmanship, which recognizes all aspects of an individual high school career.
But that is not why Kathleen Erin Lawler was selected by the Hall of Fame Committee for this great honor. Kathy Lawler was American Sport’s pioneer just like Mia Hamm or Joan Benoit Samuelson and her game was hockey. Barriers were broken by this tremendous athlete at every single game. During her years at FHS, Kathy was given an opportunity to play varsity hockey by Coach Bill Putnam and she never looked back. Kathy Lawler was never a token in a men’s hockey program, she was simple a teammate. In the 1970’s, the North Central Hockey League was good hockey and Kathy Lawler fit right into the scheme of things. In 1979 Kathy Lawler’s #10 was retired by the school, and February 28, 1979 was declared Kathy Lawler Day for her contributions to the FHS Hockey team. Later in that year, she was featured on Channel Four’s Evening Magazine in which her unique story was told to the people of New England
But Kathy Lawler’s accomplishments did not end when she graduated from FHS. Upon the urging of her hockey coach, Bill Putnam, Kathy entered Pottsdam State, which was located in Upstate New York. Miss Lawler from Fitchburg, Mass. immediately set the college hockey world on fire. In 1979-1980 Kathy scored 73 goals and had 45 assists for a total of 118 points, which was an all time record for intercollegiate ice hockey men or women. Two years later she broke her own record with 93 goals, 30 assists and 123 points. When Kathy finished her college career she had amassed an amazing total of 293 goals, 157 assists and 450 total points. The statistics are truly mind-boggling.
Kathy Lawler may have been born ten years too early. We at Fitchburg High School truly believe that she would have been a member of that Women’s Olympic Hockey team that captured the first Olympic Gold in Nagano, Japan. Kathy Lawler was always Fitchburg High’s gold medal girl.
In the storied athletic history of Fitchburg High School, certain family names continue to appear over and over again cross the decades. Named like Fillback, MacLean, Pappas, DiGeronimo, Glenny and Earley appear on the honor roll of FHS performers. Many of these family names appeared wearing the Red and Gray in the earlier decades of the 1920’s through the 1970’s. But the Earley family is a much younger name found in the Fitchburg High annuals. Bill, “Bull” Earley was a line-breaking fullback for Fitchburg in the early 1980’s while brother, Harvey, was a sweet shooting guard on the Red and Gray squad which played for the state basketball championship in 1985. Today, young William Earley, Class of 2005, has shown tremendous ability in his freshman year playing for FHS and Coach Ray Cosenza.
But let’s not forget the ladies in the Earley family. Sisters Leona and Louella Earley came to the track program of FHS in the early 1980’s and proceeded to set their own standards of excellence. Sister Leona was very good, but Louella Earley was truly special. There was almost nothing that she couldn’t achieve in track and field during her years at FHS, whether it be the 45 yard dash during the indoor competition or the high jump or 200 meter sprint on the outdoor track.
During her 1983 season, Louella Earley was setting records across the board, but there was one event in which she particularly stood out as an athlete, and that was the long jump. In the spring of 1983, Louella Earley leaped an amazing seventeen feet, ten and one half inches to win the District championships. Girls from all across Central Massachusetts would attempt to top Louella’s effort in the 1980’s and 1990’s and it was only last season that her efforts were topped by one eight of an inch. With all the improved technology and improved facilities of the last twenty-years, for Louella to hold onto that long jump record for such a long period of time was tremendous.
Louella loved to compete individually, but she really got great pleasure at the opportunity to run the relay events during her outdoor seasons. In 1983, she teamed with her sister Leona and the Crute sisters, Kim and Felicia, in the 4 x 110 relay event and this foursome ran their specialty in an amazing time of 50.9 seconds. District teams have not touched this achievement in nearly twenty years. One of the great aspects of this relay triumph was that Louella was handed the baton for the final leg from her sister Leona. Along with the relay and long jump records, Louella held records for FHS at one time in the high jump, 200 meters and the indoor 45 yard, 50 yard and 300 yard dash.
Coach Steve LeBlanc said that Louella Earley was a quiet performer who avoided the limelight. She would come to Crocker Field and get the job done with very little fanfare. Records did not mean anything to Louella, although she established many. If Louella was way ahead of her competition, she would slow down and allow competitors to finish close to her, but never ahead. If the hundred-yard dash were to be won, Louella would do the job, but never embarrass opponents.
In a competition against a Shrewsbury High athlete in 1983’s Districts, Louella surpassed her competition in each jump of competition by a single inch or two. When the opponent jumped 15 feet 5 inches in the track, Louella jumped 15 feet 6 inches. In the finals, when the opponent leaped a terrific 17 feet, Louella blasted her record setting 17-10 ½ effort. The true superstars always rise to the occasion. This shy and quiet young lady always made Fitchburg High proud of her efforts and now she belongs to our Hall of Fame.
When Doug Grutchfield was asked to name his best basketball player during his thirty one years at Fitchburg, he avoided answering that question directly because he does not want to slight any of his former players. But ask Coach Grutchfield who he felt was the toughest kid that he ever coached and one name leaps from his lips, Mike Lasorsa, Class of 1973. “Grutch” will tell you that Mike Lasorsa would run through a wall to bring victory to FHS. If you ever watched Mike play at the old Brickyard on Academy Street, you know that to be really true. Mike played three years of basketball at Fitchburg and in his senior year he co-captained the Raider squad while being named to the Telegram and Gazette All-Star squad and the Central Mass. All-Star squad.
But Mike Lasorsa is not remembered by loyal FHS fans for his exploits on the basketball court, but rather for his play upon the gridiron. Fitchburg High has been noted for its small and shifty running backs who could elude enemy tacklers with relative ease. Kids like John Marabello, Richie and Ralph Boudreau, Dennis LaCross and Chuck Aiesi come to mind. But pound for pound, Mike Lasorsa was the toughest of them all.
In 1971 the Fitchburg High School football team was not supposed to be very strong. Coach Marco Landon had lost lots of excellent players from his 1970 squad and it appeared that the fall of 1971 would be long and difficult. Steve Ciccolini, Bill Gamache and Steve Richard would form a solid senior group. And then a kid named Lloyd LeBlanc stepped forward and the Red and Gray kept getting better and better. Playing in the backfield with LeBlanc was a 150 pound scat back named Mike Lasorsa who was very difficult to bring down to the turf. Fitchburg peaked at the right time. When the citizens of Fitchburg arose on Thanksgiving morning, they looked out their windows and saw 18 inches of snow. The Classic was postponed.
Leominster was heavily favored against the Raiders. But Coach Landon and his assistants had a good feeling about their kids. LeBlanc was running well, Tom Landon and Dean Vallis were becoming dominant defensive ends, and that Lasorsa kid was really playing well in practice. The work crews cleared Doyle Field with piles of snow standing six feet high along the sidelines. The Raiders came to play. Leominster was stopped by the Ciccolini led defense and then Lloyd LeBlanc broke loose for a 70 yard touchdown. LHS was unable to stop Lasorsa and Raider domination was evident. When the final whistle was blown, FHS had a 12-6 victory.
Nineteen seventy-two looked good for FHS, lots of veterans returned, including that kid Lasorsa. Following a disappointing loss to St. Peter’s, FHS’ Raider put it together. Seven victories in a row were recorded as the Red and Gray marched toward its confrontation with LHS. Mike Lasorsa and John Brasili were running wild behind an offensive line anchored by Dave Secino, Bobby Gordon and Larry Bizzotto. Number 44 was breaking opponents’ hearts.
Thanksgiving dawned cold and sunny. Leominster and FHS came into the contest with identical records of 7-1 and the winner of the game would go to the first annual Western-Central Massachusetts Super Bowl. Both teams were tremendous and old Crocker Field was rocking with cheers. Over 12,000 fans were crowded into Crocker. Thanksgiving 1972 was going to be Mike Lasorsa’s day. Simply stated, Mike ran over, around and through the Leominster defense. The Blue Devils did not have an answer for Lasorsa as he broke tackle after tackle racing for key first downs. Following an extremely close first half, the Raiders seemed to gather steam and they hooked a ride with their dynamo, Mike Lasorsa. As the Faith United Church’s clock moved toward 12:30, the Raiders stood atop the world with a 27-19 victory. How did Mike Lasorsa do? Really not badly with three touchdowns and a two point conversion and over 150 yards rushing. That’s Hall of Fame stuff!
But there was still the matter of the Super Bowl. Fitchburg defeated Greenfield 20-6 to capture the first championship and Mike Lasorsa scored two FHS touchdowns. It was a fitting end to a great year. Springfield College must have been watching because Mike was recruited to play football. His college career was the stuff of legends. Mike rushed for over 2,500 yards during his college career and with his kickoff and punt returns he gained 4,545 all-purpose yards. He is the Springfield all-time leading rusher. But he is still all Red and Gray and now he is a Hall of Famer.
It was Thanksgiving Day of 1945 and all America had a great deal to be thankful for as the fourth Thursday of November approached. World War II had ended just three months earlier and the young men of the “Greatest Generation” were returning to the United States of America to begin their lives anew. Coach Marty McDonough stood on the sod at Crocker Field to greet his Red Raider football players in the fall of 1945. Fitchburg High’s post World War II athletes would create a wonderful sports legacy particularly upon the gridiron.
As the big day arrived hundreds of Fitchburg residents boarded the busses in Depot Square to take the short ride to Doyle Field. One of those gentlemen was the father of FHS’ sophomore back, Bob Duncan. Young Duncan was anxious to play in his first game against archrival Leominster. As the contest began Bob Duncan sat amongst his fellow underclassmen and watched the play. That was particularly difficult since it was raining cats and dogs. He watched his fellow classmate Mike Martin boom punts which kept the highly favored home team from the Comb City buried in their half of the field.
Late in the first half Coach McDonough turned toward the Fitchburg bench and called for Duncan to enter the contest. When he arrived, his mud-splattered teammates looked up to watch him enter the huddle. But before a play could be called, the gun was fired, and the first half was history. As the Raiders retreated to the clubhouse, Bob glanced into the stands and spotted his father standing at the top of the grandstand. Duncan whose spotless uniform stood in stark contrast to his fellow Raiders’ uniforms could hear his father’s voice ringing loud and clear, “Fall down, fall down.” Mr. Duncan did not want people to think his kid had not seen any action. He did not really have to worry for the next three years, Bob Duncan of the Class of 1948 would get various uniforms soiled in any conceivable fashion.
Bob Duncan was the type of athlete, which was so typical of the 1940’s and 1950’s. Summer camps to be specialized in a particular sport were non-existent. If you wanted to play ball, you went down to your local playground and played with the gang. “Dunc” as he was called during his days at FHS probably never stood taller than 5’8″ tall and never weighed more than 150 lbs., but that never bothered him. Little guys have to be smarter and know how to play the game while big guys just do it with physical strength. During his days at FHS Coach Marty McDonough allowed Bob Duncan to call all the offensive plays for the football squad. He must have done a pretty good job because FHS never lost to the Blue Devils while he was at the helm. In his junior season, the North County Sportswriters Association named Bob an honorable mention member of the 1946 All-Star football team. During his senior year Bob was named a second team all-star as he helped Fitchburg defeat Leominster 13-0. He would proudly tell you that the Class of 1948 never lost a Thanksgiving Game to the Devils.
But Bob Duncan’s best sport was probably basketball and in 1948 Bobby and his fellow teammates “Corky” Ervin, “Bucker” Shea, John Gates and Bob Turcotte put together an outstanding 16-4 record which included a semi-final appearance in the old Western Mass. Springfield Tourney. Ervin, Shea and Gates got the points under the hoop, but it was Bob Duncan who piled up the assists. And when FHS needed that clutch set shot from the perimeter old number 13 was ready. For his efforts the North County writers named Bob Duncan First Team All-Star in 1948.
Where do quarterbacks and point guards play on a baseball team? Of course they play catcher. Guess who played catcher at FHS in 1946 and 1947? You guessed correctly if you said Bob Duncan. When Coach McDonough asked for play in the infield in 1948, Bob just went out and bought a new glove. Following his graduation from FHS, Bob Duncan went to Fitchburg State Teachers College, graduating in 1953. He coached football, basketball and track at Gardner High between 1955 and 1990, and became one of Central Massachusetts’ top track officials. Bob Duncan, Dick Mulligan and Ev Engals created track for our region. He is the Hall of Famer for the little guys. That’s our Bob Duncan.
When asked to answer a question of the Hall of Fame questionnaire regarding special honors, which he had received during his lifetime, Stephen Woodbury of the Class of 1930 stated his greatest honor was to serve Fitchburg High School for thirty years. This was spoken like a true Woodbury. For you see, Steve Woodbury’s father was the legendary Charles Talbot Woodbury who served as principal of FHS from 1903 until his untimely death in 1927. Our Hall of Famer Stephen T. Woodbury literally had Red and Gray flowing through his blood vessels.
It was in the fall of 1926 that Stephen Woodbury entered Fitchburg High School as a lowly freshman whose father happened to be the beloved principal of FHS. During his first years at Fitchburg, Steve Woodbury discovered that he enjoyed track and field competition under the tutelage of Coach Adler and that he was particularly good at the very difficult high jump event. Soon young Woodbury discovered that his efforts at his specialty were amongst the best in the Worcester County region. As he grew taller and taller, his leaps began to approach the six foot level. In those days high jumpers used a method of jumping which almost appear to be primitive to today’s “Fosbury Floppers.” Steve Woodbury’s method would be called the eastern roll which allowed jumpers to somehow straddle the bar. During his last three years at FHS, Woodbury would be a star performer on the track and field team, which featured a fellow Hall of Famer, Voitto Lassila.
Steve Woodbury was an outstanding student at Fitchburg High School from which he received the coveted “Gold F” award for academic excellence. During years at Fitchburg, Steve Woodbury also served faithfully as the Class of 1930’s class treasurer. With his school record, young Stephen Woodbury would have been a perfect candidate for Dartmouth College, but his high jumping ability intrigued the track coaches at the Hanover, New Hampshire school. And so in the fall of 1930 Steve Woodbury enrolled at that prestigious Ivy League School.
Dartmouth College may not have realized how strong a competitor they had enrolled in the person of Stephen Woodbury, but his highflying jumps soon began to catch the eyes of the coaches. Leaping over six feet soon became a normal happening as Stephen Woodbury continued his education at Dartmouth College. As his senior year approached, Dartmouth College high jumping record began to fall at the feet of Stephen T. Woodbury of Fitchburg, Massachusetts. In March of 1934, Stephen Woodbury’s photograph showing his jumping prowess appeared in the nationally published Newsweek and the old Boston Post Sport’s page showed Woodbury clearing 6 feet 5 3/8’s inches to establish a new eastern collegiate record. For his outstanding senor season, Steve Woodbury was selected to the NCAA All Star Track and Field team of 1934. If that were today, the term used to describe Stephen Woodbury would have been All American.
Following his college graduation, Steve Woodbury returned to his alma mater where he began a teaching career at FHS. But he was also selected to coach the Fitchburg High track squad. He would coach FHS from 1934 to 1943, but then World War II beckoned this FHS coach. After serving with distinction in the U.S. Navy, Mr. Woodbury returned to Academy Street and took up his teaching and coaching duties once again. He would lead the Red and Gray from 1946 to 1951 and he had some outstanding athletes during those years. True to his nature, Mr. Woodbury would rather talk about his athletes than himself. He sent the Hall of Fame committee a picture of the 1948 state relay champions which included great sprinters like Ray Ablondi, Henry Brunelle, Ronald Balaban and Norman “Red” Goguen. We also received a great picture of Joe Hannon from the Class of 1951 who was State Class II champion, Massachusetts State champion and New England champion. Steve Woodbury, a man of Fitchburg, wanted to only talk about his men of Fitchburg.
In 1956, Stephen Woodbury achieved his life long ambition. He was named Principal of Fitchburg High School and would maintain that position from 1956 to 1965 when he retired. Stephen T. Woodbury had followed in his father’s footsteps and that is why Hall of Famer, Stephen Woodbury said that 30 years of service to FHS was his greatest honor.
It was a cool Thanksgiving morning as the Red Raiders disembarked from their buses as they prepared to enter the lion’s den, known as Doyle Field, to face their archrivals from Leominster in the annual Turkey Classic. Head Coach John Dubzinski had prepared his FHS squad extremely well, and kids named Tom DiGeronimo, John Romano, Mark Jackson and Mike Minichello from the senior class along with underclassmen like Paul DiGeronimo were ready to take up the challenge. Each of the players seemed to realize that this was not your everyday football contest.
The heavily favored Blue Devils were shocked as the Red and Gray led by their senior quarterback, Tom DiGeronimo took it to them. FHS had entered the contest with a neat 6-2-1 record based mainly on the excellent quarterback of DiGeronimo during the fall campaign. But LHS was the big time and the Devils of this era were simply powerful. But Tom DiGeronimo, who would be named a Central Massachusetts Conference All-Star in this 1981 campaign, was running and tossing the ball all over Doyle Field with great success as the Red and Gray streaked to an astounding 12-7 half-time lead. Unfortunately for the Red Raiders the clock struck midnight in the second half as the Devils staged a strong second half comeback. The Red and Gray had enjoyed a very successful campaign, but that last twenty-four minutes had been difficult.
Nevertheless, Tom DiGeronimo had distinguished himself in his senior campaign and he was rewarded with the Most Valuable Player honor at the conclusion of the season. During his two years at the helm for the Red and Gray he had continually played at a high level and his name was recognized as one of Central Massachusetts’ better football players. Apparently the coaches at Avon Old Farm, a powerful prep school program, agreed with this assessment because Tom was awarded with a scholarship to play football at the prep school. And the University of Maine must have liked Tom’s efforts at FHS and Avon Old Farm because he was given a scholarship to attend the school located in Orono, Maine. He would switch to defensive backfield while at Maine and he gave the Black Bears four years of solid collegiate play.
But football may not have been Tom DiGeronimo’s best game. When the gridiron season came to a conclusion Tom was immediately heading to the FHS gym where he played three years of varsity basketball for Coach Doug Grutchfield. During those three years Tom and a dynamic point guard named John Pappas made a tremendous duo for FHS. Lacking overall team height Tom had to sacrifice his natural position as a forward to play center for Fitchburg. Playing against some of Central Massachusetts’ powerhouse five, Tom and Johnny really got the job done. With his uncanny passing ability, John Pappas would look to dish the ball to Tom DiGeronimo who was always stationed under the hoop and with his great hands would gather the ball in and score the points. It was almost poetic justice that Tom DiGeronimo and John Pappas scored their 1000th points within a game or two of each other. Tom must often wonder what it would have been like to have a really good big man playing with him and John Pappas.
Tom DiGeronimo was selected to the CMC All-Star basketball squad in both his junior and senior years along with being selected to the Telegram and Gazette Central Massachusetts all-star basketball squad. Also in his senior year Tom was selected to the Best Forty-eight All-Star squad, which plays against the best in the state of Massachusetts. He was an internally motivated kid who did not have much to say on the gridiron or the basketball court, but just let his actions speak volumes.
Following his graduation from Maine, Tom returned to Central Massachusetts where he was an assistant football coach for a number of schools including FHS. But his greatest fame as a coach occurred during his years at the helm of the Narragansett Regional High School football squads where his imaginative, wide-open brand of ball produced victory after victory. His Warrior squad was really outstanding in 1997 and they went to the Super Bowl and completed an undefeated 12-0 season with the Division III Super Bowl Trophy as part of their reward. Today Tom is the vice principal at the Academy Middle School. His roots go very deep in the community of Fitchburg and now he is one of FHS’ First Hall of Famers.
As the young boys and girls of Fitchburg and surrounding communities gather at beautiful Coggshall Park during the picturesque month of October, they prepare themselves to run the cross-country course for the annual Voitto Lassila Memorial Cross Country Race. Little do they realize that their efforts will honor an individual who literally lived a life dedicated to young people and the values of a good and proper physical life.
Voitto Lassila, who was a member of the Class of 1929 of Fitchburg High School, grew up in the community of Fitchburg during the era of the great Finnish migration to our region. It was during the 1920’s that the great Finnish Olympic athletes were developing their reputations as the world’s finest track and field competitors. The “Flying Finns” led by the incomparable Paavo Nurmi set a standard of excellence, which inspired youth all across the globe, but particularly amongst the Finnish of Fitchburg. It was during the Roaring Twenties that Voitto Lassila entered FHS and soon his name was appearing in the Fitchburg Sentinel for his accomplishments at Crocker Field. Voit Lassila was a letterman for the Fitchburg High track squad for his three years at the school. He competed in many events for the track squad, but it was the pole vault competition which soon became his favorite event. He soon was soaring to amazing heights as he defeated all the regional competition. On May 28, 1929, Voitto Lassila using a standard bamboo pole went over the bar at a height of 12 feet one-half inch in a dual meet against Leominster at Crocker Field. That effort would remain the Crocker Field standard until it was broken by a young Gardner High athlete in 1971, some forty-two years later. Lassila’s standard would not be topped by a Red and Gray athlete until the year 1985. His standard of excellence for FHS stood for 56 years.
On May 29, 1929, the Fitchburg Sentinel told the story of the Lassila leap in the following manner:
The pole vault, which was the last event of the program, was also the most sensational. The battle between Brown of Leominster and Lassila of Fitchburg was one of the prettiest ever seen anywhere. Brown and Lassila went over 11 feet six inches easily and the bar was set at 12 feet one half inch. Lassila went over amid the plaudits of the crowd all of which had attention centered upon the sky-scraping event. Brown tried twice and failed. On his second attempt Brown had hit his face against the pole vault standards, and his coach asked him to stop. But Brown wanted to continue but his coach knocked off the bar and the competition was completed. Lassila had been victorious.
Upon graduation from FHS in 1929, Voitto Lassila enrolled at the University of Michigan in the early 1930’s where he continued to compete in track and field, but soon his interest was turned toward gymnastics. He captained the Exhibition Gymnastics squad, which traveled all across the United States representing his beloved university. Voitto graduated form Michigan in 1936 and he would become a member of the “M” club that was the University of Michigan’s Honor Society.
Following his college days, Mr. Lassila returned to B.F. Brown Junior High School in Fitchburg where he became a gym instructor. Throughout the 1940’s, 1950’s and 1960’s Voitto Lassila influenced the youth of Fitchburg through his intra-mural programs and daily gym classes. Hundreds of children took up physical activity because of his efforts. Young men would leave B.F. Brown and would travel up to FHS and they would be ready to take on all competition. In the late 1950’s and early 1960’s Voit Lassila’s cross-country teams became legendary. The Keene, New Hampshire varsity coach once was quoted as saying, “It looked like nearly half of Fitchburg had come to run in the meet and all were about waist high!”
Mr. Lassila once stated, “They have so much energy and it is our job as coaches to see that it is exerted in the right direction. Boys who play sports all afternoon are usually too tired to get in trouble at night.” Mr. Voitto Lassila was a great track star at FHS and a great teacher of the young at B.F. Brown and today he is a member of the Fitchburg High Hall of Fame.
On a gray overcast morning in 1963, a quiet and subdued crowd filed into Doyle Field to watch the annual Thanksgiving Day Classic between archrivals Fitchburg and Leominster. Just six days earlier, America’s beloved president John F. Kennedy had been assassinated in the streets of Dallas, Texas, and the USA had been crushed by the terrible event. There had even been discussion that the Fitchburg – Leominster contest should be canceled. But school administrators decided that the rivalry should be contested.
As the ten thousand fans searched for their seats or found their places upon the banks of Doyle Field, they did not realize that they were about to watch one of the greatest performances in the history of the Thanksgiving Day Game. Fitchburg High which entered the contest with a 5-3 record was a junior dominated class and the key player was tailback Warren Muir who wore number twenty-eight. Throughout the fall, he had been dazzling opponents with slashing runs, but he saved his best effort for the Turkey Day game.
Early in the contest, Warren gathered in a Leominster punt on his own forty-five yard line, and raced down the sideline in front of Coach Broderick and the startled fans of LHS. Breaking tackles along the way, Warren Muir sprinted into the end zone for the Raiders first score. Later in the first period after Fitchburg had used the running of Ricky Lehto and Jack Jakola to reach the thirteen yard line, Warren Burst through the Leominster defense and FHS had its second touchdown. Then in the fourth quarter, Warren took another punt at his own forty yard line and weaved in and out of Blue Devil tacklers until he reached the end zone. Warren probably ran 130 yards to complete his touchdown run. When the final gun sounded, Fitchburg High had a 20-0 victory over Leominster and Warren Muir had rushed for 234 yards from scrimmage. Oh, he also kicked Fitchburg’s two extra points. It was truly an amazing performance, but it was only a prelude.
Fitchburg High entered its 1964 football campaign with high hopes. With veteran linemen like Jack Jerszyk, Dennis Belliveau, Dennis Daulton and Bob Girouard, Coach Stan Goode believed that holes would be opened for his superstar Warren Muir. Coach Goode was not to be disappointed. The Red and Gray rolled to a record of 6-0-2 as they entered the Thanksgiving contest. Warren Muir has been spectacular in every contest, particularly against Gardner and Rindge Tech. Against the boys from Cambridge, Warren had raced for touchdown runs of 85 yards, 60 yards, and 45 yards all in the first quarter. Then Coach Goode rested his superstar.
But Warren Muir saved his best for last. On Thanksgiving morning in 1964, Fitchburg entered Crocker Field as a heavy favorite over the Blue Devils at LHS. But the kids from Leominster were an inspired bunch that Thanksgiving morning. Their beloved Coach Charlie Broderick was coaching his last contest and as the teams entered the final quarter, Fitchburg trailed Leominster 8 to 6. Now Coach Goode turned to Warren Muir, Fitchburg got the ball at their own forty-five yard line with eight minutes remaining on the clock. Fitchburg’s offense became Muir left, Muir right and Muir up the middle. Slowly the Leominster defense fell before the power of number twenty-eight. With less than two minutes on the clock, Warren burst through the line and raced into the end zone. Minutes later the final gun sounded and FHS had a cherished victory 12-8. Warren Muir now belonged to the ages.
But “Hoss” was more than just a football player. When springtime arrived, Warren would head down to Crocker Field to compete on Coach Erkki Koutonen’s track squad. He was that rare blend of speed and power. He and Lothar Huckaby were tremendous in the 100 yard dash and when that was completed, Warren would walk over to the shot put ring and toss the twelve pound ball well over fifty feet. In his senior year Warren captured the Class B shot put competition with a record toss well over fifty-four feet. He was also class president during his junior and senior years.
Upon completion of his FHS career, Warren entered the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in the fall of 1965. Following his plebe year, Warren decided to transfer to the University of South Carolina to continue to play for Coach Paul Dietzel. During his three-year career at South Carolina, Warren was named to the ACC All-Star team in his sophomore and senior years. In 1969, Warren was named to the Kodak Coaches All-American Team and was also picked by the Detroit Press to their All-American squad.
Today Warren Muir lives in Aiken, South Carolina, but he will always belong to Fitchburg High School. He will always be our All-American Kid.
Coach Marco Landon quietly stood along the sidelines at Springfield College as his victorious Raiders gleefully celebrated at mid-field. Fitchburg High School had captured the first ever Super Bowl championship and the “quiet” Dean Vallis was riding on his teammate’s shoulders holding the winning trophy over his head. The FHS cheerleaders and bands were cheering wildly as the Red and Gray was played jubilantly. Spectators sang the words, “All hail to our Alma Mater, all hail to the Red and Gray” as they jumped for joy. Slowly number ten moved away from the mob and walked toward the coach. He shook the coach’s hand, and then gave Marco Landon a big hug. Number ten was Tom Landon, who could now share this ultimate moment of happiness quietly with his father, as the Raider faithful shouted with glee. The Boulder for the Class of 1973 might well have given one of the true pictures of Marco Landon when it said, “Experience, patience, perseverance – Coach of the Year” to honor their Super Bowl coach.
Marco Landon had come to Fitchburg High School in the fall of 1962 to become an assistant coach under Eddie Sullivan after serving a number of years in New Britain, Connecticut. But Marco Landon was not an unknown commodity to the faithful of Fitchburg High. During the late 1940’s, Marco Landon had been one of the premier football players in Central Massachusetts playing for Charlie Broderick’s Blue Devils of LHS. He was one of two players who were selected to the old North Worcester County All Star Team for three consecutive seasons. The other was Barry MacLean of Fitchburg High. Playing at 160 pounds, Marco had been a dynamo on both sides of the line. Old-timers in Leominster can recall the individual exploits of Marco nearly a half century later. Following his graduation from LHS, Marco spent a year at Worcester Academy and then it was onto Boston University to play under Coach “Buff” Donelli. Today, football is not even played at B.U., but in the early 1950’s Boston University was playing big time football. They were led by the legendary “Golden Greek” from Lynn, Massachusetts, Harry Agganis made the Terriers big time, and they were playing major schools like Miami, Maryland and Syracuse. Marco and his old FHS rival, Jim Meredith, were stalwarts on the Terrier defensive line. Imagine that – a college lineman weighing 165 pounds. Marco established an NCAA record in the Orange Bowl by recording two safeties in one contest against the Hurricanes. That record still stands today.
Following his graduation, Marco joined the U.S. Army and served in Germany for two years. Before he went to Germany he married his beloved Isabel Rahaim, and they would have a wonderful marriage for more than four decades. Next came Marco’s short tenure in New Britain, and then he became an assistant at FHS. Stan Goode succeeded Ed Sullivan in 1963, and immediately made Marco his line coach. This was an extremely fortunate decision, since Marco got a chance to impart some of his vast football knowledge to a group of eager kids. Those kids, Jack Jerszyk, Dennis Belliveau, Howie Shane, Bob Girouard, Dennis Daulton and Les Meehan would be the basis of the unit that would open the holes for Warren Muir when the Raiders went 7-0-2 in the fall of 1964.
When Stan Goode was appointed principal of Fitchburg High in the summer of 1965, Marco was appointed head varsity coach. The first campaign was difficult. Most of the starters from the unbeaten squad had graduated, and so the cupboard was bare. But starting in the fall of 1966, Coach Landon was going to have a steady influx of players named LaRoche, Petrides, Glenny, Boudreau, Gates, Logan, DiGeronimo, Ciccolini, Thibeault, Vallis, Landon and so many others that the Raiders would become a gridiron force once again in the north county, and beyond.
In the pre-Super Bowl era, Fitchburg battled against the likes of Nashua, Gardner, and, of course, the Blue Devils led by Marco’s old teammate, Leon “Huck” Hannigan. There were some excellent seasons during this era including the 1969 squad led by the super offensive attack which featured Alan Glenny and Richie and Ralph Boudreau which finished with a great 8-1 record. But many old-timers, and maybe Marco himself, will tell you that the 1968 squad led by Chris Petrides, Tom DiGeronimo, Leo LaRoche and Company was the best.
This squad only played eight contests and went 7-1, and that is a shame because the Raiders were not only good, they were exciting. The only Raider loss in that 1968 season came against Nashua at Holman Stadium on a Friday night in October. As they used to say in Brooklyn in the 1940’s, “We wuz robbed.” Marco Landon was and continues to be a true gentleman of sport. You would really have to work hard to get Marco Landon to say a bad thing about anyone. Even Marco exploded along the sidelines at that contest in Holman Stadium. That was a great shame because Marco and his Red Raiders of the 1968 season deserved to go undefeated.
But those Raiders will always have fond memories of the 1968 Turkey Day Classic. As the thousands entered Crocker Field on a raw dank morning with the threat of sleet in the air, great drama was happening in the clubhouse. The Raider’s quarterback Chris Petrides had injured himself shortly before the Classic, and on Thanksgiving morning Marco Landon had to make a major decision. Chris could not go, so Alan Glenny would get the start. Obviously the Raiders were lucky, because Alan was very capable.
Leominster had come to Crocker Field loaded for bear. They were a decided underdog, but Mother Nature must have been wearing blue. The weather slowed down the Raider attack and so battle royal ensued. With seconds to go the Raiders held onto a slim lead, and the Devils were lined up for a field goal attempt which would win it for Leominster. But Leo LaRoche crashed and Randy Palmer slipped through the line and blocked the attempt. Coach Landon and his gang had a great victory.
That victory and the Super Bowl of 1972 certainly were coaching highlights for Marco who would retire with a 62-45-3 record. Later Marco would be inducted into the Massachusetts Football Coaches Hall of Fame which has to be the ultimate honor for a coach.
But Marco Landon would probably disagree with that assessment. For Marco, the day to day coaching of individual kids was the greatest gift that he could receive in coaching. To watch a Dennis Belliveau or Bobby Gordon throw a key block to spring Warren Muir or Mike Lasorsa for a long touchdown run was the greatest gift. Marco Landon truly liked his kids and they returned that feeling. It is only appropriate that Marco is being inducted into the Fitchburg High School Hall of Fame with his Super Bowl winners of 1972. Good guys do finish first. Congratulations Coach Landon.
By the winter of 1977 Coach Doug Grutchfield had begun to build a basketball dynasty which would make the Red and Gray one of the most powerful programs in Massachusetts. They were a team which had to be watched. This had all begun in 1975 when F.H.S. had surprised Central Mass. with a Division I District championship.
In 1976 the Raiders rolled to an excellent regular season record which included victories over St. John’s, Doherty High and Burncoat, but in the finals of the Districts an inspired Doherty squad upset the Raiders. This was a particularly bitter pill to swallow since FHS had defeated Doherty rather handily in two regular season encounters. As the Raiders gathered for early season practices that difficult loss was still on the minds of the returning veterans. Junior Dan Emma was going to be taking over the key point guard position in the Raider’s double low post offense, and Rich Tienhaara would step into that all important low post position. Both Dan and Rich had been nurtured through the Grutchfield system to be ready for the 1978 campaign.
But there would be a major surprise for the 1977 season, and that was the breakout year that senior Lauri Rahnasto would have for the Red and Gray. The six feet six inch forward had sort of languished in the Raider program for three or four seasons. But Doug Grutchfield was not a Hall of Fame coach for nothing. He knew that Lauri was young for his class, and therefore somewhat physically immature. “Grutch” told one and all, “just let the kid grow into his body and then watch out!” Coach also knew that Lauri was smart and had an intense desire to excel, and that would be a lethal combination for Raider opponents in 1977.
But the key to any success that the Red Raiders would achieve in 1977 would be the play of Tony Jones. Number thirty-two was Fitchburg’s super star ever since his sophomore year. Tony was nearly impossible to stop with a soft touch from ten feet, his powerful rebounding ability at both ends of the court, and his unselfish attitude, and desire to win which had been instilled in him by Coach Grutchfield. Tony Jones was one of the most complete basketball players to ever don the Raider uniform.
The Red and Gray were so big in 1977 that Coach Grutchfield had to play Dave Caputi, who would have been a small forward on most other high school teams, at the off-guard position. This was not an easy assignment for Dave, but being the good teammate that he was, Dave accepted the assignment. As the season progressed, the Raiders played excellent ball against teams like Doherty, St. John’s, St. Peter-Marian, Leominster and Notre Dame of Fitchburg. In the middle of February the Red and Gray travelled to Worcester to take on St. Peter’s in their band box gymnasium. The Raiders front court led by Rich Tienhaara’s game high 26 points were able to stop a thirteen game win streak of the Guardians as the Raiders eked out a 74-69 victory. Rich’s two cohorts in the frontcourt Jones and Rahnasto chipped in with 16 points and 15 points respectively. But it was truly a team victory as Dan Emma and Dave Caputi scored the final six points of the contest. This victory showed that the Raiders were a super squad.
One week later Fitchburg clinched the CMC championship with an overtime 59-55 victory over arch-rival LHS. The gritty Blue Devils, whose record barely stood at .500, battled the Raiders into overtime by outscoring FHS 14-5 in the last minutes of regulation. But then the cream rose to the top, as Rich and Tony scored key baskets late in overtime. The Red and Gray had shown one and all that they could win, even when their engine was not running on all its cylinders.
Late in February the Red and Gray were scheduled to meet Notre Dame High at the Wallace Civic Center in a highly anticipated return match between the Crusaders and the Raiders. Earlier in February Notre Dame and their imported superstar Gary Burke had beaten FHS 58-51, and the whole sporting community eagerly awaited the rematch. The Civic Center’s’ general manager, Leo Gould, had convinced both schools to play on a plastic modular floor rather than the traditional hardwood. This was must see high school basketball. Over 2800 fans crammed into the Center, and they were treated to a magnificent high school basketball contest. Gary Burke with his inner-city game was sensational as the Crusaders tried to stop the Raiders for their second consecutive victory. But the strong Raider squad eventually wore down N.D. and a new star was revealed for the contest. Dave Caputi, who was averaging around seven points per game, led the Raiders with 18 points.
As Notre Dame’s defense sagged onto Jones, Tienhaara and Rahnasto, Dave Caputi was left alone to take his corner jump shot. Notre Dame’s Coach Jim Todd in talking about his squad’s defeat stated, “I felt Caputi was super. When Dave gets hot then you are in trouble.” Dave humbly commented, “Notre Dame began to sag off, and luckily I got the open shots.” Tony Jones also stated after the thrilling victory, “We’re playing together as a team now and it’s a real boost.”
Now the Raiders were off to the Districts where they opened against an undermanned Worcester Voke who really provided no competition for the Raider’s overpowering front court. Tony Jones poured in twenty six more as FHS won easily 62-37. Then it was onto the finals where the Red and Gray sought revenge for 1976’s difficult loss in the Districts against Doherty. This was Grutchfield versus Billy Gibbons of Doherty, Jones versus Tony Jefferies, Rahnasto versus Ron Brace in a match of opponents who did not particularly like each other. Three thousand basketball fanatics packed Harrington Auditorium as the mighty Raiders toppled Doherty 62-57 to capture the District title. As was their custom all year long the scoring found four Raiders in double figures and the fifth starter Dave Caputi made several key rebounds down the stretch as Doherty tried to catch the Raiders.
Next occurred one of the greatest contests in Fitchburg High School basketball history, FHS versus Durfee High of Fall River. Thousands of Durfee fans would talk the ride up Route One to support their squad in the Garden. Their two legendary coaches Luke Urban and Skip Karam who coached the 1977 Hilltoppers who had more than 1200 wins in their combined careers. In 1956 Urban’s squad had defeated North Quincy in the Tech Tourney’s finals, and the star for North Quincy had been Doug Grutchfield.
Bentley College’s Dana Athletic Center was packed with thousands as the two squads moved to center court for the top off. It would be FHS’ overwhelming size against Durfee’s quickness and outside shooting. The Raiders dominated the boards 40-19 but Durfee forced over twenty turnovers. Led by point guard B.J. McDonald and sharp shooting Kevin Whiting Durfee nipped 64-58 in a great contest. Coach Karam praised the Red and Gray by saying that he truly felt that this was the true state championship game. He felt FHS was the most worthy opponent in the state and his feeling was correct as Durfee easily defeated their next opponent to finish an unbeaten season.
The Red Raiders had come so very close to capturing the state Division I title and for their efforts they have been selected to be the first Grutchfield coached team to enter the FHS Hall of Fame. Boys, that is a true honor and one that the 1977 FHS basketball team truly deserved. You made our community of Fitchburg High School very proud.
In 1965 as Fitchburg High’s famed track and field coach Erkki Koutonen gathered his depth laden squad led by the likes of co-captains Rod Tulanen and Barney Keenan, Warren Muir, Bob Girouard, Dennis Belliveau and Lothar Huckaby, he introduced them to their new assistant coach, Ed Gastonguay. Actually the coach’s introduction was probably not needed by this group of track stars. They were probably familiar with coach Gastonguay and his track ability. When they were in the fifth or sixth grade these kids had probably traveled to Crocker field with their parents or older brothers and watched Ed Gastonguay as he won the North Central Mass Track and Field 440 championship as a Notre Dame High freshman on the cinders of Crocker Field.
Ed’s college career at Brandeis University was often written up in the local papers. As a half miler, Ed won the Greater Boston Championship 880 setting a Brandeis university record that still stands.
In these halcyon days of track and field in the early sixties, Ed learned that respect was a two way street and kids appreciated Ed’s attitude toward their individual needs and his knowledge of middle distance running. These were the glory years of Fitchburg track and field as Koutonen-Gastonguay rolled through the completion.
In 1975 Ed became the head track and field coach upon Erkki’s retirement. The highlight of his outdoor coaching career was the 1976 undefeated District Championship team which included Chris Woods, Doug Romano (Hall of Famer) and Mike Gallo, New England intermediate hurdle champion.
In 1974 Coach Gastonguay took over the boys cross country program which he would maintain for twenty years with great success. His record of 133 wins to 24 losses is noteworthy. Ed’s teams had eight undefeated seasons and nine League championships. His teams finished in the top five in the Districts eleven times and placed 4th once and eighth twice in the State Championships. Thanks to the accomplishments of his many great track and field and cross country athletes, Ed was selected by his peers to the Massachusetts Track Coach’s Hall of Fame.
But if you really want to know what type of Coach Ed Gastonguay was, then you had to follow him in his last coaching job at FHS. In 1986 Ed decided to give freshman girls basketball coaching a try. He loved it. If you have ever been to a 9th grade basketball contest, it can appear to be disorganized chaos, but Ed thrived in that environment. He was great with the girls whether they won or lost by twenty five points. Ed is still very proud of his freshman girls’ record of 133-
24. He is also proud of the fact that he was part of the coaching staff which brought the FHS girls basketball team a District Championship and a trip to the state finals at the Centrum in 1990. Little did he know that the star point guard on that squad, Paula Goodchild, would someday present him with grandchildren.
To say that Ed Gastonguay is a nice guy is to state the obvious. But nice guys do not always land in the Hall of Fame. Ed has the record to justify his selection.
During his thirty five seasons of coaching cross-country, indoor and outdoor track, Coach Gastonguay’s squads won nearly ninety percent of their meets.
Ed Gastonguay was a great athlete, a great coach, and is a wonderful family man who has been married to his beloved Jeanne for forty seven years. The Gastonguays’ have three children: Greg, Cherrie and Doug who presented them with six grandchildren: Johnna, Ean, Samantha, Johnathan, Emily and Alisha.
Following thirty nine years of teaching and being a guidance counselor at FHS, Ed is enjoying golf, summer on Cape Cod, and watching his grandkids compete athletically. But true to his nature, Ed has remained close to high school Athletics by refereeing basketball, soccer and track. Today FHS is overjoyed to induct Ed Gastonguay into its Sport’s Hall of Fame as one of its all time best coaches and finest gentlemen.
During the long history of Fitchburg High School athletics, there may have been no greater period of success that the period from September 1930 through June 1931. This was the mighty Class of 1931 with athletes like Rollie Blake, Donald Allan, Al Secino and Carl Fellows alongwith terrific underclassmen like Bill Whelan, Paavo Lathi, “Duke” Savitt, Ray Belliveau, Norman Morin and Reino Fillback. The Fitchburg High School Hall of Fame is filled with the names of manyof those outstanding athletes.
Carl Fellows was sort of born with a silver spoon in his mouth.
After all, his father John had been the Mayor of Fitchburg for two terms during the mid-1920. But young Carl would need none of his family’s political statue to achieve a record of athletic achievement, which would be second to none during his four years at Fitchburg High School. Carl was blessed with a very large physical body, which allowed him to excel on the tennis court, football gridiron and basketball court. He was a big guy for the 1920’s and 1930’s, standing well over six feet tall and weighing close to 190 pounds. He was extremely imposing to all opponents who ventured into Fitchburg to take on the Red and Gray of this era.
As might be expected Carl made his first athletic impression on the basketball court at B.F. Brown as a solid contributor to the Red and Gray basketball squad which competed against the very best in the state. Eastern Massachusetts’ powerhouses like Malden, Medford, and Brockton as well as out of state squads like Woonsocket, RI were found on the Red and Gray schedule. The tall sophomore, Fellows, acquitted himself quite well against these basketball powerhouses, and Coach Amiott was pleased with his efforts and felt that Carl would be a major force in future basketball campaigns. When the warmer temperatures of springtime arrived, Carl would be found on Crocker Field beautiful tennis courts hitting wonderful overhand smashes and blinding forehands. His immense size would make Carl a formidable force for the Red and Gray tennis squad throughout his high school career.
When Carl’s junior year arrived, he was found once again on the basketball court with outstanding players like Tavno Saminen, James Chalmers, Donald Allan and young sophomore giant Bill Whelan. This core group led Red and Gray to an excellent season with solid victories over the likes of Malden, Gardner and Madison Park. For his excellent effort in his junior campaign Carl Fellows was selected as the team captain for the 1930-1931 basketball season. Carl and his fellow teammates eagerly awaited the upcoming 1931 season hoping that they could return to the Tech Tournament and take down their nemesis, Brockton High which had dominated the Red and Gray during the late 1920’s. Despite his superior size Carl Fellows had never undertaken the sport of football, but in the late spring and summer of 1930 that would all change. Carl had a change of heart regarding football or had his friends and classmates on the football squad just talked this great athlete into giving football a try? Or was it Coach Amiott? Whatever the reason, it was an extreme wise and beneficial choice for both Carl and the Red and Gray football squad.
Within weeks the Fitchburg Sentinel was reporting that Al Secino had returned to the squad after missing a few practices so he could work at his father’s tailor shop, and that basketball captain Carl Fellows was looking very good at the end position in the early season practices. Then as the opening game against Worcester South approached, the Fitchburg Sentinel announced that Coach Amiott had selected Fellows as one of his two starting ends. The Red and Gray began the season with a burst of energy with a brilliant offense which features a dazzling backfield trio of Rollie Blake, Secino and Donald Allan’s razzle-dazzle which sometimes culminated with short accurate passes to the new comer Carl Fellows.
In week five of the 1930 campaign, the Red and Gray traveled east to face Waltham High, a perennial Boston area powerhouse. The Boston press questioned the credentials the “uplanders” from the west, but on October 18th, the Red and Gray showed the Watch City gang that they were the real deal. When the final whistle sounded, Fitchburg stood atop Waltham 21-0 and the next day Boston’s newspaper shouted to one and all that FHS’Blake, Secino, Allan, Charlie Kaddy and Carl Fellows were All-State stars. This was Carl Fellows fifth football game! Simply amazing! The Fitchburg machine rolled onward into early November where they would confront Brockton. They had outscored their opponents 148 to 13 with seven shut outs. Carl Fellows was fine on offensive, but in those days of two-way football players he was leading the defensive line with stout play.
Nearly nine thousand fans packed into Crocker Field for the huge clash against mighty Brockton. In a contest, which the Fitchburg Sentinel called ,“The finest ever played at Mr.
Crocker’s gift since the field was opened in 1919.” Brockton edged FHS 20 to 13 in which all the players covered themselves with glory. Fitchburg’s dreams of an undefeated season were shattered, but that did not deter the Red and Gray, as they rolled through their final three opponents without allowing a point to finish the season 10-1. The Raiders had a fabulous squad and colleges all along the East Coast were watching the players as potential recruits. Certainly the huge end who had only played one year of high school football was an intriguing player.
But now it was onto basketball for Carl Fellows, and for the third year varsity starter and captain, the basketball season would be as fulfilling as the football season had been. The Red and Gray hoop squad in 1931 was talented with stars like Carl Fellows and fellow three year starter Donald Allan and junior Bill Whelan, but their season seem to take a very strange turn at midseason. Carl Fellows and Don Allan were playing very well but losses to Medford and Lynn Classical and a so-so effort against Gardner caused Coach Clarence Amiott to spring into action. Sophomores Reino Fillback and Ray Belliveau were inserted into the starting lineup. Their wonderful outside shooting opened up the court, and Carl Fellows was given room to finesse under the basket. The Red and Gray began to play excellently and they rolled into the Tech Tournament with great victories over Salem, New Bedford and Lynn English to capture the State Championship. Captain Carl Fellows was able to hold the championship trophy above his head to complete a magical year on both the gridiron and basketball court.
After a post-graduate year at FHS, Carl Fellows was accepted into the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, Maryland, where he had a distinguished career in the area of athletics. Carl would play football for the Navy and received his varsity letter. Remember this was wartime when Navy football was amongst the nation’s highest ranked football teams. He continued his basketball career at Navy, and was selected team captain in his senior year. Finally, Carl took up the sport of lacrosse and earned a varsity letter for that sport. For his athletic efforts Carl was awarded the Thompson Sword, which is annually awarded to the finest athlete in the senior class at Annapolis.
That was quite an achievement for the big guy from Fitchburg.
He returned to Fitchburg and took a job at Fitchburg Paper rising to the position of senior sales representative and later took a job as executive vice president of the St. Lawrence, LTD of Canada in the 1950’s. Like many of his generation Carl Fellows served four years as a naval commander in World War II. He would be placed in command of two destroyers during the conflict, which was only fitting for anAnnapolis graduate. Today we feel great pride in inducting Carl Fellows into the FHS Hall of Fame. He was truly one of the greatest generations for the United States of America and one of FHS very greatest athletes.
Around 1953 the Fitchburg YMCA, which had been located on Main Street since the 1890’s, announced that it was going to construct a new facility on Wallace Avenue just a few steps from Fitchburg High School. Immediately families began to enroll their children into the various swim programs, which were being offered by the YMCA, and thus was created a basis for the outstanding swimming squads, which competed for FHS in the 1960’s.
One of those kids was a blonde- haired kid named John Sultan, who would go on to become the greatest swimmer in the history of the Red Raiders, and who this evening we are honored to induct into the FHS Athletic Hall of Fame.
Like many of the kids of the 1950’s and 1960’s John came out of B.F. Brown Junior High School hoping to compete in more than one sport. He was a kid with excellent athletic abilities and instincts, who competed on the freshmen basketball team, and was a four-year member of the outstanding track and field squads. In fact John was such a good high jumper, that he qualified for the state track meet in senior season. He received varsity track letters for all four of his years at FHS-1962 through 1965. But it was John’s prowess in the swimming pool, which made him one of the most honored athletes of that brilliant Class of 1965.
As early as the 1963 swim season John Sultan began to make a name for himself as an up and coming star for the Red and Gray, when he qualified for the state championship in his specialty the 100 yard freestyle. Although a place on the victory stand eluded John in his sophomore season, he had sent out a message to his opponents and coaches across the Commonwealth: “watch out for the Sultan kid from Fitchburg.” Under the encouragement of his young coach, Vince Herring, who was just out of FHS himself as a member of the Class of 1960, John really began to move forward as one of the state’s elite swimmers. And as John improved, so did the Red and Gray swim squad, which became a major force itself. Joining John on the Raider squad were kids like John Marion, John Harnell, Jeff Wilkinson, Pete Hertel, Les Neeham and Edgar Peay, who were improving their times throughout the 1963 swim season. At the end of the 1963 season the FHS junior was poised to make a name for himself at the state level. In the Eastern Massachusetts competition, John finished second in the 200 yard Individual Medley and third in the 400 yard freestyle, and thenin theAll State Championship held one week later, he finished fourth and sixth in
the same two events. Those results had been outstanding for the 11th grade swimmer from FHS, but John was determined that his individual times would be vastly improved in his final campaign for the Red and Gray. John and the rest of his teammates felt that, the team as a whole could be a serious contender for the overall state championship.
But that team goal received a serious setback when their outstanding breast stroker Jeff Wilkinson left FHS to attend Deerfield Academy. But this seemed to spur on John and his coach Vince Herring to greater efforts, and his times dramatically improved as the 1965 season approached. Knowing full well that his senior-laden squad even without Wilkinson was a potential statewide powerhouse Coach Herring loaded up the schedule with very strong competition. When I recently spoke to John about that 1965 season, he related the story that the FHS squad knew they were the real deal when they whipped the defendingstate champion, Boston English, within the friendly confines of their YMCA pool on Wallace Avenue.
Late in February of 1965 the Raiders took on their dreaded nemesis, GHS, at the Wildcats home pool, Greenwood Memorial in a competition, which John still remembers very vividly forty-five years after it occurred. The overall meet was back and forth, so that the final event of the day, the 200-yard freestyle relay was going to decide the meet. John was usually the final swimmer on that relay leg, but Coach Herring had needed him in the 400-yard free style race held just moments before the relay. John had won the 400 to give FHS a very narrow lead in the competition, but he was physically exhausted, and Coach Herring felt that the other members of the relay team could pick up the slack. In a terrific back and forth race the Wildcat anchorman Dave Phillips out reached FHS’Steve Rogers to give the Wildcats a dramatic dual meet victory.
Despite John’s two terrific victories in the 400 freestyle and the 200 medley, the victory over Gardner had eluded the Red and Gray once again.
Now it was onto the State Championships held at the University of Massachusetts, where John and his teammates sought a little revenge against the Wildcats as they vied for the state title. Our inductee, John Sultan had a fabulous performance at the state’s as he became the first Red Raider to ever capture a state championship with a tremendous victory in the 100 yard freestyle, and he backed up that victory with second place in the 200 yard freestyle. Once again the meet came down to the 200 yard relay where FHS finished third while Holyoke finished sixth to capture enough points to win the team title over FHS 40½ points to 38½ points in the closest state championship ever held up to that date. John recently pointed out that one of his team’s tri-captain, John Marion was disqualified by a technicality in the breaststroke semi- finals to deny the Red Raiders almost guaranteed points in that event finals. So close, yet so far and John Sultan clearly remembers that team loss even more than the individual victory some forty-five years later.
So it was that John Sultan’s athletic career was concluding as graduation approached in June 1965. But there was one more athletic event, which John would participate in at FHS, the Junior-Senior Relay. In 1965 the Junior-Senior Relay was huge at Fitchburg High School and the Class of 1965 was loaded. Led by the like of Barney Keenan and Rod Tulonen, sixty-five had its sights on the long time team record set by the Class of 1933. John gladly joined the relay team as they romped to a new all time relay
record with the thirty runners averaging a 2:17 per man, which was truly amazing. This was a record, which will live forever since the event is no longer held in the half-mile format. And now it was onto East Carolina University located in Greenville, North Carolina, John had established eight records while competing for the Red and Gray, but his career at ECU was even more outstanding.
John Sultan was the three time All Southern ConferenceAll Star (1967-1969) while capturing eight individual conference championships and establishing five school records in individual races. He was a College Division AllAmerican in his junior season at East Carolina and was elected team captain for the
1969 squad. In that same senior year John was awarded an Outstanding Collegiate Athletic National Award for his efforts at East Carolina. But his swimming accomplishments did not conclude when John graduated from college. He remained in the pool as a swimming coach and water polo coach in California at the high school and college level, and of course that kept John in excellent physical shape, which led to Master’s swimming where John became a national leader. Between 1983 to 2011 John had been a five time All American at the various age-based competitions, he has been a three time Master National Champion while establishing six World Records and was a Bronze medalist at the World Master’s Championship in 1992.
Following graduation from ECU, John got into sales and marketing for numerous cheese and floral companies all across the United States while continuing tocoach swimming. He and his wife Deborah (Gagnon) from nearby Pepperell eventually landed in California where they raised two daughters, Sonya and Grace who have graciously presented them with three granddaughters Lily, Sadie and Marky. Today John is retired but of course, he still swims and plays a little golf while actively supporting the Lions Club in Fresno, California.
Congratulations John Sultan for your induction into the Fitchburg High School Athletic Hall of Fame. Excellence in the sport of swimming took place for a very short period of time in the 1960’s, but the efforts of kids like John Sultan, Mike McNamara, Jeff Wilkinson and John Marion were certainly of the quality which calls for induction in the FHS Hall of Fame. John represents a truly unique brand of FHS athlete, so once again congratulations.
It was the “best of times” as Mr. Dickens would have said for Coach Tony Alario and the Fitchburg High School Girls basketball squad. The Raiders entered the post season in late February of 1990 with a fine 16-4 record. Led by their senior captain, Paula Goodchild, the Red and Gray had come on strong after tough early season defeats to Holy Name, Marlboro and Wachusett to give them a solid seed in the Districts. Coach Alario’s squad had been aided by the tall presence of freshman Tracey Smith in the middle and the outstanding shooting of junior swing man Tara Sweeney. Their first playoff would be against powerhouse St. Peter-Marion who had been the gold standard on Central Mass. basketball for nearly fifteen years. But the Raiders had a surprise for the Guardians at the old Brickyard as Tracey Smith dominated in the low post, and Tara Sweeney unleashed her deadly bombs from the outside. Sweeney, who had entered FHS just a year earlier as a sophomore, was firing on all cylinders, as she took Goodchild’s precisely placed passes, and hit soft jump shots as she and Smith scored 17 out of 19 points in the decisive second quarter. Despite a late run by St. Peters, the Raiders knocked off their longtime nemesis 68-59 to give FHS their first District win ever. Tara Sweeney had been near perfect, as she scored 26 points in the great FHS victory. Her pinpoint shooting made Sweeney the perfect counter point to Smith’s inside game, and Goodchild’s overall floor game.
Tara’s sharp shooting continued as the Red and Gray moved deeper into the tourney with the upset victories against Marlboro and Holy Name who had defeated FHS earlier in the season. Coach Alario could now count on his emerging All-Star shooter, Tara Sweeney, as the Raiders took down their opponents. All the girls were playing out of their skulls, but Tara Sweeney’s shooting was driving opposing coaches crazy. In early March of 1990, Tara and her teammates raced off the court at WPI with a 44-40 victory and a District trophy for their efforts.
Next came undefeated Agawam at the Springfield Civic Center before 4,000 screaming fans and the Red and Gray shocked the world with a great 56-51 victory. Paula Goodchild had been the field general and Windy Rosebush had a great eight minutes in the last quarter, but Tara Sweeney’s outside shooting had kept the Red and Gray in front throughout most of the contest. The clock finally struck twelve against a powerful Bridgewater-Raynham squad in the state finals at the Centrum, but Tara Sweeney had been a major cog in a wonderful stretch of FHS history. For her wonderful efforts in this tremendous basketball season for FHS, Tara was named a Mid-Wach League All-Star and awarded the team’s Best Offensive Player Award from Coach Tony Alario and his staff.
One aspect of Tara’s high school years at FHS, which had to be mentioned, when discussing her Hall of Fame career is her excellence in the classroom. It is not wrong to say that the teachers noticed her long before her coaches in basketball or softball even knew her name. If Tara was a star on the basketball court or the softball field, she was a superstar in the classroom. Having set her sights at a very young age upon the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado, Tara worked extremely hard in the classroom to achieve excellent grades. Her strong effort would mean that Tara’s name was always found on the Special Honors lists when grades were released, which led to membership in the National Honor Society, a “Gold F” recipient, and Fitchburg High School’s highest honor, the General Excellence Award.
Tara was not just a high achiever when it came to academic tests and grades, but she was intellectually curious when it came to learning. Even though her superior academic strengths were in mathematics and sciences, Tara had a U.S. History teacher who remembered her reaction to the Billy Joel song, “We didn’t start the fire.” He presented the class the words to Mr. Joel’s song, and Tara independently found out all of the references to life in the 1940’s, 1950’s and 1960’s, which the song mentioned. That’s called intellectual curiosity and that was Tara Sweeney at FHS.
In late January 1991, as her senior basketball season was taking place, Tara received notice from the office of Senator Edward Kennedy that she had received an appointment to the United States Air Force Academy. Her lifetime dream had been achieved through her athletic and academic excellence. Tara was the first woman from the City of Fitchburg to attend one of our nation’s service academies.
Despite all the excitement of the Academy acceptance, Tara’s excellent play continued for the Red and Gray during the 1990-1991 basketball season. Elected Co-Captain of the squad, Tara continued to “score the ball” as the say on ESPN for the Red and Gray as they rolled through the competition. Tara, Megan Normandin, Tracey Smith, Amy Robichaud and company dominated with a regular season record of 19-1 and entered the District tournament as the number one seed. Unfortunately, in the district finals at WPI, the Red and Gray fell to old nemesis St. Peter-Marian 54-51 in double overtime. In this contest the old “Worcester referees bugaboo” hit the Raiders, as three team members fouled out of the contest. Tara finished the season averaging nearly 17 points a game, despite playing on an injured ankle during the latter stages of the season. For her efforts she was selected to the Worcester Telegram and Gazette Super Team, the Boston Globe Mid-Wach League All-Star Team, and also named to the All State Scholastic All-Star Team. Tara was a star on the court and in the classroom.
But basketball was not the only sport at which Tara excelled during her years at FHS. She was a starter on two excellent softball squads during her sophomore and junior seasons. The 1989 Raider squad, led by the excellent pitching of Stephanie Dantini, went to the finals of the District Softball tourney, only to lose in an extra inning heart breaker. Tara was given the 10th player award for her efforts in that campaign. During the 1990 season, Tara played a pivotal role in a Red Raider squad that rebuilt faster than everyone expected after the departure of several outstanding seniors. Coach Alario transitioned Tara to her first season as catcher, a position that would later propel her to great success as the Air Force Academy and beyond. While individual awards were not given for this season, Tara and her talented teammates defied expectations, played in the district tourney, and even beat a strong Oakmont team that had won their previous 38 games, before losing to Leominster in the district semi-final. For the 1991 softball season, her senior year, Tara had sustained an ankle injury during the basketball season which needed to be rehabilitated before she departed for the Air Force Academy. Even so, she chose to serve as a student assistant coach to help her teammates succeed.
Throughout her high school years, Tara Sweeney always volunteered for the Special Olympics, as a softball and basketball coach for the special needs kids. Her teams always played and placed quite well, but that, of course, is only of secondary importance. It was the effort put forth and the humanity of the volunteers, which really counted. That effort by Tara may have been noticed by Ted Kennedy, which led to her subsequent Air Force Academy appointment.
After high school it was off to the Air Force Academy where her academic, athletic, and leadership accomplishments are really hard to believe. Tara, in her senior year, attained the highest rank of Cadet Colonel, with an assignment as Cadet Commander-Group 1, with responsibility for 1,100 cadets in her Cadet Wing. She was also elected Class Vice President for all four years. At graduation, Tara was in the top 12% of overall order of merit, top 3% of the military order of merit, and top 18% of the academic order of merit. She was recognized as the top scholar in her first major, third highest scholar in her second major, earned a graduate school scholarship to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, graduated with Military Distinction, and represented her Cadet Group when they were presented with the Outstanding Group Award for the year. Pretty good for a kid from Fitchburg or really anywhere!
Tara also excelled as an Air Force Academy Falcon on the basketball court, softball field, and on the paved roads where she took up cycling as a new endeavor. She was a recruited basketball player, starting as a forward as a freshman for an accomplished junior varsity squad. Tara was also the starting catcher all four years for the women’s fast pitch softball team, and served as captain her senior year. As a young cyclist, Tara earned a spot on the team that went to the 1993 National Collegiate Cycling Championship that was held, if you can believe it, in the greater Boston area. With Fitchburg family and friends cheering her on in her Air Force Academy uniform, she participated in the road race around the streets of Arlington, Belmont, and Lexington; the team time trial in Concord, Carlisle, and Bedford; and even a criterium race around Harvard Square.
Tara graduated from the United States Air Force Academy and received her commission as a Second Lieutenant on May 31,1995.
As for her athletic endeavors post her collegiate career, Tara was invited to participate in the 1996 Olympic Softball Team trials, but, because of the timing of the invitation, had to decline in favor of her military commitment. While attaining her M.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1996, Tara continued to pursue a softball future by working on her skills and retaining the guidance of a personal coach in Colorado Springs. Later, when Tara received her duty assignment with the Air Force Special Operations Command at Hurlburt Field in Florida, she was the first Air Force woman to be selected for competition at the women’s majors semi-professional fast pitch level. She represented the Air Force on a civilian team in over 80 competitions, starting as a catcher, second baseman, and left fielder throughout the season, ultimately winning a National Championship in 1997. Again, her Fitchburg family and friends were able to cheer her on in competitions in the northeast.
An idle mind becoming the devil’s workshop was never a problem for Tara Sweeney. She later earned an M.B.A. from Regis University in Denver, Colorado, in 2007, and has started several successful entrepreneurial endeavors, including a corporation that tests and evaluates new technology for the Department of Defense. Tara lives with her wife, Dr. Jennifer Bishop, and their two great dogs, Calie a Boston Terrier and Jake a miniature Goldendoodle, in Henderson, Nevada, a suburb of Las Vegas. Congratulations, Tara, on your induction into the FHS Hall of Fame. You are one of FHS’ first scholar-athletes ever.
In the early 1960’s Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys wrote that one had to be “true to your school” in one of the many songs which American youth of the Kennedy era took as their youthful credo. Steve LeBlanc of the FHS Class of 1966 must have been a true fan of the Beach Boys and their California sound for he was really “true to his school” for nearly 35 years as a teacher and coach at Fitchburg High School. If one went to an athletic event at which FHS was competing between 1971and 2004, one could be sure to see Steve LeBlanc either showing a sprinter how to place their feet in the starting blocks for an upcomingsprint, collecting tickets on Thanksgiving morning at the Circle Street gates as thousands of the faithful poured through the gates, or showinga photographer which basketball player should be highlighted for The Boulder, FHS’ beloved yearbook. The general public sometimes refers to school teachers as 8:30am to 2:30pm people, who get their summers off while getting paid. Those critics should have been forced to follow Steve around for a few days during the years from 1971 through 2004. Those same critics could probably only keep up the pace for a few days before they collapsed in exhaustion.
One of Steve LeBlanc’s very favorite places in this whole universe had to be Crocker Field. “Shifty” as he was called by one and all, probably should have rented a room in Mr. Crocker’s clubhouse. It would have saved him lots of times, and lots of money for gas mileage. In 1971 the United State Congress passed the Title IX Act and altered athletics in America forever. Now the young female athletes of the United States could compete on a level playing field with their male counter parts, whichresulted in athletic careers for the likes of and Paula Goodchild, Lauren Maxfield, Robin King, Pam Briggs, Cindy Coleman, LynsdayAngus, Sara Thomas, Shelley Richards and hundreds of local females in the north countyregion. Steve almost immediatelyjumped at the opportunity to coach young ladies for the Fitchburg High School track and field program. For a quarter of a century “Shifty” was the head coach for the FHS outdoor and indoor track programs, but more importantly he became a major advocate for his girls, and all the female athletes of Central Massachusetts. Steve fought the good fight so that his lady athletes would get their fair share of the pie.
This entailed thousands of hours of practice at Crocker Field in the cold and damp days of April and May in the New England spring. And it also included countless hours of practice in the corridors at Fitchburg High School’s long corridors in theAcademy Street facility throughout the 1980’s and 1990’s. It also meant early Saturday morning meets in the dead of winter at locations like Marlboro High and South High in Worcester.
That’s tough dedicated work for anybody, and Steve was up to the task for which the females of FHS should be forever grateful. Steve would work the Friday night basketball games at the Brickyard, where “Grutch’s” guys took on the best, usually coming away with a victory. The fans went to Slattery’s to laugh with the public, and have a jolly good time. But Steve would be counting the gate receipts, getting the money to the bank and heading home to await that 5:30am alarm clock so that he could get his girls on the road for the 8:00 am dual meets or the 7:30am District Championships. That’s being“true to your school!”
During the 1980’s “Shifty” and his energetic assistant coach Kathy Eckley had quite a bit of success in the Mid-Wach League and in the District Championships in both indoor and outdoor seasons with great athletes like Louella Earley, Danielle Holland, Yolanda Lewis, Cindy Coleman, Karma Tousignant, Kim Crute,Anita Schoenig, Lori Lareau, Lisa Vitelli, Joanne Marshall and other fine competitors. But there was always that “800 pound gorilla in the room” called Shrewsbury High girls track and FHS along with the rest of Central Massachusetts could never overcome the Colonials. The FHS girls would win individual events in the championships, but the depth of the Colonial machine always gave Shrewsbury the upper hand.
Aterrific FHS squad during the 1983 indoor season clobbered all their opponents with thirty plus point victories, but their depth particularly in the long distance events. But “Shifty” and his ladies never stopped trying to knock Shrewsbury off their perch.
Steve LeBlanc had a special place in his heart for those two indoor and outdoor track squads, which represented FHS in the 1982-1983 seasons. Although this group of girls would finish second to Shrewsbury in both the indoor and outdoor seasons to Shrewsbury, “Shifty” has always liked to point to the quality of the competitors on those squads. Girls like the Earley sisters; Louella and Leona, Yolanda Lewis, Lori Lareau, Kim Crute and Lisa Vitelli could run, throw or jump with the very best in Central Massachusetts and even at the state level. Steve is quick to point out that FHS captured 3rd place in the Martin Luther King Relays in 1983. This event had schools from throughout the Commonwealth, and he always said his kids did not have to take a backseat to any squad. That’s what an advocate always does for his kids. When the FHS Hall of Fame was first begun, “Shifty” want to make sure that ladies of FHS track and field would receive their honored place upon the Wall of Fame. He fought for Louella Earley and Cindy Coleman-Donelan to become members of the Hall just like Dennis LeBlanc, Craig Cormier or Joe Hannon. And today those ladies are honored members of the Hall.
When I talked recently to Steve in his home in Florida, he emphasized strongly to me not to forget his indoor track squad of 2001, which had broken Shrewsbury’s long winning streak in the Mid- Wach League. He was very proud of the efforts of his kids as they rolled through the league undefeated and captured the Mid-Wach Championships which was a first for FHS. That squad had super talent like the enthusiastic Martha Oliver who could win first in the shot put or the 50-yard dash, “Kate the Great” Guenette who was unbeatable in the hurdles in her junior and senior seasons, whether it was indoor or outdoor. Oly Wirtz a fabulous middle distance runner and Sally Girouard who was a wonderful long distance runner for the Red and Gray. But “Shifty” did not want people to forget the other contributors like CrystalAndy , Kerry Kazanjian, Danica Forest, Caitlin Brennan,Angela Masciarelli and Jessica Blanchette, who helpedmake this truly unique teama champion.
Steve LeBlanc was much more than a coach and ticket manager during the twenty-five year period from 1975 through 2000. If a job needed to be done, and it would make the life of the kids better, Steve was there to do the job. During the fall months as the students walked into the cafeteria at FHS onAcademy Street, one would see signs, extending along all the walls, cheering on the football team to capture a victory that Friday evening or Saturday afternoon. That was the work of the Booster Club and of course their sponsor was Steve LeBlanc, and then there was the organization of that unforgettable Thanksgiving Rally for the Turkey Day Classic, which was also directed by“Shifty” that was Mr. LeBlanc making the school a better place for the kids.
The Boulder was always loaded with the pictures of kids who wore the Red and Gray for FHS. Teams had their pictures taken, individuals had their pictures in the yearbook and also their thoughts on being a member of the team and there were also great action shots of the athletes. That was the work of “Shifty” and his loyal Boulder staff, creating memories for the future.
After receiving notification that he had been elected to the FHSAthletic Hall of Fame, Steve stated that as a teacher, coach and advisor his goals were to always serve my city, and especially the students and athletes of FHS. He stated that he always received tremendous pleasure teaching, coaching and advising. It was for this type of attitude the Hall of Fame takes great pleasure in welcoming Steve Leblanc into our midst. Thank you “Shifty” for everything you did for the kids at FHS.
Today “Shifty” is enjoying his well-earned retirement in Punta Gouda, Florida, with his wife Colleen, and says that those warm sunny days in January and February are just perfect. But Steve has not forgotten about his old high school; he has helped put the Hall of Fame program together for the last three inductions. He is still “true to his school” and his contributions to FHS and its kids have made him a welcome addition to the Hall of Fame. Congratulations Steve!
As the faithful of Red Raider football stood joyouslyin the frigid confines of Worcester State’s Coughlin Field, and watched the game clock slowly work its way toward zero, the Raider players and coaches on the sidelines gleefullyhugged. This was an all time great moment in the nearly 100 year history of FHS football. With their victory over Springfield Central, the Red and Gray would finish unbeaten with a 12-0 record, and be universally recognized throughout the state as the finest eleven in the Commonwealth. The season had been a team triumph through and throughout, one player had stepped forward as the team superstar that was Jason Twomley. But if one knows FHS sports, one knows that Jason was also a Hall of Famer on the baseball diamond for Fitchburg High.
Jason Twomley first became known to FHS football fans on a cold Thanksgiving morning at Doyle Field in 1997, when he made an unexpected appearance in the Turkey Day Classic. The Raiders entered the contest as a decided underdog against a very strong Leominster eleven, which was led by strong defense, which featured an outstanding line backing corps. Early in the second quarter FHS’ starting quarterback David Masciarelli was knocked out cold by the Leominster linebackers, and a young freshmanwearing the number sixteen came onto the field to assume the quarterback position. All along the FHS side of Doyle Field the fans of Raider football looked at each other and said, “Who is this kid?” His name was Jason Twomley, and he would prove his mettle on that verydifficult Thanksgiving morningin which FHS was down 28-6 to their archrivals. But FHS fans never again had to ask, “Who is Jason Twomley?” Shortly after Jason entered the contest, FHS ran a pitch play in which the quarterback raced down the offensive line before passing the pigskin to the trailing halfback. He carried out his assignment perfectly, and then he was smashed to the ground where he laid motionlessly. Ahush came over the crowd as the coaches rushed to their quarterback’s side. After thirty seconds, the fifteen-year-old freshman rose to his feet and headed back to huddle and not to the sidelines. Thus began a Hall of Fame career!
Following that uniqueinitiation in the 1997 Turkey Day Classic, Jason entered his sophomore season in a head to head competition with senior David Masciarelli for the starting quarterback job. After an intense competition in the pre-season Coach Cosenza decided to go with the senior signal caller so Jason had to patiently await his turn. Midway in the 1998 season, Jason would receive his starting nod when Masciarelli once again was sidelined withan injury. With asolidrunningattackthat featured Dustin LeBlanc,Andy LeBlanc and Frank MacDonald and a solid defense spear headed by a massive Keith Leavitt, BJ Roy, Tom Snow and Dustin LeBlanc, Jason was not asked to carry a very heavy load. But when needed, young number sixteen could get the job done. Early on, Jason showed that he was a solid runner who would make the quarterback sneak an art form. He could also throw an accurate short pass, which kept enemy secondary on their toes. The Red and Gray did not miss a beat as they marched to an 11-0 regular season record. The southpaw quarterback proved throughout the 1998 season that he was the real deal who would make FHS a power to be reckoned with in his final two campaigns. Coach Cosenza had a real stud on his hands, and he knew it. In the Super Bowl contest held at WPI in early December FHS would lose 28 to 21 in a thrilling contest against a very classy Springfield Cathedral squad, and Jason came away with a bad taste in his mouth. He would not forget that feelingduring his final two campaigns.
In the fall of 1990, the Red and Gray got out of the starting gate very slowly, as their record stood at 1- 4 by mid-October. But their fourth loss to mighty Brockton 16-12 showed that this squad and their junior signal caller, Jason Twomley were certainly not a losing eleven. Coach Cosenza told the local press that he was extremely pleased with the effort of Twomley and the rest of the squad against the Boxers, but behind closed doors, he told his kids that they would not lose again if they put forth the effort against the rest of their opponents. Jason and his halfback Frank MacDonald began to spearhead a ground offense which steam rolled the likes of Milford and Shrewsbury. On Thanksgiving morning at Doyle Field, the Red and Gray, who were a slight underdog to the Devils, road the coat tails of their junior quarterback and his bull like rushes and the slashing runner of the late emerging tailback Jason Quinn. The Blue Devils were no match for the rapidly emerging juggernaut as the Red Raiders captured a convincing 38-21 Turkey Day victory. But the best was yet to come!
In the summer of 1998 when Ray Cosenza had taken a group of baseball players to Holland and France which did include fifteen year olds, Jason Twomley, Mike Thomas, and Marcus DiNatale. Ray Cosenza had quietly predicted that this group and their fellow classmates could prove to be the best squad ever. Oh, how accurate was that prediction!
When the 2000 campaign opened for FHS in what would be a glorious season, the Red Raider faithful saw that Coach Cosenza had asked Jason to play defensive safety. He would be the Raider’s last line of defense as well as their starting quarterback. Quite a load to carry for number sixteen, but he seemed to prosper with extra duties. Jason had ten pass interceptions, and was named to the All-State All-Star team for his defensive play. But his offensive efforts didn’t falter in the 2000 campaign as the Raiders rolled over the competition. At mid-season the Red and Gray knocked off St. John’s, Brockton and Xaverian in succession and laid claim to the number one spot in the state. Jason was all over the field with brilliant end sweeps, bulldozer quarterback sneaks and pinpoint passing.The whole 2000 squad was magnificent, but Jason’s star seemed to shine just a little brighter.
Jason Twomley was selected to the Worcester Telegram and Gazette Super Team in his junior and senior season. Following that fantastic football campaign, the Gridiron Club of Greater Boston selected Jason to be a member of the “Super 26” All-Star team. The same Greater Boston Gridiron Club also named him the Defensive Player of the Year. Not bad for a kid who only played one year of defensive football at FHS.
But football may not have been Jason Twomley’s best sport at FHS. When springtime rolled around Jason would take his spikes, leather glove and aluminum bat down to Crocker Field to play the national past time for the Red and Gray. Jason was your classic left-handed slugger, who also could make solid contact for a high batting average. He was very good, and as early as his sophomore season both college and professional scouts were watching him. He was a three time All-Star in the Mid- Wach League which was one of the most highly competitive leagues in Central Mass., and he also received All Star honors for the T&G Baseball Super Squad. His efforts would earn Jason a full scholarship to play baseball at UMASS. The fact that he was a Gold “F” winner and a member of the National Honor Society made UMASS an avid pursuer for his services at this time.
Jason Twomley had a tremendous baseball career at UMASS from 2002 through 2005, which culminated with his being drafted by the Boston Red Sox in 2005. In his senior season Jason was selected as a first team All-Star in the Atlantic 10 when he hit 16 homeruns with 98 total bases and slugging percentage near 700. For his efforts he was selected to play in the New England Inter- Collegiate Baseball Association All-Star Game at Fenway Park. This is a unique honor.
Jason then played two seasons in the Red Sox farm system at Lowell and Portland with the likes of Clay Bucholtz, Dustin Pedrioa and Jacoby Ellsbury. His 2005 season was highlighted in Lowell with seven long- trippers, which led the Spinners that season. Following the 2006 season Jason decided to give up his baseball quest, and today he works for Equinox Fitness as a manager and resides in Watertown, MA with his wife Ashleigh. His athletic career at FHS is a rapidly receding memory, but today we can remember his Hall of Fame career as one ofthe very best in FHS history, which is really saying something. Congratulations Jason!
Before we get into the exploits of Francisco Balaguer Jr. at Coggshall Park or on the cinders of Crocker Field or the indoor tracks of the 1980’s we would like to relate three or four stories which have occurred over a twenty five year period which explains the character of this Hall of Fame runner.
Coach Ed Gastonguay loves to tell the story of his first encounter with a very young Frank Balaguer which occurred in the late 1970’s. Rich Houston, the very fine cross-country coach at St. John’s always had a full slate of cross- country runners who resigned terror upon most of Central Massachusetts’ opponents. Most cross-country squads were lucky to have a dozen competitive runners on their squads; St. John’s might have had thirty or forty. So Houston always likes to run a junior varsity race to give his younger and less experienced harriers a chance to strut their stuff. Houston would give fellow coaches like Ed Gastonguay a telephone call to set up a J.V. race. But good guy Ed would agree with Houston’s request, but he would then have to go to B.F. Brown and Memorial Junior High Schools to get enough runners for this junior varsity race. So in 1979 or 1980 Ed stood on a slight incline about a hundred yards from the finish line as the J.V. race came to a conclusion. As expected the young St. John’s runners approached the finish line in a cluster of three or four, but lo and behold, just behind the leader came a little guy wearing a green shirt and a smile about a mile wide, and weighing less than 110 pounds, pounding toward the finish line. Ashocked Coach Gastonguay said, “Who the heck is that kid?” Thus was Ed Gastonguay introduced to one of his all time cross-country runners, Francisco Balaguer, Jr. From the fall of 1982 through 1985, Frankie would not trail in many other cross-country races as he raced toward a FHS Hall of Fame induction.
By the fall of Frank’s senior year at FHS in 1984 every coach in Central Massachusetts knew Frank Balaguer’s name. He was the best runner in the region, and certainly one of the very best in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Frankie had established course records at Wachusett Regional, St. John’s and Leominster as he annihilated the competition. Just before the Lunenburg Invitational in mid- October Coach Gastonguay trying to protect his super star for the Districts and States suggested that Frankie take in easy. Running at a leisurely pace for Frank Balaguer, the Red Raider cruised to an easy victory. Only later was it realized that his time was the second fastest ever run in Lunenburg. Just think if Frankie had been trying!
But as Frank’s senior season rushed toward its conclusion, there was still one record which had eluded Frank’s grasps, the Coggshall course record held by Eric Hanson, an exchange student from Norway who had raced for FHS in the mid-1970’s. Coach Gastonguay hatched a plan and presented it to Dick Mulligan, Lunenburg’s cross-country coach andA.D. who gave his hearty okay. It was decided that Frank would begin his run one minute behind the rest of the runners from FHS and LHS to see if he could catch the competition and establish a new record for the Coggshall site. Maybe the MIAA would not have approved this idea, but the twoA.D.’s Mulligan and Doug Grutchfield said, “Let’sgo for it.”
On a beautiful October afternoon excited spectators and competitors stood at the starting line awaiting the race. The starting pistol sounded and the two squads sped down the course while Frank stood quietly at the starting line waiting for his start. Sixty seconds later a second shot was fired and a Red and Gray clad blur raced off the starting line heading toward the granite stone house and the rest of the runners. The runners emerged from the woods for the first time and headed for the finish line for the first time and then Frank appeared from the woods and he was flying. Up the Coggshall hills went the pack as Frank came on like a wild stallion. For five or six minutes everything was quiet since the runners could not be seen, but then there was wild cheering from the spectators as the leader of the race re-entered the Mirror Lake area. The runner was wearing a red and gray uniform and his name was Frank Balaguer. As he raced along the pond’s edge the Raider faithful roared their approval. You had to be there to believe Frank’s record-setting effort in the fall of 1984.
For the fall of 1981 Frank Balaguer, a member of the Class of 1985, entered FHS running, and he never really stopped for the next four years. The youngster immediately became a large factor on the Red and Gray cross-country squad which was becoming a major force in the CMC by the fall of 1981. Although Frank stood nearly half a foot shorter than most of his teammates, Coach Gastonguay could count on his budding superstar to finish in the top ten of any event against the very best in Central Mass. During the winter and spring months of his freshman track seasons Frank was rapidly becoming one of the better long distance runners in the mile and two mile and Frank would also begin to show his natural speed in the 4×400 relay event running with guys Marcello Filice and Rich Carabba. But it was in Frank’s sophomore and junior years that he burst into the scene as a local track superstar. Fitchburg High had a wonderful cross- country squad which went undefeated in all its dual meets and was the Central Massachusetts Conference Champion before finishing second in the Districts in November in Gardner. There is a great picture of the squad coming to the finish line together in the 1983 Boulder and there is a young Frank Balaguerholding his finger high signifying the squad’s number one position. During that fall season Frank finished first in the Knights of Columbus race, fourth in the Wachusett Invitational and eleventh in the Districts and he was only a tenth grader. He was also the fastest sophomore to ever race on the Coggshall course.
Frank’s forte during his FHS years may very well have been his efforts on the hills of Worcester County during the autumn months, but he was no slouch when it came to indoor and outdoor track. As a sophomore Frank broke the school record by ten seconds when he finished 12th in the State Championship with an outstanding time of 9:38.4 at Boston College’sAlumni Field. Earlier in that same season Frank had captured the District Championship in the two mile and stamped himself as a runner to watch. District Championships are seldom captured by sophomores!
Typical of Frank’s efforts was his track competition against an excellent Keene, New Hampshire squad which knocked off the Red and Gray 77-68 in an outstanding track meet. Frank captured the mile in a time of 4:49.9, the two mile in 10:13 and was a member of the victorious 4×400 relay squad. That’s the type of performance which Hall of Fames can be expected to give. During Frankie Balaguer’s four year running career he was an outstandingAll Star runner in track and field, but it was on the hilly cross-country course of Central Massachusetts that his running skills became legendary to the Red and Gray fans.
The fall of 1984 was really special for Frank. He was a sight to behold as course records fell before his pounding feet, and he ran with such joy. Maybe it was that Latin flavor which he inherited from his native Uruguay, that so endeared Frankie to the spectators. As November of this senior year approached, one title had eluded Frankie’s grasp, the District title on the hills of Gardner. Fitchburg High students, teachers and teammates took the ride west on Route 2 to watch their champion take on t he best that Central Massachusetts had in 1984. As the races piled up during the long cross-country season, Frank had begun to wear down a little and he had a nagging cold as the competitors lined up at the starting line. The starting gun was fired and Frank leaped to the front as the huge field raced down Gardner’s long straight away. All were confident as Frank headed into the hills and that feeling was strengthened as he emerged with a solid lead.
Frank headed for the long final stretch at Gardner with a comfortable lead, but then he seemed to hit a solid brick wall. Frank seemed to wobble and all of the FHS fans gasped. Would he make it to the finish line?
His competitors gained heart as Frank struggled with less than 200 yard to go in the race. It did not look good! But somewhere Frank Balaguer summoned the courage to complete his quest. Literally staggering, he reached the finish line collapsing as he crossed the line. He had shown the courage and heart of a lion, and had concluded his high school career as a District Champion. That’s what Hall of Fames do!
Congratulations Frank Balaguer!
In the early 1990’s Fitchburg High School received a wonderful gift from America’s Midwest when the Schneiderfamilyof Iowa arrived in the “burg” and enrolled their two oldest sons at the school on Academy Street. Joel and Matt were both outstanding students, who immediately became involved with athletics at FHS. The two brothers impressed one and all with their work ethic and their commitment to the team and winning. In the fall of 1992 the youngest of the Schneider’s clan, Danny, arrived at FHS, thus was begun a Fitchburg High School Hall of Fame Career. Coaches Ray Cosenza and Doug Grutchfield were both drawn to this big kid with a great work ethic and intensity, which was obvious when Dan Schneider set foot on Crocker Field and the Brickyard of Academy Street. This biggest of the Schneider would soon become one of Fitchburg High School’s all time athletic greats on his way to the Hall of Fame.
By the mid-1990’s Coach Ray Cosenza had created a football juggernaut at FHS, which was capable of handling any football team in the state of Massachusetts, and by the beginning of his sophomore season Dan Schneider had become an integral cog in that gridiron machine. Standing six foot and three inches tall and weighing two hundred thirty pounds in his sophomore season, Dan Schneider was an offensive line coach’s dream, and remembers Ray was a lineman from the old school. Dan was almost immediatelyinstalled in the offensive and defensive tackle positions, and he gave the Red and Gray toughness unmatched by any of their gridiron opponents.
During Dan Schneider’s three-year varsity career, the Red and Gray running attack led by the likes of Ryan Keenan, Mike Beaulac, Chris Roy, Ricky Morales and Lawrence Yarbrough was dominant throughout Central Massachusetts. It did not hurt these elusive backs that they were running behind the bone crunching blocks of number seventy-four, Dan Schneider. Two other individuals who were consistently aided by those bone crushers were quarterbacks Todd Steffanides and Devin Gates, they dropped into the pocket and they prepared to launch their passes downfield. Dan Schneider was a wonderful security blanket for his QB’s. During Dan Schneider’s years at FHS, the Raiders had a 23-10 record, never lost to archrival Leominster on Turkey Day, and played in three Super Bowls.
Probably the greatest compliment that Dan Schneider ever received was from Bob Savatelli, one of LHS’ greatest gridiron supporters when he turned to a sideline reporter during halftime of the
1995 Turkey Day Game and said, “Sully, Leominster just does not have kids like that #74 Schneider anymore. He is just too good for the Devils.” FHS was leading 31-0 at the halftime contest and even a super Blue Devil fan like Bob Savatelli knew that they could not handle Dan Schneider, very few could!
Following his junior and senior seasons. Dan was honored by his selection to the Mid-Wach A All-Star squad, and in his senior season, he was unanimously selected to the Telegram and Gazette Super Team for his superb play in the 1995 campaign. Of greater importance was the fact that Dan’s outstanding play had garnered the attention of various college football programs, and theywere offering Dan full athletic scholarships toplay football at their institutions ofhigherlearning. After much deliberation Dan and his family decided to accept a full boat at the University of Massachusetts. Both parties would be extremely pleased with this arrangement as Dan received an excellent education at UMASS, and became an outstanding player on the excellent Minutemen squads of the mid 1990’s, including the Division I-A National Championship squad which upset a heavilyfavored Georgia Southern squad to bring the title back to Amherst.
But there was more to Dan Schneider’s FHS athletic career than football. During his sophomore through senior seasons Dan Schneider was a key member of the Raider basketball squad, which won nearly 80% of their contests, and made the District playoffs in all three campaigns. The highlight of this three year period was the 21-2 squad in Dan’s senior season which reached the District finals only to
lose to a strong St. John’s squad 62-50. Dan was the type of kid who makes any basketball squad excellent; he did all the dirty work, which goes, unnoticed by the spectators, but not by the coaches. Dan was alwaysagainst the opponent’s big men, and he set great picks for scoring guards like Ricky
Morales, Kevin Keenan and Todd Steffanides. Dan Schneider was a coach’s player, who sacrificed the glory of scoring for the good of the team. Don’t get the wrong opinion! Dan Schneider had excellent offensive skills, but he knew that his value to the squad lie in the other areas, so he made decisions which brought glory to the squad rather than the individual.
When New England’s very short spring rolled around, Dan Schneider would be found at Crocker Field participating in the high jump and shot put which featured his agility and his strength. When Dan graduated in June of 1996 he had accumulated eight varsity letters which placed him in very exclusive athletic company.
Dan Schneider was known as a big strong tackle for the great FHS football squads of the mid- 1990’s and an excellent basketball player for the Grutchfield Fives of that same era, but to his teachers and counselors, Dan was known for something else altogether. He had a tremendous work ethic in the classroom. Playing football and basketball were rather easy to Dan Schneider, getting good grades was much harder. But like the workout in the weight room, Dan was willing to put the time into his studies. Some kids might get the assignment done in an hour, but Dan was willing to put in two or three hours to get that assignment completed. And got it done, he did. Throughout his years at FHS, Dan’s name would be seen consistently on the FHS honor roll. Some of Dan’s counselors felt that his classroom work ethic got him that football scholarship almost as much as his play on the field.
Athletic and academic excellence followed Dan Schneider to the University of Massachusetts where he was a key member of the Minutemen squads from 1996 to 2001. In his freshmen season the UMASS coaching staff decided to red shirt Dan so he could adjust to college life, and get bigger in the weight room for upcomingcampaigns. That decision immediatelypaid dividends for the Minutemen as Dan played in all eleven contests in his second college season and was selected to the UMASSA.D.’s Honor Roll for his excellence in the classroom.
In 1998, Dan Schneider and the UMASS Minutemen under Coach Mark Whipple began a glorious season, which would culminate with their victory in the National Championship for Division 1- AA against a highly favored Georgia Southern squad. Dan started 14 out of 15 contests in that magical ride being a key component in their front seven on defense. He recorded fifty-five tackles and six sacks for which he was named to the Atlantic-10All Academic team and also received theA.D.’s Honor Roll position for the second straight year. Notice that Dan Schneider had become a student-athlete with a tremendous effort on the field with great statistics in all the defensive categories as the Minutemen once againplayedin the Division 1-AA football tournament.
In Dan’s final season he was named an Honorable mentionAllAmerican, made the All New England football team and was named theAtlantic-10AllAcademic football player and finallywas named the Most OutstandingAcademian by the UMASS coaches for their football squad. Dan Schneider had made his familyproud, his universityproud and his old high school extremelyproud.
Today we honor Dan Schneider into our FHS Athletic Hall of Fame. Truly he was one of our very best.
Today Dan Schneider is a member of the Vermont State Police as a Senior Trooper. He has been an officer since 2004 serving the citizens of the Green Mountain State. His special interests today include running, weight lifting, surfing, but most important beingafatherto Evan Daniel Schneider. Welcome to the Hall of Fame, Dan!
In the long and storied history of Fitchburg High School football, there have only been three undefeated and untied Red and Gray elevens, the squads of 1895, 1993 and today’s Hall of Fame inductee the Raiders of 2000.
Some teams came extremelyclose to this tremendous accomplishment such as the 1922 squad which went 10-1 losing only to Proviso High of Maywood, Illinois, and defeating Eastern Massachusetts powers Waltham, Brockton and Boston College High. This great Red and Gray squad featured stars like Larry Hobbs, Bart Hodge and Erwin Beach. The Red and Gray eleven of 1927 went 9-1 outscoring opponents 278 to 7. Featuring a lighting tailback named John Oliva and small dynamic linemen called “Iron” Walsh only lost to Malden High 7-0 in a contest which the Red and Gray faithful called “highway robbery” for
decades after the contest.
The 1930 and 1935 FHS teams of Coach Clarence Amiott which featured stars like Al Secino, Rollie Blake, Bill Whelan, Jimmy Leo, “Ossie” MacLean, Lauri Shattuck and Carl Fellows both went 10-1, only to be beaten by Eastern Mass. giant Brockton, and then there was the 1964 team which went 7-0-2 having two ties against Gardner and Nashua. The 1964 Red Raider squad featured the state’s very best player in Warren Muir, who later became an All American running back at the University of South Carolina. Then there was Coach Ray Cosenza’s squad of 1998, which went 11-0 in regular season only to lose a heart breaker against an outstanding Springfield Cathedral squad 28-21 in the post-season. This great team was led by big Keith Leavitt and a tough running back named Justin LeBlanc along with a young quarterback named Jason Twomley.
The 1895 squad went 4-0 in the “push and pull” era of the gay nineties which featured “flying wedge” football in which participants played a violet game without helmets, while the second Red and Gray squad was Coach Amiott’s team of 1933 which featured Bill Mackie, Jimmy Leo, the Esielonis brothers, Stanley and Felix, and Russell Dik, handled its eastern Mass. opponents like Brockton, Brookline, Arlington and Quincywith relative ease and on Thanksgiving morning of 1933 stopped the Blue Devils of Leominster 20 to 12 in a contest which many local football historians called the greatest Turkey Day Classic of them all. That Blue Devil squad which had been undefeated for nearly two complete seasons was led by the incomparable Ronny Cahill who many considered LHS’ great player.
The third Raider squad which completed its season with an unbeaten and untied slate was the 2000 team, which is being inducted into the Fitchburg High School Athletic Hall of Fame just eleven years after their fabulous 12-0 season. That’s how great their accomplishment was. Coming into the pre-season workouts Coach Ray Cosenza was guardedly optimistic about the 2000 Red Raider’s chances. He based his positive thoughts on the fact that the squad had had tremendous spring and summer workouts, which showed the dedication of this group, particularly his seniors, a great finish in the 1999 season when FHS had finished with six straight victories after a tough 1-4 start, and senior leadership from the likes of Frank McDonald, Jason Twomley, Marcus DiNatale, Tim Caron, Tim Keenan and JimmyAlexander. But even Coach Cosenza could not imagine in his wildest dreams what the 2000 campaign would bring. Like the old Amiott teams of the 1920’s and 1930’s, the Red and Gray schedule was loaded with powerful opponents like St. John’s, Milford, Turkey Day rival Leominster and Eastern Mass. powerhouses Xaverian and the Boxers of Brockton High.
The Raiders opened their storied season with solid victories over good squads like St. Peter- Marian, Nashoba and Milford and there began to be a buzz amongst the Red and Gray faithful that this could be the Red Raider squad that could go all the way. The faithful looked at the power running backfield of Frank McDonald and Jason Twomley who were aided by the devastating blocking of junior fullback Norman Cole who was becoming a major force. Running behind a solid offensive line led by the likes of Sean Roy, Marcus DiNatale, Tim Caron, Josh Raboin, Anthony Fanelli, Mike Thomas and JimmyAlexander, the Red Raiders averaged nearly thirty points a game as they rolled through their first three opponents, but the critics said, “Let’s see how they do in October.”
Facing the Red and Gray in early October as the leaves turned into their beautiful colors, Coach Cosenza and his gang would face one of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’ toughest schedules, St. John’s, Brockton and Xaverian. Just before the Columbus Day holiday the Raiders faced their biggest challenge when they trailed St. John’s of Shrewsbury 10-6 at halftime. As Thomas Paine had said in 1776, “These were the times that tried men’s souls.” And the 2000 Red Raiders answered the call with a brilliant second half rally, which found the Raiders on top 20-17 as the final whistle was blown. Frank McDonald had a “monster second half” with powerful runs which left the Pioneers scattered all over the field and when the game was finished the Raiders held a 20-17 score and a fourth straight victory.
Following the great comeback victory over St. John’s, the Raider took on two of eastern Massachusetts’ most powerful elevens, Brockton and Xaverian, and the kids from the North County showed the big city boys, that they were made of the right stuff! Fitchburg 28 Brockton 14 and FHS 31, Xaverian 14. Now the Boston Globe and the Boston Herald knew that FHS was a major powerhouse and the city of Fitchburg reveled in the glory of the Red and Gray. Coach Cosenza loved that the squad was made up of individuals who played for their teammates, their communitylocated along the Nashua and their high school located on Academy Street. It really was “Hail to the Red and Gray” squad.
As the weather turned colder, and FHS returned to their Central Massachusetts’opponents the “Big Red and Gray Machine” rolled. The Raider defense, led by inspirational tri-captain Tim Caron, became an immovable object. The “D” line of Marcus DiNatale, Ernie King, Josh Raboin, Mike Thomas, Tim Roy and Tom Foote became FHS’version of the steel curtain. And if you were lucky enough to escape the defensive line, you they had to face Frank McDonald, Jason Twomley, Tim Keenan, John Shea and BJ Fitz in the backfield. The Raiders cruised into Thanksgiving morning averaging nearly 40 points a game in their previous five contests, and the faithful came to Crocker Field to enjoy the classic.
But Coach John Dubzinski and his Blue Devils came into Crocker with a defensive scheme to stop the undefeated Raiders. The Devil’s defensive was going to stop the Raiders’inside running attack, featuring Frank McDonald behind the tremendous blocking of Norman Cole and the quarterback sneaks of Twomley, and for most of the first half the Devils were successful. As the teams went off the gridiron at halftime the Raiders appeared frustrated, and an upset of epic proportions appeared possible for the Devils.
Those dreams of a Blue Devil upset would disappear with the play of an unexpected Raider star, which would have the half of his life on the Thanksgiving morning of 2000. Tim Keenan was the last of the Keenan’s of West Fitchburg who had starred on the gridiron for the Raiders in the 1990’s, and he would do them proud this Turkey Day morning. Early in the second half Tim intercepted a Blue Devil pass, as they were beginning to threaten the Raider end zone. Then Tim would take a Leominster punt around his 20-yard line, and deftly scamper up the sidelines to midfield to set up a Raider touchdown, which featured the bull-like rushes of Frank McDonald and Jason Twomley. Finally Tim would catch a down and out pass from Jason elude the first Leominster tackler and race down the field for a 75 yard touchdown which finished the Blue Devil’s hopes of an upset. As the Faith United clock approached 12:30 pm the Raiders marched off Crocker Field with a satisfying victory, and now it was on to the Super Bowl.
It was cold at Coughlin Field at Worcester State, as the Red Raiders took on Springfield Central in a contest of contrasts, central with its super speed and FHS with its strength and dogged determination. It was so cold the Eskimos would have stayed at home, but hundreds of Red and Gray fans arrived in clothing that was suited for a visit to the North Pole. Central broke out of the starting gate quickly with their lighting fast tailback named Don Jones, and for the first time since the St. John’s game in early October, the Raiders trailed 7-0. But that just increased this Raider’s blue- collar determination. You are quick, so we will just hit you a little harder, and soon Central was putting the ball on the turf and FHS took control. And the temperature continued to plummet on this sunny December afternoon. Even Coach DiGeronimo seemed cold in his ever-present shorts.
First Mike Thomas recovered a quarterback fumble by Central near mid-field and the Big Red and Gray machine went into overdrive. McDonald smashed into the middle of the line, Twomley skirted the end on option plays and unheralded Norman Cole blasted Centrals defense with tough inside yardage. As Springfield’s defense crept closer to the line of scrimmage, Jason faked to Frank and Norm and stepped back and floated a perfect pass to Ryan Davenport for a 27 yard TD pass.
The Raiders had tied the game, 7 to 7 but it would not stay that way for long.
Central started another drive with their lightning backs and reached midfield quickly. Then Frank McDonald laid the lumber on Centrals quarterback on an option play, and the ball squirted loose. And alert Jimmy Alexander pounced on the ball and sprinted toward the end zone. Fifty-two yards later, the Raiders had a lead they would never relinquish. FHS went into the halftime with a 20- 13 lead, but the faithful were still nervous about those Springfield Central backs, as they slowly froze to death as the sun set in the December sky. Fitchburg received the second half kickoff and immediately showed one and all their greatness. Running behind seven blocks of granite named Roy, DiNatale, Caron, Raboin, Fanelli, Thomas and Alexander the Raider offense rumbles down the field like Patton’s tanks in Germany in 1945 for nearly seventy-five yards in nine minutes. It was not pretty but it was devastating. There was nothing that Springfield Central could do to stop Frank McDonald, never mind Cole and Jason Twomley. When Frank burst into the end zone it was 27-13 and there were less than two minutes left in the third quarter and the Golden Eagles from Central were finished. As the clock slowly moved toward zero the Raider fans and players were jumping for joy and hugs and kisses were being passed out freely. For the first time in 67 years the Red and Gray were going to finish undefeated and untied. This “lunch pail” team, which truly represented the blue-collar communityalong the Nashua, was now going into the history books. The players shook hands with their leader Coach Ray Cosenza, Craig Chalifoux, Paul DiGeronimo, “Nick” O’Reilly, Chris Canning, Dale Burg and trainer Alan Twomley for all of their hard work and dedication. The 2000 Red and Gray eleven was one for the ages, forever enshrined in the annals of great FHS football teams and the FHS Hall of Fame.
The FHS Yearbook for the class of 1931 may very well have said it best when the young editor wrote, “Donald was probably the finest athlete in our class”. This FHS class of 1931 was one of the most talented groups of athletes to ever go through FHS in a single year.
The Red and Gray football team that year had a 10-1 record, losing only to mighty Brockton 20-10 in a contest which the Fitchburg Sentinel sports writer called the finest gridiron clash ever played on Crocker field up until that time. Earlier in the season FHS had traveled to Waltham High and following the Raider win over powerful Waltham, the Boston papers said that “the up country eleven was one of the finest football teams seen in the Boston region in recent years”. The Boston Globe, the Boston Herald and the Boston Post said that the Raider players: Fellows, Whelan, Blake, Allan, Secino and Charlie Kaddy were amongst the best players seen in Eastern Mass in years.
Finally on Thanksgiving morning in 1930 on a gray, rainy day the Red and Gray squad defeated a spirited Blue Devil eleven 6-0 on a touchdown pass from Rollie Blake to Donald Allen who sprinted down the sidelines to give Fitchburg their tenth victory of the season. The Fitchburg backfield of Blake, Allen and “five yard” Al Secino had dominated the contest running out of coach Amiott’s version of the famed Notre Dame Box. Their exciting laterals and short passes had continually thrilled their loyal fans as they fooled their opponents. Donald Allen was known for his fancy laterals to his backfield mates and his sprints down the sidelines to score exciting touchdowns throughout the year.
Once the football season was over Donald laced up his sneakers and prepared for basketball which was played at the newly built B.F. Brown gymnasium.
Basketball may very well have been Donald Allen’s best sport. In his junior season Donald led Fitchburg to the championship of the old Tech Tourney which was the state championship of the 20’s and 30’s. For his outstanding scoring, rebounding and excellent defensive play, Donald was named to the All Tourney Team and was also awarded the overall MVP award. So much was expected of the Red and Gray as the 1930-31 basketball season began. Fitchburg started strong with victories over Gardner and Leominster but struggled against Medford, Melrose and Brockton. Coach Amiott was not afraid to shake up his veteran squad so he called up junior varsity players, Ray Belliveau and Reino Fillback and the youngsters blended well with Donald Allen and veteran lettermen Carl Fellows and Bill Whelan and the big Red Machine began to roll once again as the Tech Tourney approached. Led by the sophomores, the Red and Gray successfully defended their Tech title. Donald Allen was honored as a tourney all star for his outstanding play.
Returning to Fitchburg with the winning basketball trophy, the Red and Gray now began preparations for the baseball season. Donald Allen was a starter in his
junior year and batted .350. Coach Loring Stevenson counted on his seniors as the season began. The baseball team played a schedule much closer to home. That did not take away from the players’ concentration as they rolled through the season undefeated. Donald Allen was an excellent outfielder and his batting average soared close to .400 his senior season. Many of his teammates from football and basketball like Al Secino, Ray Belliveau and Rollie Blake were outstanding for
the FHS nine. There was also a young erratic sophomore pitcher named George Barnicle who would later pitch for the old Boston Braves in the late 30’s and early 40’s.
Following his graduation in June of 1931, Donald Allen enrolled at Dartmouth College where he remained for two years until transferring to UMass Amherst. During his two years at UMass Donald starred in Hicks Cage for the Redmen during those early years of basketball. When Donald Allen left school he was the all time leading scorer for UMass up until that time.
How would you define what a contributor really is?
Webster ‘s Unabridged Dictionary says that a contributor is on who gives selflessly of themselves for a particular cause. That would perfectly fit John Cordio and his relationship with Fitchburg High School for nearly four decades. He entered FHS in the fall of 1962 and immediately became involved with the athletic program at Fitchburg High playing baseball, football and basketball for the Red and Gray. He soon discovered that most of his energy was going to be channeled toward basketball, the sport which he liked the best and also the sport which he seemed to be most highly skilled at. By his junior season, John was a key member of the FHS varsity basketball team. Unfortunately for John this was not a time in which was a highlight at FHS, in fact, cross-town rivals St. Bernard ‘s and Notre Dame were capturing most of the headlines. At the time this was rather ironic since Craig Corliss had newly recruited John during his eighth grade season at Saint Anthony ‘s grammar school and he had decided to enroll at Fitchburg. During John’s senior season at FHS under Coach John Oliva were struggling early in the season. The low point was coached when St. Bernard ‘s and their super star Jerry Flynn had put 100 points on the scoreboard during an early season game. As the second contest approached, John went to Coach Oliva and asked if he could be guard Flynn to try to hold down the Blue and Gold’s offensive machine. Coach Oliva agreed with the co-captains idea and so played the role of the chaser. John chased Jerry Flynn all over the court as FHS seemed to slow down the Blue and Gold’s superstar drastically. His success seemed to fluster the Bernardians and inspire his teammates as they began to challenge the Blue and Gold in overtime. When the final buzzer sounded FHS upset St. Bernard’s and John had held Flynn to twelve points, his low point of the season. Even as a kid John had understood how to contribute to a team’s ultimate goal, victory.
Following his graduation in 1966, John went to Northern Colorado where he played freshman and junior varsity basketball and soon drifted in the area of coaching being involved in college intramural programs. In 1970 John graduated from UNC and returned to Fitchburg and got a teaching position at FHS. He was able to acquire a coaching position at Memorial Junior High taking on the coaching duties for the 9111 grade basketball team. In 1973 John was named the junior varsity coach under Doug Grutchfield and a partnership was formed which would last for nearly thirty five years. John became the Sancho Panza to “Grutch’s” Don Quixote. As all fans of Fitchburg High basketball from 1973 to 1990 know Coach Grutchfield could get quite excitable along the sidelines with the referees and frequently large explosions would occur between Doug and the men with the whistles. Frequently technical fouls would be called against the excitable FHS head coach and just as it appeared that a second technical foul might be called with “Grutch” being tossed from the contest, John would step in and calm down his boss and the referees. He seemed capable of calming the angry waters, which was invaluable to Grutch and his team. But John’s value was obvious in many other ways to the success of the Raiders in the 1970’s through the early 1990’s. A perfect example of his loyalty to Coach Grutchfield was the case of Danny Barry – Class of 1985. Danny was a terrific basketball player who did not particularly like to go to school and seemed to have a great deal of trouble getting up in the morning to attend school, but that was a problem and Grutch knew it. Doug asked John if he would pick up Danny in the morning and see that he was deposited at the front door at Academy Street so that he wouldn’t be late for school. At that time John was not even teaching at FHS so this was quite an inconvenience, but John was a good foot solider. So every morning John would arrive at Danny’s Charles Street home and get the reluctant scholar out of bed on his way to classes at FHS. During that winter of 1984 FHS made it to the Worcester Centrum to play in the state finals and Danny Barry was certainly their most valuable player. All of John Cordio’s early mornings had paid off for the Fitchburg High and its basketball team. Whenever one of the Raider’s basketball players might be short on cash for the upcoming senior year, there was always a position working for Cordio Landscaping during the summer months.
But do not get the idea that John Cordio was an assistant coach who did all the tasks that the head coach didn’t want to undertake . John Cordio could really coach! His junior varsity teams were against the very best in Massachusetts and John achieved over 450 victories during his time at FHS and he helped to groom many of Doug’s very best like Jack Scott, Nicky Pappas, Mike Goodchild , Derrick Bennett and Norbert Pickett who would later become stars in the FHS program. When a player came up to the varsity program and heard coach Grutchfield talk about the “Chinese Defense” he knew exactly what “Grutch” was saying. He had been taught how to play this defense at the junior varsity level by John Cordio. People soon began to notice the value that John Cordio brought to FHS basketball program in the 1970’s and the early 1980’s and was awarded the Massachusetts Basketball Coaches Association Assistant Coach of the Year in 1984 and two years later was named the Assistant Coach of the Year for the CMC in 1986.
To be selected for these honors one has to be nominated by the head coach and no one knew the value of John Cordio better than Doug Grutchfield. Doug was very aware that John had saved his skin numerous times when he went completely off the deep end with the referees and so he truly valued John’s loyalty and friendship.
Today the community of Fitchburg High welcomes John Cordio into its Athletic Hall of Fame. He was an individual who gave his heart and soul to FHS, from his earliest years as a student-athlete through his many years as an assistant basketball coach. John seldom grabbed the headlines in the local newspaper, but players knew how valuable John was to FHS basketball and that’s all that really mattered to John. Today John has retired from teaching and works as an assistant to one of his former players Mark Pierce at St. Bernard’s High where his experience is highly valued by Coach Pierce and the Blue and Gold players. Congratulations John and welcome to the FHS Hall of Fame. You entrance is long overdue.
In the spring of 1986 Fitchburg High School’s position of head football coach came open. Doug Grutchfield the A.D. formed a committee of one to search for a new teacher for the Red and Gray. “Grutch” knew whom he wanted to take over the reins of the FHS gridiron and he immediately went down to Harvard Street to discuss the job with Ray Cosenza, the highly successful young coach at St. Bernard ‘s High. Bernardian fans might describe this as tampering, but Doug felt that Ray could be the man to bring the Red Raiders back to the top of the heap in Central Massachusetts. “Grutch” has a strong ally in Mike Pelland who had been singing the praise of the FHS job and the Thanksgiving Day rivalry for a number of years to Coach Cosenza. This was a very difficult decision for Ray because of the strong bonds that he had forged at St. Bernard ‘s with the community and the players.
After much contemplation, Ray Cosenza decided to undertake the rebuilding of the Fitchburg High School football program. The change would not occur overnight. After two seasons at FHS Ray’s teams had achieved a rather average record of 10 wins and 10 losses, but that was soon to change in 1991 when the Red and Gray reemerged as a Central Massachusetts powerhouse when the Raiders had a 10 and 1 record with a Super Bowl victory in Webster over a newly emerging North Middlesex eleven. But to many old time Red Raider fans the highlight of the season was a close loss to mighty Brockton High on a brisk October night in which Cosenza’s kids announced to the world that they were ready to take on any opponent in the Bay State. The Red and Gray were back in the spotlight and the community of Fitchburg was again flocking to Crocker Field to hear the Alma Mater, The Red and Gray joyously sung by the kids of FHS. Of course, the Thanksgiving victory over Leominster was the one game which would be most remembered in that autumn of 1991 that was most prized by the Fitchburg faithful. This began a Red Raider dominance of the historic rivalry, which had not been seen by FHS since the 1920’s and 1930’s. Coach Cosenza and squads captured every Thanksgiving contest between 1991 and 2003 except for one contest. Along the way FHS captured three Super Bowls as kids with names like Saillia, Williams, Keenan, Steffanides, McCall, McDonald, Roy and Twomley became the stuff of legends for FHS football. Within a few season Coach Ray Cosenza was approaching the all-time win total for a FHS football held by the immortal Clarence Amiott. The Fitchburg schedule during this era was sprinkled with the names of Eastern Massachusetts ‘ best football squads. Brockton, Everett, Xaverian and New Bedford along with St. John’s, North Middlesex and Holy Name were found on the Red and Gray agenda as the fans returned to ancient Crocker Field to watch great high school football. The FHS-North Middlesex game played in early November each year at Crocker or John Young Memorial Field in Townsend became a must see football for area high school fans every single season in the 1990’s. That was the effect that Ray Cosenza had upon the history of FHS football.
As one re-examines the Cosenza football era, it is difficult to select what team was the very best, what game was the most exciting and what player was the most dynamic. We will make an attempt at that near impossible task. In the breakout year of 1991, the Red and Gray played for the Super Bowl Championship at a very strange, Bartlett High’s field in Webster, Mass. This was due to an early season snowstorm, which made WPI’s field unplayable. The Raiders took on their newly emerging rival; North Middlesex and a classic gridiron contest ensued. The Raiders emerged victorious as a fierce Raider run defense stopped the Patriots running attack. Leading the defense was Mark Pawlak who was coming off a broken ankle, which amazingly had happened only 10 weeks earlier. Another memorable Raider victory during the Cosenza Era was the 1993 Thanksgiving Game victory at Doyle Field 44 to 40 in which the Raider offense led by Todd Steffanides and Ryan Keenan outlasted the Blue Devils in a game for the ages. Ironically the most memorable play of the contest took place when James McCall took down a Leominster wide receiver with spectacular tackle to preserve the victory for FHS.
In 1996 FHS had a wonderful squad with a terrific 10-1 record and a historic 50-0 victory in the Super Bowl over Milford. Playing in a driving snowstorm the Raider offense led by newly elected Hall of Fame member Ricky Morales and Chris Roy was simply unstoppable and they gave Coach Cosenza his second Super Bowl victory. And then there was the 2000 squad with a perfect 12-0 record, which might have been the finest Red and Gray squad to ever compete for FHS. This group took on all comers whether they were Brockton and Xaverian in the East or Springfield Central in the West. No one could touch this wonderful Cosenza squad as they rolled onward. When Ray completed his FHS career win with a 165-93 record, he frequently stated that his 2000 Hall of Fame Team might have been his very best group ever.
Ray Cosenza will be remembered for his magnificent squads during his twenty plus seasons as head football coach at FHS, but he was an outstanding athlete in his own right at St. John’s of Shrewsbury and Springfield College. During his senior season at St. John’s captained a Super Bowl winning squad and was selected to Worcester Telegram Super Team as a linebacker. Also in that senior season for the Pioneers Ray was the starting second baseman on the team that captured the State Baseball Championship in 1976. He has since been introduced into the St. John’s Hall of Fame. Following his graduation from St. John’s Ray went to Springfield College where he participated in both baseball and football. In his senior season at Springfield, Ray was awarded scholar athlete of the football squad. As you can see Ray always possessed leadership qualities that would help make him one of Massachusetts very best football coaches. He returned to St. John’s after his time at Springfield and took an internship at his old high school. Then Ray came to St. Bernard’s High in Fitchburg to work with the legendary “Huck” Hannigan. Ray would replace “Huck” when the old master magician retired in 1985, and soon had the Blue and Gold rolling in both football and baseball. He was able to defeat cross-town rival three years in a row and that was how he caught the eye of Doug Grutchfield who hired him to coach both football and baseball at FHS in 1989 and as they say on television, “the rest is history.”
Today Ray is the athletic director having succeeded Doug Grutchfield in 2002. Because of the long hours involved with the A.D. job, Ray stepped down as head football coach in 2011 and we expect to see his election into the Massachusetts Football Coaches Hall of Fame in a very short time. He is married to his Judith, who he met in Holland while playing baseball and they have three children, Kimberly, David and Jeff who were all graduates of FHS. Red and Gray blood runs very deeply in the Cosenza family. Today the Fitchburg High School Athletic Hall of Fame is extremely honored to welcome Ray Cosenza into its group. Ray Cosenza has to be considered one of the three greatest coaches in FHS history along with Doug Grutchfield and the immortal Clarence Amiott. Congratulations Coach Cosenza!
On June 12, 1976, Mike Gallo arrived late to his graduation at beautiful Crocker Field. As he was running, still in his track uniform and unzipped gown, to join his class already seated on the field, the announcer called his name and said that Mike had competed that day and asked how he did. Mike held up his hand indicating “number one” and all his classmates stood and applauded. Mike had won the New England Championship in the 180 yard low hurdles setting a school record of 20.0. This performance completed a stellar hurdling career at Fitchburg High School.
Mike was also a fine soccer player. He played mid/ fielder/center half. He was co-captain senior year and started as a sophomore. Mike was All-Star talent if All-Star status were to have existed at the time. The Red Raiders finished 7-6-1 in the fall of 1975, and earned the first winning record in school history, narrowly missing the District playoffs by a half game.
Indoor track coach Ed Gastonguay was excited to see Mike Gallo try out for indoor track Mike’s sophomore year. Mike began as a sprinter but soon found that he lacked a step of speed to make him a consistent winner. Mike changed to the hurdles. The hurdles require courage, balance, discipline and speed. Mike worked countless hours attacking the 1st three hurdles to refine his start and hurdling technique. In his senior year Mike was named tri-captain, and was one of several seniors that helped lead the team to their second consecutive Central Suburban Division One Championship.
In his senior year Mike led the FHS outdoor track team to the District III Class A Championships winning both the high and low hurdles, where he set a meet record.
The 1976 outdoor track team was undefeated in dual meets, and also captured the CMC Relays, and CMC Championship. Mike once again was named a team captain, and led the Red Raiders in scoring with 114 points.
Outdoors Mike set the school record for:
After high school graduation Mike attended Norwich University. He competed in the 400 intermediate hurdles while earning a degree in Structural Engineering. He also completed graduate work at the Air Force Institute of Technology.
Mike’s career after school reflects a high quality of performance only attained by few. In addition to being President and CEO of Kelly Space and Technology, Inc., Mike is on several committees and boards. In 2011 he was elected to the San Bernardino City Unified School district Board of Education. Mike was also recently appointed by Governor Brown to the State of California Workforce Investment Board.
Mike Gallo is the living example that shows “quality endures”. We are honored to have Him here today for his induction into the Fitchburg High School Athletic Hall of Fame.
As the color of the trees began to change in the autumn of 1993, there began to be rumors of a young basketball player who was lightning with a fast first step and had a smooth left-handed jump shot that baffled middle school opponents all across the region. From Athol to Worcester, this Fitchburg travel team was almost unbeatable, and it seemed that the Grutchfield Dynasty would continue in the capable young hands of Ricky Morales.
Soon the snowflakes of a New England winter began to fall on the flat roof of the Academy Street Brickyard, and Red Raider basketball fans got their first look at this phenom.
The kid did not disappoint.
With a sweet flat jump shot, a smooth delivery from the foul line and a great first step underneath the hoop which allowed Ricky to get lots of nice garbage points. Soon, Morales’ name began to appear in the box scores of the Telegram & Gazette with double figures appearing frequently. And this wasn’t against the so-called “ham and egg” teams who could barely get out of their own way. Morales was putting up good point totals against the elite of the region: St. John’s, Wachusett, Holy Name, St. Peter-Marian, and archrival Leominster High. He was averaging close to 20 points a game, and his name was found atop any list of the top scorers in central Massachusetts.
And the kid was only a freshman!
The future looked bright for another trophy in the FHS basketball glass, but unfortunately, something always seemed to jinx Ricky and the Raiders when they got into the tournament. Late-season injuries to key players-even Ricky himself-an unexplained cold shooting spell in a key moment of a sectional tournament game which caused FHS to be eliminated, or an underdog squad getting hot at the right time, which also led to an early exit. Ricky Morales and his Red and Gray teammates seemed to be jinxed. As the old Doris Day song said, “Que Sera Sera, Whatever Will Be Will Be.”
But those optimistic Raider basketball fans would be surprised by the success that Ricky and his football teammates would have on the gridirons of central and eastern Massachusetts during the mid- l 990s. Ricky was a terrific football player who had teammates who were superior gridiron stars. Guys like Keith Leavitt, Matt Sallila, Devin Gates, Freddie Robinson, Dustin LeBlanc and Chris Roy could have played on any football squad in Massachusetts, so they certainly helped Ricky Morales lift the Super Bowl trophy over his head at snowbound WPI following FHS’ amazing 50-0 victory over a shocked Milford squad. Ricky, who was named the game’s Most Valuable Player for his performance in that Snow Bowl contest, looked like he had lots of Eskimo blood in his system on that brutal afternoon in early December of 1996. While the Scarlet Hawks slipped and slid on the AstroTurf at WPI, Ricky Morales and Chris Roy never missed a step as FHS amazed one and all with their performances.
But let’s not forget about Ricky’s prowess on the hardwood during this period. There may have been some major disappointments in the tournament from 1995- 97, but Ricky was a consistent scorer from Day One. He reached the 1,000-point plateau early in his senior year, continued to pour in the points until he reached 1,928 points to break the all-time career point total held by Hall of Pamer Zack McCall. Playing against a very good Milford High, Ricky, playing with a bad case of the flu, hit the jumper to give FHS the victory over their fierce rival and gave him the all-time scoring lead. Itwas quite a moment for a young athlete.
For his events in his senior season, Ricky was named the District E Player of the Year by the T&G.
This afternoon we honor Ricky Morales with his induction into the FHS Athletic Hall of Fame. If Ricky had only played one sport, he was sure to be inducted. But most would agree that he was a true two-sport Hall of Pamer. Congratulations for all those great games representing the Red and Gray.
Today Ricky loves to spend time with his older kids and spend a little quiet time fishing in the summertime on one of New England’s beautiful lakes.
“A leader has to create the space for others to step forth and be bigger,” said Oprah Winfrey. She must have had Megan Leigh Normandin in mind when uttering those words, because they are an apt description of the leader and athlete we are honoring today.
As soon as Megan showed up, the coaches just knew she was going to be one of the greats to come through the halls of Fitchburg High School. While she had natural gifts as a young athlete, Megan was also the type of kid who worked hard to refine her talents. You could often find Megan shooting hoops in the Brickyard during an off class period, practicing pitches before or after school on her own time, and perfecting her stick handling skills outside her locker. During the summer months, you would have been hard-pressed to find Megan without some form of athletic equipment in her hands. And, it didn’t take long for such time and dedication to yield excellent results for the Red and Gray.
Before we explore some of the highlights of her career, it has to be noted that Megan was just an incredibly versatile athlete and prolific wearer of the FHS uniform. She ran cross country, grabbed a racket and picked up tennis, played field hockey, batted the heck out of a softball, and shot hoops like few girls have in FHS’ history. No matter what venue Megan walked into, you have to know she was a fierce competitor, a coach’s dream, and an even more amazing teammate. On the field hockey pitch, tennis courts, and cross-country trails, other attributes of Megan often came to the surface. She was always willing to explore a different realm of her athleticism, so taking up a new sport or trying a new position was never a daunting task for Megan, even if that sometimes meant she’d have to reign in her exuberance and stop whacking the ball (be it of the tennis or a field hockey type) just a little bit too hard, too far, or too high! And, she possessed (and still does, incidentally) an incredible wit and exuded a light-heartedness that just made everyone around her laugh and feel at ease. When you have a moment, you’ 11 have to ask her about a particular cross-country team run that included a Putts Pond expedition to retrieve a rather cool looking plant! In the midst of taking athletics as seriously as high school kids often do, such gifts help build the camaraderie that brings teams together and elevates them, individually and collectively, to the next level of championship competition.
And, during her time at FHS, Megan Normandin had a lot of experience at the championship level.
Starting in her freshman year, Megan instantly became an integral part of some excellent FHS softball squads, with each team reaching the District Tournament during her time on the field. While District championships eluded this era of athletes, for years, Coach Tony Alario consistently cultivated his girls and assembled their various skills for winning seasons and District playoff appearances. Megan fit perfectly into his repertoire. Whether pitching a winning game, snagging an outfield fly, smacking a home run, or laying down a perfectly timed bunt, she was always the clutch player.
But, it was in the winter months, nestled in the warmth of the FHS Brickyard, where all of Megan’s attributes and team championships really coalesced to solidify her legacy on FHS athletics. Megan was a key element during a great stretch of FHS girls’ basketball, and was one of the kids who finally made the FHS program relevant in Central Mass. During her sophomore year, the team went 17-3 in the regular season and hosted the first-ever District Quarterfinal game. In her junior year, well, as you will hear in another presentation today, that team is still legendary. They went 16-4 in the regular season, but then went on a winning streak that brought the Raiders all the way from its first-ever District win, in front of their own Brickyard fans, no less, to the brightly lit floor of the Centrum (now the DCU Center) for the State Championship game. As in softball, Megan was steady and clutch during the entire crusade. She was insanely accurate with her turn-around jumper, her presence on the boards was commanding, and she had excellent situational awareness, allowing other teammates the opportunity to step forth and, well, be bigger than they even knew they could be. While the clock struck twelve on the Cinderella team and they finished as the State runner-up with a record of 20-5, their legacy still sparkles like a glass slipper. During Megan’s senior year, she really upped her game. She was the type of player who carried out all of the tasks which make basketball teams great. Megan was getting rebounds at both ends of the floor, setting solid picks at the top of the key, chasing down loose balls, passing the ball to open players, and putting away lay-ups other players took for granted. By the end of any game, one could see that Megan routinely scored 13+ points to help the Red and Gray capture another, often blow-out , victory. As a co-captain and leader of the team, by the end of the season, the Red and Gray had posted their best record ever of 19-1 and secured their position as the top seed in the District Tournament. Everything was going perfectly for another year of District and State acclaim, that is, until injuries and the Worcester referee bugaboo got ahold of the Raiders in the Quarterfinal (another awesome 59-45 home win against Burncoat) and the Semifinal (a heart-breaking 54-51 loss to St. Peter-Marian) matches. Although a disappointing end to an awesome season, Megan carried the team on her shoulders, scoring 26 points in the Quarterfinal game and 16 points in the Semifinal game, bringing FHS’ overall record to 20-2.
As is often the case with Hall of Fame Inductees, Megan’s off the court contributions to FHS are also entirely remarkable. She was a Class Officer, on Student Advisory Councils, participated in just about every club possible, and a recipient of several scholarships and awards at graduation. She was an incredible ambassador of Fitchburg High School in every aspect desirable of a student athlete.
Following high school, Megan went to Fitchburg State for two years and then transferred to UMass-Amherst. After graduation, Megan worked for several social service agencies and then came home to FHS, where she now teaches English. Her quiet, approachable manner makes her popular with students, and, ever the leader, she selflessly helps them find their stride and inspires them to create their own greatness.
Today, we induct Megan Leigh Normandin into the FHS Athletic Hall of Fame for her tremendous efforts on the basketball court, softball field, field hockey pitch, tennis court, and cross-country trail while wearing the red and gray. Your picture is now up on the Wall of Honor to mark your athletic legacy, and we are grateful a role model like you chooses to roam the halls of FHS today. Congratulations, Megan!
The Fitchburg High School General Excellence Award was established nearly one hundred years ago to be given to the boy and girl who have done the most for themselves and Fitchburg High during their four years of school. Mark Pierce was selected as the male winner for the Class of 1987. Mark was a throwback to a by-gone era during his four years at FHS. He participated in football, basketball , and baseball , and also attained an almost perfect academic record.
During his four years at Crocker Field, Mark was an offensive wide receiver and a strong outside linebacker/defense back for the Red and Gray. He was selected to the Central Mass. All-Star squad during his senior season and was selected as a Raiders team captain that same year. Mark was also awarded the James Meredith Trophy as the Raiders’ outstanding scholar-athlete for that senior season. Unfortunately Mark did not get much of an opportunity to show his gridiron abilities on that 1986 squad, which was not a particular strong team.
Mark played four years of basketball during his FHS career. Early in the 1984 season, Red and Gray basketball fans that arrived early to the Brickyard began to notice the young point guard running the offense for Coach John Cordio’s excellent N squad. The kid seemed to be operating the offense like a three-year varsity veteran. Mark would consistently get the good bounce pass to an open teammate under the basket for an easy lay-up. He was also relentless playing at the point in the famous Chinese instituted by Doug Grutchfield in the late 1970s. Mark enjoyed making that perfect pass, often passing up the fifteen-foot jumper to get the ball to his teammates like Norbett Pickett or Derrick Bennett. Sometimes Grutch, who was a natural shooter during his UMass days, wanted that point guard to aggressively take that 12-15 footer, so Mark would sometimes find himself in the doghouse in his junior and senior years. But despite that, Mark continued to play hard all over the court, and in his senior season Mark was selected by Grutch for the Best Defensive Player Award on the 1987 squad. Unlike football, Mark enjoyed playing on the FHS basketball squads which were able to advance to the postseason in both 1986 and 1987.
Probably the most satisfying victory for Mark and his teammates occurred in early March 1987 when the Raiders visited Shrewsbury and mighty St. John’s. The Pioneers were the No. 1 seed in the Division 1 Tournament while FHS was No. 9. The St. John’s fans, particularly its student cheering section, were openly derisive toward the Red and Gray as the contest neared tip-off.
“Why do we have to waste our time with these guys?” was the general attitude toward Fitchburg. The Red Raiders cleaned St. John’s clock as their stunned fans sat in silence. “Beware of the Chinese!” Mark and his teammates showed one and all what a determined bunch of kids can achieve in any postseason contest.
Yes, Mark was a good football and basketball player, but he was a great baseball player. He and Ronnie Thompson and Jason Twomley have to be considered the three best baseball players at FHS, yet this is generally overlooked. Baseball has been the orphan sport when compared with Thanksgiving Football and Grutchfield-era Basketball.
Playing in the Central Massachusetts Conference of the 1980s-which was the strongest baseball in the Commonwealth-Mark was terrific against the likes of St. John’s, Leominster,
Holy Name, St. Peter-Marian, and Wachusett Regional. In his last year, in which he and Mike Brassard pushed the Red Raiders into the postseason , Mark batted an amazing .476 with 26 runs scored and 21 RBIs in only 63 at bats. He also delivered 10 doubles, six triples and two round trippers to set the CMC ablaze. Don’t forget-Mark was facing guys like Ed Riley and SPM and Kerry Callahan of LHS while displaying this offensive power! IfMark punched a line drive single into left field, it was basically the same as a double since Mark had 19 steals without ever being thrown out by opposing catchers. In his senior year, Mark struck out only three times while receiving 23 walks. Opposing coaches just did not want to face Mark Pierce and his powerful bat in the spring of 1987! Oh, and while doing this, Mark was achieving straight A’s while taking some of the most difficult math courses that FHS had to offer.
Following his final baseball game for the Red and Gray, Mark was unanimously named to the CMC All-Star team and he was named the District E top scholar athlete. This is the mountaintop for a kid: playing the games while hitting the book. Mark was not a one-year wonder as a baseball player. Inhis junior year, Mark was named to the CMC All-Star team despite FHS scoring a losing season. He batted over .300 as a junior while driving area catchers nuts with his patented base-stealing ability. He stole 15 bases against the region’s very best, Plus Mark was a tremendous first baseman who caught everything close to the bag.
Mark emolled at Fitchburg State and played baseball for three seasons. In his final season as a Falcon, he batted .394 and was named the most improved player on the squad. Then he began teaching mathematics at St. Bernard’s from 1991-94 before coming home in the fall of 1994. An excellent teacher, Mark was solid in the classroom as he was as a student. In 2008, Mark was named Vice Principal of FHS, a position he held until the Fall of 2012. Today, Mark is the FHS Math Coach for all FHS teachers as they attempt to improve their students’ MCAS scores.
Let’s not forget Mark ‘s post-FHS career as a wonderful math teacher, successful school administrator, and lastly as one of the most successful basketball coaches in all of Massachusetts at St. Bernard’s High. His Blue and Gold squads have amassed a 257-158 record, which is quite amazing considering the schedule that Mark’s teams play each season. Mark’s regular season schedule includes St. John’s, St. Peter-Marian , Whitinsville Christian, Holy Name, and Groton Dunstable, but it is the postseason achievements which are truly awesome, as his teams have captured six Central Mass. Division 2 championships and has reached the state finals twice, winning a state title in 1998. Equally important to Mark is the fact that the Bernardians have been awarded the sportsmanship award by the area referees four different times. That’s the kind of winning program he has put together at St. Bernard ‘s. It is a reflection of Mark himself: athletic, mild-mannered, a winner, and mostly a true, good sport.
Welcome to the FHS Athletic Hall of Fame, mark. This is a long overdue honor to a young man who truly represented the very best as a student-athlete at FHS.
When the name of Mike Pucko comes up in a conversation of FHS athletes from the 1970’s, the first word that comes into the conversation is tough. Even as a youngster at B. F. Brown Mike was looked upon by his teammates and coaches as tough, regardless of the sport. Mike was not an elusive, slippery halfback who would cause defensive halfbacks to miss tackles in the open field with fancy cuts and quick bursts of speed. Rather he ran over these same tacklers with storied bull-like rushes which put defenders on their buts.
Mike knew his own abilities well and that was why people driving by Crocker Field could in late August see a solitary figure running up and down the grandstands preparing himself to be the toughest guy on the field during the season.
Mike entered FHS eagerly in the Fall of 1968 and realized immediately that getting varsity playing time on the offensive side of the ball would be a challenge. The Red and Gray were loaded for bear in the offensive backfield with veteran running backs like “Yogi” DiPasquale and Richie and Ralph Boudreau. How difficult was it to get a starting backfield position in 1968? Allen Glenny would not be the Raider’s quarterback in 1968! That glamour position belonged to two year veteran Chris Petrides who had established himself as an all star in his years at the helm. The Petrides to Torn Digeronirno combination was one of the finest in Central Mass. So starting as free safety wound be Glenny’s assignment for 1968. Mike realized early that his best chance at playing time would also be on the defensive side of the ball.
Mike found himself in a battle for playing time at the outside linebacker position. His toughness and hard work in scrimmages impressed the coaching staff and his teammates. This was a great FHS football squad that rolled through the regular season with a single loss against Nashua High School which included some questionable calls. So Mike’s playing time that season was highly impressive to one and all.
In Mike ‘s second season he had moved to the fullback position where he became an immediate success with strong bursts up the middle when first downs were needed. His powerful blocks of outside linebackers sprung the shifty Boudreau brothers for long runs and also protected Alan Glenny. Scouts from other teams noted his blocking even when the headlines went to Glenny and the Boudreau twins.
On the defensive side of the ball Mike was really able to show his talent. Enemy ball carriers simply could not get around Mike and opposing quarterbacks had to be constantly aware of his blitzing tactics. When the 1969 season ended, Mike was named to the Central Mass All-Stars. Coaches from New England collages were now aware of the kid from Fitchburg.
When his senior year began Mike once again found himself in an unfamiliar position. Because of Glenny’s graduation, coach Landon made Mike the starting quarterback. Mike led FHS to another successful campaign in the fall of 1970. Mike’s defensive play that season from the inside linebacker position was a key for the defense which was strong throughout the season.
Mike was also a fine baseball player, lettering three seasons. Fitchburg baseball was strong during Mike’s three seasons. As a sophomore Mike had to battle for a starting position. By the end of the season Mike started in center field and was smashing the ball around Crocker Field with consistency. Mike’sjunior year he batted a terrific .402 against some of the best pitching in central Mass. His senior year Mike batted .386. He was named a Telegram and Gazette all-Star both seasons.
Following graduation, Mike enrolled at the Winchendon School where he continued his football career. The next year he enrolled at Uconn where he became a varsity letter winner from 1973 through 1975. In 1975 Mike was named 2°ct team all-star for the ECAC and more impressive was a finalist as an Academic All American. After earning his degree, Mike established Pucko Associates Inc. Which existed from 1979-1993. Then he created Pucko LTD Inc. And it continues to the present day.
In 1997 after nearly 25 years away from football, Mike joined the Marlborough High football coaching staff as a defensive coordinator. He later moved to West Boylston in a similar capacity. He soon became head coach of West Boylston where he turned a traditionally losing football program into an instant winner. Then in 2005 Mike took over as head coach at Holy Name. He immediately established the Naps as a Division II powerhouse. His squad is traditionally small in numbers but big in heart. Pucko’s kids will play anyone at any time: Leominster, Fitchburg, St John’s and St Peters. His double winged tee formation is dreaded across the region and has established Mike as one of the best coaches in the area.
In 2011 Holy Name came to Crocker Field to play against the Raiders. Fitchburg won in an exciting contest which this announcer calls one of the best games played at Crocker Field in 30 years. Mike Pucko called it,”one of the thrills of his life”. “Once a Raider, forever a Raider”.
Welcome to the Fitchburg High School Hall of Fame – Mike Pucko.
Sometimes it is very difficult to be a second child, particular when your older sibling is extremely accomplished as was Shelly Richard, who had been an all-star in field hockey, basketball , and softball. Shelly had also been an all-star in the classroom, where she was a recipient of the Gold F and a member of the National Honor Society. When Beth Richard arrived at FHS in the fall of 1999, these were challenges that she would face as a Red Raider athlete. But they did not seem to faze this second child as she established an athletic record and an academic record was equal to, if not better, than her older sister ‘s achievements from the mid-1990s.
In the fall of 1999, Beth joined the Fitchburg High School field hockey team and she seemed to take to that very esoteric of sports. She would play midfield for the Red and Gray all four seasons of her FHS athletic career. Quickly she showed an ability to handle the field hockey stick and show an outstanding method of getting easy-to-handle passes to her teammates so that the Raiders could push the ball deep into the opponents ‘ end. She also had a deadly shot which often thunked the back of the cage for an FHS goal. During her four-year career, Beth was one of the leading scorers in Mid-Wach A–one of the toughest leagues in all of central Massachusetts. For her outstanding efforts, Beth was named a Telegram & Gazette All-Star squad in her senior season.
As the winter winds approached New England, Beth would put away the field hockey gear and report to the basketball court for the beginning of Red and Gray Basketball. This was truly Beth’s favorite sport, and from Day One in her freshman season she showed that she belonged on the FHS varsity team. In her freshman season Beth showed Coach Peter Grutchfield that she could score from almost any place as the Raiders were building a solid squad which blossomed into a great team in the winter of 2000-01. That team had a terrific inside game led by Crystal Anderson and Megan Donnelly. The Raiders would roll through the regular season with a wonderful 18-2 record. When enemy defenses tried to shut down the Raiders’ inside game with aggressive tactics, Peter had his two inside forces dish the ball out to the young sophomore, who continually dropped in a neat jumper for two or three points. Following their great regular season, FHS rolled into the sectional tournament to challenge the very best in central Massachusetts.
The underdog Red Raiders entered the postseason as the ultimate dark horse, but lo and behold, the Red and Gray marched into the final where it knocked Milford off, 64-62, in a stunning upset which sent Fitchburg to the state semis at the Mullins Center. Throughout the playoffs , young Beth Richard had been a dynamic offensive force, which helped key many of the Red Raider victories.
Often, the cry “We got robbed” comes out of the mouth of poor sport losers. That would not be the case of Fitchburg at the Mullins Center. The Western Mass. referee decided that Pittsfield High was going to end up in the state final and that FHS inside stars, Crystal and Megan, soon found themselves in serious foul trouble. The Central Mass. referee did not counter the other referees’ calls, and soon the Raiders were in a deep hole. Then, Coach Grutchfi’eld was expelled for a second technical. Pittsfield would eventually win a close contest-and with it went Beth’s chances at another sectional crown.
Beth would be a Central Mass All-Star in her junior and senior seasons, but she did not have a strong supporting cast. Soon Beth would approach and then easily pass the 1,000-point mark, the gold standard for high school basketball players-and then she just kept going.
When she finished her career, Beth had passed Tracey Smith as the all-time leading scorer in FHS history, not stopping until her total reached 1,490 points. This achievement could remain in place for a very long time.
Years from now when visitors look at the Hall of Fame plaques on the second floor, Beth will most likely be remembered for her basketball exploits, but she was an all-star in the Mid-Wach in both field hockey and softball for three years running. FHS softball had been a very solid program throughout the 1990s under Tony Alario’s guidance, but they always lacked the one ingredient necessary championships-pitching.
That changed when Courtney Jacobs arrived at FHS in 2000. Beth was a solid second baseman and lead-off hitter for FHS in 2001 and 2002, when the Raiders made a serious run for the sectional title. Beth had a great glove, but more importantly she had a true understanding of how to play the infield. She never made the wrong throw. She was the glue that held her younger teammates together, giving FHS a stronger infield behind Courtney. Her play on sac bunts used against Courtney’s fireball tosses was flawless. Beth was a key member on the Red and Gray squad which captured FHS’ first sectional crown in softball, and placed Fitchburg in the state semifinals. A tough loss to Amherst ended Beth’s hopes for participation in a state championship game.
Beth Richard was a tremendous athlete, but she was also a wonderful student. She would finish tenth in her class and received a Gold F for maintaining a 3.8 grade point average for four years; The Boston Globe named her the District E Scholar-Athlete in 2003, which ranks as one of the most prestigious awards in all of Massachusetts. The Sentinel & Enterprise named her to North County’s Scholar-Athlete for her four-year career at FHS. And finally, Beth was Student Council president and a member of the National Honor Society in both her junior and senior years.
Following her graduation, Beth enrolled at Holy Cross, where she played four years of varsity softball and was selected as captain for her senior year. She was selected to the Patriot League Academic Team in her junior and senior seasons. Following college, Beth worked as a NEPC research analyst before receiving her MBA from the Booth School of Business at Chicago University, one of America’s finest schools. This past summer, Beth married Jared Fiore, whom she met at Fitchburg High.
Congrats Beth Richard, you certainly belong in the FHS Athletic Hall of Fame for your academic and athletic exploits.
As the lazy days of August 1959 arrived and soon gave way to the shorter days of early September, John Connolly of the old Fitchburg Sentinel could report that Fitchburg High School’s Head Coach Ed Sullivan could be seen smiling and walking with a bounce in his step around Crocker Field and its cinder track. Despite the loss of Roger Keilty and Ronnie Thompson to graduation and Franny Blanchard to and unfortunate eye injury, “Sully” seemed to be telling his close friends that the Red and Gray were going to be pretty good in the fall of 1959. This optimism was based upon an offensive line, which appeared capable of handling most defensive lines; Coach Sullivan believed that his team would move the ball against any opponent.
Anchored by senior center Dave Tower and Co-captain Dana Valiton along with junior veterans, Nick Cordio, Roger Dickinson, Vic Hekin and John DiGeronimo the crew seemed capable of getting serious work done on Crocker Field in the fall of 1959. There were also reports of a gigantic young offensive tackle, a last name that brought smiles to the Red and Gray faithful. He was Larry Shattuck, and his dad, Lauri, had been the unexpected star of FHS’ 20 to 12 victory over the clash of the titans in the magnificent contest held at Doyle Field in 1933. Larry was a big raw-boned kid who stood six feet three inches tall and weighed 205 pounds. In 1959 that was a very large sophomore! As the pre-season practices and scrimmages unfolded, there began to emerge another name from the glorious Amiott days of the 1930’s, MacLean. Ozzie MacLean’s kid Barry was dazzling on and all with his slashing moves from the tailback slot and as a punt and kick off return.
After a terrific victory over Leominster 20 to 14 to conclude the 1957 season and a successful 1958 campaign with a second straight victory over the Blue Devils of LHS, FHS football seemed to be rebounding from the moribund years of the mid-1950 ‘s. By mid-October of 1959 Sully’s Red Raiders were kicking some major tail as the Raiders raced out to a 4-0 record, which was highlighted by major victories over Nashua High and the Wildcats of Gardner High 20-14, and 14-0 respectfully. Barry MacLean with his dazzling runs, option passes and magnificent kick returns had the people of Main Street once again talking FHS football. And that massive sophomore tackle, Shattuck, was doing all right himself helping solid the offensive line which was blasting huge hole for the inside running of Frank “The Tank” lngel and MacLean ‘s outside sprints. That terrific season would see the Raider’s record reach 7-0 until a good opponent and some serious hometown refereeing robbed them in Stoughton. That difficult loss was followed by a disappointing Thanksgiving effort against a highly motivated Blue Devil eleven and FHS 7-1-1 its best record since the glory days of Arniott.
Larry Shattuck had a wonderful first year season and had established himself as on of the premier lineman of Central Massachusetts. People in Fitchburg talked constantly about the dazzling runs of Barry MacLean, but if it hadn’t been for the work of the offensive line and its giant sophomore tackle that made many of those run possible . During his junior and senior seasons Larry’s Red Raider squads carved out strong winning seasons and he was continually spotlighted as the Raiders battled against the Gardners, Nashuas and Leominsters of the world. Playing in a position seldom noticed by the general public Larry Shattuck had been one of the sturdiest to ever don a Red and Gray uniform.
But in many ways Larry’s efforts on the basketball court are better remembered today than his exploits on the gridiron. Following that 1959 gridiron campaign Larry removed his football cleats and put on his basketball sneakers where he joined the “B” squad for the Red and Gray hoopsters. Veteran FHS basketball fans soon began to notice the big kid who seemed to get every rebound. Soon there was talk about this sophomore basketball group at Fitchburg High and what they might become in a few seasons. Be the winter of 1962, these youngsters had grown up and the seemed to have it all. Joe Spagnuolo was a long-range bomber who was a threat to score as soon as he passed mid-court. Barry MacLean was an excellent mid-range jump shooter, who could really get offensive rebounds for second shots. Lee Drury had become an excellent 10-footjump shooter as well as an outstanding defensive stopper. Dave Rissanan had and excellent inside baseline game with a soft touch. But as they say, you only have one basketball to share, so somebody needs to sacrifice. That individual would be Larry Shattuck. He could easily average in double figures if he had chosen to take that extra shot after capturing an offensive rebound, but Larry made a conscious decision to get the play to his teammates that could score the points. He was a true team player and his unselfishness made that team go. The 1961-62 Red Raider basketball team was a sight to behold rolled through the regular season against the best that Central Massachusetts had to offer. They were good but they were entertaining. You never knew what you were going to get.
People who watch the Raiders of 1962 often asked why Larry Shattuck didn’t shoot the ball more often, but they did not understand Larry’s game. He would rather work hard for a defensive rebound with a quick pass to his teammates than a ten-foot jumper. Very often the Raiders would score a sensational basket before Larry even got over mid-court. But that was okay with the massive center; he got his satisfaction from just doing his job: the ultimate teammate.
The regular season was just the prelude to the post-season that made the “Iron Five” legendary in the city along the Nashua. In a contest in the newly conceived tourney the Red and Gray faced a strong Worcester Classical that was led by a terrific player George Riddick who would later star for Assumption College. Both teams put on a dazzling display of offensive basketball. The Worcester squad could not stop the well-oiled Raider offense nor could FHS stop Riddick and Fitchburg went down to defeat in overtime. In 1963 there was a consolation game with the winner getting the sixth slot in the Western Mass. tourney. FHS and the “Iron Five” defeated Worcester Commerce and it was on to Springfield College.
Fitchburg was completely unstoppable as they entered the tourney, and they blasted Drury High in the first round. Nobody noticed! Next were Springfield Commerce and Henry Payne. Playing before a full house the Raiders upset Commerce as they watched the wonderful Payne basket for basket. How did Larry Shattuck do in the contest? He owned the boards and kept FHS in the game as his teammates put on their offensive show. The City of Fitchburg went nuts! Next they would take on Pittsfield and go to the Boston Garden to play in the New England’s but they forgot to tell that to a kid named Mark Belanger. The season came crashing down in the finals of Western Mass and the 1963 Raider basketball team became legendary in Fitchburg and tonight we honor one of its great players, Larry Shattuck. Larry began his career on a tremendous football season and ended it on a magnificent basketball season. Tonight he enters another select group, the Fitchburg High School Hall of Fame. Congratulations Larry!
You were the ultimate team player.
“Offense wins games. Defense wins championships.” Head Coach Tony Alario’s mantra reverberated throughout Fitchburg High School’s gymnasium during every practice session of the budding 1989-1990 season.
Coach Alario, Assistant Coach Dan Brasili, Assistant Coach Ed Gastonguay, and their squad entered the season cautiously optimistic, with several players returning from a District Tournament appearance the season prior (which marked only the third appearance in the school’s history). The FHS girls’ basketball program had clearly been improving steadily
throughout the late 1980s, as the players in this era were the first to entirely grow up under the strides of Title IX and the coming of age of youth sports programs. This year, there was no fear. This veteran group of athletes felt that they could handle any team on the schedule. Yes, previously, they had won games. But, this season, they wanted to win championships.
Why did the coaching staff feel that way about this group of athletes? Well, they had a squad with a nice blend of experience, excellent skills, focus, and balance on the floor. Paula Goodchild was a four year starter who could shoot, pass, rebound, and, most importantly, lead. Deanna Baxter knew how to get and hold position under the basket for those key stops, rebounds, and put backs . Diana Bellabarba was a scrappy and tenacious defensive player who could sneak in some beautiful outside shots. Megan Normandin was strong on the boards and had a nifty, lethal turn-around jumper. And, Tara Sweeney was a sharp-shooting, inside passing, and driving to the basket kind of a threat. But one of the major advantages the coaches knew they had in this super season was the incredibly solid play from a deep, deep, very deep bench. Tracey Smith had a highly effective soft jumper, passing eye, and rebounding presence. Windy Rosebush , Carey Rosebush, along with Leigh Withington , Jodi Tousignant, Jen Reid, and Devin Grier had been in the program for several seasons and, when called upon, were perfectly capable of extending any lead and making the necessary defensive stand. During their storied season, all of the aforementioned feelings became reality, and, on top of it all, this teamed just gelled.
They pressed, ran, shot, rebounded, stole, and most often, simply out fought in ways not previously seen on the floor of the FHS Brickyard. They toppled teams that had long been nemeses, and they grew stronger and stronger as the season rolled on. When the regular season came to a close in late February, the Red Raiders’ record stood at 16-4, which would give them a middle seed in the upcoming District Tournament. The regular season proved to the girls that they were capable to playing even with any team in the district, so they were confident they would be a serious contender. To them, it was already clear nobody could push this Red and Gray squad around during what was to be their championship season.
The interesting part is they, and their loyal fans, seemed to be the only ones thinking that. The media was quick to label the FHS girls as the underdogs , upstarts, and soon, the Cinderella team, in all press accounts. But, back in the Brickyard, Coach Alario, Coach Brasili, and Coach Gastonguay kept telling them it was their time to shine.
And shine, they did.
First up, in the District Quarterfinals, was St. Peter-Marian High School, the powerhouse and gold standard of Central Mass basketball for nearly fifteen years. And, more importantly, the team that had kept FHS from advancing beyond this round in 2 of its previous 3 attempts. Hosting its second-ever home tournament game, the girls simply rocked the house. They were firing on all cylinders and ran the Guardians right off the floor with a powerful 68-59 victory. At the conclusion, Coach Alario and the team were clearly excited, albeit a bit reverent and grateful to have finally achieved FHS’ first-ever District win.
Next up, Marlborough High School, for the District Semifinals, and the truth is, the Panthers never really knew what hit them.
The Raider defense was on overdrive, and they swarmed all over the Holy Cross Hart Center right from the get-go. In addition, the girls excelled at, well, everything. Jump shots were falling, lay-ups were textbook, and rebounds were commanding. All told, the 66-54 victory made a strong statement to the rest of the field: We are here and you had better watch out! The girls’ collective confidence had reached an all time high.
Onto Holy Name Central Catholic High School, the number one seed, for the District Championship at Worcester Polytechnic Institute ‘s Harrington Auditorium.
Coach Alario knew he was up against an excellent coaching staff from Holy Name and the Naps would rely on their superstar to bring the Dl title home. On this afternoon, an even more-inspired Raider defense showed up and concentrated its efforts on stopping the Holy Name superstar and shutting down their typical penetration to the middle, and the strategy worked exceptionally well. While the game was a nail biter and FHS’ faithful fans were going a little crazy in the stands, the girls were as cool as the other side of the pillow, as they say on ESPN. With the clock winding down, the Red and Gray sideline exploded with happiness. The team had reached the mountaintop-they were the champions, with a 44-40 victory! And, in a moment that will live forever for the members of this team, at center court, the girls were able to scream to Coach Alario, “Offense wins games. Defense wins championships.”
As sweet as the championship win was, they were in the State Tournament now, and preparation had to begin. Back to the Brickyard to prepare for the next stop, Springfield Civic Center, to play Agawam High School for the State Semifinal.
The 23-0 Agawam team was considered to be one of the finest teams ever produced out west. Somehow, that characterization didn’t seem to matter to FHS. When the girls walked onto the floor, the thousands of spectators in the stands exploded with cheers for this group of athletes. The bright lights were turned on, the introductions were over, and just like that, the Red Raiders’ attacked Agawam from the outset. The fans-save those seated in the FHS cheering section-sat in stunned, despondent silence as Fitchburg built a double-digit lead early in the second period. Paula was all over the court, calming her teammates . Diana was playing excellent D and Tara was hitting her jumpers. Deanna, Megan and Tracey were battling for every rebound and loose ball. The Red and Gray cheering section was completely out of its mind as the Raiders sparkled on the Civic Center court. But as the second half evolved, Agawam showed why it was undefeated and so highly regarded. Early in the fourth, the Raider lead had shriveled to a few points, and Coach Alario looked to his bench to try and stop the comeback. He called upon Windy Rosebush to get into the game, and there then occurred a magical six minutes in which this kid rose to the challenge and helped secure an amazing 56-51 victory. When the final horn had sounded, the girls stood at midcourt laughing, crying, hugging, and smiling.
And, just like that, the FHS girls were bound for the State Final game at the Centrum (now the DCU Center) in Worcester against the 23-0 Bridgewater-Raynham High School.
Spoiler alert-The clock finally did strike twelve for this Cinderella team, as the Raiders fell 58-37 to the powerful eastern Massachusetts team in the State Final. Itwas an excellent game, and the FHS crew battled the entire game against a bigger and stronger Bridgewater-Rayhnam squad. And, as difficult as it was to see the emotion on the girls’ faces at the end, they proudly accepted the runner-up trophy and represented Fitchburg High School so very well. The coaching staff, and their fans, immediately applauded them for their efforts. This group of athletes did what no FHS girls’ basketball team had ever done, and, to this day, has yet to repeat. Twenty-three years later, the aura of that season has not yet worn off.
Congratulations to Deanna Baxter Bridgham, Diana Bellabarba, Paula Goodchild Gastonguay, Carey Rosebush Doucette, Windy Rosebush Catino, Leigh Withington Welch, Devin Grier Norris, Megan Normandin, Jennifer Reid Curtis, Tara Sweeney, Jodi Tousignant, Shelley Mundie Sappet, Eva Heckel Sanchez, Margie Pierce, Amy Robichaud Beaulac, Tracey Smith, Lynee Heckel Fife, Tony Alario, Dan Brasili, and Ed Gastonguay as you enter the FHS Athletic Hall of Fame for your team accomplishments. A deserved honor, no doubt, with feats that continue to stand up to the test of time.
It’s a simple refrain, one that Red Raider teammates from the early 1960’s used to say about inductee Dennis Belliveau-and still do to this day.
“We’re just glad he played with us, and not against us!”
Standing 5-foot-7 and checking in at about 170 pounds, Dennis Belliveau of the Class of 1965 was a key cog in the Red Raider football team that went undefeated the previous fall. He was a quiet, selfless person in the hallways of FHS in the morning and early afternoon hours, but when he strapped the pads on and headed out to practice … oh, nelly, the transformation! Teammates said that his love of Fitchburg High Football made him want to win, and when he hit you, you felt it.
A three-sport athlete between football all three years, basketball in his sophomore and junior years, and track all three, Belliveau was a tri-captain of that 1964 undefeated squad along with Red Raider immortals Jack Jerszyk and Warren Muir, both Hall of Famers in their own right. Playing up on the line with Jerszyk and Dennis Daulton, Bob Girouard, Steve Morey and Steve Allaire, Belliveau is remembered for the intensity of his effort, which shone through in two plays in particular.
Here, we’ll let Muir tell the story of one particular play:
“We were reviewing game film after a win over Notre Dame and Coach (Stanley) Goode kept on rewinding a kick off that I ran for a touchdown. He kept rewinding it because of the four pancake blocks that Dennis made during that kick return. It was the best second, third, and fourth effort I have ever seen!”
In the 1963 Thanksgiving game, Goode, ever the crafty strategist, threw in a play that the Blue Devils just couldn’t work out, and were absolutely petrified of it. It involved some nifty cross-blocking by both Jerszyk and Daulton, before Belliveau pulled and picked up the linebacker. As Muir recalls, Belliveau crushed the linebacker to the point where as the play came up again, the Red Raiders clearly heard the Leominster defense saying, “Oh (expletive), here it comes again!”Fitchburg gained 10 to 15 yards per try with that play.
A year later, with the undefeated season on the line and the Blue Devils leading, 8-6 in the fourth, Goode-in what would be his final game at the helm-looked to Belliveau and his linemates to deliver the win to Academy Street. The offensive line was up for the challenge, rising up and sweeping Leominster aside to let Muir get to the end zone. As our resident historian recalled in Jerszyk’s Hall of Fame biography as part of our First Class in 2001, the three captains had snuck cigars into the locker room that morning, and they shared them with Coaches Goode, Jack Conway, and Marco Landon, fumigating the showers to cap off their grid careers.
For his efforts, Belliveau was a North County All-Star that year, and was a Coaches All-Star selection his junior and senior years.
Intrack, he was rather prodigious with the javelin, holding onto the school record-175 feet-until Steve Ciccolini broke it in 1987.
Belliveau briefly attending AIC in Springfield before returning to Fitchburg State to get his teaching degree. He spent some time in the Marlboro system, then returned home to coach the Fitchburg High freshman teams. We lost Dennis Belliveau in 1987, but the memory of his play lives on as he is posthumously inducted into the Hall of Fame.
The Red Raiders of the early 1960’s were right: we are so glad he played for us.
Even in the lean years of Fitchburg High football, where wins were as precious as gold and the losses piled as high as the quarries overlooking Crocker Field, there was always a player who, in the eyes of many, stood out above the rest.
In the late 1970’s, that player just happened to be inductee Todd Becker from the Class of 1980.
A three-year starter for the Red and Gray under coaches David Horgan and the late Tom Crank, Becker lived and breathed Red Raider football. Even while
he ran indoor track for Hall of Famer coach Steve Ciccolini, dodging the puddles on the third floor of the old Academy Street building, football was on the
forefront of his mind; while many might have observed the bulky young man lifting weights in the boys’ locker room during those off seasons and thinking it was to throw the shot put and discus a little further, the answer was no. He lifted to get stronger for football!
On the gridiron, Becker had no equal at his linebacker position: in his 1979 senior season alone, he registered 106 solo tackles. Back then, the Red and Gray played 10 games a season, meaning he was in on 10.6 tackles per game-plus any he assisted on. In a word, he was a beast defensively.
Offensively, he was just as punishing at fullback, a workhorse rushing for 600 yards to help set up touchdowns.
His play at 98 Academy Street helped him garner a full ride to the University of Pittsburgh, where he played on one of the toughest defenses in the NCAA for two years. In his freshman year, the Panthers went 11-1 and beat Georgia in the Sugar Bowl after spending four weeks at No. 1 in the country; Becker and Pitt were only involves in two close games that season, a 29-24 win over Boston College at The Heights on Halloween 1980, and the 24-20 win over Georgia in the Sugar Bowl.
The only loss? A 48-14 shellacking by in-state rival Penn State.
During his 1982 sophomore season, Becker was named a captain of the Panthers, a team that boasted three first-round selections in the NFL Draft the following spring, including this kid named Marino. Becker and Pitt were up near the top of the Associated Press rankings yet again, laying many teams to waste and only losing twice in the regular season: a 31-16 loss to Notre Dame, knocking the Panthers out of the No. 1 spot, and a 19-10 loss to Penn State the day after Thanksgiving. Pittsburgh finished the regular season 9-2, earning a berth into the famed Cotton Bowl, sitting sixth in the country, to face Eric Dickerson’s fourth ranked Southern Methodist Mustangs.
Becker never made it to Dallas: in the days leading up to Pitt flying out, Becker died in a tragic accident.
Since then, Becker ‘s memory lives on here at Fitchburg High: the Todd J. Becker Defensive MVP Award is handed out to the best defensive player in the Thanksgiving Day game between the Red Raiders and archrival Leominster. A suitable tribute.
A posthumous induction, Becker will live on as an FHS Immortal, the standard to which Red Raider linebackers will hope to match.
There have always been great twosomes in the history of the world: Bonnie and Clyde, Martin and Lewis, Fred and Ginger. When we think of the great twosomes in the history of Fitchburg High athletics, Grutchfield and Cordio immediately spring to mind, followed by Ambrose and Woods, Woods and LeBlanc, Cosenza and DiGeronimo.
But there is one twosome, one incredible twosome that can’t be mentioned solo without the other in the same breath, which oh most definitely belongs in the conversation with those greats above.
That twosome is McCall and Williams. One half of that twosome is in our Hall of Fame and has been in for ten years.
The other half joins this afternoon-albeit posthumously.
Robert “Bobby” Williams came to Academy Street the same year as Zach McCall, and both would become a vicious cornerstone in Hall of Famer Ray Cosenza’s offensive and defensive schemes when the Big Red Machine took on all comers during that magical fall of 1991. Both were juniors that year, and the Red Raiders jumped out to a 6-0 record, winning comfortably almost every week. McCall was the flashy tailback that turned the comer, Williams the compact and quiet fullback that pulverized many a defender that tried to get at the tailback. Defensively, they were paired up in the secondary; McCall at strong safety, Williams a defensive back. And while McCall took a majority of the headlines in the S&E and the T&G (and when Brockton came to town, the Globe and the Herald), Williams quietly did his job en route to two Central Mass. Super Bowl appearances, including the 1991 championship win over North Middlesex in frozen yet sunny Webster.
Williams could score, too. When teams thought that McCall would get the ball inside the 10, the quarterback-whether it be Tom Kelley, young Mike Beaulac, or even young Hall of Famer Todd Steffanides-would tum and hand off to good ol’ No. 2. And with some solid blocking up front, Williams would plow through to hit paydirt. There were times in that 1991 campaign, too, thanks to the meat on the line, where Williams raced through when the Red and Gray were in their own half and didn’t stop until crossing the goal line.
One of those times where opposing coaches expected one but got the other came in his last appearance on the Crocker Field gridiron, Thanksgiving Day 1992. The Raiders trailed in the fourth quarter, and they had the ball as they marched from River to Circle in the waning moments. They grew close to the red zone and, with John Dubzinski expecting the ball to go to McCall with the ball inside the Leominster 5, Cosenza pulled a rabbit out of his chapeau and had Steffanides hand off to Williams on the counter. He went to his right, and right guard David Souza, the good soldier that he was, managed to throw a stiff block on the Blue Devil across the way. Williams plowed in, and the Red Raider student sections were in delirium for the second straight November.
Cause and effect? Block, touchdown, and win.
In addition, he was the Red Raider punter those two years, a fact this typist forgot seeing as Fitchburg rarely punted back in 1991. Williams garnered a Division 1 scholarship to the University of Maine, where he played ball for one year (he was the third player from that 1991 Super Bowl team to receive a Division 1 scholarship, with McCall-Syracuse, then Marquette via Northfield Mount Herman-and lineman Rob Rebovich to Northeastern the other two).
Before his untimely death on July 14, 2015, Williams called the Berkshires home, as he had settled in Pittsfield with his two children, Aaliyah and Darius. The last 13 years, he had worked as an assembler at UTC Fire and Security after six years with Dexter Shoe Company.
But before all of that, he helped cobble a Super Bowl title for FHS, and assembled a great resume that fullbacks of the future will look to for inspiration if they want to join Bobby in the Fitchburg High Hall of Fame.
Congrats to one of the icons of the early 1990’s. Bobby, we honor you-an honor that is long overdue.
May he rest in peace.
Throughout the years of parading through the second floor lobby at the old high school on Academy Street, visitors’ eyes were always drawn to the aged gold trophy in the glass enclosed case. It felt as if it was from eons past, the varnish fading. Next to it, a basketball, just as old, a little bit of air-OK, a lot of air-taken out from disuse. Behind it, a photograph of the young men that won that trophy.
The 1926 Fitchburg High School basketball team won the national title that year, and the story has been told through the generations, finally receiving its rightful place in our Hall of Fame as part of the first class back in 2001.
This year, as part of our eighth class, we finally honor our second national champion.
Phil Schoenig of the Class of 1980 played several different sports during his three years on Academy Street-junior varsity football and basketball in 1977- but he was best known for his time on the third floor of the high school, the cinder track at Crocker Field, and the trails of Coggshall Park. During his senior year, he was a co-captain in all three disciplines. He took part in the mile-relay in both indoor and outdoor track, and he also ran the distances in dual meets.
His specialty, though, was the 600-yard dash.
There weren’t many that could beat him-not even a broken wrist during his sophomore year, an injury that carried over into his junior year, could slow the speed demon down. During that year, he competed in outdoor track with a cast from his wrist to his elbow, which continued into his junior year of cross country. Thankfully, the injury did not affect his legs.
Oh, his legs! And what legs they were, as he came in second in the state for the indoor 600-yard dash during his junior year. He also broke the school record in that event three times! He just got better, and he got faster, every time out there. At the State Coaches’ Invitational, he ran 600 yards in 1:14.3, breaking the record the first time. At the New England AAU championships, he shaved .24 from his time to break it a second time.
It was when he won the state Class C title in the 600 during his senior year, with a school record 1:13.5, a record that may never be eclipsed, that was the springboard to his national title. In the weeks after, Schoenig received an invitation to head out to the University of Kansas for the national meet. The Jayhawk National Indoor Prep Track & Field Championships at Lawrence, Kansas wasn’t ready for what was about to occur.
Schoenig didn’t break the school record that weekend, but he did represent the famous Red and Gray incredibly well all the same. He did, however, break the meet record in 1:15.23, and won the national title, to boot.
After graduation, Schoenig joined the military, and eventually continued his education around the comer at Fitchburg State. He has since retired from the service, reaching the final rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Army. He currently is the deputy director of the Raytheon plant in Tewksbury after an outstanding career.
But that’s not all: Schoenig has taken part in the fantastic Wounded Warrior Project, and in May 2013, Phil cycled from coast to coast to raise money and raised awareness for the project. In all, he rode 3,450 miles in 33 days, and raised well over $20,000 as part of his journey .
Now living in Acton, Phil has two great kids in 21-year-old Kelsey and 18-year old Parker, and still has Fitchburg red running through his veins as he participates in triathlons. He also now resides in his rightful spot, another national champion in the Fitchburg High Hall of Fame.
Young Matt Sallila watched big brother Jon go to – two Super Bowls as a member of the 1991 and 1992 Red Raider football teams, anchoring a rather heavy line that won a title and beat Leominster twice.
And when Jon graduated from Academy Street in June 1993 and Matt followed that fall following his promotion from Memorial, it was only natural that Matt would have to play and find a way to break out of Jon’s immense shadow.
How he did it-and oh yes, he did, and formed his own legacy, to boot-helped earn him induction into the Hall of Fame this afternoon.
Starting out as a freshman that fall, he helped lead the ninth graders to an undefeated record as a captain, iricluding a Pigeon Bowl win over Leominster; he was on the sidelines watching the Red and Gray beat mighty Brockton for the first time in 60 years. As a sophomore, he jumped to Ray Cosenza’s varsity squad and made an impact right away, snapping to fellow Hall of Famer Todd Steffanides en route to winning against Leominster at Doyle.
Sallila and his Red Raider Class of 1997-the greatest senior group he could ever imagine playing with, he writes-beat Leominster four years in a row and went to four straight Super Bowls, and even beat mighty Brockton back in the fall of 1996, when the Boxers were the top team in the Commonwealth. It was in that snow-covered 1996 Super Bowl against Milford at WPI that he and his Red Raider teammates on the offensive line punished the Scarlet Hawks, opening the holes that allowed Ricky Morales to rush through and evade the snowflakes to score. Milford had no answer that day, and Milfordites to this day speak in reverence of that Fitchburg Front Five.
The honors he reeled in speak for themselves: he was a two-time Mid-Wach All-Star in 1995 and 1996, all while captaining the Red Raider squads those two years. He was the team’s Most Valuable Player in ’96, was an outstanding lineman award winner in ’95, and won newspaper all-star awards from the Sentinel & Enterprise and the Telegram & Gazette in ’96. He even had a great honor bestowed on him in the weeks after graduation, as he represented Fitchburg High and served as team captain as part of the Eastern Mass. Shriners All-Star game in 1997.
A three-sport athlete on Academy Street-Sallila also ran indoor and outdoor track for Coach Chris Woods during the winter and spring seasons-he earned a spot on Mike Delong’s Springfield College Pride football team, where he played in 40 out of a possible 43 games in his intercollegiate career. The honors kept mounting over all four years: he was a Freedom Football Conference Second-Team All-Star in 1999 and a First-Teamer in 2000, was a New England Football Writers Association Division 3 All-Star in 2000, an ECAC New England/ Northeast Division 3 All-Star, and a Hewlett-Packard Division 3 All-American in his senior year of 2000. His Pride was 11-2 in 2000, making it all the way to the NCAA’s East Regional Final After college, Sallila embarked on an incredible ride as a football coach: Ray Cosenza made him his freshman coach in 2001, right out of college, before he returned to Springfield for the next three years.
Quick aside No. 1: this typist enjoyed seeing Salilla in that 2004 season when Fitchburg State’s football team went out to Springfield for a postseason ECAC game, where the Pride annihilated the Falcons.
He returned to Fitchburg High in 2005 and spent three more years with Cosenza, before he made the jump to head coach: for the last seven seasons, Matt has been the head coach up at Monty Tech, where he has taken the Bulldogs from doormats to Colonial League contenders. In fact, he opened the coaching door to several of his high school contemporaries: the last seven seasons, Monty Tech has been. Fitchburg High In Purple, as his coaching staff has included Dan Roy (FHS 94), Tim Roy (FHS 2001), and Jon Shea (FHS 2001). Assistant Anthony Secino, son of our own Dave Secino, was an Oakmont boy and played under Dave LaRoche, but still has FHS blood running through his veins. If Sallila adds one more FHS grad to the staff, they’ll have enough for an Alumni Association meeting quorum.
Quick aside No. 2: On one fall day in November 2010, this typist covered two games in the South County. One of them was Monty Tech football at Bay Path, and the Sons of Salilla beat Al Dhembe’s Minutemen. Afterward, we held our usual postgame press junket, and before we started, I had to go off the record with him.
I said, “Matt, you are doing such a great job with these young men.” To watch Sallila’s reaction was akin to watching a man with the Rollstone Boulder perched upon his broad shoulders and realizing the boulder had been removed. And every bit of it is true, folks: Sallila and Co. are building a solid football program up on Westminster Street. The Bulldogs are on the rise.
When Matt isn’t molding the Bulldogs on the gridiron or during their gym classes, he’s spending time with wife Abigail, and their three children: 5-year-old Evan, 3-year-old Brooke, and 2-year-old William.
The entirety of the 1990’s may have been one of the high points in Fitchburg High track history. When you have such athletes like James McCall, Ryan Keenan, Franky Ortiz, Dan Schneider, and Craig Cormier running and jumping and winning and shattering records, it kind of made Coach Chris Woods’ job a little easier.
Today, we welcome to the Second Floor the one that capped off the 90’s in style, and was one of the finest hurdlers Fitchburg High School has ever seen.
Much in the same path as fellow inductee Christine Laakso Shaw, Jeff Guenette was a soccer player-a captain his sophomore season under Coach Bryan Baxter, playing up top and occasionally in the middle of the park; he writes, “I have absolutely no clue how many goals I scored; I can’t even begin to guess. It couldn’t have been many.”-for his first three years at Fitchburg High before he made the transition to cross country.
But his indelible mark in FHS athletics undoubtedly came in track.
For all four years, Guenette was a stud on the all-weather D-shaped oval of Crocker Field every spring, and in the various field houses across Central Mass. every winter. A captain in his senior season, Guenette claimed many titles that year.
He was the overall state champion at the 55-meter hurdles, a week after taking the state Class C title in that same event. In that Class C meet, he claimed a championship with his teammates Harold Mateo, Jason Quinn, and Dallas Heckel in the school record-breaking 4×200 relay.
Guenette holds multiple FHS records to this day: the 400-meter record, along with the indoor 200 meters, the 60-meter hurdles, and the 4×200-meter relay, all have his name next to the time.
But not only that, he was a pretty darn good student, and that’s putting it mildly: Guenette was the Class of 1999’s Valedictorian, a Gold F winner, and was the co-winner of the highest academic prize Fitchburg High offers, the General Excellence Award; it should be noted here that there has been a General Excellence Award winner in each of our last four Hall of Fame classes (Guenette 1999 8th, Mark Pierce 1987 7th, Tara Sweeney 1991 6th, and Ronnie Watson 1946 5th). He also won the Spirit of Excellence Award, and the RPI Mathematics & Science Award, as well as the Bausch & Lomb Honorary Science Award .A smart cookie and a fast cookie, he was.
Following graduation, he went to Dartmouth College, where he ran track all four years for Sandra Ford-Centonze. He was a two-time men’s track and field co-captain, the Ivy League’s 400-meter hurdles champion in 2002, part of the Ivy’s 4×400-meter relay championship team in 2003, and was the 500-meter runner-up in 2001.
After five years as a business analyst in New York City, Guenette found his true calling: in 2009, he enrolled at Brown University to get his M.D., which he earned in 2013. Over the course of the past two years, he was an intern at Mount Auburn Hospital right there on the junctions of 2, 3, 16 and Soldier ‘s Field Road, and now he is a resident in radiology at Brigham & Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston.
He is now happily married to Margarita Martinez of Ossining, New York, and the couple lives in the Back Bay neighborhood.
Congratulations, Dr. Guenette, as you join the immortals of the Fitchburg High Hall of Fame!
There are plenty of great runners that have come through the halls of both the 1936 and 2000 Fitchburg High Schools; if there is one thing that FHS does right athletically and without any argument from the peanut gallerJ, it would have to be pushing out great runners as if on a cinder-coated assembly line. And with that being said, if Sports Illustrated ever tried to re-create its iconic Mark Spitz/Michael Phelps cover with honoree Christine (Laakso) Shaw from the Class of 2004, one of the most decorated athletes ever to wear the light-fitting red running kit, it may have a bit of difficulty getting all of her awards in the shot.
Sixteen. Sixteen championships. Whether it be at the district, state, or regional level, if Laakso laced up her kicks, it more often than not meant that she would come across the line well ahead of her competition-and that doesn’t include the dual meets she won while tearing up the oval in the field house or Crocker ‘s D-shaped oval, either.
A pure distance runner, Laakso found herself entering the new building and coming under the wing of some rather talented upperclassmen: she credits Melissa Bourque, Sally Girouard, Danica Forest, and Angela Masciarelli as being calming influences when running track that first year.And after racing in the 200-meter dash, Hall of Famer Shifty LeBlanc moved her to the 1,000-meter run. As Laakso recalls, she finished “halfway decent” in that initial 1,000.
But that’s not all.
In a moment of fate accompli, Coach Mike Lavers took Laakso under his wing and taught her how to really run. That’s all it took: with Lavers’ tutelage, mountains sagged, the track bent to her every whim, and the wins starting piling up for Lenny and Charline’s daughter. She became a two-time state champion in the indoor track two mile, a league champion in the two-mile and the 1,000-meter, a district champion in the mile and the 1,000. There was also a little thing called the New England Championship that she won her senior year of 2003-04. And she set a few records, too: the 1,000-meter (3:06.45), the mile (5:13.33), the two-mile (10:59.97), and was a member of the record-breaking 4×800-meter relay team with Oly Wirtz, Bourque, and Girouard (10:05.5}-and all of that was for indoor track. It should be noted that as of the close of the 2014- 15 school year, eleven years after Laakso turned her tassel, those four records still stand.
She was just as prolific on the medals stand in outdoor track, as well: she took records in the 800 (2:23.97), the mile (5:13.18), the two-mile (10:56.58), the 1,600-meter (5:08.19), the 4×800 (10:21.58 with Wirtz, Bourque, and Girouard), and distance medley, and also won four championships (1,600-meter District, mile League, two-mile District and State) in outdoor track her senior year. She was a league all-star, an all-star for the paper of record in northern Worcester County (and the one based out of Worcester, too). And yes, her records in these disciplines still stand.
Oh, and did we mention that she only ran one season of cross country? Yup.
In the fall of her senior year (2003-04), Laakso decided to forego her final season on the soccer pitch to run the trails of Coggshall. How did that tum out? Quite well, in fact: she became the District E Cross Country champion, the Mid-Wach A champion, won the Quabbin Invitational (and set the course record), and broke the school record at Coggshall.
In the classroom, Laakso challenged herself with an Advanced Placement courseload, ending her school years with the coveted Gold F and was third overall in the Class of 2004; to wrap her interscholastic career up in a bow, she was also named the Sentinel & Enterprise’s Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2004. She earned a full scholarship to Boston University, where she ran cross country and track for the Commonwealth Avenue Canines. At BU, the titles didn’t end: she was the two-time America East Conference Champion in the 5,000- and 10,000-meter runs.
And since then, the winning hasn’t ended: she married Philip Shaw of Andover, himself a BU runner. Now running out of the Millennium Racing team in Manchester, N.H., where they have made their home, Christine Shaw also won a marathon in South Carolina on her first try back in 2013-the kicker here was that she just wanted to see how she would do running one.
Now the head girls’ cross country/indoor/outdoor coach at Manchester Central High School and a physical therapist, Christine can add one more title to her already-impressive running resume: Fitchburg High School Athletic Hall of Farner.
Congrats, Christine, and welcome to the Hall of Fame!
Picture this if you will: There was once a little girl, glove in hand, sitting next to mom on those terrible metal bleachers at Coolidge Park. She watched her older brothers play ball in the Fitchburg Northern Little League, and she was a rather regular attendant to their games. And sure, those brothers, with dad coaching them, went on to play in the city championships at Ansin Park and Bourque Field up on Water Street.
Cities? Yeah, that’s cute.
That little girl happened to be Courtney Jacobs, and she, with her Red Raider teammates in that magical spring of 2004, went on to play for a state championship.
A three-sport athlete for the Red Raiders, Jacobs especially excelled at softball and was the centerpiece of the 2004 Fitchburg High School softball team that won Central Mass for the second time, beat a Western Mass opponent, before getting embroiled in a scoreless state title game against Durfee, only to lose it in extra innings.
But that game certainly did not define her career on Am-How Road. Far from it.
While former coach-and fellow Fitchburg High Hall of Famer-Tony Alario had good softball teams, going to five sectional title games, he never truly had a dominant spinner to pull them out until Jacobs came up to FHS from B.F. Brown. Those first two years, her freshman and sophomore years, she put the rest of Mid-Wach A on alert: your time at the head of the class is up. Courtney is here, and she is going to send you back to the dugout scratching your helmet. While they claimed the Mid-Wach title in her freshman year, the Raiders didn’t win the big titles those two years, though not for lack of effort.
Courtney struck hitters out with regularity, and she did enough to earn Mid Wach and S&E All-Star nods.
Her time was coming, though. And she was a patient gal. She spent time improving with Planet Fastpitch’s Denise Davis. She pitched on the Worcester County Freedom team that headed to nationals.And she just kept getting better; it wasn’t a rare occurrence that Mike Jacobs spoke about his daughter ‘s
accomplishments in the circle, and she was building a resume that backed every single sentence up.
When the spring of 2003 rolled around, Jacobs was just getting started. She rolled through the league, earned league MVP and S&E All-Star honors, then won Central Mass, the school’s first softball title. And the strikeouts continued to come. 2004, though, her senior year, she duplicated everything from the year before and played in one extra game, a rather big one, as the Red Raiders went 22-3. She even received an All-Star nod from The Boston Globe, which to a Central Mass. kid is a pretty big honor. She even kept the opposition off the scoreboard for a rather impressive 44 consecutive innings-a little over six games, folks.
At the end of it all, Jacobs struck out a total of 818 hitters-here’s a good question for all of you stataholics out there: how many of those K’s were by repeat offenders? How many hitters in Central Mass. could never solve Ricky and Mitch’s baby sister?-and had a rather puny ERA of 0.51 over 573 innings pitched for the Red and Gray. She even struck out the school record 15 hitters in a game in 2002, and finished with a program best 65-14 record.
Dominant, you say? You bet she was dominant.
After a post-graduate year up on the hill at Worcester Academy, she joined Division 2 Franklin Pierce, where she continued to excel: she became the school’s all-time strikeout leader after her sophomore season (454 in all), tossed 62 complete games, and claimed the single-game strikeout record. She graduated in 2009 with a B.A. in Business Management and Marketing, and these days is the manager at Acton’s Idylwilde Farm.
For four years, Courtney Jacobs smelled like roses in the circle, and now that rose has fully bloomed as she enters the Fitchburg High Hall of Fame both as an individual and as a member of the 2004 team that we induct today.
Congrats, Courtney!
There are motivators, and then there are motivators. Doug Grutch:field and Ray Cosenza were known for the way they motivated young men to dig deep within themselves in order to go the extra mile; those young men responded and ran through brick walls for those FHS legends.
For another legend, inductee Mark Ambrose, he was a motivator in more ways than one. He motivated in the English classroom, giving students writing ideas and having them run with those ideas to write several-page papers-and for some, the motivation to write a novel or two, or 23 as the case may be with one particular writer. He taught the FHS Alma Mater to his freshmen in Room 214 of the old building, and in Room 308 of the new.
He also motivated the young women of Fitchburg in his cross country and track charge for 32 years-and they ran to multiple championships.
After running cross country and track and graduating from St. Bernard’s in 1969-and there were quite a few stellar athletes in that particular class, Ambrose did the same at Providence College before he came to Fitchburg High to teach English starting in 1975. The following year, with Title IX sweeping the nation, Fitchburg High started its first girls’ cross country program. Longtime AD Jack Conway tabbed the English teacher to become its first-and to date, most successful-girls’ cross country coach.
From there, a legacy was born.
Under Ambrose’s high-intensity motivation, his girls tore up the trails of Coggshall Park, and pretty much every other course they encountered. They were undefeated in dual meets several times in the 1980s and early 1990’s, and in 1989 and 1990, the Red Raider harriers were at their peak.
With such young women as the Magnificent Seven-Maritza Rosario, Kim Walsh, his daughter Annica, Eva Heckel, Marcie Cheries, Carrie Bloxon, and Karma Tousignant-Ambrose had victory in the palm of his hand. In the week after clinching the District E title at the Gardner Golf Course, and knocking off an insanely good Shrewsbury team at the same time, Ambrose kept an eye on the results from the West and the East-remember folks, this was before the Internet, which meant grabbing the Globe and the Herald at the newsstand in Fitchburg, then driving west to get the Springfield Republican or the Hampshire Daily Gazette. The two teams to beat at the state level-at this time in history, the state meet was done without division, so it was every team, Divisions 1 and 2, against each other-were from Newton North and Amherst, and Ambrose told his girls that in order to come out victorious, they needed to keep the girl from Newton and Amherst in their sights, and of course, finish ahead of them.
As our esteemed historian wrote in 2003, the Red Raiders were about to become seasoned hunters that weekend.
Starting with Rosario’s 20th place individual finish, the Raiders did the impossible, and Ambrose ran from hill to hill as the race endured. Itwas long after the race when, in the Mount Wachusett Community College gymnasium, it was announced Fitchburg had won the title. In true Mark Ambrose form, he threw his clipboard in the air, raced toward center court, and executed a perfect cartwheel. The Raiders were champions!
In 1990, FHS won the District E title again, and while the Red Raiders were still good in the mid-90’s-and how could they not be, especially with great runners like Kristy Pappas and Danielle Brideau from the Mighty Class of 1996?-they could not replicate the magic of The Seven. Even so, Ambrose continued to motivate, even when he took over the girls’ indoor and outdoor track teams.
“It was so exciting to see motivated athletes learn the basics, keep practicing to get better, and revel in their improvements as the season progressed ,”Ambrose wrote. “Many of the young ladies I coached are now great wives and mothers; some are coaches and many are successful either in the business or the teaching world .”
In 2001, Ambrose was named the Massachusetts State Track Coaches Association’s Girls’ Cross Country Coach of the Year. But he wasn’t done: in 2003, he convinced Christine Laakso to run cross country, and did she ever perform. Five years later, after the 2008 season and 32 years as the head coach of the Red and Gray, Ambrose called time. He retired from FHS in 2008-but the teaching bug was still in him: he taught part-time at Nashua South High for four years, before he came out ofretirement in 2013 to go back to full-time teaching there.
While Ambrose was a master motivator, he was also a master fund-raiser :In 1981, Ambrose got together with Slattery’s owner Dave Celuzza and created what has since become a pre Thanksgiving staple in our community. The Slattery’s Turkey Trot, traditionally held the Sunday before Thanksgiving, has raised in excess of $200,000 in scholarship money for local cross country runners. During the event, Ambrose is always on the microphone, calling the end of the race, pointing out all the runners to the crowd, especially those with Fitchburg High ties.
Mark married sweetheart Elaine and had two daughters, both of whom he coached in cross country and track; he also tossed one of them out of his English classroom the first day of her freshman year, but that’s neither here nor there. Mark is still a fixture at FHS events watching his son-in-law coach and grandchildren compete.
It is said that high school sports are cyclical. Everything happens in cycles. There are good periods, and there are bad periods. Championships come at the tail end of the cycle, and the start of the cycle is when the building begins.
As we approached the new millennium, a great period in Fitchburg High School Athletic History approached, too: a series of young ladies were in the process of filtering through B.F. Brown and Memorial Middle Schools, ready to don the Red and Gray colors when they arrived at the new building up off Route 31. The former farmland housed a new 1,400-student school, along with contiguous athletic fields, and this group would play on the combined softball/soccer field along the eastern side of the building, the long side that called to memory the building the city has since turned into a middle school.
The 2004 FHS Softball team-heck, the length of that senior class’s time on the softball diamond, from the inside the gymnasium in the spring of 2001 to Worcester State in June 2004-was incredibly special, capping off their interscholastic careers with not one but two Central Mass titles, and a trip to the state final against Durfee in that final year.
Reel off the names of this team, a team that won Central Mass for the second time in a row, and there are stories of greatness within each. Courtney Jacobs and her presence in the circle that had an immediate effect; we note them in her own entry in this booklet. The no-nonsense play of Megan McDonald, who remained focused at all times. Kim Cosenza, the football coach’s daughter who, like her old man, brought a feverish intensity to the dugout. Nicole Mathieu. Whitney LaLancette. Nicole Cote. Krystal Bilek. Drums of ink were devoted to this team in the local newspapers and the girls on it, and with good reason.
There had been a bit of a title drought on the girls’ side following the series of titles in 1989 and 1990: sure, the football team had won the Super Bowl in 1991 and 1996, and the boys’ basketball team went to the state final in March 1992, but the girls’ teams, while having outstanding players on their rosters in field hockey, basketball, and softball, could not topple the other giants of Central Mass. in the sectional championship game. In this particular sport, for instance, Hall of Fame coach Tony Alario had five bites of the sectional softball apple, but once told this typist following a game sometime in the mid 90s at Nikitas Field, “we held a clinic.”-he did not have the power pitcher the other schools had in their circle in order to capture and savor a title.
The lack of a power pitcher changed with the emergence of Courtney Jacobs in the spring of 2001; with her in the center of the diamond, pulling the strings and making the opposing lineups scratch their helmets on the way back to the dugout, the Raiders won Mid-Wach A that year, and were contenders for the CMass title again in 2002. Under first-year coach Tim O’Brien in 2003, the Raiders finally accomplished what was just out of their grasps for years: winning it all in the sectional. The run ended a few days later, falling to a good Agawam team, 2-1, in the state semifinals.
The spring of 2004 opened with the Raiders serving as the target of everyone else in Central Mass. Little did everyone else know on those cold afternoons in April that morphed into warm spring days in May that Fitchburg High was on a mission: to repeat, and go further than any other Red Raider softball team ever.
The Red Raiders finished 22-3 in 2004, and there hasn’t been another team of either gender like them since.
The members of the 2004 Fitchburg High Softball Team were: Courtney Jacobs, Megan McDonald, Nicole Mathieu, Kim Cosenza, Whitney LaLancette, Nicole Cote, Krystal Bilek, Stephanie Caravella, Kayla Spellane, Katie Dickson, Kaylynn Smith, Amy Howe, and Stephanie Kimber.
The head coach was Tim O’Brien. The assistant coach was Dan Bilek.
As the patrons entered the majestic Fitchburg Theatre, located directly across from City Hall in September of 1933, ushers handed each movie-goer a small folded pamphlet which told each customer about the coming attractions which would be arriving at the Fitchburg Theatre in the next ten days. The beloved Will Rogers could soon be seen in a now long forgotten film entitled Doctor Bill while Claudette Colbert and Richard Arlen would soon appear in an equally forgettable film entitle 3 Cornered Moon. Later in the month a very young Bing Crosby would soon be starring with Jack Oakie and Skeets Gallagher in something called Too Much Harmony.
But that was not the reason that this Depression Era crowd eagerly grabbed this tiny pamphlet. The pamphlet also gave the moviegoers the football schedule for the FHS Red and Gray football season with the names and numbers of the young gridiron stars that would represent their community on Crocker Field in the fall of 1933. Oh, what a memorable season it would be for the men of Amiott, as they brought their beloved school to the mountain top in this most glorious of football campaigns. The 1933 Red and Gray squad had a season, which has become the stuff of legends for the faithful of FHS. Amiott’s squad went undefeated and untied, and was declared the mythical state champions by the Boston Post, the Boston Herald and the Boston Globe.
The FHS roster was dotted with stars of yesteryear who are still fondly remembered today by many of the old time Red and Gray faithful: Co-Captains Felix and Stanley Esielionis, “Dub” Mologhan, John Chalmers, Russell Dik, Billy Mackie, Walter “Slug” Wazal, “Red” Brodeur, Jimmy Leo, Lenny Johnson, Lauri Shattuck, Jim Kalagher, Paul Posco and oh, so many others.
The Red and Gray during the campaigns of 1930 and 1931 had compiled a brilliant 18-2-1 record losing only to Brockton twice and tying Framingham in the 1931 season. But the 1932 season had been difficult for the FHS faithful when they recorded a 4-4-2 season. Following three early season victories the Red and Gray had fallen victim to the injury jinx when two offensive stalwarts, Ray Belliveau and Reino Fillback went down with season ending injuries. Most galling to the Red and Gray faithful was a 25-0 defeat at the hands of the Blue Devils of LHS and their superstar, Ronnie Cahill on Thanksgiving morning. But there had been a silver lining in the adversity of 1932 for Coach Amiott and his players. Many of the kids had gained valuable experience during the 1932 campaign, and Coach Amiott felt that his squad had the potential to be very strong. With the Esielionis brothers anchoring solid offensive and defensive lines, the Raiders looked to be competitive in 1933. But the backfield seemed to lack the superstar performer who could spark the Red and Gray to victory against squads like Brockton, Arlington, Brookline, Gardner and especially Leominster. But help was on the way!
According to FHS football legend, Coach Amiott had visited the home of William Mackie during the summer months of 1933, and convinced the talented triple-threat tailback to transfer from St. Bernard’s High to Academy Street. The lure of Crocker Field and 10,000 fans cheering FHS against Brookline, Brockton and LHS proved too enticing, and soon Billy Mackie was enrolled at Academy Street. Early in September nearly one hundred candidates reported to Crocker Field for practice, and so the glorious campaign was begun. Coach Amiott quickly began to assimilate his many veterans with newcomers like Mackie and a huge sophomore end named Jimmy Leo into a squad, which would return the Red and Gray to the glory days of 1930 and 1931. The talented Mackie was working smoothly with his backfield mates like John Chalmers who would be the signal-caller, “Dub” Mologhan, who was a terrific blocking back and Raoul Brodeur and Lenny Johnson who would operate out of the fullback position. But the talented Mackie would be the triggerman for Amiott’s complicated and shifty offense. He was the prototype triple threat of the 1930’s and 1940’s who could pass, punt and run.
The Red and Gray began their season against Keene, New Hampshire, at Crocker Field in late September, and the initial contest gave no real clue to how special the season would become, as the Academy Streeters took out the Granite Staters 19-0 in a rather pedestrian manner. But there was a hint of things to come, when Bill Mackie unleashed two long touchdown passes late in the fourth quarter. The real story of the contest was the dominance shown by the Raider defense led by Felix and Stanley Esielionis as they completely stifled the Keene offense. In week two, FHS shutout Lynn General Electric 21-0 as the defense continued to excel, and the offense led by Mackie and “Red” Brodeur was extremely efficient.
As the squad approached week three against Providence Central, who were the Rhode Island defending state champions, the buzz on Main Street began to grow. When the visitors from the Ocean State broke free for a 73-yard touchdown on the contest’s second play, apprehension swept through the stands at Crocker Field. The faithful did not need to be worried. Coach Amiott and his lads unleashed an offense, which foreshadowed the greatness, which would be 1933. Mackie was all over the field with his slashing running and pinpoint passes, “Dub” Mologhan was mowing down enemy passers with his uncanny blocking, John Chalmers was carrying out the Amiott game plan with his precise play calling and “Red” Brodeur and Lenny Johnson were challenging the Providence defense with bull-like rushes. As the sun set behind Crocker Field on the early October afternoon, the Red and Gray walked off the field with a convincing 39 to 8 victory. Future opponents realized that Coach Amiott and his players were constructing something rather special.
Next to visit Crocker Field were the Spy Ponders of Arlington High who had routed the Red and Gray 32-0 in the 1932 campaign, and the Amiott squad waited to gain a little revenge. Before a packed house at Crocker Field the two intra-state rivals put on a great contest. When the final whistle blew, the Red and Gray had avenged that 1932 with a sweet 14-7 victory which alerted the Boston press to the fact that the “country” boys from Fitchburg were fielding quite a powerhouse out in the hills of Worcester County. With their resounding 27 to 0 victory over Framingham in their very next contest, that fact was reaffirmed and the sports reporters from the Hub began to find their way to Crocker Field.
On the last weekend of October FHS’ arch-rivals, the Gardner High Wildcats under Phil Tarpey, who had coached the Red and Gray in the mid-1920’s visited Crocker Field for their annual contest. Coach Tarpey had begun to develop a Gardner High football tradition, which would soon bring glory to the Chair City, and the Cats gave FHS all they could handle. But once again the Raiders’ offense led by Mackie who was really beginning to pile up the touchdowns prevailed 14-0. This victory would take on greater significance when the Wildcats tied Ronnie Cahill and the Blue Devils for the first blemish on their record in nearly two seasons.
Next the Red and Gray crushed Eastern Mass. power Brookline 38-0 and then it was on to the Shoe City, Brockton, for the annual battle with the football giant of the East. The Red and Gray had not defeated Brockton since 1927 and so the faithful anxiously awaited the contest on the home field of Brockton, where the Shoe City boys had not lost in nearly six seasons. Billy Mackie and the high power Raiders’ offense crushed Brockton as the Boston press observed. Late in the third quarter Amiott pulled his starters so that FHS would not run up the score. When the final whistle blew the Red and Gray had a 26-6 victory and now the rest of the state was aware of this great squad located in Fitchburg.
Following the great victory over Brockton, FHS made Quincy and Chicopee their ninth and tenth victims as Thanksgiving rapidly approached. The two communities, Fitchburg and Leominster, were in a state of frenzy. LHS and Ronnie Cahill were unbeaten for their second straight season with only a mid-season tie against Gardner blemishing their record. On Thanksgiving morning the eyes of the Massachusetts’ football would be glued upon Doyle Field. And the two high school football machines would not disappoint their partisans. Jerry Nason of the Boston Globe wrote:
Nearly 11,000 hilarious individuals shoehorned their way into little Doyle Field this morning to see the Red Riot of Fitchburg mow down the Blue Battalion of Leominster by the extremely narrow margin of 20-12 in a blazing battle between hitherto unbeaten eleven. And those persons who were so fortunate to find a spot within the steel fence surrounding the battlegrounds saw not only one of the greatest schoolboy games in recent years, but two of the classiest offenses to square off in years.
Billy Mackie and Ronnie Cahill were magnificent as usual, but the surprise star of the game was fifteen-year-old sophomore Lauri Shattuck. With an early injury to senior “Red” Brodeur, the Red Raiders called upon young Shattuck, and he performed with perfection. Early in the second quarter, Shattuck took a fourth down pass from Mackie on the 15-yard line and burst through grasping LHS defenders into the end zone. The overall play covered 34 yards and put the Red and Gray in front 7-0 at halftime. On the second half kick off Co-Captain Stanley Esielionis recovered an LHS miscue and the Raiders opened the second half on LHS’ thirty-three yard line. From that position, the Amiott men led by the slashing running of Mackie and Shattuck drove into the Blue Devils’ end zone with Billy plunging in from the one yard line. When Mackie’s extra point sailed the FHS squad led 13 to 0.
Now the brilliant Cahill took over for the Blue Devils. Taking the Raider kick off on his own ten-yard line, Ronnie Cahill returned the ball to the 35-yard line. In lightning quick thrusts, the little magician led the LHS eleven down the field. Cahill passed and ran all over the gridiron as he dazzled the Red and Gray defense with his brilliance and finally got LHS on the scoreboard with a one-yard plunge. When the extra point was missed, the visitors from Fitchburg led 13 to 6. As the third period ended the Red and Gray mounted an offensive drive which would seal their victory. Once again the sophomore-senior duo of Shattuck and Mackie sparked the offense. Early in the final quarter FHS scored on a magnificent piece of razzle dazzle when Mackie scored on a lateral, which traveled from “Dub” Mologhan to John Chalmers to Mackie for a nine yard TD. Despite the effort of the brilliant Cahill who Nason called the best back in the state, the Blue Devils were unable to overcome Fitchburg. Soon the final whistle was blown and FHS had a 20 to 12 victory and mythical state championship. This may have been the greatest victory in all the gridiron history of Fitchburg High School. Today we honor that wonder team with induction into the FHS Athletic Hall of Fame.
During the 17th century the Society of Jesus – The Jesuits – used to say that if they were able to capture the mind of a six-year-old child, then they could control the thinking of that individual for the rest of his or her life. That was also true of the mind of Fred Sullivan concerning Fitchburg High School and its athletic teams. When Fred was a youngster his father, Fred Sr., would regale the family with stories about John Oliva, Lauri Myllykangas, “Duke” Savitt and “Battleship Bill” Whelan and, of course, the beloved Coach Clarence N. Amiott. Fred and the rest of the family took Dad’s stories with a grain of salt, but later learned that most of the tales of FHS greatness under Amiott were absolutely true.
All the kids at the Goodrich Street Grammar School waited for Mr. Ralph Howard to arrive selling the yellow strips which contained tickets to the FHS kids cheering section at Crocker Field. On Saturday afternoon they would trek with the older kids in the neighborhood to watch the Raiders take on all comers. Many of the kids would play football behind the stands, but Fred wanted to watch his heroes in Red carry the hopes of FHS against their worthy opponents.
As Fred reached his early teens, he realized that he was going to be a huge disappointment to his father because football was not his game. Basketball was given a try, but that was doomed by a poor jump shot and very little leaping ability. Baseball would be Fred Sullivan’s opportunity to wear the Red and Gray of FHS. He was a varsity player for all four years, and a starter for three of those years. His versatility with the glove gave Fred lots of playing time in his sophomore season at first base, center field and second base. He particularly remembers fondly the game at Doyle Field against LHS when he made an over the shoulder catch in deep right center field, and got three hits against the Blue Devils. Older teammates like Dave King and Carl Dustin patted him on the back, and said “nice game, kid!”
In his freshman year at FHS, Fred met the individual, who would have the most lasting effect upon his future life. That individual, Miss Rita Mallahy, was truly an inspiration to generations of FHS students with her wonderful teaching ability, and her magnificent life. Rita encouraged Fred Sullivan to be a better student, and also to work on his writing constantly. Her personality would have a lasting effect upon Fred Sullivan and his future. By his junior year at FHS, Fred had decided that he wanted to teach history, teach at FHS and coach baseball at FHS. Two out of three isn’t bad!
The spring of 1959 was a magical time for the FHS baseball team. Led by first year Coach Jerry O’Rourke the Red and Gray were the surprise team of Worcester County. Sophomore pitchers Vic Helin and Allan Thompson blossomed under the leadership of Captain Ronnie Thompson and kids like John DiGeronimo, Doug Prevost, Billy Burke, Ron Wiitala and a second baseman named Sullivan were making the plays in the field and contributing clutch hits while Ronnie Thompson played the role of superstar. The squad finished with a 15-3 record and went all the way to the District finals. It had been a glorious run, which is still fondly remembered. The senior season was not as glorious or nearly a much fun, but now it was onto college.
Upon graduation from FSC, Fred took a position as a sixth grade teacher at the Mary Markham School in the Cleghorn section of Fitchburg. Immediately Fred organized the sixth grade touch football squad, which used to play at Crocker Field and taught them a few Statue of Liberty plays. For future FHS football squads he had kids like Gary LeBlanc – Class of 1971, Bob Wotton – Class of 1973 and Dave McGurn – Class of 1972.
In 1981, Fred became a member of the FHS faculty as a United States History teacher, and within a few years was running the Booster Club, which decorated the cafeteria for the football teams on Friday mornings, and running the Thanksgiving Day Rally for the FHS-LHS Turkey Day Classic. In conjunction with the Turkey Day football game, Fred also decorated the corridors with the classes and their advisers to raise school spirit. Then in 1984 Doug Grutchfield was selected to the position of athletic director and he asked Fred to become the announcer of the FHS football games at Crocker Field. This request was answered with an enthusiastic yes, and so Fred and his spotter, Ron Grautski, have been calling Red Raider contests for the last twenty-five years. During the late 1980’s and early 1990’s when kids like Zack McCall, Jack Scott, Mike Goodchild, Danny Barry and many others were leading the Red Raiders to District championships, Fred was also behind the microphone at the old Brickyard on Academy Street.
In 2001 Doug Grutchfield finally relented to the pleas from Norman May, and his brother, Clarence, and decided to establish a Fitchburg High School Athletic Hall of Fame, and he asked Fred to become a member of the committee. When the fist class of the Hall was selected, the committee asked Fred to write columns for the Hall of Fame booklet, and he took to the project with enthusiasm. Each committee member was assigned a particular decade to select Hall of Fame nominees, and Fred was assigned The Golden Age of Amiott, the 1920’s and 1930’s, with Chris Bicoules, Chris had lived in that period and Fred knew of the period from his father’s stories. It worked out well as Fred and Chris overwhelmed the committee with information on the great athletes like Larry Hobbs, John Oliva, Bill Whelan, Jimmy Leo and “Ossie” MacLean from this era and the wonderful teams like the 1926 National Champions and the unbeaten football squad of 1933. Fred has been very pleased with the great response, which the Hall of Fame Committee has received for all its hard work.
Fred Sullivan retired as a teacher from FHS in 2003, but he continues with Ron Grautski as the Voice of the Red Raiders at Crocker Field, and can hardly wait for that Thanksgiving Day Contest when the kids from Fitchburg take on the Leominster kids as they have done for so many years. Fred Sullivan is very grateful to the Hall of Fame Committee for inducting him into the Hall in 2009. All Hail to our Alma Mater!
The number one seeded girl’s basketball squad of Holy Name High School walked confidently into their gymnasium ready to march to a District basketball championship. Little did they realize that they were going to meet a buzz saw in the sixth seeded Red Raiders of Fitchburg High School, who would shock the world of Central Massachusetts basketball with a huge 62-58 upset of the Naps.
Coach Tony Alario’s squad was led by three of the finest female athletes in the history of FHS sports, senior Karen LaFreniere, junior Sara Thomas, and a precocious sophomore named Shelly Richard, who swept Holy Name off their feet. Karen blazed 20 points through the hoop while Sara hit for 20 also, and Shelly hit for 17 points to score all but five of the Red and Gray total in the startling upset. Not only did Sara and Shelly have terrific offensive nights, they harassed Holy Name’s superstar Amy O’Brien all over the court. Amy would eventually score 21 points, but they were inconsequential to the outcome of the contest.
This performance would vault Shelly Richard forward as one of FHS’ very best basketball players ever, who will be inducted into the FHS Hall of Fame. Following their victory over Holy Name, the Raiders were slated to face a huge Wachusett Regional five, which had defeated them by thirty points early in the season. The Raiders were undaunted! During their great winning streak late in the season, the Lady Raiders had knocked off the Mountaineers, and so the District semi-final at the Harrington Auditorium on the WPI campus was considered a toss-up. Playing like a seasoned veteran Shelly scored twelve points which included clutch foul-shooting in the games waning moments as the tiny Raiders stunned another Goliath 54-50 to march into the District finals. Shelly Richard had played like a ten-year veteran of the NBA. Coolly dribbling the ball up the court against the Mountaineers, Shelly had impressed all in attendance. Most could not believe that the kid was only a sophomore.
During this 1994-1995 season, Coach Alario had lamented the fact that his terrific trio of scrappers had lacked a dominant big girl who could control the point and ultimately Cinderella’s clock struck twelve when the Red and Gray faced North Middlesex and Jessica Veysey. The ladies from Townsend and Pepperell were just too tall for the lady Red Raiders and so the championship trophy did not return to Academy Street. But the great run had inspired the Red and Gray faithful, and also launched Shelly Richard on a Hall of Fame career which ultimately lead to Mid-Wach League Most Valuable Player in her senior season when she concluded with 1379 career points. Shelly was named to the Sentinel and Enterprise All Star squad in her sophomore, junior and senior years, and in her final senior season was named to the Telegram and Gazette Super Team. But the most prestigious award to be presented to Shelly Richard was her selection to the State of Massachusetts First Team All-Academic squad. Shelly Richard was a Gold F student who ranked ninth in her class. She was truly an FHS Hall of Famer on the playing field, but also in the classroom.
But Shelly Richard was not just an All Star on the hardwood courts during the long New England winters. When the school bells rang in early September Shelly could be found at Crocker Field or behind Memorial Junior High School playing that most mysterious of games, field hockey, and playing it quite well. During Shelly’s four years at FHS, the field hockey teams under Coach Sue Tourigney were highly competitive in the Mid-Wach League, which included powerhouses like North Middlesex, Wachusett Regional and Gardner. Shelly could proudly say that the Raiders played in the Districts during her final three years as a field hockey player. Playing in a midfield positing Shelly was very skilled with the stick and was an excellent passer who set up teammates for rather easy shots on goal.
In her junior season Shelly and her teammates were able to reach the District finals following wonderful victories in the quarter and semi-finals. This was the deepest an FHS field hockey squad had ever gone in a District Championship tourney. Like basketball, Shelly Richard was honored with Mid-Wach All Star selections in her junior and senior season, Telegram and Gazette Super Team Member in her senior season and played in the Massachusetts “Best of 80” Central Mass squad in her final campaign. Her athletic ability and intense desire to succeed always impressed opponents and rival coaches.
When the springtime rolled around Shelly got out her glove and bat ready to show her stuff on the softball diamond. She was a four-year varsity starter on excellent Red and Gray squads, which continually played their way into the District tournament. But the Raiders did not have the outstanding fireball pitcher, so their efforts for a District title fell short. But All Star recognition did not elude Shelly as she placed on All Star squads throughout her softball career. She was chosen to play in a State All Star game, which featured the very best in Massachusetts.
Following graduation from FHS in June of 1997 Shelly was accepted in the College of Holy Cross based upon her outstanding academic career as well as her outstanding achievements as an athlete. Playing in the Patriot League the Crusaders had an outstanding four-year record of 42-28 and a post-season record of 9-7. In her senior year for Holy Cross Shelly was selected as a Patriot League All Star at the shortstop position and in her junior and senior seasons Shelly was selected as a Patriot League Academic Honor Roll. As was true at FHS Shelly was able to combine both athletic and academic excellence at Holy Cross.
From 2001 to 2005 Shelly taught math at FHS and today works for Loomis, Sayles & Company: Investment Research Analyst in Boston. She found time to acquire an MBA from the University of Chicago, Booth School of Business where she graduated with honors. Today we can add one more achievement to Shelly’s long list; Shelly Richard is now a Fitchburg High School Hall of Famer – great job Shelly.
During the summer of 1998 Coach Ray Cosenza and his young son, David, sat in an outdoor café in the town square of Utrecht, The Netherlands, and the ten year old asked his father which player on our baseball team, which was touring Holland was his favorite. Coach Cosenza thought for a moment, and then said that Todd Steffanides had to be his favorite. All the kids were excellent players and good people, but Ray Cosenza immediately named Todd. Later I asked Ray where Todd Steffanides stood on his list of all time players at FHS and the coach confessed, “pretty close to the top.”
Todd Steffanides was your old fashioned three-sport star that changed uniforms effortlessly from football to basketball to baseball during his time at FHS in the mid-1990’s. You could stand in the corridors of the old FHS, and watch the student’s stream into the halls between periods, and ask any stranger to FHS to pick out the star athlete. Most fans of Fitchburg High athletics know Todd from his exploits on Crocker Field during the autumn months, but he was also an excellent point guard on the basketball squad and one of the area’s finest shortstops during his career at FHS. But let’s discuss the quarterback’s career during the 1993-1994 football seasons. Following a disappointing 14-6 loss to Milford High in the Red Raider’s second game of 1993, Coach Ray Cosenza made one of the most important decisions for Red and Gray football in the 1990’s. He decided to move Todd Steffanides into the quarterback position and moved Mike Beaulac back to fullback where he would primarily serve as blocking back for Ryan Keenan. This dramatic decision immediately paid dividends for FHS; Todd Steffanides became one of the finest Raider QB’s seen in nearly thirty years.
Two weeks after Coach Cosenza made the critical decision regarding his quarterback position, it all came together on Crocker Field when mighty Brockton came to Fitchburg to show the “country cousins” how football is played. Early in the third quarter with the Red and Gray trailing 19-7, it looked as if the Boxers were ready to roll to another easy victory. But Todd Steffanides had other ideas as he coolly led the Raiders up and down the field using the slashing running of Ryan Keenan, and his own pinpoint passing to lead the Red Raiders back into the contest. Late in the third quarter, Keenan scored from just inside the five-yard line, and the Boxers knew they were in a football game. The final quarter belonged to the Red Raiders and their field general Todd Steffanides. Early in the 4th quarter Todd began a touchdown drive with a series of short passes and Ryan Keenan’s slashing running which culminated with a Steffanides to Clarence Yarborough 10 yard touchdown pass which gave FHS a one point lead. Todd then passed it to Matt Schneider on a vital two point extra point conversion. After the Raider defense stood tall, Steffanides put together another masterful drive as the clock wound down. With the ball on Brockton’s one-yard line, and the frenzied crowd yelling for another touchdown Todd Steffanides took a knee. Coach Cosenza and Todd Steffanides had shown Brockton’s Armand Columbo real sportsmanship. In his senior year Todd Steffanides referred to this as his happiest athletic moment.
Then there was that Thanksgiving morning at Doyle Field. Keenan was devastating running behind Beaulac’s blocks, McCall made a game saving tackle, but let’s not forget about Todd Steffanides. He was brilliant as he hit Yarborough and James McCall with brilliant tosses for three touchdowns as the Raiders survived the epic Turkey Day Classic 44-40. Young Todd Steffanides’ junior campaign had been a huge success. His senior year would be just as exciting. The Raiders had an outstanding regular season record of 7-3, which was capped by a resounding 38-14 victory over archrival Leominster on Thanksgiving morning at Crocker Field. But the Todd Steffanides that Red and Gray faithful recall was shown on Oakmont High’s Art Hurd Field. Oakmont was very good in 1994, and they played a classic with FHS, which featured a near-perfect 60-yard pass completion between Todd and his favorite receiver Clarence Yarborough. Oakmont’s coach Dave LaRoche called it the perfect pass.
But there was another pass, which epitomized Todd Steffanides, the Hall of Famer. Midway in the second half with FHS buried deep in their own territory Todd Steffanides faked to the right, and lobbed a perfect screen pass to big Joe Beaulieu, who raced 60 yards down to the Oakmont ten yard line. Todd lay motionless on the gridiron. Seconds became minutes as Todd was slowly helped to his feet, and FHS was forced to take another time out. Their quarterback looked to be knocked out of the contest. But after only one play, number ten slowly jogged onto the field. The ball was snapped; Todd faked a hand off to young Lawrence Yarborough, and calmly slid down the line, breaking into the end zone for a ten-yard touchdown. That’s what Hall of Famers are all about! Todd Steffanides had shown everyone his athletic skill, but he had shown his courage and indomitable will to win. That ten-yard run was truly remarkable and memorable.
Following his graduation from FHS, Todd entered Plymouth State College where he played basketball and baseball, and was elected captain for both teams in his senior year. One can see that his leadership qualities followed him into college. In his final year at Plymouth State, Todd was awarded the Robert Durand and Panther Awards, which stress playing ability along with leadership abilities. Today Todd Steffanides is a physical education teacher in Concord, New Hampshire and the proud father of Avery aged 2, and Jack aged 1. He and his wife, Amy, live in the Concord area. But today we remember Todd Steffanides as one of Fitchburg’s finest and welcome him into the FHS Hall of Fame.
Sometimes one just has to be in the right place at the right time. That was particularly true of FHS track and field star, Cindy Coleman, who was born in 1970, just one year before the United States Congress passed Title IX. This Congressional Act, which provided equal funding of athletics for boys and girls at any institution receiving federal funding, was the Magna Carta of women’s sports in the United States. By the time Cindy reached FHS in the fall of 1983, women were beginning to reach a type of excellence, which had not been believed possible in 1971. Cindy Coleman also happened to arrive at FHS as Steve LeBlanc was taking control of the women’s track and field as a coach and advocate. Cindy and her coach hit it off immediately, and they would become an excellent team. It was during Cindy’s freshman year that she was introduced to hurdling by Mr. LeBlanc, and it was like a marriage made in heaven. Cindy Coleman was to become the finest hurdler in the history of FHS, scoring more points in the various types of track events than other female runners.
But there was a little more to Cindy Coleman’s track persona than just running ability on the track. She was a Hall of Fame teammate, who was always there to help her teammates, particularly the younger kids on the team. She would always help Tom Shea and Mr. Don Woods get those hurdles off the track as other events were being started. Sophomores and freshmen would see their senior captain carrying out those chores and they would follow their leader, Cindy Coleman. Coach LeBlanc was always ready to tell any listener that Cindy Coleman was not only one of the best athletes he coached, but was the very best person. Individual records can fall, but great attitudes remain forever.
But let’s not think of Cindy Coleman as just a very nice person. During her four years at FHS she developed into one of the very best hurdlers to ever put on cleats for the Red and Gray. When she left FHS Cindy Coleman had established a new school record and Crocker Field record for the 100-meter high hurdles, which is one of the most difficult events for any track competitor. Also in her senior indoor track season she established a new school record at the Martin Luther King Relays held in Boston in the fifty-yard hurdles with an extremely fast time of 7.6 seconds, which was really moving during this era. Other outstanding hurdlers like Oly Borges-Wirtz, Kate Guenette, and Brandi Green would follow and establish new records, but Cindy Coleman was the pioneer who established the high standards. In that senior campaign indoors Cindy was selected as the team’s MVP, an award that was richly deserved.
District team and individual championships are very nice, but in track and field it is the dual meet competition between league opponents, which composes the meat of a team’s schedule. This was where Cindy Coleman shone brightest for “Shifty” and the Red and Gray. She was literally a one-woman team for the FHS squad in the spring of 1987. In plotting out a league track meet, Coach LeBlanc could count on Cindy Coleman for four victories in the 100-meter low hurdles, 220-yard dash, the long jump and the triple jump. The young lady was extremely versatile and nearly unbeatable in her junior and senior seasons at FHS.
During the winter indoor track season, Cindy seemed to be preparing herself for her upcoming senior outdoor track season. Throughout the winter campaign her coaches could almost be assured that Cindy would give them winning performances in the 45-yard dash and the 45-yard hurdles, and sure enough that is what she did. Besides giving the FHS squad outstanding efforts Cindy was able to qualify for the State championships with an excellent effort in the Districts in her specialty, the 45 high hurdles. For her season long efforts, Cindy was awarded the team’s MVP award.
As the days lengthened and the New England temperatures slowly rose during the last days of March 1987, Cindy began to prepare mentally and physically for her last track and field season at FHS. Springtime track can be very difficult for seniors. Graduation approaches, proms must be prepared for, and award banquets must be attended, and so the final season can be tough. Cindy had already been accepted at UMass, Dartmouth so would she be subject to the senior slump? That was not her way. Throughout the spring of 1987 Cindy Coleman’s name could be found in the Sentinel & Enterprise as she roared through the area’s track competition. Meet after meet she was victorious in the long jump, the triple jump, the 100 high hurdles and the 330 lows. In late April, the Red and Gray girl’s track squad nipped an excellent Marlboro High squad 70-66, and Cindy captured all her events. Writing in his sport’s column, In The Crowd, Fred Sullivan called her efforts one of the finest in all the history of FHS women’s track and field. Later in the season in the Class Meet the Raiders were able to score 57.3 points for a nice second place finish to a powerful Nashoba squad, and Cindy was personally responsible for twenty of those points with victories in the triple jump and the 100 yard hurdles. Her coaches continually praised her durability and stamina along with her willingness to do anything to improve the team.
Another MVP award would be handed to Cindy, and graduation would take place at Crocker Field and it was onto UMass, Dartmouth. Her track career continued at Dartmouth with outstanding success. Cindy received All New England honors for Division III when she captured the indoor 55-meter hurdles and the outdoor 100-yard hurdles while setting a school record. Today, Cindy is married to Brian Donelan, FHS Class of 1985, and they have three children Sean – age 9, Erin – age 7 and Cole – age 6. But Cindy has not forgotten track and field. In recent summers Cindy has volunteered to work for the Greater Fitchburg Track and Field Program held at Crocker Field. She and Mark Jackson Class of 1982 are giving back to their community and trying to instill in young children the importance of a healthy life style for their futures. Congratulations Cindy for your Hall of Fame induction for your outstanding FHS career.
During the early 1980’s Fitchburg High’s boy’s basketball had a flashy offensive machine led by his superb point guard John Pappas, but the Red Raiders lacked a strong inside presence, which could control the backboards, and score from the low post position. So their playoff hopes were often thwarted during this period. But Doug Grutchfield knew that help was on the way. Teaching at B.F. Brown at that time “Grutch” had seen a big kid named Mike LeBlanc in his gym classes, and he knew that this kid would take care of the inside position at FHS.
Mike LeBlanc was the type of player that coaches just love to have on their teams; they are big and strong, have good athletic instincts, never cause problems and hustle at all times. Not only would Mike LeBlanc show those unique traits at the old Brickyard on Academy Street, but he would also show these qualities at Crocker Field while competing for the Red and Gray football squads from 1980 through 1982. During his years at FHS, Mike stood nearly six foot five inches tall and weighed around 215 pounds which would generally mean that he would be slated to play offensive or defensive tackle for the football team. But Mike LeBlanc was quick, agile and blessed with soft hands, which meant that he was perfect as a tight end.
He was a formidable target who could shred enemy defenses with excellent pass catching technique and had shown an ability to run after the catch was made. During his junior and senior seasons at FHS Mike was a favorite target of both DiGeronimo quarterbacks, Tom and Paul. Mike’s efforts did not go unnoticed by the local sportswriters, or college scouts. By the end of his junior season in football Mike had been selected to Central Massachusetts League’s All Star Team for his tight end play on offense and his stalwart defensive end play. He had helped the Red and Gray to an excellent 6-3-1 record in his junior year. During that successful season, the highlight was probably a tough loss on Thanksgiving morning when the Raiders played an outstanding game against a very strong Blue Devil eleven. Mike’s tough play at defensive end helped to contain LHS’ two lightning quick backs, Chester and Crowley, as the underdog Raiders took a one touchdown lead going into the locker room at halftime. The Devils proved to be too tough in the second half, but Mike had been solid throughout the contest, and he was beginning to attract the attention of the scouts.
Following his graduation in June 1983, Mike also was selected to play in the Massachusetts’ Shriner’s All Star Game. Those honors just kept on coming. But at FHS Mike’s most successful team sport was not football, but basketball. Playing with his good buddy from Blossom Street, Johnny Connolly, along with John’s younger brother Mike, and Paul DiGeronimo and David Marshall, Mike LeBlanc was able to lead FHS to a District title in March of 1983. Coach Dough Grutchfield’s Red Raider squad in 1983 was simply loaded, as they rolled to a regular season record of 18-2. Most contests were not even close. The Raiders were very tall, very bulky, extremely skilled and as tough as nails. Early in the year the Red and Gray had lost to St. John’s 68-65 behind their superstar Matt Palazzi, but later in the season they had knocked off the Pioneers 52-48 at the Brickyard.
Despite a strange loss at Holy Name, most Central Massachusetts basketball fans anticipated a tournament rematch at the Hart Center on the campus of Holy Cross in March. David Marshall and “Slanky” were almost impossible to cover down low in the post, and both had scored in double figures as they rolled through the schedule. Opponents just did not want to go inside against the twin towers. FHS defeated Doherty High in the semi-finals, and so the two great rivals arrived at the Hart Center to play before an overflow crowd of wild partisans. The contest was everything that the sport’s fans had envisioned. Marshall and LeBlanc were massively effective inside and St. John’s Matt Palazzi was bombing from the outside. As the final seconds wore down on the clock the two teams were like heavy weight boxing champions. The final buzzer sounded and the Red Raiders were the District champs, and their season was finished. Due to Proposition 2 ½ and budget cuts there were no state championships in 1983.
Mike LeBlanc’s athletic career was now completed at FHS, but he was awarded a full athletic scholarship to Syracuse University to play football for the Orangemen. Very few Central Mass. athletes got that opportunity. Today Mike is living in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where he is a store manager for the American Wholesale Mattress Company. His life revolves around his three kids Alee, Sydney and Reese and his church. Today we honor one of FHS’ finest athletes from the 1980’s with his induction into the FHS Athletic Hall of Fame. Congratulations, Mike!
As the young history teacher walked the halls of B.F. Brown Junior High School on a winter morn at 6:30 a.m., he could hear noises coming from the gymnasium of the old building. It was really quiet early, so he went to investigate. When he opened the doors of the gym, he saw a solitary runner sprinting over the hurdles as a short white haired gentleman watched intently. Apparently Voitto Lassila had discovered another diamond in the rough for the FHS track and field squad, which was coached by his very good friend Eric Koutonen. The young ninth grader’s name was Ray Haaker, and once again the old pole-vaulter, Mr. Lassila, had shown his expertise in discovering great runners for the Red and Gray.
During its long history of track and field, FHS had always seemed to be blessed with outstanding middle-distance runners like Jim Gallagher and Johnny Bennett in the late 1940’s, Mike Conry in the 1950’s and Barney Keenan in the 1960’s, but Ray Haaker might well have been the very best. Fitchburg High’s Junior-Senior Relay, which featured sixty upper classmen running the half-mile, may well have been the reason that FHS had consistently produced good 400 and 800 yard running stars. When Ray Haaker reached FHS in the fall of 1970, he was immediately taken under the wing of FHS’ young assistant track coach Ed Gastonguay, who had been a great middle-distance runner at Notre Dame High and later at Brandeis University. Ed realized that Ray Haaker was the real thing, and when Ray’s varsity career began in the spring of 1971, the stopwatch immediately confirmed the fact that Ray Haaker was going to be an outstanding half-miler or quarter miler.
Running on the ancient cinder track at Crocker Field, Ray’s early half-mile times were hovering around 2:00, which were sensational for any high school runner, but for a sophomore, they were outrageous! During the spring of 1971 Ray finished second in the half mile at the District championships competing against the very best half milers from schools like St. John’s, Nashoba Regional, Wachusett Regional, Oakmont and others. When his junior year arrived, Ray was ready to challenge any middle-distance runner in the District, and challenge he did, as Ray captured the District title in a blazing time of 1:57.9. Now the major college track powers were really beginning to become very interested in this kid from Fitchburg High School who was running well under 2:00 in the 880-yard race. Remember this is New England, not Texas or California, where temperatures for spring track meets could fall well below fifty degrees. Schools like Seton Hall, Northeastern, Villanova, and Kansas were showing a distinct interest in Ray Haaker. His ability to run the middle distances was combined with blazing sprinter’s speed as was revealed in Ray’s 50.1 seconds in the 440 over the cinder tracks of Crocker Field. During his days at FHS, Ray was the holder for school records and Crocker Field records in both the 440 and 880. He very well could have been the only individual at FHS to hold those two spectacular records.
As Central Massachusetts track and field organization began to emerge out of the 1950’s and early 1960’s men like Dick Mulligan of Lunenburg, Bob Duncan of Gardner High, and Ev Engalls of Nashoba Regional, were developing year end District championships which were highly competitive as well as being very meaningful. Into this situation stepped young Ray Haaker of Fitchburg High and the long-loping half miler immediately showed the region what he was made of, as he captured his favorite event in both his junior and senior years with blazing times of 1:57.6 in his junior year and 1:58.2 in his senior year. Considering conditions of tracks in this era, this was truly outstanding stuff. Following his senior campaign at FHS, Ray was invited to train with the Junior Olympics program and he ran a 1:54.7 in the half, which was a little mind-boggling for a runner in the northeast. Most of Ray Haaker’s individual records were achieved during the spring track season, but during this period in the 1970’s, FHS and other Central Massachusetts’ schools began indoor track programs, although many such programs were quite primitive in nature. Kids practiced in high school corridors and meets being held in basketball gymnasiums, now that was primitive. One event, which is truly unique to indoor winter track, is the 1000-yard run, and this event was right up Ray Haaker’s alley. Sometimes Ray’s excellent size, which was a little large, would allow smaller half mile or quarter mile competitors to use sprinter-like speed to surprise Ray. But the 1000 seemed perfect for a big strong middle distance runner, and soon he would establish another school record with a 2:20 in the event.
Soon the legendary Kansas Jayhawks track coach, Bob Timmons, came a-calling. Timmons, who had coached champions like Wes Santee, Billy Mills and in the late 1960’s Jim Ryun, expressed an interest in Ray Haaker enrolling at the University of Kansas. Ray jumped at the opportunity and soon he was off to the land of Dorothy where culture shock awaited. The Jayhawks program was terrific, but the flat rolling plains were tough on a kid from Fitchburg. Ray likes to recall competing at the National Indoor Track and Field Championships in the medley relay in which he ran the half-mile leg. This national championship squad, which included the Jayhawks Nolan Cromwell who would later be an All Pro in the NFL, was the highlight of Ray’s Kansas career. While at Kansas Ray ran a tremendous 1:51.2 in the half; but soon returned to Fitchburg, and FSC. While at FSC Ray established school records in the indoor 1000 yard race with a 2:11 and a 4:17 in the mile.
Following his graduation from FSC Ray worked in the field of Human Services from 1974 through 1987. During the last twenty plus years, he has worked for the U.S. Postal Department in Fitchburg. That track and field stamina comes in handy with the Post Office walking the hills of Fitchburg. He and his wife Susan come to today’s Hall of Fame induction ceremony extremely proud to see Ray become a member of the FHS Athletic Hall of Fame. To the swiftest goes the prize. Great job and congratulations Ray!
As the 1962 Fitchburg High School basketball season approached, there was a buzz in the air, and expectations were sky high. Customers sitting in the Fitchburg Lunch on Main Street recalled the glory days of Amiott in the 1920’s and 1930’s when the Red Riot would take their annual drive to the Tech Tourney and often capture the mythical state basketball championships. As few would talk about the John Oliva squads of the late 1940’s, who traveled west to Springfield College to participate in the newly established Western Massachusetts Championships. Many were saying that 1962 would be the year of the Red Raider, and why not!
Fitchburg High was loaded with talent. Joe Spagnuola was a six foot two inch point guard, who could hit the bomb from twenty feet or further, and also drive to the hole. In small forward Barry MacLean, FHS had a tremendous athlete who could jump out of the building, play wonderful defense, and hit the fifteen foot jump shot from anywhere on the court. Larry Shattuck was the selfless big guy who worked hard on both backboards for rebounds while playing tenacious defense. Senior Dave Rissanen had great inside moves along the baseline, and could score in double figures on any given night. But there was another Red Raider on that squad who would prove to be invaluable, and who we induct into Fitchburg High Schools Hall of Fame this evening and his name was Leon Drury.
Lee, as he was called by his friends, was born into a basketball family which included his oldest brother Bill, who graduated from FHS in 1954 and played varsity basketball for two years before heading off to the Naval Academy, and “Bubba” Drury – Class of 1960 – who was a North Worcester County All Star in 1960 while competing for FHS. If one visited the Drury homestead located upon Beacon Street in the late 1950’s you would have seen a basketball hoop hanging from the tree located at the end of the driveway. When Lee entered FHS in the fall of 1958, his basketball talents seemed to be largely unheralded. To the sporting community of Fitchburg, Spagnuola, MacLean and Shattuck were known commodities, Leon Drury was not. So what did he do about that situation? As would be true about all the situations, which Leon Drury would encounter during his life in athletics, he just outworked everyone else.
During Lee’s freshman season at FHS, Lee was just another kid on the squad, who was trying to impress his coaches with his abilities. The only reason that he originally was noticed was that he was the kid brother of “Bubba” who was beginning to make a name for himself on the varsity. As his body began to mature and he grew taller, Lee worked on his jump shot from the key and along the baseline and he tried to improve his leaping ability through vigorous workouts. And he always worked the hardest on his defense. He would make himself valuable by becoming the Raider’s very best defensive player. Some kids would work hours on their shooting while completely ignoring their defense. That was not Lee’s style. Good defensive play made teams better, and Leon Drury always believed in team first. By Lee’s junior season, he had moved onto the varsity, and began to play solid minutes as his skills improved. The 1961 Red and Gray basketball squad was solid, but not really tournament tested. They would play in the Fitchburg State College Invitational, which was sort of a second-class tourney when compared to the Western Mass. tourney.
But Lee and his teammates got invaluable experience. So now the 1962 season began, and the expectations were great for the players and their community. They wanted to go unbeaten in the regular season, win the Districts in Central Mass., go to Springfield College and capture the title and go to the parque of the Boston Garden and play in the New England Basketball championship.
The Raiders finished the regular season with a fine 14-2 record with a close loss 60-59 to Beverly, which was strangely officiated, and a very strange loss to Notre Dame High upon a very slippery gym floor. Then it was onto the District championships, which were neatly instituted in the winter of 1962. In that initial playoff competition there were not small school – large school separations, so the Raiders played Leicester in the first round and the Raiders rolled to an easy victory, but the second game would not be a push over for the Raiders as they entered the packed Shrewsbury High gym to face a very good Worcester Classical which was led by a be speckled center George Riddick who would give the Raiders fits throughout the game with his superb inside moves. Riddick was no slouch. He would later star at Assumption College, and become a member of the Greyhound Hall of Fame. As the tightly packed crowed cheered loudly, FHS and Classical put on an offensive show for the ages until an overtime period was contested. Both squads raced up and down the court hitting jump shots all over the floor as their loyal fans roared with pleasure. When the final buzzer sounded, the mighty Raiders had been nipped by Classical, and disappointment could be seen upon the faces of the Red Raiders.
But tournament rules were different in 1962 than they are in 2009, so the squad was given another shot to reach the Western Mass Tournament. The semi-final losers were to play a consolation game to decide the third and final slot for the Western Mass tourney. Once again FHS would face a strong Worcester public school team. This time it would be Worcester Commerce. The Raiders started slowly in the contest in the first half, and it seemed as though their season was finished. But then the Raiders exploded; Spagnuola’s shots began to fall, MacLean and Leon Drury were all over the court picking up loose balls, rebounding and hitting clutch shots and big Larry Shattuck ruled the boards. And it was onto Springfield.
The Red Raiders were decided underdogs as the tourney began. The Springfield Republican spoke about a strong Chicopee squad, Springfield Commerce led by a dynamic Henry Payne, a strong Worcester Classical team and Pittsfield led by a superstar named Mark Belanger. The Raiders were merely an afterthought. That would soon change in the early days of March 1962. In the opening round FHS took on Drury High from North Adams, and quickly disposed of the squad located along the Mohawk Trail, and then it faced Springfield Commerce. As the spectators crowded into the Springfield College Field House, all the talk was about Commerce’s dazzling Henry Payne who would crush the Red Raiders from Fitchburg. Payne was brilliant with 28 points, but the Red and Gray overcame his brilliance with a great team effort. Joe Spagnuola hit for twenty points while MacLean and Lee hit for fifteen points each. With the contest tied at 52 each and less than three minutes on the clock Leon hit three clutch foul baskets while MacLean drilled a two point jump shot at the one minute, and FHS was onto the finals.
Old time Red Raider basketball fans still talk about the thrilling FHS-Pittsfield contest in which the brilliant Mark Belanger of the Purple Knights outlasted valiant efforts of FHS’ trio of stars, Drury, MacLean and Spagnuola. Belanger, who would later star for the Baltimore Orioles, scored 31 points and was able to break Fitchburg’s full court press throughout the contest with outstanding dribbling. Leon had a solid offensive night and played excellent defense throughout the contest, but Belanger was simply too good, and so a great season came to a tough loss.
Following his years at FHS, Leon enrolled at Springfield College where he once again played the role of the over-achieving underdog. Unheralded as a freshman at Springfield College, Leon, through continuous hard work, achieved a record of excellence on the basketball court, which could very well be unmatched in the history of this school where Dr. James Naismith virtually invented the game of basketball. His coach was Dr. Edward Steitz, a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame himself, and the Doctor immediately took a liking to this hard-worker from FHS. By his junior season at Springfield Leon was the starting point guard on a squad which would achieve No. 1 ranking in the New England Division II rankings with an amazing record against schools like Assumption, AIC, Trinity, Northeastern and even Holy Cross of 63-10.
As a senior Leon was named a co-captain of the Springfield five, but the most amazing aspect of Leon’s career may have occurred in the summer of his junior year, when the Springfield squad was selected by the State Department to represent the U.S. of A on a good will basketball tour from Paris to Tokyo. In sixty-two days the squad played 25 games and conducted over one hundred clinics while spreading gospel of basketball to people throughout Europe, Africa and Asia. Today, basketball as the world’s international game could well have been inspired by Springfield College’s tour in 1965. The highlight of the tour could well have been clinics and games played in the shadow of India’s magnificent Taj Mahal. Following college Leon took a position as basketball coach in Litchfield where he compiled a 36-8 record in two seasons, and a spot in the finals of Connecticut’s Class 5 state tourney, then it was onto Brown University where Leon’s freshman squad had a wonderful 18-2 record.
The world was watching and Lee was appointed varsity coach at Bryant College where he immediately turned an average small college basketball team into a Division II powerhouse, which could challenge schools like AIC, Assumption and Springfield. In 1980, Leon was named Rhode Island’s College Coach of the Year. Later as athletic director Leon helped establish the Northeast-10 as a viable basketball league, and was selected to that league’s Hall of Fame in 2007. Leon married Eileen Cormier – FHS Class of 1969 – and they had three kids, Michelle, Lauren and Mark Leon and today they live in Putnam, Connecticut while Leon serves as the director of Senior Services for the town of Cumberland, RI. Leon Drury certainly is one of FHS’ most distinguished graduates and now he is an FHS Hall of Famer.
As the thousands of Red Raider and Blue Devil fans slowly found their way to Crocker Field on Thanksgiving morning of 1958, the sun shone brightly but there was a distinct nip in the air as the temperatures hovered around 30 degrees as the clock approached ten o’clock. Crocker Field was frozen solid so the players were daintily finding their way around the field as the sun rose higher in the sky. Veteran observers of past Turkey Day Classics at Crocker knew that the field would be a sea of mud by the early second. That seemed to bring a smile to Head Coach Ed Sullivan and his assistant Jim Meredith as they watched their players preparing for the game. “Sully” and Jim knew that they had an ace in the hole as Crocker Field turned into a quagmire, and he was wearing number 40. Roger Kielty was an old-fashioned no holds barred fullback, who took no prisoners, who would have been perfect in the single-wing offense which had been popular in the 1930’s, and was still very popular in Gardner in 1958. Weighing close to 180 pounds, Roger Kielty was as large as many opponents’ defensive linemen, and he loved the contact. Leominster had not had a great record in 1958, but they were still the Blue Devils, and Charlie Broderick was still prowling their sidelines.
The mid-1950’s had not been very kind to the fortunes of Fitchburg High football, but a surprising 20-14 victory on Thanksgiving morning in 1957 had reignited the hopes of the Red Raider faithful for the 1958 campaign. But the season had been a little strange with flashes of brilliance and then moments of great disappointment. Then the Red and Gray traveled to Stone Field to play against the Gardner Wildcats, and stepped into an unexpected hornet’s nest. Gardner was loaded, and they overwhelmed FHS 32 to 0 despite Roger’s efforts all over the field. The football squad was despondent after the loss at Gardner, but “Sully” made a fateful decision, which changed the Raider’s fortunes. He and Jim Meredith decided to take the signal calling duties away from quarterback Ronnie Thompson, and handed them over to Roger Kielty. And they told their burly fullback not to be timid about calling his own number. Roger loved the decision, and this ignited a late season Raider comeback.
It all started after a postponement against Marlboro when FHS faced cross-town rival St. Bernard’s, who had sprinted out to a very solid 5-1 start. St. Bernard’s big mistake occurred when they lost the pre-game coin toss. Bourque boomed the kick into Kielty’s arms at the goal line and number forty immediately raced up along the right sideline directly in front of the St. Bernard’s cheering section as his teammates threw solid blocks all over the field. Kielty raced into the clear as the Fitchburg cheering section exploded with cheering. One hundred and five yards later and the Raiders led 6-0 and never looked back. With Roger keeping the St. Bernard’s defense honest with his bull-like plunges into the middle, swivel-hipped junior halfback Franny Blanchard was able to run wild on the outside for great yardage, and quarterback Ronnie Thompson was able to hit his wide receivers John DiGeronimo and Dana Valiton with a series of ten to fifteen yard completions. And the Red Raider defense led by their two captains Allen Muir and, of course, Roger Kielty shut down the vaunted St. Bernard’s offense. When the final whistle blew, it was FHS 46 St. Bernard’s 6.
The Red and Gray rolled over visiting Winthrop 26-0, and next came Thanksgiving morning. But there was more to Roger Kielty’s Hall of Fame career than a senior football season. During Roger’s four years at FHS he had participated in varsity baseball and track and field and ran on the relay team in his junior and senior year. In Roger’s senior year he decided to give up baseball, and compete with young coach Joe Hannon on the Raider track squad. He showed great prowess in the strength events like the shot put, and surprisingly for a big guy, Roger was quite good as a middle distance runner. But in the long run, it was always football.
Before we talk about Roger’s famous Thanksgiving Game in 1958, let’s go back to his junior football season, which began with a serious injury and ended with a glorious victory at Doyle Field on Thanksgiving morning. Coach Sullivan and Jim Meredith felt that Roger was going to be a key player for his rapidly improving football squad, which was coming off two or three difficult seasons. On the day before FHS opened up against hated cross-town rival Notre Dame, Roger had hurt his knee in a foolish accident in gym class. He was heart-broken, and it looked like his season would be lost. The Red and Gray lost their first three games without Roger, but the squad had been improving. Then Roger returned and there was an immediate upgrade as the Red and Gray swept through teams like St. Bernard’s and Athol.
The Raiders were magnificent on that bright Thanksgiving morning fifty-two years ago. Congram, Rostedt, Stephens, Karis and Conry played exceptionally well as did a fierce tackle named Roger Kielty. The headlines went to the running backs on that Thanksgiving morning of 1957, but “Sully” and Jimmy Meredith knew that the key to 1958 would be Roger Kielty.
So now it was Thanksgiving morning of 1958 as the two ancient rivals lined up for the opening kick-off. As the sun rose in the sky and Crocker Field’s turf began to soften, Ronnie Thompson faked a hand-off to Roger, and the whole LHS defense rushed forward to stop the hard charging fullback. But Thompson held onto the ball, and hit a streaking Dana Valiton with perfect pass for the touchdown as the Red Raider fans exploded with happiness. The Raiders were on the board and now it became Roger Kielty’s football game. Remember he was now calling the plays, and Roger thought that full back plunge was the best call. The field got sloppier and the temperatures rose, and Kielty was gaining yardage all over Crocker Field. Seldom has Thanksgiving morning seen a performance like Roger Kielty’s. When the final gun sounded the FHS stands emptied as the fans celebrated a glorious 24 to 10 victory. One day later it was announced that Roger Kielty had won the St. Germaine Award as the games Most Valuable Player. As the crowd stood at mid-field on Thanksgiving morning everyone knew who had been the very best, Hall of Famer Roger Kielty.
Following his graduation he enrolled at Boston University on a full football scholarship where he played for three varsity seasons. His most memorable game might well have been against Kansas University with future Hall of Famer on the Jayhawks squad. Moving to California, Roger worked in industry for a few years until he began a career in education at Moreno Valley High School where he taught and coached for thirty-three years. He married Linda from Evanston, Illinois, and they had four children, Michelle, Bill, Brenna and, of course, Bobby. Red Sox Nation will always remember Bobby’s homerun of the 2007 World Series, which clinched the title. Thanks Roger and Bobby. Congratulations to Roger Kielty for your induction into the FHS Hall of Fame.
In the years following World War II, which some historians have called The Good Years, Fitchburg High School was blessed with a group of athletes who brought glory to their high school and themselves in all the major sports. The gridiron squads of Coach Marty McDonough won nearly seventy-five percent of their games. During this period from 1945 to 1950 the basketball squads dominated local competition, the baseball nines were extremely competitive and the track and field squads were tremendous, as they faced the best in the state. Fitchburg High had a series of sprinters like “Red” Goguen, Ray Ablondi, Dick Erickson, Ronny Balaban and Joe Hannon, who were as quick as any group in the state of Massachusetts. In the Red and Gray of May 1950 the student sports editor lamented the loss of the many outstanding track and field stars from the classes of 1948 and 1949, and stated that the prospects for 1950 were not good.
Apparently the young sportswriter had overlooked the fact that the track and field squads, which would represent FHS in 1950 and 1951, would be graced by the presence of a dynamic flyer named Joe Hannon. Like his predecessors, Joe Hannon was an explosive 100 and 220-yard dash man who would dominate his events during the early fifties. He was undefeated in dual meets in his junior and senior seasons as his times on the difficult Central Massachusetts’ cinder tracks hovered near the ten second mark and close to twenty-two in the 220-yard sprint. But sprinting may not have been Joe Hannon’s best event during his years at FHS despite the fact that he finished second in the All Class 100 yard dash at the States. Joe Hannon was a magnificent leaper in the long jump. He established a broad jump record at Crocker Field in his senior season with a leap well over twenty-two feet.
Later in that record setting year Joe Hannon captured his signature event in the New England Championships, which featured athletes from the region’s six states. In that senior season Joe had finished second in the high school division in the triple jump at the old BAA track meet held at the Boston Garden. The amazing thing about this accomplishment was that Joe leaped in this event pretty much cold turkey. Fitchburg High did not even compete in this event during Joe’s high school career. Maybe he received lessons from Olympian Erikki Koutonen in this even before the BAA event!
Track and field may have been Joe Hannon’s sport of choice, but his explosive running ability did not go unnoticed by his classmates and football coaches Marty McDonough and Ed Sullivan. So it was that Joe Hannon became a key component to a fine FHS football squad in the fall of 1950. With outstanding running backs in the offensive backfield like Mike Crowley, Herbie Amer, Ralph DiGeronimo and Richie O’Connell, Joe did not get many offensive touches early in the season. Coach McDonough put Joe in the defensive backfield where his speed could be invaluable where it was highlight in the Brookline game where Joe’s game saving tackle allowed FHS to hold onto a 6-6 tie against the kids from the Wealthy Town.
Later Joe would prove invaluable against St. Bernard’s and Woburn with his pass catching skills and kick returns. He was an invaluable cog to a solid 6-3-1 season. Many veteran FHS fans believe that Joe’s early injury in the Thanksgiving contest really hurt the Red and Gray effort. Following graduation in 1951, Joe Hannon enrolled at Worcester Academy where he continued to excel in track and field. In March of 1952 Joe competed in the old Madison Square Garden and captured the gold medal in the National Interscholastic Indoor Championships with a leap of nearly twenty-three feet.
Following his one year at Worcester Academy, Joe Hannon enlisted in the United States Marine Corp as war raged on the peninsula of Korea. Shortly after his tour of duty in the Marines, Joe enrolled at Fitchburg State Teacher’s College in 1955. Shortly thereafter Joe was appointed the head track coach of his Alma Mater where he would establish a level of excellence in his very short tenure. He was one of the youngest coaches in the state and he brought a level of excitement to track and field seldom seen at FHS. Joe introduced new training techniques, which produced Hall of Fame performances from runners like Mike Conry and Dennis LeBlanc.
Soon the stands began to pack with fans at the afternoon dual meets, so Joe decided to try to make track and field a big time sport. Renting portable lights, Coach Hannon held the first night track meet between FHS and the Crusaders of Notre Dame High. Hundreds of fans came to ancient Crocker Field, and were thrilled to watch a terrific competition between the two schools. The highlight of the night was a duel race between FHS’ Mike Conry and Notre Dame’s Ed Gastonguay in the 440 yard run. As the gun sounded, Conry sprinted to the lead, followed closely by teammate Dick Boutwell who effectively blocked Gastonguay, and Conry raced to the victory as the Red and Gray crowd roared. It was just a little bit of strategy from the young coach. Track and field became fun and the night meets were a success. Joe Hannon was a great coach with a little measure of P.T. Barnum in his makeup.
Following his graduation from Fitchburg State in 1959, Mr. Hannon took a job on the island of Nantucket for a number of years where he coached basketball and football as well as track. Later Joe would teach in Athens Greece and serve as Assistant Director of the American International School of Vienna and later receive a Masters Degree from Stanford and a Doctorate from Northern Colorado University. Joe Hannon has held numerous positions of great importance during the last 40 years, but he is probably best known as the General Superintendent of Schools for Chicago where he was the Chief Administrator with a $1.4 billion budget with 50,000 employees and 500,000 students. During this time Joe Hannon was named as one of the 100 Outstanding Educators in America. He has been married to Denise Turcotte Hannon of Gardner for the past fifty years and they have a daughter Kelley and a granddaughter Sophie who live in England with Kelley’s husband, Alan. But it is as an athlete and coach that we honor Joe Hannon today. Joe, welcome to the FHS Athletic Hall of Fame.
How do we identify Ronald Grover Watson – Class of 1946 – who will be inducted into the Fitchburg High School Athletic Hall of Fame this November 1, 2009? Should we refer to Ronnie Watson as star basketball player, General Excellence Award winner, historian and author, teacher and educational administrator, scholar, citizen or Renaissance man? All of those titles would fit Ronald Grover Watson just fine, thank you!
Growing up in the Teacher’s College (T.C.) area of Fitchburg in the late 1930’s and early 1940’s, Ronnie was a member of one of the area’s best knows families. After all, every one went to Watson’s Market to buy their bread, milk, vegetables, cold meats and roasts for Sunday dinner. As young Ronnie Watson reached his teenage years, his neighbors began to notice that he was sprouting up like a string bean. Ronnie entered FHS in the fall of 1942 as America’s Armed Forces were being armed to strike back at the evil Axis forces of Germany, Japan and Italy. It was a rather strange period for FHS students who read in the daily newspaper and in the Red and Gray magazine about classmates who were going off to war. Amongst the military volunteers were many of the coaches at FHS like Marty McDonough, Ed Sullivan and John Oliva. Also many sports were being cancelled due to the war. But basketball did continue, and Ronnie Watson was lucky to have a great coach Bill Provenzani, take the place of John Oliva who was off to war.
Ronnie Watson saw limited varsity action in his sophomore season as Coach Provenzani’s squad put together an excellent 10-3 record before they marched all the way to the Western Mass. finals before falling to an excellent Holyoke High squad. Playing alongside veterans like Charlie Pappas and Wally Aho, young Watson was learning the game very rapidly. In Ronnie’s junior season at FHS, the Red and Gray got off to a rough start with losses to powerhouses like Pawtucket East, Nashua and Worcester Commerce, but by February they were really beginning to roll, winning seven of their last eight contests. It was during this period that Ronnie Watson began to perfect his inside game, and became one of Central Massachusetts’s better big men.
As the Red and Gray began to prepare for their 1945-1946 campaign, the players elected Ronnie Watson as their captain, and the elongated, Watson, who now stood nearly six foot five inches tall, appeared ready to have a huge season. With a small point guard named Bob Duncan who was able to cleverly feed Watson in the low post, big Ronnie Watson was scoring in double figures consistently, and on many an evening he was tallying more than 20 points. Playing an extremely tough schedule the Raiders finished with a 10-6 record, but still qualified for the Western Mass tourney where they beat Agawam, but were stopped by a strong Westfield five. With his high school career concluded Ronnie Watson looked forward to college, and with his outstanding academic record, schools were very interested. Ronnie chose Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, where his basketball game improved dramatically so much so that he became one of New England’s finest players of the college level. Once again Ronnie was selected as a co-captain of Trinity five in his senior season. In that last year at Trinity Ronnie established a new single game scoring record with 32 points.
While he excelled on the basketball court, Ronnie continued his academic excellence in the classroom. Dean’s Lists and academic awards continued to be garnered by Ronnie at Trinity just as they had been collected at FHS. He graduated from Trinity College in 1950 with a B.A. in history, and returned to the Fitchburg area, where he took a teach job in the Ashby High School where he taught six classes a day in English, and science in the 7th and 8th grades, and General Science in the 9th grade and Biology in the 10the grade. In 1951 Ronnie was drafted into the U.S. Army during the Korean War. With that class schedule at Ashby High, going into the Army must have seemed like a piece of cake! It was the Cold War between the U.S.A. and U.S.S.R. when it was at its hottest, and with his college training Ron was selected for the Counter Intelligence Corps in Berlin, Germany. Did he run into James Bond?
Following his two years of service, Ronnie returned to the world of academia at Springfield College where he received his Master’s in Education, and then accepted a teaching position at Laconia High School in New Hampshire where he taught World History and Social Studies. While at Laconia Ronnie accepted the job as head basketball coach, and brought his team to the New Hampshire Large School finals in 1955, showing that he not only could play basketball, but could coach the game also. Next Ronnie and his wife, Carolyn (Carolyn-Sis-Congdon – Class of 1946) moved their growing family to New Jersey where Ronnie Watson would establish a record of educational excellence matched by very few. He began at Hanover Park Regional High School in East Hanover, New Jersey as the chairman of the history department where he also taught U.S. History and government, but soon he became an assistant principal until 1967.
During this decade in Hanover, Ronnie gained a reputation as an educational innovator, so whenever a New Jersey school district was opening a new facility with educational innovation, the call went out, “Get Ron Watson”. From 1967 through 1972 Ronnie was the principal at Whippany Park High School, which was a traditional high school. Then Ronnie was appointed principal at West Windsor-Plainsboro Regional School District with a new open style school where he hired the staff, developed the curriculum and organized the school in the year before the school actually opened. He remained at West Windsor until August 1984 when he suddenly retired because New Jersey was going the wrong way in public education. He was fifty-six years old and unemployed, but he was just getting started!
He moved to North Carolina where he established a record of “volunteerism” which has to be unique in America. His community involvement is simply amazing: He became a court appointed guardian for three neglected teenagers, he served on an AIDS support organization, and met regularly with AIDS patients, organized an Adult Reading Program in Chatham County for illiterate adults and struggling elementary students, organized a Grandparent reading group in North Chatham Elementary, organized an Adopt-a-Highway Program and cleaned up three miles of state highway which collected more than 1000 trash bags and was selected as the 704th Point of Light in President George H.W. Bush’s Thousand Points of Light Program.
In his spare time – really! – Ronnie Watson edited and researched From Ashby to Andersonville – The Civil War Diary and Reminiscences of Private George A. Hitchcock, 21st Massachusetts Infantry that was published in 1997. Finding his research for the book difficult, Ronnie Watson decided to enroll at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in three graduate courses in history to improve his research skills. He is now working on another Civil War book on United States Sharpshooters of the Second Regiment in the Civil War, and finally he is the editor of “The Ramrod” which publishes a newsletter every month regarding Civil War history. There is more material concerned with Ronnie Watson’s retirement years, but our space is limited.
When Ronnie Watson graduated from FHS in 1946, he was selected as his class’ General Excellence winner, and the FHS Hall of Fame Committee can think of no finer selection. We are honored to welcome Ronnie Watson into the FHS Athletic Hall of Fame. Bravo!
In late January 1931, FHS’ legendary Clarence N. Amiott decided to make a dramatic change in the composition of the Red and Gray basketball squad. To the faithful followers of FHS basketball fortunes, whether they be fans in the stands or sports writers for the Fitchburg Sentinel, this was a shocking development. After all the Fitchburg squad was loaded with veterans like Captain Carl Fellows, Donald Allan, and Bill Whelan who had led FHS to a Tech Tourney Championship in 1930, so why would they need a new influx of new blood into the starting lineup? But Coach Amiott knew exactly what he was doing, when he decided to bring up from Squad B sophomores Reino Fillback and Ray Belliveau, and immediately inserted them into the starting lineup. Fillback, and especially Ray Belliveau, were particularly skilled players who could put the ball in the hoop and who also possessed outstanding floor games with their excellent dribbling and outstanding passing. Immediately the Red Raider offense began to come alive and the Big Red Machine was rolling down the track toward another Tech Tourney championship.
When the Raiders opened their defense of the Tech Tourney, they started very slowly against Salem High. After the Witches took a 15-4 lead midway through the third period, Ray Belliveau and his fellow sophomore Fillback drove FHS to a spine-tingling 20-18 victory with their outside sharp shooting. Next mighty New Bedford fell to the Amiott squad 45-33 and finally FHS took down Lynn Classical 23-21 to capture another Tech Tourney, which was the equivalent of a state championship in 2009. This was the beginning of a Hall of Fame career at FHS.
Following the Tech victory, the kids from Fitchburg returned home, and prepared themselves for the baseball season. Although only a sophomore, Ray Belliveau was selected to play in the infield for Coach Loring Stevenson’s very strong varsity squad. Ray soon became a key member of the FHS juggernaut, which rolled through the 1931 campaign with an unbeaten 13-0 record.
It was Ray Belliveau’s efforts on the hardwood floors that began to gain the attention of the FHS faithful and college coaches. One effort in particular stood out above all the other contests in Ray’s junior year. The Raiders traveled down to face their old nemesis Brockton on the home court of the Shoe City five. Throughout the first three periods, the Amiott men were completely dominated by the larger Brockton players until Ray Belliveau broke through with a flurry of scoring which included five of seven from the floor, and FHS captured an impressive road win.
That impressive victory set up FHS for another run in the Tech Tourney. When the Red and Gray knocked off Haverhill and Lowell behind the rebounding of Bill Whelan and the outside play of Ray Belliveau and his sidekick Reino Fillback, the FHS five once again found themselves in the finals of the Tech Tourney. But this time Brockton was able to squeak by FHS with a 20-19 victory. Ray Belliveau had now played in two state championships but this would not be his final appearance.
As Ray Belliveau began his final year at FHS things looked very promising as the Red and Gray swept Lynn General Electric, Worcester South and Winthrop in the first contests. But disaster struck down the Red and Gray late in the Winthrop contest when both Ray and Reino Fillback went down with season ending leg injuries. For Ray Belliveau this was the first of a series of leg injuries, which would plague him at Providence College, but it may have been a blessing in disguise for the Fitchburg High School basketball squad in 1932-1933. Ray and Reino were well rested for the season, and they exploded onto the local basketball scene. Both skilled back court players averaged in double figures in an era of low scoring contests as the Raiders completed the regular season with a solid 12-3 losing only to Brockton twice and Gardner once.
But Ray Belliveau was just getting started as the Red and Gray entered the Tech Tourney. Fitchburg opened the tournament with a resounding 33-24 victory over Eastern Massachusetts’s powerhouse in a contest where Ray Belliveau tallied 15 points. He followed up this effort with a 13-point game against Lynn Classical in a very convincing 42-25 victory for FHS, and it was onto the finals. Once again Salem fell to the might of the Red and Gray as Ray had ten. Now the FHS five was onto Newport, RI where the Amiott team faced the best in New England. Ray Belliveau’s greatest FHS moment was yet to come.
Fitchburg easily disposed of Orleans, Vermont in the first round contest 42-22, but now they had to face mighty Hillhouse High of New Haven, Connecticut. The Hillies were one of New England’s legendary basketball super powers, but Ray Belliveau had a huge surprise for them. Ray would score 16 points against Hillhouse in the FHS 32-31 victory, but it was his last two points, which became the stuff of legend. Johnny Duguid stood on the foul line shooting a foul shot in the final three seconds as FHS trailed 31-30. Duguid’s shot rolled off the side of the rim, but Ray Belliveau alertly grabbed the ball and put back a shot. As the final buzzer sounded the ball rolled slowly around the rim and dropped through the hoop. FHS had a huge victory. Unfortunately the clock stuck twelve as the Red and Gray was defeated by Bristol, Connecticut in the final.
Following his graduation in 1933 Ray Belliveau enrolled at Providence College where he played football, basketball and baseball for four seasons. During his years at Providence, the Friars played against eastern college powers like Holy Cross, Boston College and Georgetown. In his final season on the baseball squad, Ray impressed his coach with his intense desire to compete despite the fact that he was recovering from injuries incurred during the football and basketball seasons. He was given the freshman football coach because of this dedication. Ray Belliveau was inducted into the Providence College Hall of Fame in 1980. He was married to Irene Taylor in 1943 and they had four children Patricia, Richard, Paul and Debra. Today we gladly induct Ray Belliveau into the FHS Hall of Fame.
In the annals of Fitchburg High School athletes, few classes can match the overall excellence of the Class of 1931. From the earliest days of September in 1930 to the warm days of graduation week in June of 1931, the deeds of the athletes of 1931 were simply amazing. The football squad with outstanding players like Al Secino, Donald Allan, Captain Rollie Blake, and Carl Fellows had a wonderful 10-1 record losing only to Brockton 20-13 in a contest, which the Fitchburg Sentinel called the “finest contest ever played on Crocker Field.” The basketball squad led by Captain Carl Fellows captured the Tech Tourney with victories over Salem, New Bedford and Lynn English. During this era, the Tech Tourney was considered the state basketball championship. The baseball team went undefeated with a 13-0 record featuring the play of Donald Allan, Mike Cioffi and center fielder and lead off hitter Rollie Blake. The FHS track and field squad featured a 22-foot long jumper named Rollie Blake.
Today the Fitchburg High School Hall of Fame in honored to welcome one of those amazing 1931 athletes into its hallowed halls, Rollie Blake. Rollie was the captain of the Red Raider football squad, which featured breath-taking lateral passes in its offense and a stalwart forward wall for its defense. The Red and Gray offense featured a backfield with three of the finest players in the state of Massachusetts. Al Secino was a pile-driving fullback. Playing out of a Notre Dame box type offense, Coach Amiott always had small shifty tailbacks that could run and throw pinpoint laterals and shuffle passes. Amiott was lucky enough to have two razzle-dazzle tailbacks, Donald Allan and Hall of Fame inductee Rollie Blake. The versatility of these two backs was simply amazing; on one play Rollie would toss a pass to Don Allan for a touchdown, and on the next series of downs, their roles would be reversed. One other aspect of Rollie Blake’s valuable versatility was that Coach Amiott made him the signal caller. In those days there was no calling of plays from the sidelines, and there was no such thing as unlimited substitution. The kids on the field made the calls sort of like a coach on the field. Throughout the season, the Fitchburg Sentinel took note of this fact and praised Rollie highly for his work. Not only was Blake’s running and passing outstanding, but also his play calling was impeccable.
Against a very tough Phil Tarpey-coached Gardner High eleven, Rollie was on the receiving end of a tough head injury, which caused him to be very woozy, but Rollie had insisted on remaining in the contest. The Sentinel praised Rollie for his old fashioned guts. Despite the injury Rollie Blake scored the contests only touchdown when he was on the receiving end of a neat Donald Allan lateral. As the season progressed, the praise for the Fitchburg High team began to mount. Following a resounding 21-0 victory over Eastern Mass. powerhouse Waltham, Waltham High selected six FHS players on their all opponent squad which was truly amazing considering the caliber of the Waltham schedule. As the season progressed Rollie and Don Allan seemed to be scoring one or two touchdowns against each and every opponent.
On November 8, 1930, mighty Brockton came to Crocker Field with their usual juggernaut. It was a battle of titans and Rollie Blake was in the middle of things with a neat touchdown run from 20 yards out, but when the final whistle blew Brockton had once again frustrated FHS 20-13. It would be the only defeat on the Red and Gray schedule in 1930.
Following an easy 33-0 victory over Athol, the Red Raiders awaited a Thanksgiving match-up against Leominster High who was rapidly improving under the leadership of Coach Ray Comerford. The Red and Gray were heavy favorites, but LHS fought valiantly. Early in the contest, Rollie set sail on a brilliant run down the sidelines for an apparent touchdown, but he had stepped out on the nine-yard line, and the Blue Devils stiffened and held. Later in the second quarter Rollie pitched a perfect lateral to Don Allan to give FHS a 7-0 lead which they would hold onto for the rest of the game. FHS had finished with a magnificent 10-1 record, and now it was onto basketball for Rollie and the rest of his classmates.
Basketball was not really Rollie’s cup of tea, and it was soon onto baseball and track where he excelled. Rollie was the starting center fielder for the Red and Gray who batted leadoff with a batting average near .350 in his senior season. Coach Loring Stevenson had a terrific squad in the spring of 1931 as the Red and Gray rolled the opposition with a 13-0 record despite close contests with the likes of Gardner, Leominster and Worcester North. He could count on Rollie to get rallies going with line drives all over the outfield and “Stevie” also liked the way Rollie could run down fly balls in the vast outfield of Crocker. When the baseball squad’s practice would finish, Rollie would head for the long jump pit and begin practicing. Rollie was a great long jumper consistently reaching 22 feet helping FHS to be victorious in most of his meets.
So as June and graduation passed Rollie Blake had time to reflect upon an amazing senior year which certainly established him as one of FHS’ greatest and most versatile athletes. Rollie and his teammates and classmates had been something else in 1930-1931. Rollie married Gertrude Bock and they had two children, Linda and Carol who will gladly accept the Hall of Fame award for their father, Rollie, who passed away in 1984. His was a truly amazing career.
In the early spring of 1926 a group of young FHS athletes and their immortal coach Clarence N. Amiott traveled west to participate in the National Interscholastic Basketball Tournament. This was literally the national championship of high school basketball. The Red and Gray had lost to Brockton High 15 to 10 in the Tufts Tournament, and it had appeared that wonderful 1925-1926 season was finished. The Red and Gray faithful were disappointed, but they were excited that their junior co-captain Lauri Myllykangas had been named right forward and captain of the mythical All Star New England basketball squad. But the Shoe City squad had turned down an invitation to the national tourney, and so FHS had jumped at the opportunity when they received the invitation.
The Red and Gray squad was loaded with talented players like Alfred Maffeo, Anastos Fanos, David Allen, John Oliva and Kenneth Davis, but the finest player might very well have been their junior co-captain Lauri Myllykangas. In an era where FHS had many golden boys, who competed on their athletic teams, many old timers will tell you that Lauri Myllykangas was the greatest of them all. Let’s see what the Red and Gray and the Class of 1927 Yearbook had to say about this outstanding scholar athlete. The Yearbook stated: Lauri was the foremost athlete that FHS has had for many a year. He was president of his Junior Class. He played in the four major sports and ran with the class relay team and the Red and Gray said, “Lauri was the best athlete because he doesn’t pretend to be good.” Those were contemporaries of Lauri and many times the young high school classmates could be the most truthful about their star athletes.
As the Red and Gray rolled through their magnificent 29-2 National Championship season, the school magazine kept a close eye on the team and their accomplishments. In the county championship, the Red and Gray reported, “Captain Myllykangas worked hard, shot cleverly and directed his team with skill.” But it was his teammate Kenneth Davis’ diary, which was concerned with the Chicago tournament that truly reported up Lauri’s athletic skill and poise under pressure. In the semi-final contest against a strong Salem, South Dakota five, the Red and Gray trailed 16-15 with less than a minute remaining on the clock. When a technical foul was called upon the Salem squad, Coach Amiott sent out Lauri to take the foul shot. Stepping coolly to the line, Lauri sank the shot to tie the contest, which sent the game into overtime, which the FHS five eventually won. Then the Amiott men defeated Fargo, North Dakota, rather handily in the finals 25 to 14 and the championship trophy made its way back to Fitchburg.
You might think that those types of heroics would be enough for one young man’s athletic career, but Lauri Myllykangas had another great moment, which would enshrine his athletic legend at FHS. In late October of 1926 mighty Brockton arrived at Crocker Field to take on the men of Amiott, and the city of Fitchburg was up in arms. FHS had not defeated the eleven from the Shoe City since 1922, despite the fact that the Red and Gray had had excellent squads during those years. Lauri Myllykangas would provide the penultimate moment in this classic contest. The defenses of both squads dominated the contest with most of the contest played between the twenty-yard lines. So when the Red and Gray approached Brockton’s goal line late in the second quarter Coach Phil Tarpey called upon his ace, Lauri Myllykangas to attempt a twenty-five yard drop kick field goal to give FHS the lead. Lauri calmly stepped back and booted the ball cleanly through the uprights. The FHS line held the Shoe City eleven scoreless, and when the final whistle was blown the loyal fans rushed onto Crocker Field in a frenzied glee.
Then the Red and Gray marching band led the fans out onto Circle Street where they formed a conga line to snake dance down Main Street. Hundreds of students and adults joined the line as it gleefully wound its way down Main Street to Depot Square where it turned around and headed back up Main Street to the Upper Common. Seldom had the streets of the city along the Nashua seen such pure joy, and the athletic prowess of Lauri Myllykangas had brought about that celebration of joy.
During Lauri’s years at FHS, he competed in four sports winning letters in baseball and in track and field. During the 1920’s and 1930’s talented kids were allowed to compete in two sports in a particular season. When spring rolled Lauri would be found at Crocker Field taking batting practice or working on his sprint starts or leaping the high jump bar. During the baseball season Lauri could be seen making long throws from the shortstop position and then he would move over to the shot put pit, and practice on his heave. All the while, Lauri was maintaining outstanding grades in the classroom, which would certainly place him in the category of All American Boy.
The National Basketball Championship tournament and the winning field goal against Brockton were just a few of Lauri Myllykangas’ athletic accomplishments, but the program has limited space, so some details are missing. When he graduated from FHS in 1927, Lauri was accepted to Dartmouth College, which was very interested in his athletic abilities. In 1937 when Coach Clarence N. Amoitt’s fatal illness began to take hold, the great coach was asked to name his finest athletes during his quarter of a century at the helm of FHS sports and he named Lauri Myllykangas and Larry Hobbs as his two finest all round athletes of this Golden Age. Lauri Myllykangas graduated from Dartmouth College in 1931, but unfortunately died in 1954 in his early forties. Today Fitchburg High honors one of their very greatest with induction in our Hall of Fame.
The Fitchburg High School yearbook for the Class of 1925 shows twenty-four young men and their head coach Clarence N. Amiott sitting upon the steps of the Crocker Field clubhouse in the early days of November in the year 1924. The players are very indicative of the community in which they reside, in that mixture of many ethnic groups. There are boys named Lakso and Fillback, Maffeo, Solomito and Romano, Dooley, Magane, Gilmartin, Dillon, Sullivan and Bourdeau. This was a true melting pot of young athletes.
This football team would not have an undefeated season, but it was truly one of Coach Clarence N. Amiott’s very best teams, and it was truly a unique team because of a series of events with which they were involved between October 29, 1924, and November 4, 1924. On the morning of October 29, 1924, the FHS football squad whose record stood at 4-1 were preparing to board a train at Union Station, which would carry them westward to Maywood, Illinois, which was located just outside of Chicago. The Red and Gray would be playing an intersectional contest against Proviso High which had been set up by Coach Amiott. During the previous three seasons FHS had played against this mid-western powerhouse without a great deal of success. The best that had been achieved was a 7-7 tie in the 1923 campaign, so the squad was hopeful that they could reverse that trend.
The squad chugged through the Hoosac Tunnel, and now headed into the wilds of the West. Traveling through western New York State the boys travelled across prairie land with herds of cattle grazing upon it. Sounds like Kansas not western New York. Then it was onto Niagara Falls, and the team passed into Canada after being closely inspected by the border patrol. The boys were having a great time heckling each other as the train rolled through Ontario Province toward Michigan. When the train reached Ann Arbor, Michigan, the boys were thrilled to see the “Big Blue” and their legendary coach, Fielding Yost, boarding the train so they could travel to Minnesota to take on the Golden Gophers in a huge Big Ten contest.
Coach Yost spoke to the Red Raiders, and gave them advice on the upcoming contest, and then wished them well. The team arrived in Chicago at 8:30 p.m. and were escorted to the Chicago Beach Hotel, which was located on the shore of Lake Michigan. On Friday morning the Red and Gray were taken to Amos Alonzo Stagg Stadium at the University of Chicago, where they held a final team practice, and then they were transported to Maywood where they were received with wonderful Mid-Western hospitality. Later that evening the FHS squad were the guests of honor at a banquet, and Captain Steve Gilmartin received a token gift from the Proviso team captain.
Saturday turned out to be a wonderful day for the Red and Gray squad. Even though Fedor Berndt, Bill Miller and John Dillon could not play due to injuries, the Raider offense led by the slashing running of Leo Bourdeau easily dominated the Mid-westerners 20 to 6. The FHS line anchored by Captain Steve Gilmartin, John McGowan and Anthony Romano dominated the line play, opening holes for Bourdeau and “General” Bill Dooley or stuffing Proviso’s running game. Even in defeat, the Proviso fans showed great sportsmanship. Following the final whistle the Red and Gray went directly to Chicago where they boarded a train and headed to the nation’s capital.
Traveling for nearly sixteen hours on the train, the Red and Gray arrived in Washington D.C., and were immediately taken to the Harrington Hotel. After a short period in the hotel, the boys were given the obligatory tour of D.C. seeing the Capital Building and the Library of Congress. The next morning, the team was up bright and early, and they visited the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, which had only been dedicated a few years earlier. Then it was onto Mt. Vernon for a short stay and then it was onto the White House where they met with the man from Massachusetts who occupied 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. How many high school teams can say that they had a personal visit with the President of the United States? The Red and Gray of 1924 could make that claim. Next they went to the Washington Monument where George Progin made sure that he counted all the steps, and then it was onto New York City. Three of the guys got lost, but were soon discovered. Probably George Progin again!
The next morning they arrived in Worcester and a “Miss Fitchburg” greeted them and helped chaperone the boys back to Fitchburg where they were met by a large crowd and treated as conquering heroes. Pretty heady stuff! But there was still a football season to complete, and the boys were soon brought back to when they were thumped by mighty Brockton 24-6. The Shoe City eleven was always tough on the Red and Gray. But this 1924 football squad was mentally tough and then rebounded with great authority. In the next two contests they stopped Boston Commerce and Greenwich, Connecticut with identical 20-0 scores as the Leo Bourdeau offense was solid and the defense was rock solid. Now it was the Blue Devils on Thanksgiving Day to conclude their outstanding season.
The Amiott men made sure that Leominster would not enjoy their turkey dinners with an easy 48 to 0 victory which featured the shifty running of Leo Bourdeau, the bull-like charges of Fedor Brandt, and a spectacular 80 yard run by Bill Miller which electrified the nearly 8000 fans who were crowding into Crocker Field. Midway in the second half junior Bill Dooley intercepted an LHS pass, and raced 41 yards for a Red and Gray score. Thus ended a jubilant season for Coach Amiott and his Red and Gray.
Many of these players would make names for themselves following their Fitchburg High years. John Dillon who had an injury-plagued senior year at the quarterback position would return to FHS, and become a beloved social studies teacher while Raphael Solomito would become a distinguished lawyer in his hometown before his untimely death at a rather early age. Henry and Herbie Groop would become indentified with their beloved Fitchburg as they administered various agencies of the years. Anthony Romano would have a long and distinguished career as a member of the Fitchburg Fire Department rising to the rank of Deputy Fire Chief. William Dooley would return to FHS where he coached baseball and was the chief librarian at FHS. Steve Gilmartin would have a grandson, David, and would later become the mayor of Fitchburg. And then there was George Progin who counted all those Washington Monument steps. George got in the plastic industry and became quite wealthy in that industry. Upon his death five or six years ago Mr. Progin decided to help the students of his beloved high school. He bequeathed one million dollars to be given to senior students who have achieved excellence at FHS. Two $10,000 scholarships are given to a senior boy and girl for their four years in college. That’s forty thousand dollars, folks! The Progin Scholarship gives eighty thousand dollars to eight students each and every year. That is simply fabulous. George Progin should be applauded for his generous actions, and now he and his fellow teammates should be remembered, and now they enter our Hall of Fame as members of a wonderful team, the 1924 Red Raider football team.
Loring Reed Stevenson stares out from the distant past in the Fitchburg High School yearbook called The Black and Orange for the Class of 1915. His curly sandy hair is obvious to all in his graduation photo, and in the various team photos for the football, basketball, baseball and track squads for which “Stevie” competed in 1914-1915. His yearbook proclaimed that he had been a star in all forms of athletics having won letters in all of FHS’ sports. His coach in that senior year had been the immortal Clarence N. Amiott who had just embarked upon his fabulous coaching career at Fitchburg High. The one hundred thirty seven pound Stevenson had been one of Amiott’s stars as Amiott embarked upon a career which became legendary in the 1920’s and the 1930’s. Following his graduation from FHS Stevenson formed a partnership with his former mentor, which would continue for nearly twenty years until Coach Amiott had to retire prematurely because of ill health in 1938. Then the former student would succeed Amiott as director of physical education and remain in that job until his retirement in January of 1953.
But there is much more to the story of Loring R. Stevenson who enters Fitchburg High School’s Hall of Fame today. Following his graduation from FHS, “Stevie” enrolled at Fitchburg Normal School which we call Fitchburg State College today. He continued his athletic pursuits at Fitchburg Normal, but also became involved with supervising youngsters in a boy’s club whose main purpose was to take children off the street and curb juvenile delinquency. His direction in life was established at a very early age for Loring Stevenson.
When World War I began for the U.S.A. in 1917 Mr. Stevenson joined the U.S. Navy and served as a radio operator on the U.S.S. Oswego attaining the rank of petty officer. Mr. Stevenson never forgot his years of service in the Great War, and when World War II began he personally sent FHS athletic bulletins three or four times a year to former Red and Gray athletes. Letters of appreciation would arrive at “Stevie’s” Crocker Field office from all corners of the globe and from all branches of the service from Fitchburg’s Greatest Generation who loved to hear from home. Loring Stevenson remembered his days in the service and he realized how important news from home was to every kid fighting abroad, so out went the FHS athletic bulletin.
Following his years in the service Mr. Stevenson returned to Fitchburg, and in 1921 he began his teaching and coaching career at the grammar school level. As the Fitchburg Sentinel’s great sports writer, John Connelly wrote at the time of Stevie’s death in March of 1968, one of his proudest accomplishments was coaching many members of the 1926 National Championship Basketball team when they were beginning to play basketball at the grammar school level. This was typical of Loring Stevenson who was always a behind the scenes man. His efforts would have young players ready to play for Coach Amiott when they reached the high school. He was also responsible for coaching the many fine athletes who played their initial organized football under Coach Stevenson at B.F. Brown Junior High School. Coach Amiott could always count on Loring Stevenson turning out young players who could block or tackle. Coach Stevenson believed in kids. Talking to John Connelly one time he stated, “Sure there are good and bad, but I’ve found that there are about 100 that are good for every one that might be considered bad.” Loring Stevenson would have been well aware of that fact since he had once served as an attendance officer for the Fitchburg public schools.
Although “Stevie” was interested in all athletics, he basically considered himself to be a baseball guy and it was baseball that gave him one of his greatest sport’s thrills because it concerned family. Mr. Stevenson was extremely proud of his children Arlene, Lois and Loring Jr. who was known as “Buddy.” Fitchburg High ranked second in affection after his family for Mr. Stevenson. In 1949 the Red and Gray were trailing the Blue Devils of LHS by a single run in the ninth inning when young “Buddy” Stevenson stepped to the plate, and smashed a long home run which tied the contest which was eventually won by the Raiders in the 11th inning. But Coach Stevenson also had an outstanding baseball coaching career at FHS which stretched from the early 1920’s into the 1930’s.
Coach Stevenson’s 1931 and 1936 baseball squads were both undefeated and featured outstanding players like Donald Allan, Rollie Blake, Mike Cioffi, Norman Morin, Ray Belliveau, Jimmy Flynn, Jimmy Leo, Joe Torcoletti, “Ossie” MacLean and Guy DiBenedetto. Typically Coach Stevenson would never divulge which of these squads he considered the superior team. He always wanted his student athletes to feel good about their accomplishments.
But the Sentinel’s John Connelly always felt that “Stevie’s” proudest accomplishment was bringing about the renewal of the Fitchburg High School rivalry with St. Bernard’s. In 1938 there had been a series of unfortunate events at a basketball game between the two schools and the two schools broke off relations. Working almost secretly with the Reverend John O’Brien the moderator of athletics at the Harvard Street school, Loring Stevenson laid the ground work to restore peace. Connelly reported that he would never forget the day that “Stevie” made the official announcement that relations would be renewed after an eight year hiatus. He was almost jubilant of the official ceremony. This was typical of Loring Stevenson, who never tried to grab the spotlight, who undertook actions which would make the lives of Fitchburg High athletes and students better and more interesting. Old timers will tell you that the football, basketball and baseball contests which featured the great post-World War II athletes like Joe Cushing, Ray Ablondi, Dick Garvey, “Monk” O’Donnell, Bobby Duncan, “Corky” Ervin, Norm Raboin, “Bucker” Shea and “Ziggy” McNamara were amongst the most competitive ever displayed in our area. Standing quietly to the side, while accolades were heaped upon the young athletes and their coaches, stood Loring Stevenson who had helped renew this rivalry. So typical of Loring Stevenson. He did not need applause to know that he had done the right thing for the kids.
So it was on January 30, 1953 that the Fitchburg Sentinel reported that “Stevie” quietly locked up the Crocker Field clubhouse for the very last time to begin a well deserved retirement with beloved wife, Emma, in his adopted town of Winchendon. He would occasionally be heard from as he carried some worthy activity to aid the adopted hometown such as donating a check to the Clark Memorial from the World War I Veteran’s Barracks in Winchendon. “Stevie” always thought of the kids! Today the Fitchburg High School Hall of Fame honors Loring R. Stevenson for all of his contributions to the Red and Gray. He was an individual who truly gave of himself to make his community and beloved school a better place.
Thank you, “Stevie” for your magnificent life.
Coach Tony Alario stood along the sidelines at the Springfield Civic Center talking with assistant Dan Brasili and his field general Paula Goodchild as the two thousand Red and Gray faithful screamed with joy as the Raiders held onto a slim lead in the state semi-final basketball game against Western Massachusetts champion Agawam. Entering the highly favored unbeaten Agawam squad had been highly favored to knock off Coach Alario’s upstart Raiders.
The Raiders had been a good regular season team which had rolled to an impressive 16-4 record, but most local observers felt that the squad might not be strong enough to battle through the Districts. But Coach Tony Alario and their captain, Paula Goodchild felt that the so-called experts were incorrect. FHS opened the tourney against perennial Central Mass. power, St. Peter-Marian, and magic seemed to begin for the Raiders. Led by Paula, Megan Normandin, Deanna Baxter, sweet-shooting Tara Sweeney and a young freshman Tracey Smith the Red and Gray dominated and came away with a neat 68-59 victory. Tony and his girls felt good about their prospects as they moved into the semi-finals against Mid-Wach League rival Marlboro. The Raiders had split in the regular season, but Coach Alario told the girls that this was their time to shine. Lo and behold the Raiders dominated the Orange and Black and the Raiders road into the District finals with a solid 66-54 victory.
Playing before a rather sparse crowd on a late Saturday afternoon Coach Alario had a surprise for the number one seed, Holy Name. Playing a swarming defense against the Naps, Coach Alario’s team rolled to a nail-biting 44-40 victory to capture Coach Alario’s first and only District title. It did not get sweeter than that for Tony who would coach over 225 hoop victories during his twenty-two years as varsity basketball coach. But that great ride continued at the Civic Center in Western Mass. Using a pressing defense the Alario girls jumped on the vaunted Agawam squad immediately and raced to a lead. Then the unbeaten girls from Agawam drew closer and Coach Alario inserted Windy Rosebush into the lineup, and she had the run of her life scoring nine points in less than six minutes. As the final seconds were counted down Coach Tony Alario, Dan Brasili and freshman coach Ed Gastonguay hugged at center court. A.D. Doug Grutchfield could soon be seen shaking the hand of his victorious coach.
Then it was onto the Centrum for the state finals against powerful Bridgewater-Raynham, and the clock struck twelve for Cinderella as the Raiders fell 58-37 to the powerful eastern Massachusetts squad. Coach Alario stood proudly as his captain Paula Goodchild accepted the runner-up plaque. This certainly had to be one of the major highlights of Tony Alario’s Hall of Fame career. Later in the 1995 season a small Raider squad would pull a series of major upsets against squads like Wachusett Regional and Holy Name to reach the finals at WPI. They would fall to a big North Middlesex squad but their run led by Coach Alario had almost brought another upset title to FHS. There is a bit of irony that Coach Alario’s only District title occurred on the basketball court and not on the softball field at O’Gara Park.
During Tony Alario’s nearly three decade long career of coaching at Fitchburg High School, he was considered a better softball coach than a hoop coach. But District titles eluded the Raiders as they reached the District finals five times. But it is difficult to capture District titles when your opponents have fireballers on the mound like Rachel Bishop and Robyn King. Coach Alario would probably tell you about a very disappointing evening at O’Gara Park in the spring of 1989 when a good Raider squad led by strong pitching from Stephanie Dantini went late into the evening in an extra inning contest against Holy Name only to lose 5 to 4. Coach Tony Alario would probably tell you that the loss at O’Gara Park that evening was as bad as it gets. The bitter taste probably still lingers eighteen years later.
But there were so many other better days as Tony’s combined softball and basketball squads garnered nearly four hundred eighty victories for FHS. He began his softball coaching in 1974 shortly after Title IX had been passed by Congress, and girls were now receiving equal funding in sports. If you must, you could call Tony Alario a pioneer. He had played on numerous excellent softball squads who captured City League and State championships over the years, so Tony could impart the skills of softball to his girl’s. Tony Alario’s softball teams were seldom out of position, seldom threw to the baseball, seldom missed a cut off play and seldom missed a sign or a sacrifice bunt. He taught the girls how to play the game of softball properly. Those five District titles without a fireballing softball hurler are a tribute to the fundamentals that he taught the girls.
Ironically Coach Tony Alario did acquire a flame-thrower as he approached his retirement. Courtney Jacobs hurled for Coach Alario in her freshman and sophomore season and everyone realized that Coach Tony Alario had finally found that pitching ace who could win that elusive District title. But Tony retired in 2002 after thirty five years of coaching just as Courtney and her teammates Megan McDonald, Krystal Bilek, Whitney Lalancette and Nicole Mathieu were entering their final two seasons. This core would capture two District titles and play in a State championship game losing in extra innings to Durfee High. His successor Tim O’Brien would tell you that Coach Tony Alario’s early training of these girls had helped lead to those District championships.
When Tony Alario’s teams played on the basketball court or on the softball field, you could always count on a solid effort in which the girl’s gave it their all. Coach Alario would tell you that he sometimes could be tough on the girls, but his actions were only taken to make them better ballplayers and stronger human beings.
Another aspect of Tony’s coaching that he was proud about was the fact that many of his athletes did very well in the classroom, and later would play basketball or softball at the college level. Kids like Tracey Smith, Pam Briggs, Paula Goodchild and Courtney Jacobs took their lessons from Alario-coached teams, and had very good athletic careers in college and have become very successful in their careers after college.
Today Tony is enjoying his well deserved retirement playing golf and occasionally heading to the ocean to fish. He and his wife Christine have been married for over forty years, and they had two daughters April and Tracy. They have three grandchildren Elizabeth, Sean and Seamus who are all extremely proud that their grandfather will be entering the Fitchburg High School Hall of Fame this evening as a coach who brought honor and glory to FHS.
History books refer to the 1920’s as the Golden Age of American Sports filled with names like Babe Ruth, Jack Dempsey, Bobby Jones, Bill Tilden, Knute Rockne and Red Grange. Nearly eighty years later American sports fans know these names as well as the names of our modern day sports heroes. While America was celebrating this golden age of sports, Fitchburg High School, under the leadership of the immortal Clarence N. Amiott, was having a golden era. The industry of Fitchburg was booming as factories like Crocker-Burbank, Simonds Saw and Steel, Fitchburg Yarn, Iver-Johnson’s, Fitchburg Paper and Independent Lock sent their products all across the nation. Union Station in downtown Fitchburg had nearly twenty passenger trains stopping each day heading east toward Boston or west to the Hoosac Tunnel and beyond, while freight trains travelled through Fitchburg every fifteen or twenty minutes. Main Street was crowded every Friday evening, and on Saturday afternoon thousands would head to Crocker Field to watch FHS play against Arlington, Waltham, Gardner, Brockton and of course Leominster on Thanksgiving morning. In the winter months FHS fans would pack the newly built B.F. Brown gymnasium to watch Coach Clarence Amiott’s amazing basketballs squads.
During the amazing decade of athletic excellence at FHS the squads were loaded with talented young athletes in the state. They were very representative of Fitchburg’s immigrant population with Irish, Finnish, French-Canadian, Italian, Greek and Jewish athletes doing Fitchburg proud each and every year. Old timers will tell you that the very finest athlete of that era was an Italian-American kid who grew up on Haywood Street by the name of Johnny Oliva – Fitchburg Class of 1927.
There was not a sport at which Johnny Oliva did not excel during his years at Fitchburg High School. He was a tremendous basketball player whose quickness and shooting skills helped FHS capture the National High School Basketball Championship in 1926 in Chicago, Illinois. Playing against schools from Pennsylvania, New Mexico and South Dakota Johnny Oliva continually dazzled opponents with his quickness. During the autumn months that quickness was transferred to the football field, where Johnny was one of Amiott’s shifty running backs who ran out of Fitchburg’s version of the Notre Dame Box. In a day in which offenses constantly shifted and threw numerous laterals on a single play, Johnny’s deftness was invaluable. He constantly faked out opponent’s defenses with his quick darting runs into the end zone.
Ironically some of Johnny’s greatest feats on the gridiron took place under Coach Phil Tarpey in 1927. Tarpey, who had been one of Amiott’s finest players in the seasons directly after World War One, took over for his mentor from 1926 through 1928, and FHS in 1927 was truly great. With players like Danny Quinn, James “Iron” Walsh, Chet Lamb, Herb Connors and others, the Red and Gray rang up a 9-1 record in which they out scored their opponents 278 to 7. Amongst all those stars Johnny Oliva was simply the most spectacular of the bunch. Against a very strong Arlington squad, the Fitchburg Sentinel reported that the Red and Gray eleven played like whirlwinds and that Johnny Oliva could not be stopped by the Spytowners. FHS captured that contest 14-0, and served notice to all of Massachusetts that Fitchburg High had one of the very best elevens in the Commonwealth.
As the annual Brockton game approached, the community of Fitchburg was in a frenzy. Often the high aspirations for gridiron glory for the Raiders had been crushed by the tough guys from the Shoe City, but that had changed in the fall of 1926 when the Red and Gray had stopped Brockton 3-0 on a Lauri Myllykangus field goal. This had led to a huge snake dance from Crocker Field to Depot Square back to the Upper Common as the FHS fans went wild. Now the Red and Gray were heading to Brockton’s home turf, and the Sentinel reported that Johnny Oliva was hobbled by a serious ankle sprain. But the 1927 Red and Gray football squad was made of the right stuff, and so was Johnny Oliva.
After a scoreless first half, FHS’ magnificent Danny Quinn intercepted a Brockton forward pass and raced into the end zone which lay 54 yards down the gridiron. Later in the year, the Red and Gray reported that Danny’s interference mowed down the Brockton team like a huge farming machine. Holding on to a tenuous 7-0 lead, the Raider defense led by huge Herb Connors and “Iron” Walsh fought valiantly against the Brockton offense. Late in the contest Brockton’s Joe Creedon broke loose, and heading down the sideline he was running free. Suddenly a blur raced across the field and Joe Creedon lay on the ground after a tremendous open field tackle. The hobbled Johnny Oliva had saved the day for FHS. For three varsity seasons Johnny Oliva had continually made the great play which brought victory back to Academy Street. That’s what Hall of Famers do!
Following the Brockton victory, the Raiders were robbed in Malden 7-0 as their unbeaten record was toppled. Then Providence Central and the Blue Devils of Leominster fell to the juggernaut. On Thanksgiving Day FHS rolled 64-0 over a valiant Leominster squad as Johnny, Danny, Chet and “Sally” better known as Joe Zedalis ran wild.
Throughout his high school years Johnny Oliva had continually made the big play that marked him as a superstar. Besides football and basketball Johnny competed in the spring months as a member of the track team and the baseball team. That made him a four letter winner for FHS which is very unique.
Upon his graduation from FHS, Johnny went to Catholic University which was a major athletic competitor in this era. While at Catholic Johnny Oliva continued to excel on the athletic fields earning five varsity letters including one in boxing. Johnny Oliva was simply a great athlete.
Following his graduation from Catholic University in 1932, Johnny returned to Fitchburg High to assist Coach Amiott and to begin a career in physical education teaching. In 1939, Johnny Oliva succeeded Clarence Amiott as the basketball coach at his alumni and would remain as a coach until 1966 except for the years of World War II. During his tenure as head coach, Johnny Oliva compiled over 300 victories and brought FHS to the Western Massachusetts Tournament which had replaced the Tech Tourney twice in the 1940’s, in 1957 and most notably 1962. That memorable squad of Drury, MacLean, Spagnuolo, Rissanen and Shattuck reached the finals only to fall to Pittsfield High depriving Coach Oliva of a District title. He retired as a head basketball coach in 1966 and moved to Memorial Junior High School at that same time. He retired in 1972 after nearly fifty years of involvement with FHS. Johnny Oliva truly was a man of Fitchburg. He was married to the former Laura Tricarico for nearly fifty years and they had two daughters, Carol and Susan, who graduated from FHS in 1962 and 1966 respectively. John and Laura were extremely proud of their two daughters and their three grandchildren. John Oliva passed away in 1978.
In the long athletic history of Fitchburg High School, Johnny Oliva is remembered as one of its greatest athletes and today he has rightfully been inducted in the FHS Hall of Fame. That is where Johnny Oliva truly belongs.
In the long and storied history of Fitchburg High School football, the 1933 squad has taken upon legendary status. The distinguished Boston Globe sports reporter, Jerry Nason, as a young man in 1933 stood on the press box roof at Doyle Field watching the Red and Gray defeat LHS, and Nason declared FHS the mythical state champions. A wonderfully talented Red and Gray squad rolled through the opposition like one of those huge threshing machines found in the wheat fields of Kansas. The Kansas analogy certainly is an excellent fit for John Chalmers – Class of 1934 – who is being inducted in the Fitchburg High School Hall of Fame this evening. The erudite John Chalmers would conclude his immensely distinguished career as a college educator as the vice-chancellor of Kansas State University from 1963 to 1983. In the Boulder of the Class of 1934, the following quote can be found next to the picture of a young John Chalmers which was so very prophetic: “Strong of body, quick of mind. Tis hard to find men of this kind.” Truer words were never spoken.
On that magnificent 1933 squad, John Chalmers was Clarence Amiott’s signal caller upon the field. Every good team needed to have their signal caller upon the field. That was John Chalmers’ job and he did it brilliantly. In 1994 recalling that great squad, Mr. Chalmers related to me that he had to go to Crocker Field’s clubhouse every Sunday morning to justify each and every call that he had made during Saturday’s contest to Coach Amiott.
Seventy years later The Manhattan Mercury in Manhattan, Kansas, on its editorial page spoke about Fitchburg High School’s John Chalmers in an article entitled, “Fitting tribute for a Visionary leader.” The editorial spoke of the newly dedicated Chalmers Hall which was a welcome edition to the campus of Kansas State University and the man for whom it was dedicated. KSU’s President Jon Wefald stated that the building and the occasion were, “a celebration of John Chalmers’ career and what he has meant to the College of Arts and Sciences and his commitment to do good things for people.” Later in the editorial it was sensed that John Chalmers would be content knowing that the faculty and the students who teach and learn in Chalmers Hall will dedicate themselves to stretching the boundaries of knowledge in ways that will benefit their human beings. This is the athlete that we honor today with his induction to the Fitchburg High School Hall of Fame, but in reality John Chalmers honors us with his mere presence.
Let’s return to that wonderful football season of 1933 in which the Red Raiders marched across the Commonwealth, and humbled all that they played against in that glorious campaign. The Red and Gray went 11-0 defeating teams like Brockton, Brookline, Arlington, Providence Central, Quincy, Framingham and Gardner with relative ease. The Amiott squad out scored their opponents 298-68, and only the Wildcats of Gardner and Arlington kept the contest close. Tailback Bill Mackie was the finest running back in the state scoring over 160 points during the season. Mackie could pass, punt and run with equal ease; the true football triple threat. But the squad was loaded with stars and John Chalmers was the captain who would steer the ship through any troubled waters. The sports editor of the Fitchburg Sentinel continually talked about John Chalmers’ intelligent play calling, his exceptional judgment and his ability to run the game from his quarterback position. Chalmers’ intelligence was particularly noted during the Brockton contest.
The Shoe City boys had continually been a thorn in the side of Red and Gray football, and the 1933 team wanted to rectify that situation. On Fitchburg’s very first offensive play John Chalmers noticed a flaw in Brockton’s diamond defense in the secondary, and he immediately called for a pass to counter that defense. His long sideline pass completely fooled Brockton and would have gone for a touchdown if the receiver had not slipped on the muddy field. But do not think of John Chalmers as a smart kid outthinking all the big kids. The one hundred thirty-seven pound back was an excellent punt returner, kickoff returner and an excellent pass receiver out of the backfield. He just happened to be real smart.
There were no Super Bowls in 1933, but John Chalmers and the Red and Gray played their Super Bowl game on Thanksgiving morning. Leominster High, led by the immortal Ronnie Cahill, had not lost a game in two seasons, and only a mid-season tie against Gardner blemished the 1933 record. Mackie was wonderful, a young halfback named Lauri Shattuck ran wild and John Chalmers was the key on a lateral pass which led to the Raiders final touchdown in a 20-12 victory. But then it was onto basketball.
Playing with excellent players like Captain Henry Maki, Jim Leo, “Dub” Molaghan and Bill Mackie, John Chalmers was a key member which would allow the Red and Gray to have an outstanding regular season against some of the region’s finest basketball teams, and then it was onto the MIT Tournament which was the state championships of the 1930’s. The Red and Gray were the defending champions and were expected to do well, which they did by reaching the finals only to be upset by Chelsea 24-21 in the finals.
John chose to go to Middlebury College in Vermont from which his father, James, had graduated, and while at that fine institution established athletic and educational standards which are truly amazing. In his junior season at Middlebury John helped lead the Middlebury squad to an undefeated season, but he was more than that to his coach and teammates. During his senior year John travelled to Boston to play against Tufts and UNH and the Boston Herald’s distinguished sport’s writer Arthur Sampson wrote about this remarkable young man from Fitchburg High. Coach Ben Beck of Middlebury told Sampson, “John is one of those boys who seem to have time for everything. He never shirks any of his requirements in the classroom or on the athletic field, and he still has time for numerous other extra-curricular activities…Chalmers was the smartest quarterback I have coached in recent years. He handled the team beautifully. In fact the only quarterback I ever had who rated ahead of him was Verne Llewellyn. Llewellyn played for the University of Nebraska and later with the Green Bay Packers. From the time that I had Llewellyn until now, I don’t think I’ve ever coached a player like Chalmers. He ran the team beautifully and did more than his share besides.” To show what kind of boy he is, Coach Beck related, “When told that he was the team’s leading scorer John Chalmers said that was bothering him.” People would think he was calling his own number when the ball was close to the end zone. The coach said that was foolish, John only scored TD’s from long distances. Sampson closed his article by saying, “Such a story is not surprising considering the record he has made during his collegiate career. It is evident from his achievements that he has his feet on the ground all he way. It is refreshing to know that there are boys like John Chalmers to demonstrate what can be done if the inclination is present.”
For his efforts at Middlebury College, he was selected as a Rhodes Scholar and studied at Oxford University in 1938-1939. He went onto earn a doctorate from Cornell University in 1943 and later was a Fulbright Award winner while teaching in the Philippines in 1951-1952. Later he taught at many colleges before reaching Kansas State University where he established such an enviable record. He has been married to his beloved Carol for more than sixty-five years and has three children. His has been an exceptional life, and he does Fitchburg High School proud as he enters our Hall of Fame. John Chalmers is truly a remarkable man.
In the winter of 2004 following his induction to the Fitchburg High School Hall of Fame, Joe Cushing met Dave Tower who was a member of the Hall of Fame selection committee while skiing in New Hampshire, Dave asked Joe if there were any athletes from his era, the late 1940’s, who deserved induction into the Hall of Fame. Joe immediately mentioned Courtney Harold “Corky” Ervin who had played for FHS from 1947 to 1948.
In December of 1946 Bob Duncan was working in the front office of the old high school on Academy Street, when a secretary in the guidance office walked into the office, and asked Bob if he could show the new student around FHS. The new student stood well over six feet tall and his name was Courtney Ervin, but he told Bob that he could call him “Corky.” As they walked the long corridors of FHS, Bob asked “Corky” if he played any sports and the newcomer said that he played football, basketball and baseball. “Corky” would become the coaches’ dream who enters your high school and become an immediate all star in your program.
Within weeks basketball Coach John Oliva had placed this new kid on the block into the starting lineup of the 1946-1947 squad. That was quite an accomplishment since the Raider’s squad was loaded with excellent talent like Duncan, Gerry Croteau, John Gates, “Bucker” Shea and Gene Turcotte, and they would roll to a regular season record of 13-4 which resulted in their being selected to the Western Massachusetts tourney. But “Corky” was so good that few on the squad could complain. By late January the Red and Gray magazine was reporting that “Corky” had scored eleven points in a spine-tingling game against St. Bernard’s. Later in February, it was reported that “Corky” had taken rebound after rebound as the Raiders knocked off Gardner. So you can see that this new arrival had become a major force on the local sport’s scene.
But “Corky” Ervin was just beginning! You see, baseball was truly “Corky’s” best sport and he was a sensational pitcher, the likes of which Central Massachusetts had seldom seen. Coach Marty McDonough and the rest of the Red and Gray baseball squad did not know what to expect from this newcomer named “Corky” but they soon found out when the lefty toed the rubber on the mound. Early in May the FHS nine travelled to Doyle Field to take on their arch-rivals and “Corky” hurled a game for the ages. He shut out a solid Blue Devil squad 7-0 while only surrendering one measly hit. But that only tells some of the story. Amazingly “Corky” struck out 23 Blue Devil hitters in his shutout. Folks, those are Hall of Fame figures in any league. But the southpaw was not finished with his sensational pitching. Before a packed crowd at Crocker Field “Corky” was nipped by St. Bernard’s equally sensational Norm Raboin 4-3, but he did manage to keep his torrid strikeout total high as fourteen Bernardians fanned as “Corky” dazzled them with a blazing fastball and a nearly impossible to hit curve ball. It should be noted that in that 4-3 loss “Corky” only allowed one hit. Later in May he struck out fifteen Marlboro batters in an 8-4 Raider victory and finally he beat Raboin in a return match at Crocker Field 1-0 in which the unlucky Bernardian balked in the winning run in the ninth inning. Very soon major league scouts could be seen attending the Raider baseball games at Crocker Field, despite the fact that “Corky” still had another year at Fitchburg High. Seldom had local baseball fans seen a kid throw a baseball like Courtney “Corky” Ervin.
In late August of 1947 Coach Marty McDonough called for football candidates to report to Crocker Field for the initial practices of the upcoming season. The 1947 Red Raiders were a talented group who would have a rather strange season, which was both exciting and somewhat disappointing. They would finish with a rather disappointing record of 5-2-3 with great victories over powerful Watertown, Gardner and their arch-rival, but disappointing ties against St. Bernard’s and Clinton, and an equally disappointing loss to Woburn. But there was no denying the fact that “Corky” Ervin had had a sensational season. He was spectacular. When the season ended “Corky” was named to the North Worcester County All Stars by the Fitchburg Sentinel and the All Worcester County All Stars along with teammate Joe Cushing.
“Corky’s” efforts on the gridiron were hard to ignore. His gritty defensive play against Manchester Central helped salvage a 6-6 when the Raiders operated without one of their key players “Bucker” Shea. Along with teammates Hans Thoma and Shea, “Corky” threw a key block to spring Joe Cushing loose on a 57 yard T.D. run against Gardner. Against the defending state champions, Watertown, the Red Raiders romped to a shocking 20-0 keyed by a 47 yard touchdown pass thrown by Bob Duncan to “Corky” which dazzled the faithful at Crocker Field. And there was the blocked punt against Clinton and finally there was the famous end around pass which “Corky” unleashed to “Bucker” Shea in the Raiders 13-0 upset of a great Charlie Broderick Blue Devil squad which featured Marco Landon. Coach McDonough knew that he had something special in “Corky” Ervin, so he devised a spectacular play which would use the left-handed throwing ability of “Corky” who played end. “Corky” would reverse into the backfield where he was handed the ball with the option to run or pass. Early on Thanksgiving morning sixty years ago, “Corky” let fly with a bullet to a leaping “Bucker” Shea, and the Devils were never able to recover. These are just a few highlights from the sensational season that “Corky” Ervin enjoyed while starring for the Red and Gray of FHS. In less than one year “Corky” Ervin had become a storied FHS athlete.
As soon as the football season was concluded, Bob Duncan, “Bucker” Shea and “Corky” turned in their cleats and prepared for the basketball season. Expectations were quite high for Coach John Oliva’s squad since it returned a number of players who had led FHS to the Western Mass. tournament in the previous season. The Raiders had excellent size with “Corky” and “Bucker” who dominated both the offensive and defensive boards, and Duncan and Gene Turcotte provided the outside shooting to give the Raiders outstanding balance. FHS had an excellent 14-3 regular season record which was high lighted by a nine game win streak in January. “Corky” had become one of the Raiders leading scorers, as his twenty-two points against Leominster and his seventeen points against a tough Athol squad clearly indicates. He was selected as an All Star in the Sentinel’s north county All Star team. Following the regular season “Corky” and his teammates were invited to play in the Western Mass. Tournament once again. In the first contest of the tourney, FHS handled Lenox High with relative ease 47-26 as “Corky” led the scoring with nineteen points, but in the semi-final contest FHS was nipped 39-31 by a strong Springfield Classical squad. But “Corky”, “Dunc” and the boys had shown their mettle during this highly successful season.
Following the basketball season “Corky” returned to his true love, baseball. The 1948 Red Raider campaign was not quite successful for “Corky” as the sensational 1947 season was. He had developed a little bit of a sore arm, but still he was one of the very best in the region. The major league scouts were still following the hard throwing in spite of his seeming arm problems. Following his graduation from FHS in 1948 “Corky” signed a professional baseball contract with the Chicago White Sox and sort of disappeared from the Fitchburg scene. Like the character Roy Hobbs, who appeared in Bernard Malamud’s novel The Natural which was later made into a great movie starring Robert Redford, “Corky” Ervin was a superb athlete who suddenly appeared on the stage of Fitchburg High athletics and electrified all who played with him or against him. Courtney “Corky” Ervin was Fitchburg High School’s natural and today we welcome him to the FHS Hall of Fame. “Corky”, we hardly knew you, but like Halley’s Comet you shone brightly for one brilliant year.
On May 8, 1948, John Connelly of the Fitchburg Sentinel in his daily column entitled “Sportfolio” wrote the following about Dr. Norman Goguen who is entering the Fitchburg High School Hall of Fame this evening:
Norman “Red” Goguen is an exceptional boy.
As a sophomore he won the state schoolboy Class B 100 yard championship. As a junior he is one of the best known young track stars in New England. He is also on the FHS varsity basketball squad. But our particular favorite side of “Red” isn’t as an athlete, rather as the swell youngster we know…Last Patriot’s Day the local youth did a man-sized job in a Concord invitational track meet where he was voted the “outstanding competitor” in the meet where he won the 100 yard event and anchored the 4×200 relay team. For his wonderful performance, Norman received two trophies. And that is where the true story about “Red” really begins, according to Mr. Connelly’s account.
Norman discovered that the William S. Gray Memorial and the Merton Sanborn Memorial were named for two Concord High School athletes who had lost their lives in World War Two. Norman told his teammates that he thought it only proper that he tell the parents of these two fallen heroes how proud he was to have been lucky enough to win the trophies. Mrs. Sanborn had presented the trophy to “Red” but he hadn’t had a chance to talk to her. He took a special trip to Concord where he managed to talk to Mrs. Mae Sanborn, the young soldier’s mother, but was not able to contact William Gray’s family. Both families were tremendously impressed with this seventeen year old junior from FHS that they wrote letters to thank him for his wonderful consideration. Mr. Connelly had been shown the letters, but not by “Red” Goguen, John wanted his readers to know that fact.
Mr. Gray wrote the following to Norman Goguen, “I write to congratulate you for your fine victory in the Merton Sanborn 100 yard dash. And also for winning the William S. Gray Memorial trophy awarded to you as the meet’s outstanding performer. I am told you gained this award because of the courage and grit you displayed in the 880 yard relay race. In as much as the several team coaches select the outstanding man in the meet, I know that it must be gratifying to you that they recognized this in your performance. In track every race is an all out battle to win – men in all sports are good fighters and clean ones too. But in track, it seems to me, the competitor has just his stout heart and the spirit to win to supply the urge to be the best man in the race.” Mr. Gray went on to say that he was sorry to have missed the meet, and told how his son’s friends had sponsored this trophy to honor their buddy who had given his life on a Southwest Pacific island in June of 1944. He told Norman that he was sorry that he had missed Norman on his trip to Concord. Mr. Gray said he appreciated Red’s thoughtfulness and that he hoped to meet him in the future. “We welcome you anytime, we want to know such a fine young boy and competitor as you must be.”
Then Mr. Gray concluded his letter by saying the following, “So good luck to you Norman. May you win many races in the years ahead. As you go along you will find this life is full of a series of races, of one kind and another, and many are plenty tough. But you have the fight and the courage, and will surmount the obstacles as they appear across your path. And in closing, I would like to say here, too, that your own coach has done a swell job – he must have. The coach works hard to produce a winner – he deserves a winner, and in your case he got one.”
Mrs. Sanborn also wrote a wonderful letter to “Red” which I would like to paraphrase: Congratulations on winning the second trophy at our Concord track meet on April 19th. My son’s last 19th of April for dear old Concord saw him take three firsts. He brought me home three trophies that day. He was killed on April 25, 1944, just one month after he received his commission as a second lieutenant in the Marine Corp. He was our only son, it was a tough blow. If you ever come to Concord, please call and see us. Good luck to you. I sincerely hope when you graduate from high school that the war clouds will not be hanging over your head. Merton always thought much of a boy that lived a clean enough life to be a good athlete. Good running for the rest of the season.
Truly, Norman “Red” Goguen was an exceptional boy as the Gray and Sanborn families would attest. During the years following World War Two, FHS had a series of track and field performers who were truly sensational. Sixty years later the names of Ray Ablondi, Jim Gallagher, Roland Balabon and John Bennett are still recalled for their excellence. But Norman “Red” Goguen may have been the best of them all. “Red” captured the State Class B 100 yard dash championships in his sophomore and senior years (1947 and 1949), and was also the anchor for the 4×110 yard relay team which captured the New England Scholastic Championships in his junior season. During his four varsity years of track competition, “Red” was undefeated in dual meet competition in his specialty, the 100 yard dash. Amazingly enough “Red” still holds the Fitchburg High record for the 100 with a time of 10:00 which is amazing since he ran on cinder tracks without any starting blocks. During the winter months “Red” played basketball and lettered in his last two years and was the team captain in his senior campaign. Also at the urging of Coach Marty McDonough, who loved those track speedsters, Norman gave football a shot and earned his varsity letter on an excellent Raider squad which went 7-2-1 in his senior year.
But there was more to Norman Goguen’s high school career than just athletics. A scholarship was extremely important to him and “Red’s” name could always be found on the FHS honor roll. He took to heart the comments of his English teacher, Larry Scanlon, that he was too smart to be a wise guy, and so conducted himself as a gentleman throughout his FHS years. Ultimately his peers realized that his quality was worthy of the class presidency in which “Red” served as the class leader for two years. As the Class of 1949 approached its final days at Academy Street, the faculty selected Norman “Red” Goguen as the recipient of the General Excellence Award given to the individual who does the most for himself and his school during his four years at FHS.
Following graduation Norman attended Harvard University where he participated in freshman track, but then he had to make a choice. Would it be premedical courses with many long afternoon laboratories or would it be track and field? Norman chose the former route thus ending his track career. He chose to pursue a career in surgery and began his orthopedic surgical career at Bellevue Hospital in New York City after graduating from Tufts Medical School in 1957 and followed that with study at the Lahey Clinic in Boston. His career was interrupted by a two year stint in the U.S. Navy serving as medical officer on the U.S.S. Tarawa and later on the U.S.S. Topeka then he returned to Lahey. He started an orthopedic surgical practice in Melrose, Massachusetts, and later he became the chief orthopedic surgeon at the Malden-Wakefield Hospital and was also a clinical instructor of orthopedic surgery at Tufts University School of Medicine for over twenty years.
He married Jean MacCracken (FHS – 1950) and they recently celebrated their 51st wedding anniversary with their four children, Suzanne, Elizabeth, Richard and Christopher and their seven grandchildren. Norman told us that it has been a wonderful journey which was made possible by the early lesson he obtained from his teachers and coaches at FHS.
As John Connelly said in that article written nearly sixty years ago, Norman “Red” Goguen was an exceptional boy who became an exceptional man. Welcome to the FHS Hall of Fame, Red!
Nineteen fifty-two was an excellent year, if you happened to be twelve years old, loved to play baseball, and resided in the city of Fitchburg. That year Little League Baseball was introduced, and in that very first season the Elk’s Giants of the Eastern League dominated. Manager Tom Shea selected a squad which would make its name in 1952 and later star in Fitchburg’s high schools. Amongst those original Giants were Tom Flynn, Norm Dooley, “Bubba” Drury, Ed Gastonguay and a nine year old left fielder named Doug King. But the star of that Giant’s squad was Doug’s older brother, Dave, who stood five foot eight inches tall, and brought heat to the plate which terrified opposing batters. Dave King’s exploits soon became known to readers of The Fitchburg Sentinel who loved reading about these young baseball players. Following that initial season many observers wondered if Dave King would continue to excel as he moved into high school. They needn’t have worried!
Living on Highland Avenue, Dave King had ample opportunities to have his athletic skills at the Teacher’s College baseball field, and at Bernie Welch’s basketball court located right around the corner from the old homestead. By the time Dave reached the halls of FHS, his athletic abilities were well recognized, and he was ready to make his mark. In his sophomore year Dave King was an instant starter for the Red and Gray baseball squad, although he no longer toiled on the mound. Standing nearly six foot four inches tall, Dave was a natural at first base with his soft hands and an innate ability to scoop those errant throws out of the dirt. And the tall sophomore wasn’t bad with the stick either, batting over .300 in that initial varsity campaign.
But baseball was not to be the sport in which Dave King would make the biggest splash at Fitchburg High School. Dave became FHS’ premier basketball player during the 1950’s. Dave possessed a beautiful jump shot which was consistently accurate from fifteen to twenty feet from the basket. During his sophomore season Dave played junior varsity perfecting his offensive skills as he readied himself for the varsity. In the winter of 1956-1957 Dave King emerged as one of Central Massachusetts’ finest basketball players. Weighing barely one hundred seventy pounds on that tall frame, he was well known for his extremely sharp elbows, which made him one of the Raiders’ most effective rebounders as well as its leading scorer. That 1956-1957 squad, coached by John Oliva, had an outstanding 14-1 regular season record which clearly made them the class of the north county region, and earned the Red and Gray its first invitation to the Western Mass. Tournament in nearly a decade. Led by Dave and teammates, Ron Boudreau, Gerson Rafer, “Buzzy” Congram and particularly Dick Boutwell, FHS scored memorable victories over cross town rivals, Notre Dame and St. Bernard’s and a George Washington’s Day victory over Leominster.
Dave King still recalls that victory over the Blue Devils with enthusiastic glee. Earlier in the season, the Devils had hammered the Raiders 74-48 at the old May A. Gallagher swimming pool for their only regular season loss, so the Raiders were loaded for bear in that rematch. Led by Dave’s sharp shooting, Boutwell’s tough rebounding and Boudreau’s generalship the Red and Gray rolled to an easy 57-47 victory. But it was not his twenty-one points which Dave recalled most vividly fifty years later, it was the bench-clearing brawl between the two arch-rivals which still brought a smile to Dave’s face. Believe there was a picture in The New York Daily News showing LHS’ Robichaud and Bernie Keohan in joint headlocks.
Following that wonderful 1956-1957 season, the Red and Gray had a disappointing campaign the next year, but that was not Dave King’s fault. Early in January of his senior year, Dave broke a bone in his arm, and was sidelined for much of the rest of the season. Despite his limited playing time, Dave King was still selected to the North Worcester County All Star team for the second consecutive season. That showed the high regard in which Dave’s ability was held by local sportswriters and fans.
During his junior and senior years at FHS, Dave King continued to be a solid contributor to good Red Raider baseball teams which highlighted the play of Norm Dooley, Bill Burke, Carl Dustin, and particularly Ronnie Thompson. He had solid seasons at the plate during his final two seasons, and in his senior campaign picked up three or four victories on the mound after being asked to make the move by Coach Guazzo. Those squads were solid, but not overwhelming. Despite that Dave King was selected as a district All Star in that senior campaign.
But strangely it is the game of football which Dave King recalls most fondly regarding his days at Fitchburg High. In the summer of 1957 FHS’ newly appointed assistant football coach, the legendary Jim Meredith, began to work his persuasiveness upon two of FHS’ finest athletes, who had never played varsity football. There names were “Buzzy” Congram and Dave King. Congram, who had established his athletic reputation at FHS in his sophomore and junior years, was a given for the 1957 football squad. But Dave King was a different story. Classmates like Ken Rostedt, Pete Stephens and Mike Conry all worked on Dave to give football a try. So in early September 1957 there was Dave King accepting gear from Coach Ed Sullivan and Coach Meredith. The story was told that Dave was not even sure how to put on his shoulder pads. But like the athlete he was, Dave King took to the game, and loved the camaraderie of his teammates, and he also discovered he was a pretty good football player also.
When the season began Dave King found himself as FHS’ starting wide receiver. The season began slowly for the Red and Gray as the coaching staff tried to mesh the new players with the returning veterans. The season may well have turned around in a loss to undefeated Marlboro which had won twenty-five consecutive contests. Heavy underdogs the Raiders gave Marlboro all they could handle in a tough loss, and Dave King with seven receptions emerged as an offensive. Following the Marlboro contest the Raiders rolled to easy victories over St. Bernard’s, Hudson and Athol. Now they faced the Blue Devils and their superstar Dick Robichaud.
Fifty years later Red and Gray fans remember that sunny Thanksgiving morning with glee. Three touchdown underdogs, the Raiders were convinced by “Sully”, Jim Meredith and Stan Goode that they could topple LHS. And topple they did. Using a relentless running attack which featured Ken Rostedt and Pete Stephens, FHS shocked the Blue Devils and their faithful. Coach Ed Sullivan did not have to rely upon a passing attack as Rostedt and Stephens rolled up and down Doyle Field, but late in the contest Dave King caught a clutch pass to keep a touchdown drive alive. When the final whistle was blown the Raiders had an incredible 20-14 upset victory which Dave King recalled with great pride fifty years later.
Following his graduation from FHS Dave King attended the University of Connecticut, and played three years of varsity basketball under the legendary coach, Hugh Greer, in the old Yankee Conference. He was selected as an All Yankee Conference second team all star in his junior year and was selected as a co-captain of the Huskies in his senior season. Following his graduation from UConn, he accepted a position with the Travelers Insurance Company for which he worked from 1963-1994 ultimately reaching the Vice Presidency of that company. Today Dave lives in Norwich, Connecticut with his wife Gail whom he married in 1963 and they have two sons, Scott and Brian, and five wonderful grandchildren. Today we all welcome Dave King to the Fitchburg High School Hall of Fame for his wonderful athletic achievements and for the exceptional life that he has achieved following his graduation in 1958. Congratulations, Dave King – Hall of Famer.
In the fall of 1965, the Fitchburg High faithful agonized through a very difficult football season, in which the Raiders were not able to capture a single victory. But the ever optimistic and faithful Raider fans looked to an undefeated freshman squad and said to themselves, “help is on the way.” Those members of the Class of 1969 would become the mainstays of FHS athletics for the next three years. Kids like Chris Petrides and Tom DiGeronimo would reach Hall of Fame status during the three varsity gridiron seasons at FHS, and teammates like Clyde Hutchins, Dave Rheaume, “Yogi” DiPasquale and John Arminio would be selected to various Central Massachusetts all star squads. But if you were to talk to any Red Raider from the Class of 1969 and asked them to name the toughest football player they ever saw, most would tell you immediately “that was Leo LaRoche.” He was always FHS’ Braveheart who could be counted upon to make the great play to save the day for the Red and Gray. Talk to his teammates like Don Logan, Mike Thibault, Richie Boudreau, Tommy DiGeronimo or Chris Petrides, and ask them to give you one word to describe Leo LaRoche, the word would have to be tough. He was simply a rock. Just ask Randy Palmer about that blocked kick in the 1968 Thanksgiving Game and he will tell you about Leo LaRoche who stood next to him on that memorable morning, and blasted a hole in the Blue Devils offensive line so that Randy Palmer could burst through and make that memorable block. Ironically Randy and Leo will both enter the Fitchburg High School Hall of Fame this evening. Maybe that is only fitting.
Leo LaRoche was a big rawboned kid who never asked for a break on a football field, and never gave an opponent a break on that same field. His coaches, Marco Landon, Tom Crank, and Ken Rostedt, loved his never say die attitude. Every play whether it was a Wednesday afternoon practice or a Saturday game at Crocker Field saw Leo LaRoche laying down hard blocks or tackles. Usually when you go to a football game, you know what the quarterbacks, running backs or the wide receivers do on a play, but never do you notice the guy playing tackle. That was not true at Fitchburg High in the late 1960’s. You had to watch Leo LaRoche because he was most likely to make a spectacular block or a bone-crunching tackle. He usually was the very best lineman on the field in every football game that he played at FHS in his three year career. Gardner, Nashua, Leominster and St. Bernard’s players were good, Leo LaRoche was simply better. He was truly a man amongst boys.
Leo stood around six foot one inch tall when he stood on his tippy toes and weighed around 210 pounds. Does not sound like much when compared to the 250 pounder who played in 2007, but Leo was all muscle and speed. In The Boulder next to Leo’s class picture it says “LaRock…Herculean stature.” The kids knew how to describe their classmate who shone upon the gridiron. During Leo’s high school career there was no post-season Super Bowl for the kids who played at the high school level so the players probably received less recognition, and that was a great shame. The 1968 Red and Gray team had a superb record of 7-1, but it could have been better. Two contests against Notre Dame High and Worcester South were cancelled so most likely the Raiders were deprived of two other wins. That was a shame because these Raiders deserved a chance to showcase their abilities.
When the football season was completed Leo LaRoche decided to compete for the indoor and outdoor track and field teams. As you might expect his specialty was the shot put since Leo was extremely strong and possessed explosive speed. In those days there was no Grutchfield Fieldhouse for the track athletes, so they ran the corridors of the old FHS for practice and threw the shot put in the gym. Despite limited facilities, Leo LaRoche was able to capture the State Championship with a terrific toss of 53 feet 2 ¼ inches which is certainly a Hall of Fame accomplishment. Earlier in the year throwing on the hardwood of the Fitchburg High gym Leo had tossed the shot put 53 feet 11 ¾ inches which is still the all time FHS record nearly four decades later. Amazingly if Coach Ed Gastonguay needed a sprinter to run in a relay race, Leo LaRoche could get the job done. That is how versatile the football player and track star was.
Besides that State Championship in indoor track Leo was honored as a two-time north county all star by the sports writers of the newspapers of the region. In his senior football season Leo was a unanimous choice as an All Star. People understood just how good this kid was. As one reads through The Boulder one comes upon a comment made by the sports editor of the class book which stated that the Raiders were victorious despite the fact that Leo and some of his teammates lost time due to injury. Few people remember today, but Leo LaRoche played most of his senior football season in excruciating pain from a bad back injury, and yet he was still the best lineman in almost every single football game.
Following his graduation in 1969, Leo went to a junior college to continue playing football and then he enrolled at the University of Montana to play under Grizzly Coach Jack Swarthout who at that time had won twenty three games consecutively. He immediately was placed into the starting defensive lineup and had a solid season for the Grizzlies who played in the Mountain West Conference which included excellent teams like Boise State, Weber State and Montana State.
Following his years at the University of Montana, Leo lived throughout the West which allowed him to live the open life which he so enjoyed. He loved to work on old cars and was particularly proud of completely rebuilding an old 1938 DeSoto. During this time Leo began to become interested in the arts which included working in water colors and writing poetry. In 1986 Leo had a short book of his poems published by a small publishing house in the west. Water colors and poetry seem a long way from defensive tackle at FHS. Leo worked in Houston, Texas as a carpenter and he was involved in many of the construction projects developed in the 1980’s in Texas’ second largest city. Unfortunately Leo died on March 3, 1988, barely nineteen years after leaving FHS. His exploits on the gridiron and within the small shot-putting circle made Leo LaRoche a Hall of Fame athlete and tonight Leo we welcome you to the Hall.
It had been a week of turmoil for the Red Raider football team of 1968. As the Turkey Day Classic approached, the prospects for FHS had been on a roller coaster ride. Their triggerman, Chris Petrides, who had guided the Red and Gray football fortunes since his sophomore season, had severely sprained his ankle while playing a pick up game of basketball on the Saturday before Thanksgiving. His status was up in the air and the city of Fitchburg was abuzz with speculation as the big game approached. Coach Marco Landon and his staff had to set up two game plans depending on Petrides’ condition on Game Day. But the coaches were confident that their 1968 version of Red Raider football could rise to the occasion. This was a special team loaded with great players from both the junior and senior classes, and they had rolled through the opposition throughout most of the fall. And Coach Landon’s back up quarterback Allen Glenny was very capable of stepping in for Petrides.
But this fabulous Thanksgiving Day contest would have an ending which was similar to the 1994 classic with a somewhat unexpected hero creating victory for the Red and Gray. Randy Palmer had been a solid performer for the Red Raiders playing at the end position, but the players who garnered the headlines in the Fitchburg Sentinel were named Tom DiGeronimo, Chris Petrides, Richie and Ralph Boudreau and occasionally the defensive standout Leo LaRoche. The Petrides to DiGeronimo passing combination had been sensational and the Boudreau twins with their exciting running styles were exceptional. Thanksgiving morning dawned with gray and gloomy skies with a forecast of possible rain and sleet by mid-morning. The attitude in the clubhouse at Crocker Field was about as gloomy as the weather. Coach Landon had been told by the doctors that his star quarterback, Petrides, would not be able to go. Allen Glenny would take over the helm for FHS.
Leominster was a decided underdog as the two squads came onto Crocker Field, but they were led by a fiery Greg Piccuci who would be a thorn in the side of the Red and Gray all morning. The slippery conditions seemed to favor the Blue Devils, as the brilliant passing attack of FHS which featured DiGeronimo was kept under control although Glenny was brilliant throughout. With the Raiders leading 16-14 the Blue Devils began a slow but steady march toward the covered grandstands and the end zone of FHS as the clock steadily moved forward. Grimly the Raider defense dug in, until the LHS drive was stopped just inside the ten yard line. Coach Leon “Huck” Hannigan called timeout as a steady drizzle of cold rain fell on Crocker Field. The ten thousand fans, half wearing red and the other half wearing blue, knew what was coming next. Piccuci had kicked a number of field goals earlier in the season, and this looked like an easy chip shot. It was grim for the Red and Gray as they lined up to try to block the field goal try. Brothers Leo and Roger LaRoche readied themselves for the snap. Next to Leo was junior linebacker Randy Palmer who lurked. The ball was snapped, Leo LaRoche blasted a hole in the Blue Devil line, number eighty-one burst through the hole arms raised, Piccuci kicked a low line drive and the ball smacked against Randy Palmer’s out stretched arms. The ball fell to the soil and the grandstands on the Red and Gray side went wild with joy. Victory belonged to the valiant FHS eleven and Randy Palmer’s block became part of Red and Gray athletic lore.
But there was much more to Randy Palmer’s athletic career at Academy Street than this single glorious moment. Coming out of West Fitchburg with a solid reputation as a three sport athlete, Randy entered FHS in his sophomore year and immediately had an impact upon the Fitchburg baseball program. Barely sixteen years old the hard throwing right hander so impressed his varsity coach Jerry O’Rourke that he was immediately thrown into the starting lineup as the ace of the pitching staff. Playing with teammates named Petrides, Glenny, DiPasquale and Pandiscio, Randy was all star-like in his very first season. Coach O’Rourke was not afraid to throw Randy against the iron of the Raider’s schedule like Gardner, Leominster and Athol and with his sinking fastball, sharp curve and excellent control, the kid soon was racking up the victories. He was a three year varsity starter for the FHS baseball team and earned letters in each of those seasons. In his senior season Randy was selected by his teammates and new coach Pete Ford to be the captain of the Red and Gray nine.
If you look at the pictures of the aforementioned block of the field goal in the 1968 Thanksgiving Day contest, you will notice that Randy Palmer would be wearing number eighty-one because in his junior football season he played offensive end and linebacker. But as the 1969 season rolled around Coach Landon realized that his offensive line had lost a number of quality players from the 1968 squad, and it needed new blood. He decided to put Randy Palmer at the center position to fill one hole and thus Randy’s senior number was “52”. Randy accepted the change without complaint. The offensive center is almost invisible to the ordinary fan, but all football coaches understood its importance. Coach Landon knew what type of kid Randy Palmer was and he knew that the change would be made for the good of the team. Coach Landon, his staff and Randy’s teammates also knew what they had in Randy Palmer and so he was elected as tri-captain of that Red and Gray squad. The 1969 team rolled through the opposition taking down traditional powerhouses like Gardner and Nashua and rolled into Thanksgiving undefeated, only to be stopped by the Blue Devils. Captain Randy Palmer had been a major keystone on an exceptional Raider squad, and his leadership had helped glue this rather querulous group throughout the season.
During the senior season Randy was awarded the prestigious Salminen Award as the most valuable player in the Gardner contest which resulted in a convincing 33-8 victory for FHS. For his efforts in 1968 Randy was named to the North Worcester County All Star Team by the region’s sport’s writers. But Randy would probably tell you that he would return those football awards if the Raiders could replay that Thanksgiving Day contest. During his three years at FHS, Randy had earned a varsity letter playing for the Red and Gray. Also in his senior year Randy was selected co-captain of the Red and Gray basketball team along with Mike Kelley. If you do the arithmetic quickly you see eight varsity letters and three captaincies.
Those three captaincies during Randy’s senior year revealed the regard that his teammates held for him, and his election as Senior Class Treasurer revealed that all his classmates respected his leadership abilities. During his FHS years Randy Palmer’s name could be found upon the honor roll, and when June of 1970 rolled around Randy was selected the Exchange Club’s Scholar-Athlete Award which showed his abilities in the classroom as well as on the athletic field.
Following his graduation from Fitchburg High School in 1970, Randy enrolled in Providence College where he continued to play football at the club level. He graduated from P.C. in 1974 and became a guidance director at Thayer High School in Winchester, New Hampshire from 1975 to 1978, then served as a Vice Principal of Memorial Junior High School for a single year. Today he serves as the program Coordinator in the CAPS Educational Collaborative in Gardner as he has for the last seven years. He is married to the former Debra Neville and they have two children Erica and Tarin, and he resides in Rutland, Massachusetts.
Randy Palmer was a three sport athlete who was elected captain of the three teams that he played for in his senior year. His leadership qualities as a student were recognized by his classmates who elected him as a class officer. He was an outstanding athlete who had excellent leadership qualities and today we welcome him to the FHS Hall of Fame. Congratulations Randy Palmer.
As the football season of 1971 approached, the prospects for the Red and Gray did not appear good for even the most optimistic of long time Raider fans. It was felt by many of the faithful that Coach Marco Landon and his kids were going to suffer through an extremely tough campaign in the autumn of 1971.
But apparently someone had forgotten to get that message of impeding doom to Steve Ciccolini who would struggle mightily in the early stages of the year, but then rise to the heights on Saturday morning. The key to that extremely fulfilling season for the team, coaching staff and loyal Red and Gray fans was the tough kid who wore the number fifty-one with distinction and glory. We honor Steve Ciccolini for that fiery determination that he brought to the gridiron, each and every contest.
During his junior season at FHS, Steve had been a major contributor to an outstanding Raider squad which went 7-2 and defeated outstanding teams. Coach Landon knew that he had a gem in Steve Ciccolini and that he would have to build his squad, particularly on defense, around number fifty-one. Tom Landon and Dean Vallis started on the Raider defense along with Ciccolini in 1970 although they were only 160 pound sophomores, so they were expected to contribute in the fall of 1971. But they would be joined by members of the Class of 1973 who would join Ciccolini to make the Red Raiders a potent force by November of 1971.
The 1971 season started slowly as it took time to mesh the veteran players with the underclassmen. The Raiders lost their first three contests to three excellent teams, Manchester Memorial, Nashua and St. Peter’s, but in each contest number fifty-one had been the best player on the field as he made bone-crushing tackles from sideline to sideline. The Raider faithful were getting restless, but Coach Landon could see progress being made each contest, and they knew that they had a true stud in Ciccolini who would soon bring victory back to the Raiders. In week four, the Raiders travelled to Stone Field in Gardner to take on their ancient rival in the Chair City. Before a packed-crowd, the rejuvenated Raiders shocked one and all with a victory over the Wildcats. Junior tailback Mike Lasorsa made the key play with a 40 yard touchdown run. Lasorsa and Lloyd LeBlanc were beginning to form an excellent running combination which was being added by an improving offensive line. But it was the Ciccolini-led defense which was keeping the Raiders in each contest.
Now it was onto mighty Brockton and local speculation was that the Red and Gray were going to get crushed. After all the outstanding 1970 squad had been easily handled by the Boxers 24-0, and so the worst was expected. But the Raiders shocked the world! Led by a stifling defense, the Red and Gray held the superstar Brockton offense scoreless as the contest ended in a 0-0 tie. The Raiders completely outplayed Armand Columbo’s high-powered offense as Ciccolini raced from sideline to sideline making bone-crushing tackles which were intimidating the so-called Boxer superstars. Late in the first half, “Chicky” hurt his hand making a tough tackle and it looked as if it could well be broken. Coach Crank did a rather unique taping job along the sidelines and Steve was ready to go as the second half began. Throughout the second half Ciccolini and his cohorts pounded the shocked Boxers. The Raiders were now arriving on the scene, and the faithful returned in droves to Crocker Field.
The Red and Gray captured easy victories over St. Bernard’s and Athol and then they were badly defeated by an excellent Bishop Guertin squad, so the optimism waned as Thanksgiving approached. The Blue Devils led by a quarterback named Masciarelli had an excellent 6-2 as the Turkey Day Classic approached. Talk in the two communities was that “Huck” Hannigan’s squad was too experienced and too large for the up and coming Raiders.
As the snow fell at the rate of an inch an hour on Thanksgiving morning, Rupert L’Ecuyer told the arriving Raiders like Dean Vallis that they should return home because the game had been postponed until Saturday morning. With a herculean effort the city of Leominster cleared the field and as the thousands poured into Doyle Field on a dark and dank Saturday morning, the playing field was ready.
The Raiders emerged from the clubhouse and raced onto the field led by their leader number fifty-one who was about to play one of the greatest games ever played by a Raider in the Turkey Day Classic. When you look at Steve Ciccolini’s plaque for the Hall of Fame, you will see number fifty-one entering with his teammates, and thirty-five years later, you can almost feel the intensity. This was to be Steve Ciccolini’s greatest day as a Raider as he concluded his Hall of Fame career. Fearing the emerging Raider defense which featured “Chicky’s” bone-crushing tackles, “Huck” Hannigan let his quarterback Rich Masciarelli throw the pigskin. It was a mistake! Early in the contest with the Blue Devils deep in their own territory Masciarelli attempted a short pass toward the sidelines, and up leaped number fifty-one. Steve Ciccolini was living the dream of a defensive lineman as he rolled into the LHS end zone with an intercepted pass, FHS 6 LHS 0.
So it was up to the defense to protect the lead. Number fifty-one was all over the field and co-captain Steve Richard was patrolling the Raider secondary with great success. Steve would pick off Masciarelli late in the contest, and victory belonged to the Raiders. It was a glorious Saturday morning for all Raiders young and old. Ciccolini had been a man amongst the boys, and his efforts are still recalled with joy 35 years later.
Following his outstanding football season Steve Ciccolini turned to his second love in athletics, baseball. Steve loves to tell his friends that he was an excellent baseball player at FHS, and they all, especially Dave Secino and “Bo” Brasili kind of laugh. But “Chicky” was an excellent hitter who on occasion could really give the ball a long ride. Four or five times during his senior season, Steve Ciccolini launched 400 foot blasts which either landed in the stands at Crocker Field or far beyond the outfielders at fields in Marlboro, Gardner and Leominster. In his senior year at FHS Steve was named a league all-star and could be found on All Star teams named by the Telegram and Gazette and the Fitchburg Sentinel.
Following his graduation in June, 1972, Steve chose to attend Worcester Academy and then he selected the University of Massachusetts of Amherst to continue his education and his football career. Playing at UMass under Coach Dick McPherson Steve had an outstanding collegiate career achieving all star status in the Yankee Conference in 1975. That tough bone-crunching style which he developed at FHS served him well at the college level.
When Steve graduated from UMass, he tried coaching for a few years, but in 1980 he and his wife Sue Kibling Ciccolini moved to California where he got involved with Infomedix Medical Videos and Audios. Later he would work in the 1990’s for Mosby Medical Books and today he is the president of S&S Medical Books out of Florida. Steve and Sue had two daughters, Stacy and Ashley who are twenty and eighteen respectively. Steve was always proud to wear the Red Raider uniform, and he is very proud that his younger brothers, Dave and Chris, also put on the football pads for old FHS. Chris who graduated in 1987 and later would go to Yale University and distinguish himself academically. Steve Ciccolini loves to talk about his smart younger brother. Welcome to the FHS Hall of Fame Steve Ciccolini; you and your teammates of 1971 did us all proud.
As a young sophomore, Paul DiGeronimo, stood in the end zone of Doyle Field, and listened as the Blue Devil faithful hurled insults, and a few other things down upon Paul and his fellow sophomore starter, Larry Shattuck. The two youngsters looked at each other and said, “Well, I guess this is what Fitchburg versus Leominster on Turkey Day really means.” Paul, who stood around six feet two inches tall in his first Red and Gray football season, played an outstanding defensive game in the Raider’s secondary. Fitchburg built a 12-7 halftime lead as their faithful went crazy with glee, but LHS eventually came back to down the Raiders. This was Paul DiGeronimo’s first major encounter against the Blue Devil’s during his Hall of Fame career, and the result’s had been quite good.
When Paul entered his junior football season, Coach John Dubzinski switched him to the quarterback position, and “Pudge” immediately opened a few eyes with his excellent passing particularly to split end “Slanky” LeBlanc. The Raiders ran off six consecutive victories before suffering a tough loss to Quincy High. After tying Bedford and knocking off Milford High, the Raiders’ record was 7-1-1 and the Raiders eagerly awaited the Thanksgiving Game against an outstanding Blue Devil squad. The Devils were dominant, but Paul’s outstanding effort in the contest earned him the Bernard St. Germaine Award as the Raider’s outstanding competitor on Thanksgiving morning. For his outstanding efforts in his junior season “Pudge” was named to Central Massachusetts Conference All Star team.
As Paul and the Raiders entered the 1983 football season there was a buzz in the community that FHS would have an excellent season, and the team started with seven straight impressive victories. But the Raider’s 7th straight victory had been costly as the Raiders lost their chief running back Larry Shattuck with a leg injury. Now the Raider offense fell almost completely onto the shoulders of Paul DiGeronimo. The cities of Fitchburg and Leominster were extremely excited as the annual Thanksgiving Classic approached since this would be the 100th game played between the rivals.
Ten thousand people packed Doyle Field on Thanksgiving morning as the arch-rivals took the field. Early in the contest Paul was hit high and low by the Blue Devil defense, and he remained on the turf. Coach Dubzinski came out to inspect his fallen star and then they slowly walked to the sidelines. Paul had suffered a bad concussion and his Thanksgiving Game was finished. The Raiders went down to a tough 28-12 defeat on this dark and drizzly morning. Following the Thanksgiving Game, Paul was named to the Telegram and Gazette Super Team as a defensive back. But more importantly Paul received a call from Boston College and he was given a four year athletic full scholarship to play for the B.C. Eagles.
If football had been Paul DiGeronimo’s number one sport at FHS, then basketball had brought the most success to Paul and his teammates under the tutelage of Doug Grutchfield. During Paul’s sophomore season, he had played J.V. basketball for Coach John Cordio, but the mid-season found him moving up to the varsity. The 1983 and 1984 basketball seasons were two of FHS’ very best seasons ever and “Pudge” DiGeronimo had been an integral part of those squads. In the 1983 season the Red and Gray squad with David Marshall, Mike LeBlanc and Rich Gilchrist had a huge front court which dominated most opponents. Paul played the off-guard position and his major job was to feed the ball inside to the big guys Marshall and LeBlanc. This is sort of a thankless job, but Paul carried out “Grutch’s” orders with a very selfless attitude. His job was to help the team with precise passes and he carried out his assignment almost perfectly. This does not get you headlines in the local papers, but helps teams win games. And that 1983 squad rolled through the opposition with an 18-2 record, and then it was onto the District playoffs with an inevitable clash with St. John’s in the finals. The two titans advanced to the finals at the Hart Center on the campus of Holy Cross. The gym was packed with over 4000 screaming fans as the two squads battled tooth and nail. Paul had the difficult task in the Raider defense of closely guarding St. John’s brilliant Matt Palazzi, and he did his job superbly. You did not stop Palazzi, you just tried to slow him down and control his offensive output. David Marshall, Mike LeBlanc and John Connolly provided most of the Raider offense, but Paul made two clutch foul shots down the stretch to ensure the Raiders first District title in six years.
As the final buzzer blared the Red Raiders were the Central Massachusetts Division I champions. Their season was finished because there was no state championship in 1983 due to the results of Proposition 2 ½. Coach Grutchfield always felt that this squad could have delivered that long sough after Division I State Championship. Paul and his teammates were deprived of an opportunity to go for the gold.
The 1984 Red and Gray were loaded for bear as the season began. Mike LeBlanc had moved onto Syracuse, but his front court position had been taken rather effortlessly by Danny Barry and the Raiders were almost invincible. Once again Paul DiGeronimo was being asked to carry out the thankless tasks which make for winning teams. Play hard defense, get the tough rebounds, make those great assists and occasionally hit that fifteen foot jump shot were Paul’s assignments on that terrific 1984 basketball squad. Rolling to an 18-1 regular season, FHS was poised to capture their second consecutive District title and then tried to capture that elusive state title from which they were denied in 1983. Once again the Hart Center saw an outstanding championship contest between FHS and St. John’s. Unfortunately there was a bad incident involving fans in the second half which halted a Raider surge and the Raiders lost by two points in that final. The team had lost two games by a total of three points. Paul DiGeronimo certainly had been an important cog in a Raider basketball machine in 1983 and 1984.
When the spring months rolled around Paul DiGeronimo took his considerable athletic talents down to Crocker Field to compete on the track and field squads. Paul was an outstanding dash man who ran the 100 yard dash and 220 yard dash with a great deal of success. He remembers with great pride capturing the 100 against the powerful St. John’s track and field squad. But his coaches could count on Paul to give any event a try if it would help FHS win a meet. He will laughingly tell you that he scored key points in dual meets in such events as the high jump and the shot put. But this truly revealed his overall athletic excellence.
Following his 1984 graduation Paul enrolled at Boston College where he competed for four years on the Eagles football squad. Highlights of his career were playing the Cotton Bowl squad led by Doug Flutie’s Lambert Trophy winning team, playing in the 1987 Hall of Fame Bowl in which B.C. defeated Georgia and playing in Ireland against Army in 1988. Paul received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications in 1989. He then returned to Fitchburg High School where he became an invaluable member of Coach Ray Cosenza’s coaching staff helping the Raiders win Super Bowl titles and capturing twelve out of thirteen Thanksgiving contests. His Raider spirit was always visible on the sidelines. He took over as the head basketball coach in 2004 and is currently helping to revive the Raider hoop program. Paul is married to the former Suzanne LaPointe – Class of 1985 – and they have two sons Dylan – 13 and Drew – 11.
Paul DiGeronimo was a throwback three sport athlete at FHS, and he helped lead the Red and Gray to great victories on the soil of Crocker Field and the hardwood of the Brickyard. Today we welcome Paul to the FHS Hall of Fame where he will join his older brother Tom – Class of 1982. Congratulations Paul – you are truly a man of the Red and Gray.
As the 1986 basketball season approached, Coach Doug Grutchfield was making a fateful decision which would affect his star player Scott Wirtanen. In the previous season “Grutch’s” team had fought its way to the Division I State Championship contest which featured a well-balanced offense which had six or seven individuals who could share the scoring load. The coach knew that he could count on Danny Barry, Richie Gilchrest, Harvey Earley, “Spike” Carlson, Mike Connelly or Scott Wirtanen to hit for double figures in any particular contest and that they would get the job done. But now they were all graduated except for Wirtanen, so Doug Grutchfield decided to make a radical change for any Grutchfield coached squad. The Raiders in 1986 were going to feature Scott Wirtanen as their man, and it would be his teammate’s responsibility to get the ball in Scott’s hands so he could take the first shot anytime the Raiders went on offense. No longer would the center like a David Marshall or Rick Tienhaara set up in the low post, it was going to be bombs away from long distances by Scott Wirtanen.
That is a great deal of pressure to put on a seventeen year old athlete, but it was an assignment which Scott Wirtanen came to relish and one environment in which he thrived. Did his younger and less experienced teammates question Coach Grutchfield’s decision? No, they did not. First you did not question the decisions of “Grutch”, and secondly they did have supreme confidence in the abilities of their superstar. He had repaid his coach’s faith in him be averaging over twenty-two points per game throughout the regular season. The Red and Gray barely made the District tourney, and their Hall of Fame coach was hospitalized with a heart condition. But his assistant John Cordio along with Scott Wirtanen’s superb overall play was able to coax FHS into the Districts. Cordio was able to get the young Raiders to rise to the occasion in the first contest against Shrewsbury which they won rather easily.
Next it was onto the Marlboro Field House and the number one seed, the Marlboro Panthers, who had twice stopped the Red and Gray during the regular season. Coach Grutchfield was still ill at home and listening to the game on WEIM as his trusty assistant John Cordio guided FHS from the sidelines. There is an old sports expression “that it is difficult to defeat a good team three straight times.” That is particularly true if that team has a Scott Wirtanen playing for it. Playing an up-tempo contest with Scott and Norbert Pickett pouring in the points, the Red and Gray played the favored Panthers to a stand still. And then with the contest tied and less than twenty seconds on the clock Coach John Cordio, said to the young Raiders to “get the ball to Scottie at half court and then clear out one side of the floor”. Everyone’s eyes were transfixed upon number twenty-two as he patiently dribbled the ball near mid-court. The crowd was near hysteria as Scott tricky dribbled toward the basket with the Marlboro squad falling to the rear, then he stopped and leaped high and released a soft 15-foot jumper toward the hoop. Swish and the number one seed’s players fell crestfallen to the floor. That’s what Hall of Fame players can do to opponents.
Why had Coach Grutchfield made that fateful decision before the 1986 season? He knew and trusted Scott Wirtanen. “Grutch” always told people that Scott was one of the very best athletes he ever coached. During the Red and Gray’s championship run to the State Championship game when Scott was a junior, “Grutch” was never afraid to insert his junior into key situations in tense contests. Scott Wirtanen always had the aura of a champion when he put on that Red and Gray uniform.
But basketball was not the only sport which Scott starred for during his years at FHS. For three years he was an outstanding football star for the Red and Gray. When Scott’s junior season rolled around Coach John Dubzinski was ready to use the talents of his talented wide receiver. Following a difficult 7-6 loss to Doherty in the opening game of 1984, “Dubba” decided that Scott Wirtanen would be a key factor in his offense as the Raiders primary receiver. Soon the Raider combination of Craig Lareau to Wirtanen became Central Massachusetts’ deadliest passing combo. Wirtanen was deadly from any location on the field as his TD catches against St. Peter-Marian, Wachusett, Holy Name and St. John’s excited all Raider faithful in attendance. Scott would be named as a Central Mass. Conference All Star for his pass-catching prowess, but he was also a tiger in the defensive backfield as his interceptions against Bedford clearly revealed.
But Scott Wirtanen’s most memorable gridiron moment did not occur on a pass reception or on an interception, but rather when Scott was called upon by Coach Dubzinski to throw a pass against Leominster. Thanksgiving Day – 1984 – was a perfect Red and Gray morning. The brilliant sun engulfed Crocker Field as the thousands poured into the game. The Red and Gray led by Chuck Sandburg and Ed Bever on defense and Lareau, Brown, Morrilly and Wirtanen had rolled to eight straight victories and expectations were high. This would be the year! The covered stands were a sea of red and the boys did not disappoint: Raiders 29 Leominster 2. Phil Morrilly and Dave Brown easily found their way into the end zone, but it was another play which will forever live in the hearts of Raider faithful. Coach Dubzinski called for an end around in which Scott Wirtanen took a reverse hand off in the backfield and then stood tall and threw a perfect pass to little used Dan Doiron – Class of 1985. It was Dan’s only reception of the year, and when Dan caught the perfect pass and raced into the end zone, the covered grandstands exploded with happiness and joy. The hard working substitute had been given his golden moment in the glorious sun. It was almost storybook in its quality, and Scott Wirtanen had been perfect on the play.
The senior campaign on the gridiron for Scott Wirtanen saw the personal accolades continue to pile up, but the season of the Raiders was somewhat disappointing particularly that Turkey Day loss at Doyle Field in the driving snowstorm. Despite a second Wirtanen Thanksgiving touchdown in the blizzard-like conditions, the Raiders fell to LHS 13-6 to conclude a disappointing season which had begun with such high hopes. Once again Scott was selected as a CMC All star and later in the school year he was selected to play in the prestigious Shriner’s All Star contest.
During his senior year Scott began to look for a college where he could continue his athletic career and further his education. Soon the corridors would be visited by Coach Wally Halas of Clark University who was very interested in Scott playing basketball for the powerful Cougars. Coach Halas had had great success with John Pappas, another FHS Hall of Famer, and he felt that Scott would be a perfect fit for Clark University. During his years at Fitchburg High Scott had achieved excellent grades, and so he was accepted into Clark. He would play varsity basketball at Clark for four years, starting for his last three campaigns. Scott is very proud of the fact that he was a member of the Clark squad which reached the NCAA Final Four in Division III in 1987 and that he was elected co-captain in his senior year. During his years at Clark Scott continued his fine scoring ability scoring 975 points during his career.
Following his graduation from Clark University in 1991 Scott joined the United States Army and served two years specializing in electronics and computers during his service time. Living in Quincy, Massachusetts, Scott is a regional sales manager for Jet Edge, a company he has worked with since 1994.
Today we would like to welcome Scott Wirtanen, one of FHS’ finest athletes of the 1980’s, into Fitchburg High’s Hall of Fame.
If you are from West Fitchburg, and your last name happens to be Keenan, then you were born to wear the Red and Gray, and Ryan Keenan, Class of 1994, wore the Red and Gray with pride and excellence. He was the type of kid who coaches loved to coach, and teammates would follow to the ends of the world. During his four years at Fitchburg High School, Ryan Keenan excelled in football, basketball and outdoor track and field, and in his senior year he was named captain of each and every one of those teams. His was the desire that every coach wants to see from his players and every teammate admires.
Ryan Keenan was truly an athletic “Man for all Seasons” during his four years at Fitchburg High School, but it was the time of the year in which the leaves begin to fall from the trees, and a little nip of cold air descends upon New England, that Ryan Keenan rose to his greatest heights. But it was never easy, and Ryan was never handed anything on a silver platter. He earned every honor which was bestowed upon him as a football player honestly, just as he earned every yard that he gained while wearing that Red and Gray uniform. Ryan Keenan played behind FHS’ future Hall of Famer, Zack McCall, during his sophomore and junior seasons, and it must have been difficult knowing that you could do the job, but also knowing that Zack would be the starter, and rightly so.
Did Ryan Keenan sulk and pout about his situation? That was not the West Fitchburg way, nor was it the way of the Keenan family. He would find other ways to help the Red Raiders be a successful football team while he quietly waited for his time to step into the spotlight. During the first two varsity seasons Ryan Keenan became a solid defensive back on Raider squads which were amongst the best teams in Central Massachusetts. In fact, after sustaining a difficult 21-19 loss to North Middlesex, FHS marched onto Doyle Field determined to take down the Blue Devils. When the final whistle blew, for the first time in six seasons the Red and Gray would march home triumphant on Turkey Day 14-0. Young Ryan Keenan had been an integral part of that Raider defense which had stopped LHS cold from his position in the defensive backfield. Ryan Keenan would return to Doyle Field two more years, and put on a performance of running back which will be happily recalled for many years. Ten days later Ryan Keenan and his teammates would capture Fitchburg’s first Super Bowl victory in twenty years when they knocked off their old nemesis North Middlesex 22-6. The spotlight did not yet shine brightly on Ryan Keenan, but he had been an important member of a championship season.
During his junior year Ryan Keenan once again found himself as a backup to Zack McCall, but he had become a key in the defensive backfield as the powerful Raiders rolled through their schedule. Following a difficult 7-6 loss to North Middlesex, FHS needed a victory over a good Westboro squad to reach the Super bowl for the third straight year. It did not look good early for the Raiders as Westboro sprinted out to an early lead and then in the third quarter McCall was injured and carried off the field. The Fitchburg faithful were down cast and the Westboro fans shouted with glee. But junior tailback named Ryan Keenan would soon turn Westboro’s happiness to sadness. The Raider offense did not miss a beat, and Ryan Keenan showed one and all that he could lug the leather for FHS. Ryan scored two touchdowns and two vital conversions as the Raiders eked out a 29-27 victory in overtime. Ryan Keenan had arrived, but he would still have to wait since McCall recovered to play on Thanksgiving morning and in the Super Bowl.
When the 1993 campaign began, many Fitchburg faithful felt that their boys could be in for a very long season, but Coach Ray Cosenza was confident that his kids would rise to the occasion, and the coach felt that he had a secret weapon named Ryan Keenan who could take over the running load from Zack McCall and Bobby Williams. That is exactly what happened. After a slow start against Oakmont and Milford when the Raider offense sputtered, Coach Cosenza installed Todd Steffanides and put Mike Beaulac at fullback and Ryan Keenan exploded. Averaging over 150 yards per game, Keenan sparked FHS to a huge upset over powerful Brockton 22-19, led a rout of Marlboro and then carried the Red and Gray to an excellent victory 14-11 against Foxboro on a cold October evening.
Then there was that Thanksgiving Classic for the ages. The Red and Gray and the Blue Devils put forth an offensive show which will be remembered for decades. Todd Steffanides, Clarence Yarbrough, Mike Beaulac and James McCall all made great plays for the FHS cause, but it was the determined brilliance of number 32, Ryan Keenan, which shone over all else. He rushed for more than two hundred yards while scoring three touchdowns and two extra point conversions, as he dazzled Leominster’s defenders throughout the contest. It was one of the greatest individual performances in the long history of the Turkey Day Classic. For his season long efforts Ryan was named to the Telegram and Gazette Super Team and probably in his mind given the most important award, the MVP of the Red Raiders. After all Ryan Keenan is a Red Raider first and foremost.
But Ryan Keenan’s athletic career at FHS did not just entail football. He was a solid player on those outstanding Red Raider basketball squads of the 1990’s. Coach Doug Grutchfield could always count on the West Fitchburg kid to play solid defense against the opponent’s best scorer. He was awarded the Raider’s best defensive award in his senior year and was also named a Mid-Wach League All Star. And then there was track and field. Ryan Keenan was one of the finest pole vaulters in the history of Fitchburg High School. As a freshman Ryan vaulted over eleven feet in the District meet and he just continued to soar throughout his high school years. He was District champion with a vault of 12 feet 6 inches which established a new FHS record in his junior year and then topped that vault with a new record vault in his senior campaign of 13 feet 1 inch. He was named a Mid-Wach, Sentinel and Telegram All Star for his efforts in the pole vaulting pit.
While Ryan Keenan was creating an athletic legacy from 1990-1994, he was also carrying on another Keenan tradition in the classroom. During his four years at FHS Ryan’s name could be found on the special or high honor rolls, and he was selected to the National Honor Society in his junior year. Ryan was a hard working student who was always held in the highest regard by his teachers. Praise in the field of athletics was important, but good grades were an absolute necessity at the Keenan household.
Following his graduation from Fitchburg High in 1994 Ryan enrolled at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst where he graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelors degree in Sociology and a minor in criminal justice. He is currently serving as a Fitchburg Police Officer following in the footsteps of his grandfather Captain Bernard Keenan.
Ryan is married to the former Jill Crotty from Leominster: can you believe it! and they have twins, Mia and Michael who just recently turned one year old. Ryan Keenan may have had to wait three years before earning that starting tailback position, but the wait was well worth it. Today Ryan Keenan can call himself a Fitchburg High School Hall of Famer. You did West Fitchburg proud, Ryan.
Karen (LaFrenier) Berry was a somewhat shy student who quietly walked the corridors of the old Fitchburg High School on Academy Street who might occasionally be overlooked by her teachers, and even her fellow students. But I can tell you one group of people who never overlooked Karen (LaFrenier) Berry, and they were the opposing coaches who had to play against Fitchburg High from 1991 to 1995. Karen (LaFrenier) Berry was a tremendous three sport athlete who will be inducted into the FHS Hall of Fame this evening in her very first year of eligibility. The Hall of Fame committee recognized that this was a very special athlete who brought excellence to Fitchburg High sports during the 1990’s. The Red and Gray were blessed to have a group of young ladies who could compete with the very best on a field hockey field, basketball court or a softball diamond and Karen (LaFrenier) Berry might well have been the best overall athlete. Unfortunately the Fitchburg High trophy case does not have many District III or Mid-Wach League championship trophies from the mid-1990’s because the ladies had to face teams with super fast softball pitchers like Robyn King, or extremely tall centers like Jessica Vessey or field hockey juggernauts like Wachusett Regional or Notre Dame Academy. But the girls like Karen and her teammates Jill Murray, Sara Thomas, Shelley Richard, Marcie Cheries and Amy Robichaud were very very good.
Most people who watch Karen (LaFrenier) Berry compete for the Red and Gray for four years will tell you that her best sport was softball. Certainly that is what the college coaches believed. Karen was recruited by the University of Massachusetts at Amherst to play softball. If you are at all familiar with UMass softball, then you know that this is a very big deal. The Minutemen softball team annually can be found in any national poll in the top twenty. When Karen went to UMass in the mid-1990’s the Minutemen were probably the strongest team in the Northwestern United States. That was the quality of Karen’s softball ability. Her softball coach Tony Alario, who will also be inducted into the Hall of Fame this evening, would tell you that Karen was the finest fielding infielder that he observed in over 500 softball games. Karen was not a spectacular infielder, she was just silky smooth. If the ball was hit in her direction, you knew that the opponent was a dead duck.
When Karen came to bat for the Red and Gray, she was usually hitting in the key third or fourth spots in the batting order, so opposing pitchers were going to be giving her their best stuff. Despite that Karen’s batting average could always be found at the top of any Mid-Wach statistics. During her four year varsity career Karen batted very close to .400 which ain’t hay in any league. She was a solid line drive hitter who could smack out that double to left centerfield to drive in the key runs which would insure victory for the Red and Gray in many a contest. She exuded a quiet confidence which seemed to rub off onto her teammates. Naturally, in her senior softball campaign Karen was a unanimous choice to be the captain of the Red and Gray. She was not a loud rah-rah competitor, but Coach Alario and her teammates knew leadership when they saw it. So did the opposing coaches and the region’s sport’s writers understood the excellence of Karen (LaFrenier) Berry. She was named a Mid-Wach A all star in both her junior and senior years and was selected by the Telegram and Gazette to their Super Team in her senior season.
When Karen entered FHS field hockey was not a highly regarded sport at the school. By the time her senior season rolled around, Karen and her teammates Jill Murray, Carrie Donohue, Shelley Richard, Mandie Hertel, Jane Parillo and Sara Thomas had made the Red and Gray a major force in Central Mass. field hockey. Once again Karen had been recognized by her teammates and Coach Sue Tourigney as a team leader and thus named team tri-captain with Murray and Donahue. The Raiders had a great regular season going 11-2-3 losing two excruciatingly tough contests against powerful Wachusett Regional.
Following the regular season, FHS knocked off arch-rival Leominster for the third victory in the season over the defending District champions. Early in the second half with the score tied at 1-1, Karen made a key strike from 25 yards which was stopped by the LHS goalie, but the deflection landed on sophomore Shelley Richard’s stick and the youngster banged it into the net. Subsequently the Raiders would roll to a very satisfying 4-2 victory over the Devils. This victory was almost symbolic of the long hill that Karen and her teammates had climbed to make FHS field hockey respectable. Unfortunately the 800 pound gorilla awaited the Raiders in the second round, and that would be Notre Dame Academy of Worcester. The Red and Gray squad fell to NDA 3-0, but when the final whistle blew the ladies of Fitchburg High field hockey could hold their heads high. As the old television advertisement had said, “You’ve come a long way, baby.” At the conclusion of the year Karen was named to the Mid-Wach A League All Star team and also as a Sentinel and Enterprise All Star. All Star recognition had almost become a foregone conclusion for Karen (LaFrenier) Berry when the seasons were concluded.
If you were to ask Karen (LaFrenier) Berry about her favorite moment athletically at FHS, my bet would be that she would quietly talk about an early March evening in 1995 at Holy Name High School. Sixth seeded FHS entered the den of the defending District I champions as a decided underdog, and they shocked the world. The Naps of Holy Name had two Division I college recruits, Amy O’Brien and Brooke Renkens, and the Red and Gray countered with a sophomore-junior-senior trio who would prove they could play with any one. Their names were Shelley Richard, Sara Thomas and Captain Karen (LaFrenier) Berry and they were all magnificent in that contest played nearly a dozen years ago. Coach Tony Alario asked his sensational sophomore and the captain to defend Holy Name’s All Stater O’Brien, and that is just what they did. O’Brien would score 21 points, but she never dominated the contest. The two Raiders, particularly the captain, drove O’Brien with a belly to belly defense which drove her to distraction. Karen, Sara and Shelley who had fifty seven of the Raiders points all had Hall of Fame performances. It was a glorious victory for Coach Tony Alario and his squad, but the 1995 Raiders were not done shining.
In early January Wachusett Regional had annihilated the Raiders 70-42, but in early February FHS had rebounded with a stunning 68-58 upset to institute a seven-game winning streak which shocked Central Mass. basketball. Coach Alario’s little team was standing very tall as they faced Wachusett in the rubber match which also was the District semi-finals. When the smoke had cleared at WPI’s Harrington Auditorium the Raiders had a great 54-50 victory. How did our Hall of Famer do in this semi-final contest? She took a beating fighting for rebounds against the Mountaineer’s very tall front court, but she never quit. When the game was on the line in the final four minutes, the quiet, but always calm Raider captain sank eight clutch foul shots to insure another Raider victory on its way to an improbable spot in the District finals. Karen (LaFrenier) Berry had proved her unselfishness against the Wachusett squad, and that brought victory back to Academy Street. The Raiders lost to the taller North Middlesex squad in the finals, but their District run will be recalled for many, many cold winter evenings. In that wonderful season in which Karen (LaFrenier) Berry helped the Raiders rise from the ashes.
Today Karen (LaFrenier) Berry is a stay at home mom, residing with her husband, Ken Berry, Class of 1995, and two future FHS All Stars, Bryce aged five, and Drew aged four. When Karen filled out the Hall of Fame information sheet, when asked to explain her current position she proudly exclaimed, “Mom”, and when talking to this writer recently Karen told me that the kids are already showing excellent athletic ability. It’s in the genes, Karen!
A truly nice human being, Karen (LaFrenier) Berry is warmly welcomed to our Hall of Fame. A good student and a great athlete, Karen (LaFrenier) Berry is a true Hall of Famer.
Jimmy McCall probably holds as many individual track and field records as any other athlete whoever donned the Red and Gray. But the ordinary Red Raider sports fan remembers James McCall for one wild dash which he made upon Doyle Field on Thanksgiving morning in the year 1994. It was the Turkey Day Classic for the ages that ended with a 44-40 victory over the Blue Devils. FHS, led by Ryan Keenan, who raced up and down Doyle Field, had finally pulled ahead when Todd Steffanides hit James McCall for a thirty-four yard touchdown pass to make the score 44-40. With only thirty seconds showing on the clock high fives were being slapped all over Doyle Field by the Red and Gray faithful. But LHS’ Bobby Raxasack who was playing the game of his life was not done, just yet. From his own 34 yard line Raxasack spotted Bryan Mazzaferro over the middle and the Blue Devils’ brilliant wide receiver caught the pass in full stride and headed down the sideline. A Leominster touchdown looked like a sure bet, but then a Raider wearing number one could be seen sprinting toward Mazzaferro. It was McCall. As the Blue and White receiver neared the goal line, Jimmy tackled him inside the five yard line. When a Leominster running play was stuffed at the one yard line the clock ran out, and FHS had a glorious victory. It was a heroic and Hall of Fame type of play.
James McCall and his family moved to Fitchburg from Akron, Ohio, when brother Zack was in the eight grade and younger brother James was only a sixth grader. Within weeks FHS sport’s fans were hearing about this basketball player at Memorial Junior High School. That would be Zack McCall who would become a legendary Hall of Famer at FHS for his football and basketball exploits. But there was also the younger brother named James who would have to struggle to make his own legacy and try to escape the very large shadow of brother Zack. The excitable James came to FHS in the fall of 1990, and soon would be found playing J.V. basketball for the Red and Gray with some success. The comparisons with his older brother were inevitable, and the conclusions reached by observers could be tough on the kid. But then James McCall found an athletic guru who would alter his athletic career.
That guru was Chris Woods who was the FHS outdoor and indoor track and field coach, and he convinced James that his athletic future lie in track and field rather than basketball. And it was under the gentle prodding of Coach Woods that James’ innate running, hurdling and leaping abilities flourished. Within a very short time James was capturing District championships in the hurdles and the long jump for both the outdoor and indoor track squads. When the spring months rolled around, James was also a pretty good triple jumper who could give the Red and Gray solid point totals in dual meets.
It was in the spring of James McCall’s sophomore season that local sport’s fans began to read about the other McCall if they followed the local newspapers closely. At the District E Track and Field championships James made his first big splash upon the local scene. And a big splash it truly was! James captured his first District title with a leap of 42 feet 8 ½ inches in the triple jump and immediately the name McCall became associated with track and field excellence, James McCall that is. The Red and Gray sophomore also placed third in the 300 intermediate hurdles in that same District E championships. Ironically it would be in the hurdles that James McCall would make most of his track and field noise during his final two years of track and field.
When Jimmy entered his junior year at FHS his track and field abilities seemed to improve dramatically and so school records were being regularly eclipsed and James McCall’s name began to appear prominently at State and New England Competitions. He finished second in the Class C 60 yard hurdles at the state indoor championships and then just a week later James finished third in the long jump with a sensational leap of 21 feet 10 ½ inches. His versatility was quite obvious in these two very highly regarded competitions, and James McCall was well on his way to an outstanding track and field career.
As the snows began to melt on the track at Crocker Field in early April of 1994 James McCall was prepared to emerge as the most versatile and explosive track and field competitor in Central Mass., if not the whole Commonwealth. Early in the season in a dual meet against Mid-Wach rival Shrewsbury, James captured four firsts in the long jump (20′ ½”) triple jump (43′ 6″) 120 meter high hurdles (15.3 seconds) and the intermediate hurdles (40.7 seconds). But his amazing individual accomplishments continued at the Mid-Wach League championships when James won all four events once again with better distances and times in all of the events.
At the Central Mass. All-Class, Jimmy did not do as well, only because rules only allowed him to compete in three events. But his amazing efforts continued as he captured the high hurdles, placed second in the long jump and ran a leg on the 4th place mile relay team, and thus was awarded with the John Wallace Award which is given to the meet’s outstanding performer. As the month of June approached James moved onto the State Track and Field championships where he leaped over twenty-two feet to finish second to Rich Woodbury of New Bedford and then finished fifth in the high hurdle’s finals after establishing a school record in the semi-finals.
But still James McCall’s amazing 1994 Campaign was not finished. Still a little miffed at his second place finish at the states, Jimmy let it all hang out at the New England Track and Field championships held at Brown University. He fairly flew all afternoon with three leaps over twenty-two feet which awed his competitors. His winning effort of 22 feet 3 ¾ inches captured the gold to conclude James McCall’s fabulous junior season.
How do you top such a wonderful junior season? First, you make that game saving tackle, just after you have scored the game winning touchdown pass in one of the greatest Turkey Day Classics ever played. Then you help your Red and Gray track team capture third place in the Class C indoor state championships held at Harvard University by winning the 60 meter hurdles race, placing third in the high jump and finally running a key leg on the mile relay team’s fifth place finish. Then, James would be nipped by a blazer from Norwalk, Connecticut by two one hundredths of a second in the New England’s, but his efforts continued to amaze all track and field fans. Despite nursing an injured heel, Jimmy was able to capture the triple jump and the high hurdles in the Central Massachusetts Class Championships.
When James McCall was a young sophomore just emerging as a superstar track and field performer, he told the Sentinel and Enterprise’s reporter Ken Carty that, “basketball was my brother Zack’s thing and track is my thing.” James will admit that he still had that younger brother complex, but by June of 1995 he had established his own Hall of Fame legacy.
Today James McCall lives in Gardner, Massachusetts with his wife Bonnie (McKenna) and his three young daughters, Abrianna, Amaya and Alisha, he is a proud member of the Fitchburg Police Department with his teammate and fellow Hall of Famer Ryan Keenan. When his coach Chris Woods nominated James for the Hall of Fame he said that James had told him that he desired to give something back to the community that had aided his development so greatly. Chris truly feels that James McCall who has overcome many adversities in life has truly established himself as a role model for the youngsters of Fitchburg. Tonight we honor Jimmy McCall’s deeds with his induction into the FHS Hall of Fame. Congratulations, James.
Sara Thomas was a very special athlete and student during her four years at Fitchburg High School. During the years from 1992 to 1996, Sara participated in field hockey, basketball and softball and she was an individual star in each of those sports. But more importantly, Sara through her dedication and determination made each program stronger during the four years. During Sara’s years at FHS, the Red and Gray teams were powerhouses who were respected throughout the region.
Until the early 1990’s FHS field hockey had always been considered somewhat of a joke. Maybe it was just a coincidence that poor records, and equally bad attitudes, changed on the field hockey pitch, when a freshman named Sara Thomas began to wallop the ball around Crocker Field. Of course, it did not hurt that there was excellent senior leadership from players like Cristen Welch, Margie Pierce and Becky Seguin, and the underclassmen like Karen LaFreniere and Jill Murray were emerging as league All Stars who could put the ball in the back of the net. For the first time in twenty years the Red and Gray finished with a neat 9-3-3 record and made the District play-offs.
The fall of 1994 found the Raiders a Mid-Wach League powerhouse ready to take on the best. Jill Murray was one of the best scorers in Central Mass., Mandie Hertel was tenacious in front of the goal, and LaFreniere and Sara Thomas were athletic players who were all over the field and could score when needed. The Red and Gray were very good with an 11-2-3 regular season record and then defeated Leominster 4-2 in the play-offs only to fall to Notre Dame Academy 3-0 in the semi-finals of the Districts. For her efforts Sara was named to the Mid-Wach Field Hockey All Star team.
In Sara’s senior year, she was elected as a captain by her teammates and helped lead the Red and Gray to a 9-1-6 record as she led the Mid-Wach in scoring with 31 goals and was named the league’s MVP. In post season play the Raiders defeated Doherty 3-2 and LHS 1-0 before running into a terrific Quabbin squad in the District semi-finals. For her efforts during the season Sara was selected to play in the “Best of 60” Field Hockey State All Star team to play at Fitton Field on the campus of Holy Cross.
When the field hockey season was completed and the sticks were put away for the winter months, Sara easily slipped into her sneakers and was ready to play basketball. If you were to sit down with Sara, I believe that she would tell you that basketball was her favorite. The former “Miss Biddy – 8th grade” really had “game” as the street parlance goes today. Sara would become the third one thousand point scorer in women’s basketball after Pam Briggs – Class of 1985 and Tracy Smith – Class of 1993, but there was much more to Sara’s game than just points. She was a ferocious defender, who could drive the opponent’s best scorer nuts with her “in your face” defense, and Sara was a terrific offensive and defensive rebounder despite only standing five feet nine inches tall. During her four year varsity career on the hardwoods for FHS, Sara may have scored one thousand points, but she was an assist leader in each and every contest which showed her willingness to be a true team player.
But there was one shinning moment in Sara’s junior basketball campaign which makes up for that lack of a district title. The 1994-1995 Red and Gray’s girl’s basketball team was not very big, but they played with great heart. Kids like Brandee Burnap, Elena Pandiscio, Kristy Pappas and Bryna McConarty played the game with a great deal of grit and guts and they loved wearing that Red and Gray uniform. The team did lack height, and so they sometimes could be overpowered. But the Raiders did have three skilled players in Karen LaFreniere, Shelly Richard and Sara who were as good as anyone in Central Massachusetts. Mighty Holy Name and their superstar Amy O’Brien would, sadly for the Naps, learn how good this trio really was.
Entering the Holy Name gym as decided underdogs, the Red and Gray put on a display of basketball which was nearly perfect in its application. With Sara and Shelly blanketing Amy O’Brien with a tremendous man to man defense, the Raiders ran the number one seeded Naps out of their own gym. Trailing by a single point 25-24 the Raiders were magnificent in the second half. They raced to a 38-31 lead with Sara’s long three pointer being the key shot. When the Naps countered with a rally of their own Sara Thomas went on her own 8-0 run, and the Cinderella Raiders had a memorable victory. The dynamic trio of Karen, Sara and Shelly had fifty-seven of the Raiders sixty-two points, but all would tell you it was a team victory 62-58. Following that victory the Raiders defeated Wachusett Regional 54-50 in which Sara tallied seventeen points to lead the Red and Gray to the District finals. What is worthy of note in that victory was that the Mountaineers had defeated the Red and Gray earlier in the season by thirty points. The clock struck twelve for the Cinderella Raiders when they were defeated by North Middlesex in the District finals, but they certainly had been magnificent in the tournament. Sara would probably tell one and all that this was her favorite FHS moment.
Following her senior year in basketball Sara was named to the Massachusetts Basketball Coaches Association’s First Team All Academic Basketball Team which was a well deserved honor. As good an athlete as Sara Thomas was, she might have been an even better scholar. Sara Thomas was a Gold F winner, a member of the National Honor Society and when she graduated in June of 1996 Sara ranked fourth in her class. If you were to ask Ms. Ann Capodagli about Sara Thomas, the art student, Ann would tell you about a perfectionist who drove her crazy with the slowness of her paintings, but whose finished products were simply wonderful. But her academic excellence could be found in every branch of study. Sara was the winner of the Yale University Book Prize in her junior year, the Advanced Biology Award and the Spanish IV Award given to the top student. In her senior year Sara Thomas was selected by FHS to represent Fitchburg at the National Women in Sport’s Day held in Boston, Massachusetts.
When the spring rolled around Sara could be found on Lowe Playground picking up ground balls and smashing doubles to left center field for the Raiders softball squad. She was a four year starter for Coach Tony Alario forming a great double play combination with Karen LaFreniere in many Raider victories. Sara and her teammates had solid teams during her four years, but lacked that dominant pitcher who could bring a District title. But individual awards did not elude Sara on the diamond as she was a Mid-Wach, Sentinel and Enterprise All Star and Worcester Telegram All Star in her junior and senior seasons. As graduation approached Sara was named the 1996 Sentinel and Enterprise Scholar-Athlete for the academic year of 1995-1996.
Following her graduation from FHS, Sara Thomas attended the College of Holy Cross where she played four years of varsity softball while earning outstanding grades which consistently placed her on the Dean’s List. She was named to the Patriot League All Academic Honor Roll in her last three years at the Cross. During the season of 1998 the Cross captured the Patriot League Championship with Sara playing flawless defense at first base. She graduated in 2000 with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and today is employed by Westar Contract Kitchen and Bath where she is the lead sales coordinator in Phoenix, Arizona. Today we welcome Sara Thomas to the FHS Hall of Fame. Congratulations Sara – you did it all at FHS.
In the long and storied history of Fitchburg High School sports, there have been athletes with names like MacLean, Muir, Mackie, Whelan, Glenny, DiGeronimo, Oliva and Myllykangas, who thrilled the faithful. When you talk to many of the fans who have observed Raider sports for decades, thy will tell you that Zack McCall was the equal to one and all.
Early in 1989 there began to circulate amongst the Raider faithful a rumor regarding an eighth grade phenom from Akron, Ohio, who was playing basketball at Memorial Middle School. The stories said that the kid named Zack McCall could slam dunk the basketball with ease, and that physically he looked like a college sophomore. Veteran Red and Gray fans had heard similar rumors over the years, so naturally they were a little skeptical. They would have to be shown before they would truly believe the stories. In September of 1989 Zack McCall would begin his athletic odyssey through FHS, and four years later there would be few disbelievers.
Coach Ray Cosenza had arrived at Fitchburg High in the fall of 1989 hoping to revive the football fortunes of the Red and Gray. Ray understood that a good program needed to be strong with lots of kids who wanted to play the game. He knew that there were young players like Mark Pawlak, Derek Gendron, Rob Rebovich, and Rodney Dean already beginning to claim their spots on the varsity. And he knew that the freshman class had kids like John Sallila, Robert Williams and David Sousa who could be very good performers down the road. He pushed to get the new kid out for the football team, and so Zack McCall found himself in the Raider’s backfield very early in his high school career. Progress was a bit slow the first two seasons with the record standing at 10-10, but there had been improvement. On an early November evening in 1990 the North Middlesex Patriots arrived at Crocker Field on a serious roll. They had won more than 20+ contests in a row with two straight Super Bowl victories. The Patriots were large and they were excellent, but the Raiders were not to be intimidated. As the packed stands roared with delight the young Raiders matched punch for punch. The Middlesex option offense moved up and down Crocker Field, but so did the Red and Gray. Zack McCall had risen to the occasion as the slashed through and around Patriot defenders. When Bill Paskell plunged into the end zone in overtime to give the Raiders a one point victory against North Middlesex, Raider fans began to think of glory days again. Coach Ray Cosenza knew he had a real jewel in his backfield named Zack McCall.
The Big Red Machine arrived with real force in 1992. Many of those young sophomores from 1989 had developed into a cohesive group of veteran seniors led by Gendron, Pawlak, Rebovich and Dean. Those young freshmen had become outstanding starters led by Sallila on the offensive line and Zack McCall out of the tailback slot. They had stopped mighty Brockton at Marciano Field, and the locals began to talk about a return to the glory days. McCall had attracted the attention of the big town sportswriters with athletic skills and hard charging style. The Raiders stumbled against Middlesex, but on Thanksgiving morning victory belonged to the Red Raiders 14-0. Raider control of the contest had begun. Zack McCall was easily the outstanding running during that Turkey Day Classic. Then came the Super Bowl rematch with North Middlesex. On a bright sunny afternoon at Bartlett High’s field in Webster, the big running slashed through the Patriots defense to help lead the Raiders to a Super Bowl victory. For his efforts he was named to the Mid-Wach All Stars and the Super Team of the Worcester Telegram. College scouts were looking.
In Zack’s senior campaign the Raiders continued to pile up the victories as he continued to find the end zone. Bob Williams and Zack formed a dynamic backfield duo which could score from any spot on the field. The Raiders lost a difficult contest at Brockton in which a referee’s call halted a touchdown drive in the last second. Coach Cosenza’s still looking for that holding call on game film. But Zack was immense with 125 yards on the ground which made him game star. The Raiders rolled over Leominster on Thanksgiving Day as the Devils were unable to stop FHS’ ace. Unfortunately the Red and Gray were stopped in the Super Bowl by a tough Patriot’s crew from Middlesex. Zack McCall finished his high school football career with an outstanding 4260 yards rushing and 50 touchdowns which established new school records. He was a Super Team All Star in his senior season, MVP in the Mid-Wach League and selected to play in the Shriner’s Game.
Zack McCall was one of Fitchburg’s greatest running backs, but his game was really basketball. He was selected to play on the varsity in his freshman season, but his duty was somewhat limited because the Raiders were a veteran squad marching to the District finals. But his flashes of brilliance as he slashed to the hoop or grabbed a defensive rebound excited the Raider fans. Wait til next year was the battle cry. The faithful were correct. During the winter months from 1991 through 1993, the old Brickyard on Academy Street was a happening place as the faithful filled the stands to capacity to watch the Red and Gray and Zack McCall.
Every night Zack McCall would make a move which was just a little unique and the faithful would be whipped into a frenzy. Zack McCall would score 1506 points to establish a new Fitchburg High scoring record, but two contests symbolized Zack McCall the basketball player at FHS. In his junior season Zack teamed with a crafty point guard named Jeff Scott and his buddy, Ish Gelpi to lead the Raiders to resounding victory in the Districts over the chief rival, St. John’s. Next the Grutchfield gang would take on Springfield Central, the defending state champions in the Centrum. Central and their star, Edgar Padilla, had won 49 straight, and were huge favorites.
Late in the first half a Central player had made a slam dunk against FHS with extra emphasis. As Jeff Scott approached mid-court he spotted Zack calling for the ball in the corner. Zack drove the baseline and gave it the old tomahawk slam and turned to Central and said, “I can do that too!” The stands went nuts and when Jeff Scott sunk two foul shots with less than 10 seconds on the clock, FHS was in the state finals. What can you say about Zack McCall in the final against South Boston? The Raiders would lose in overtime, but Zack had registered forty three points. Many said it was the greatest individual performance in a Division I State final. That was FHS’ Zack McCall.
Zack McCall accepted a football scholarship to Syracuse University after his graduation, but decided that basketball was still his first love and decided to leave, and entered Northfield-Mount Herman. He was given a basketball scholarship at Marquette University, and competed in the NCAA tournament in his sophomore year. Later he would play basketball in Huron College in South Dakota from 1997 through 1999. He was selected as a second team All American in the NAIA in 1999.
Today Zack works for Coca-Cola Bottling Company in Northampton, Massachusetts, and was recently married to Angela Anderson. He has three children Alexis Hebert aged 12, Devonte’ aged 7 and Jayla aged 5. He loves spending time with his family and writing poetry. Zack McCall has traveled a long journey and that trek today places him in the FHS Hall of Fame.
For hundreds of high school athletes across America, their happiest moment occurs when they walk across the stage of their high school auditorium to accept their letter from their coach. Tracey Smith, who will be entering the FHS Hall of Fame today, took that walk twelve separate times. From the moment Tracey entered the halls of FHS on Academy Street, she was a major athletic force. It is somewhat mind-boggling to think of an individual collecting twelve varsity letters, but that is exactly what the future Hall of Famer accomplished.
When asked to name her favorite athletic moment at Fitchburg High School, Tracey did not dwell upon individual accomplishments; instead she recalled a team moment. In her freshman year, Tracey earned a starting position on a veteran squad which had a great amount of experience and excellent skills. Teammates like Paula Goodchild, Megan Normandin, Tara Sweeney and Deanna Baxter had challenged the best squads in Central Massachusetts for two or three seasons, but they had always come up a little short. Coach Tony Alario felt that the tall freshman center could provide the Red and Gray with a low post presence which would get them over the hump. During the regular season the squad had a solid 15-5 record which placed them in the middle of the seeds when the Districts were to begin.
Then the Raiders went on a major roll knocking off St. Peter-Marian, Marlboro and finally Holy Name in the District finals. Tracey had been a huge factor as she deftly gathered in neat passes from Paula Goodchild and hit with short jump shots and twisting lay-ups. She was also terrific on the boards, and the Raiders were now in the state semi-finals. FHS was a decided underdog when the referees tossed up the ball for the opening tap at the Springfield Civic Center. Hundreds of Raider fans in attendance marveled when they jumped into the early lead against previously undefeated Agawam. Tara Sweeney was hitting her medium jumper, Paula was being the perfect field general, and the youngster, Tracey Smith, was giving Agawam’s front court all they could handle. Agawam made second half change, but Windy Rosebush went wild with nine points. As the final seconds wound off the clock, the Raiders went wild, and a young freshman named Smith was heading to the state finals.
The clock would strike twelve at the Centrum for the Red and Gray, but it had been one heck of a ride. FHS’ rookie had shown that she was going to be a major force for the next three seasons. And Tracey Smith had begun her march toward Fitchburg High’s all time scoring record held by Hall of Famer, Pam Briggs. Unfortunately for Tracey and her teammates lightning did not strike twice. The Red and Gray and their ace were always strong contenders for that elusive District championship, but they seemed to come up a little short. The Raiders were also a little unlucky. It seemed that every season a bad sprain or a case of the flu would strike the Raiders in early March.
Individually, Tracey Smith had become a low post scoring machine. Averaging nearly twenty points a game in her sophomore season Tracey was named to the prestigious Telegram and Gazette All Star squad in her sophomore season. Certainly people were beginning to pay attention to the Red Raider center as she continued her career. In 1992, Tracey’s junior season, with the scoring continuing its rapid pace, she was once again selected by the T&G as one of the region’s very best basketball players. As Tracey’s junior campaign drew to a close, she was nearly at that 1000 point barrier. Also the Sentinel and Enterprise had not only selected Tracey as an All Star, they had selected her as their honorary captain, not bad for a junior. Early in the 1992-1993 season Tracey achieved that 1000 point barrier, and the points continued to grow. When the final contest was finished Tracey Smith had accumulated 1,403 points which would remain the Raider standout until it was broken by Beth Richards in 2003.
With her excellent play at FHS and for her AAU team the Central Mass. Cougars, Tracey became a prized Division One prospect. College scouts could be seen in the old Brickyard throughout Tracey’s senior season. She decided that she would accept a full athletic scholarship to Division One Hofstra University located on Long Island.
Her basketball and softball coach, Tony Alario, loved Tracey as a basketball player, but he felt that her softball skills were comparable. As was true in field hockey and basketball, Tracey immediately stepped into Coach Alario’s starting nine in her very first season. Tracey had great skills. She could hit with power, was a slick fielder and had an excellent throwing arm. She also could stretch those long legs to make doubles become triples. When Tracey left FHS, she held the all time stolen base record.
Tracey was a member of solid Raider squads with excellent players like Karen LaFrenier, Sara Thomas, Marci Cheries and Melanie Creamer, but they always lacked the fast ball hurler which could ensure a District title. In her junior and senior years Tracey batted well over .300, but her squad could not get by the semi-finals.
During years at FHS Tracey did more than play sports. When the honor roll would appear in the Sentinel and Enterprise, you could be sure that Tracey had achieved high honors. Her academic efforts earned Tracey Smith membership into the National Honor Society which is the highest honor given to students across America. In 1993 the local newspaper instituted a new award which recognized both athletics and academic achievement. Their first honoree for the Fitchburg-Leominster Sentinel Enterprise “Student Athlete of the Year Award” for 1993 was our new FHS Hall of Famer, Tracey Smith.
When Tracey graduated from FHS in June of 1993, she had complied one of the most distinguished athletic careers in the annals of FHS sport. Now it was time to go to Hofstra to pursue her basketball career and achieve a career in sport’s medicine. During her career at Hofstra Tracey impressed her coach, Leslie Schlegel, and her teammates to such a degree that she was elected basketball captain in both her junior and senior campaigns. Since receiving her degree in 1998, Tracey had worked in the field of Sport’s Medicine with Island Sports Medicine Associates from 1998 to 2003, and with Hospital for Joint Diseases in New York City for the last two years. Tracey became involved with the Pal-O-Mine Equestrian, Inc. which is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to teaching therapeutic horseback riding to individuals with disabilities. The Shriners Burn Hospital for Children in Boston was another organization that Tracey worked with in recent years. She is giving back to the community.
Today we welcome Tracey to the Fitchburg High School Hall of Fame. Many young ladies will follow Tracey into the Hall, but her accomplishments have established a very high bar. Congratulations to one of the best – Tracey Smith.
The 1972 football season began rather inauspiciously for the Red Raiders as they fell 20-7 to the Guardians of St. Peter’s. As the Red and Gray faithful filed slowly out of Crocker Field, dismay could be seen upon their faces. This season was supposed to be one filled with gridiron glory which would be provided by a talented squad of veterans. If the opening game loss had upset the faithful in Section 8, it disappointed and angered the coaching staff, and most importantly, the players themselves. Their final campaign was supposed to be a ride to glory, and now that had seemed to disappear. But a magnificent comeback would make that opening day loss just a minor footnote in the championship season that was Red Raider in the season of 1972.
The 1972 football season would be dominated by the senior members of the FHS Class of 1973. To be sure invaluable contributions would be made by guys like Larry Bizzotto, Bob Paradise, Billy Clements, Jim Vallis and Shaun Keenan, but it would be the senior leadership which would lead FHS to Springfield College on that glorious sunny Saturday in early December.
Many Raider fans and the players themselves would tell you that the construction of this Super Bowl champion began on the rocky fields located behind B.F. Brown and Memorial Junior High. It was there that kids from the Class of 1973 first began to jell as football players under the coaching of Ron Mazzaferro and Bill Dooley. Dean Vallis, John Brasili, Bobby Gordon, “Chipper” Bellio and David Boudreau banging heads in the dust of Lowe Playground to ready themselves for contests against the likes of Carter and May A. Gallagher. Meanwhile Mike Lasorsa, Jim Katon, Bill McIntosh, Bob Wotton and Joel Kaddy were doing the exact same thing in the rock pile behind Memorial. Of course, those kids could hardly wait until Veteran’s Day weekend when they would test each other upon the sacred soil of Crocker Field. I believe that Dean Vallis can tell you that the B.F. Brown Rebels were victorious back in 1969. These ninth graders would be the foundation of the 1972 squad.
In 1971 the Red and Gray had entered their season without great expectations. Gone from the Raiders were stalwarts like Roger LaRoche, Mike Thibeault, John Marabello, Gary LeBlanc and Mike Pucko who had been two and three year standouts. Little was expected from the Raiders, and that was exactly what occurred in the early contests. Then senior leaders like Steve Ciccolini, Bill Gamache, Steve Richards and an emerging tailback named Lloyd LeBlanc began to rally the troops. The Raiders began to jell. They traveled to Brockton and, lo and behold, they held the mighty Boxers to a scoreless tie. The gang of 1972 will tell you today that they played the Columbo squad right off their feet. Then on Thanksgiving morning it snowed and the Raiders had to wait 48 hours to spring their trap. The final score was 12 to 7 and Raiders were delirious with joy. In that victory guys named Landon, Vallis, Gordon, Brasili, Lasorsa and Katon had begun to emerge.
So that opening day loss had been so devastating, but these guys of 1972 were made of stern stuff. They regrouped and began their season anew. First to fall was Lynn English who were stopped by the Raiders 13-7. Next on the schedule were the Purple of Nashua High who traditionally had been a New Hampshire powerhouse with players named Greg Landry. The Raider offense exploded by the line play of Dave Secino, Bob Gordon, Dave Boudreau, Wayne Gendron, Bill McIntosh, Jim Katon, and Joel Kaddy and their backs leaped through the huge holes. Mike Lasorsa and his slashing style came to the fore behind solid blocks from Gary Chalifoux. When Lasorsa wasn’t carrying the ball, Bob Wotton was placing the pigskin into John Brasili’s reliable hands. Wotton was hitting his Jim Katon and Tom Landon with an occasional short to medium range pass to keep the opponents off balance.
In game four the Raiders took on ancient rival, Gardner, and their crushing defense began to emerge. Dean Vallis and Tom Landon had been starting on the defensive line since their sophomore season. They were perfect bookends, the steady Landon and the excitable Vallis; you did not go around the Raider flanks. In the middle was the beef, Larry Bizzotto, Bill Clements, Ricky Cruz and Bob Paradise. These guys were big and they would put you on your backside. Backing up the front four was an extraordinary line backing group, Mark LeBlanc, Mr. Steady, Jim Vallis, the sophomore hitter, Bob Gordon, the quiet man and Ricky Viens, the assassin, who truly dominated contests. In the defensive backfield Leon “Chipper” Bellio was the quiet senior leader. Gardner would fall 7-0 and then the Raiders began to roll on all cylinders. Holy Name, St. Bernard’s, Athol and Shrewsbury were taken care of in short order. Next came the Thanksgiving Classic which truly looked to be one of the best ever.
The Raiders came in with a 7-1 record as did the Blue Devils from the south side of the F&L car barn. The MIAA had just instituted the concept of the Super Bowl and the winner of this 88th Turkey Day Classic would represent Central Massachusetts. The rivals were playing for all the marbles, and the kids played a classic. The final score would be 27 to 19, but the Raiders truly dominated the contest. LHS’ big full back broke away on a 90 yard touchdown gallop early in the second period, but the Raider defense was stellar all morning long. Big Ricky Cruz subbing for an injured Larry Bizzotto was playing the game of his life while Ricky Viens was hitting anything which wore blue. Two LHS cheerleaders received first aid along the sidelines: just kidding. Dean Vallis and kid brother were furious in their defensive play. Mr. Steady, Mark LeBlanc, was steady.
And then there was Number 44 on offense. The 155 pound whirling-dervish was simply wild as he slashed through the Blue Devils defenses continually. Mid-way in the final quarter, the speedster dashed into the end zone, and the Red and Gray had completed their day in the sun. As the faithful filed out of Crocker Field with grins, the looked to the scoreboard and saw the final score: FHS 27 LHS 19. All was well in the city along the river.
Onto Springfield College went Coach Marco Landon’s warriors. The staff, Tom Crank, Mike Bourque, Bob Paul and Bob Girouard along with Marco, had the kids ready to play. It would be more of the same. Play that stifling defense and look for opportunities for your quick halfbacks to penetrate Greenfield’s defenses. Greenfield had an excellent running back named Dave Duvarjian who challenged the Raider’s defense. They would bend, but really never break. And Mike Lasorsa had a game for the ages. As the faithful screamed Mike consistently broke into the open. Everyone was a hero on that sunny Saturday in December of 1972. Fitchburg High School was the first Super Bowl champion, and today that squad enters our Hall of Fame.
The Red and Gray athletes straggled into Crocker Field preparing to compete in the North Central Massachusetts Conference track championship to be held early in June of 1958. Many of the older Raiders are yawning showing the effects of a long night at the Fitchburg High School senior prom. One Raider competitor seems to be no worse for the wear. That is super middle distance runner, Mike Conry, who has foregone an evening of dancing and watching the sunrise from Mt. Wachusett. Is Mike Conry anti-social, did he not have a date for the prom? The answer to that question is no! He had made a personal sacrifice for his old high school. If the Red and Gray are to conquer schools like Leominster, Gardner, or Notre Dame this Saturday morning in 1958, then their ace, Mike Conry, has to be in peak condition.
But as the stands at Crocker Field filled up slowly with track fans, they were completely unaware that Joe Hannon, the young Raider coach, had asked his star to make a great sacrifice for the good of the team. Mike Conry was the finest half-miler in Central Massachusetts in the spring of 1958. Against Notre Dame, Mike had run a 2:01 half under the lights, temporary lights. Coach Hannon had a little bit of P.T. Barnum in him, and the night track meet had packed Crocker Field. Remember folks, that 2:01 was run on a cinder track nearly fifty years ago! Mike had also dueled against Charlie Breau of Leominster and come out on top. Breau and Mike had a little history. They had gotten to know each other on Thanksgiving morning when Mike was a Raider defensive back and Charlie was a wide receiver. Their duels were things of beauty and the kid from West Fitchburg had come out on top each time. But now Mike was being asked to run in the mile against the best in the north county. Mike had never run competitively in the mile. Just one year previously, he had been running the quarter mile and the half seemed quite a stretch at that time.
Joe Hannon had brought the subject up to Mike a few days before the meet. Hannon was a man way ahead of his time. His track techniques were modern for his day and the kids had really responded to his youthful demeanor. But the coach told Mike that he would let his ace make the decision. Early in the meet, Mike Conry spoke to his coach and said that he would like to give the mile a go. The spectators realized that something was cooking when you did not report to the starting line for the half mile. “What’s wrong with Conry?” You seemed to be okay, but you were not running. Then the contestants for the mile competition approached the starting line and there stood Mike Conry, all 130 pounds of him. He was going to run the mile. If I might I would like to give you the Fitchburg Sentinel’s John Connolly’s analysis of the events of the day:
That’s why what you did Saturday comes under the heading of real sportsmanship and the height of team spirit. You made a decision at great personal sacrifice, which marks you as a true son of the Red and Gray. The rest, of course, is NCMC history. You out legged a lot of kids who have been running the longer distances all year, as well as in other seasons. You did it in real dramatic fashion, too. If you ever knew what you looked like as you left the field at the far turn. You were galloping like a scared rabbit as you propelled past the famous Crocker Field flag pole. Everyone had to admire your kind of spunk, your spirit. That’s why you got such a tremendous ovation – from friends and foe alike…you won a place in the hearts of FHS followers that is a tribute to you and yours. You made a healthy contribution to FHS athletics, to your class (1958), to your family and to yourself in your last days at FHS. You’re a runner who came to run, and we guess you know everybody’s proud of you.
John Connolly’s great article emphasized the fire and spunk of the Irish kid from West Fitchburg. That fiery competitive spirit could get a yellow flag on the football field or a confrontation at Faculty-Senior basketball game, but it made you a Hall of Famer.
Mike Conry’s valiant effort in the North County meet might be the most memorable for Red and Gray fans, but less than one week later he may well have accomplished a more noteworthy achievement. Running at White Stadium located in Franklin Park, Mike Conry captured the Class B 880 yard race with a time of 2:02.5. Very few athletes can say that they were true champions, but Mike Conry – Class of 1958 – can.
But if you ever sat down with Mike Conry and asked him what his happiest moment in sports was, my bet would be Thanksgiving morning of 1957 at approximately 12:25 p.m. At that exact moment the black and white striped officials picked up the pigskin and for the first time in five years the Red and Gray could celebrate victory. A three touchdown underdog FHS had emerged victorious 20-14. “Buzzy” Congram could be seen with his arms in the air and number fifty-two stood next to him hugging a teammate. That was the tough little Irish kid from West Fitchburg.
Following high school Mike Conry joined the United States Marine Corps in 1959 and served fourteen months in Okinawa later serving at Camp Pendleton and China Lake in California. The highlight of his time in the Marines had to be his selection as a marine honor guard for President John F. Kennedy who was visiting the China Lake facility. He was discharged from the Marine Corps in 1963 and returned to his hometown, and took a job at Weyerhaeuser. This was a family tradition since his father, Tom Sr., had worked for Crocker Burbank for 52 years. Later Mike would join the Fitchburg Fire Department serving from 1975 to 2003. In 1961 Mike made one of the most important decisions of his life when he asked for Judy Leo’s hand in marriage. This week they will be observing their 44th wedding anniversary. The Conry’s had two children, Patricia and Joseph, who have made Mike and Judy proud grandparents five times over.
On that Saturday morning, oh so many years ago, Mike Conry was establishing a degree of heart and grit which has led directly to the Fitchburg High School Hall of Fame. Congratulations for your entry, Mike.
The rafters of the Hart Center on the College of the Holy Cross were filled with the basketball fanatic of Central Massachusetts who had come to watch a classic high school match up. In March of 1983 it did not get much better than St. John’s versus Fitchburg High School. The contest had all the drama of an opening night on Broadway. Head Coaches Doug Grutchfield and Bob Foley prowled the sidelines imploring their players to give their all as they snarled at each and every officials call. The Pioneers were led by their indomitable super star Matt Palazzi who could score from any spots on the floor. The Red and Gray countered with a well balanced attack led by their senior leaders John Connolly and Mike LeBlanc who were ably assisted by juniors Paul DiGeronimo and rising star David Marshall. The open whistle signaled the beginning of the contest and the titans went to battle. The players did not disappoint their screaming faithful fans as the game evolved into a classic.
Somewhere in the Bible it says that a child shall lead them. Thus it was to be for the Red and Gray, as this tremendous game drew to a conclusion. As the foul calls began to take their toll on the Raiders, Coach Grutchfield turned to Michael Connolly to run the Raider offense as the contest came toward its conclusion. Barely sixteen years of age Mike calmly dribbled the ball up court as thousands of voices screamed in the packed stands. The kid was unfazed as he dished the ball to his teammates to maintain their offensive flow. As the clock ticked below fifteen seconds the contest was tied and the Red and Gray were crashing the St. John’s boards with Marshall, LeBlanc and DiGeronimo. The ball caromed out to Mike Connolly standing close to the foul line, he calmly grabbed it, jumped into the air, and sent the ball on its way toward the basket. Swish and the Red and Gray were District Champions of 1983. The box score would record that Mike Connolly had scored two points, but Red and Gray fans knew that this was a special athlete.
The trite coach’s expression that there is no I in team, should not there also be no I in Connolly. Doug Grutchfield does not like to compare his many outstanding basketball players that he coached at FHS over three decades, but if you really corner him, Doug will tell you that Michael Connolly was a special type of player who is held in the highest regard by the old coach. You will not find Michael Connolly’s name on any list of all time leading scorers for the Red and Gray, but if you look at the pictures of championship basketball and football squads from the mid-1980’s, his face is quite prominent. Victories seemed to follow Michael Connolly, and so does the title of captain.
From 1983 to 1985 Fitchburg High School basketball was a joy to watch as the Raiders took on the very best with their tenacious “Chinese” defense which drove opposing teams to distraction. If you look up the word tenacious in your Funk and Wagnall’s dictionary it is defined as being adhesive, sticky and tough. They should have Michael Connolly’s picture in a basketball uniform next to that definition. Teammates like David Marshall, Mike LeBlanc, Danny Barry and Richie Gilchrest would do the bulk of the Raider scoring, but they would always have high praise for their teammate, Michael Connolly, and his spirited efforts. How good were Michael Connolly and his teammates during this era? They were simply outstanding.
In the previously chronicled 1983 season the Raiders won the Division I District title, but could not compete for the state championship because of financial constraints brought on by Proposition 2 ½. That was a real crime as far as the Raiders were concerned. To this day “Grutch” and his players will tell you that they might have gone all the way. In 1984 the Red Raiders went to the finals once again only to lose to St. John’s and Matt Palazzi. Then there was the 1985 squad.
Doug Grutchfield as the new athletic director gave Doug Grutchfield basketball coach a brutal schedule in 1985. He knew the squad with Dan Barry, Rich Gilchrest, Harvey Earley, “Spike” Carlson, Scott Wirtanen and captained by Michael Connolly would be excellent, so he challenged them. They faced powerful squads from eastern Massachusetts like Brockton and Cambridge Rindge and Latin who were led by Rumeal Robinson. The Raiders regular season record was not sensational. The Red and Gray were only 15-5, but they knew they could play with anyone. Dan Barry and Rich Gilchrest were the scorers, but during crunch time, they turned to and listened to their leader, Captain Connolly. Michael and his teammates shocked all the experts when they marched to the District title. Particularly memorable were last minute victories over Doherty High and Leominster in which the never-say-die Raiders came back from the brink of defeat. The Raiders knocked off the Western Mass. champion and rolled into the Centrum to face Brockton who had handled FHS easily in the regular season. Mike and his teammates put up a great fight only to lose in the final forty-five seconds.
Earlier in his senior year Mike had been selected as a captain of the Raider football team. The 1984 Red and Gray football squad was a bit of a mystery. Excellent players had graduated, and many faithful were worried. After an opening game loss 7-6 to Doherty, things looked somewhat bleak, but Coach John Dubzinski was able to rally the troops. Led by a terrific defense which was headed by Chuck Sandberg, Eddie Bever, Scott Wirtanen, and Captain Mike Connolly, the Raiders began to roll. In their fifth game FHS faced undefeated Holy Name, and the experts said the Red and Gray would be taken down. Running backs Dave Brown and Phil Morrilly ran wild, and now everyone took the Raiders seriously. The Raiders could be a wild bunch at times, but their captain kept the boys under control.
Thanksgiving morning 1984: Final Score – FHS 29 LHS 2 – Captain Mike Connolly and his teammates had slain the dragon. It was onto the Super Bowl where the Red and Gray were stopped by an excellent Westboro squad. But, all in all, 1984 had been a great season for the Red and Gray.
Throughout his years at Fitchburg High, Mike had been that student who all the teachers admired. His effort was always visible and so his name was always found on the honor roll. Following his graduation from FHS, Mike enrolled at Fitchburg State College where he played basketball and football. Not surprisingly he was selected as a captain in both sports; in fact, he was the basketball captain for three seasons. That speaks loudly of leadership. He would graduate with a B.S. in history with a 3.5 grade point average. Later he would get his Masters of Education at Lesley College in Cambridge, Mass., with a 3.9 cumulative. Mike Connolly did well in the classroom as well as on the athletic fields.
Following his graduation Mike worked as a history teacher in FHS for two years, but then he moved to the Old Rochester Regional School District where he has taught for the last decade. Fitchburg’s loss – Rochester’s gain. His academic honors, coaching duties are really too long to list. Today he and his wife Linda live in Stoughton, Massachusetts with their three children, Shawn, Michelle and Angela. Today all Red and Gray fans are pleased to welcome Michael Connolly to the FHS Hall of Fame. Congratulations.
One of the most difficult tasks in all of sports is to be the child of a superstar. And Loring Stevenson Sr. was a Fitchburg High School superstar from the Class of 1915. With his distinctive red curly hair Loring Sr. had been a star on the very first teams coached by the legendary Clarence N. Amiott. The 135 pound whiz had quarterbacked the Red and Gray to victory after victory, and then turned to basketball to key the FHS offense. In the spring of 1915 Loring Sr. had captained the baseball nine to a near perfect record and then helped the track team capture the county track championship with great efforts in the long jump and dashes.
Starting in the early 1920’s the elder Stevenson returned to Fitchburg where he became a beloved assistant to Coach Amiott and head baseball coach. His 1936 undefeated baseball team featuring “Ossie” MacLean, Jimmy Leo and Jimmy Flynn was one of FHS’ best. Then he succeeded the legendary Amiott as athletic director in the late 1930’s when Noah Amiott became ill. So it was quite a legacy which followed Loring “Bud” Stevenson Jr. when he entered the halls of Fitchburg High School in the autumn of 1949. He would be a candidate for positions on the football, basketball and baseball squads, but he would also be the kid of the athletic director. And sometimes people can be cruel to fifteen and sixteen year olds.
John Connolly of the Fitchburg Sentinel spoke to that particular situation after “Bud” Stevenson’s final football game, a glorious 13 to 7 victory over arch-rival Leominster on Thanksgiving morning. The sportswriter had apparently been cognizant of the tricky situation and felt that he should mention the situation following the Raider’s penultimate victory. Mr. Connolly wrote:
Speaking of this year’s team and its determination, such a column would be incomplete if we didn’t mention something that we felt throughout the season, but decided to refrain from saying until this campaign ended. It’s about Loring “Buddy” Stevenson who played an entire season under the greatest of handicaps – the fact that his father is athletic director of FHS. He didn’t need any boost from his conscientious and honest dad, and he didn’t get any. Yesterday more so than any other time in ’48, he proved his worth to the Red and Gray squad.
So you can see that it very often can be difficult to follow in your father’s footsteps. Just ask professionals like Brian Griese and Chris Sims.
During “Bud” Stevenson’s years at FHS, the Raider athletic teams were populated with excellent athletes in almost every position on every squad. The competition for playing time on any sport’s team was quite vigorous. During “Buddy’s” senior football season Coach Marty McDonough used nine different individuals in his offensive backfield, and they were all quite skilled. Guys like Art Capone, “Chuckin Charlie” Bowen, Herb Pandiscio and Dick Erickson could have starred for football squads in Central Massachusetts, and this was “Bud’s” competition.
When the Raiders opened their 1948 campaign by traveling up the Mohawk Trail to North Adams to play against Drury High, Coach McDonough handed over the reins of the offense to his skilled passing quarterback, “Bud” Stevenson, and the kid had quite an opening game. Following a scoreless first half, “Bud” hit Norman “Red” Goguen over the middle, and FHS’ electrifying sprinter raced 66 yards into the end zone for the Red and Gray’s initial score. Later in the contest “Bud” caught a twenty-five yard touchdown pass from Charlie Bowen on Coach McDonough’s favorite play, the end around. Later he would intercept a Drury pass, and return the interception nearly fifty yards to Drury’s twenty yard line. “Bud” Stevenson had been everywhere in the Raider’s opening game victory.
When the passing attack slowed in losses to Clinton and Marlboro, Coach McDonough turned to his running game which featured Art Capone and Herb Pandiscio. “Bud” was sort of placed on the back-burner, but he did not complain. He would spend much time perfecting his defensive back field play which would be invaluable later in the campaign. The 1948 Raiders were a squad which grew as the season progressed. Following a 12-12 against favored Gardner squad, the Red and Gray record stood at 1-2-1, and the future was bleak. But the Raiders never lost faith and they would win six close contests against teams like Brookline, Woburn and Watertown. Led by Hugh McCann, Jim Meredith and sophomore Ralph DiGeronimo, the Raiders defense rose to the occasion. “Bud” Stevenson’s defensive back field play keyed that effort.
Thanksgiving morning found Charlie Broderick of LHS and Marty McDonough of FHS both downplaying their chances. Actually LHS never had a chance. Their superstar, Bob Mercier, broke a 55 yard touchdown run, but the Devils were smothered by the dominating Raider defense. “Bud” played a key part for the defense. Leominster’s passing attack was stopped cold by “Bud” and his mates. “Bud” had a key interception in the second half, and The Sentinel showed a picture of “Bud” knocking down the final LHS pass attempt to clinch the victory. The A.D.’s kid did okay.
“Bud” Stevenson played football, basketball and baseball during his last three years at FHS. He would have great moments of success on the gridiron and the basketball court, but “Bud” would probably tell you that his greatest thrill came on the baseball diamond. He was the starting center field during his junior and senior seasons with a solid .300 average at the plate. But the big hit came against arch-rival Leominster. The Raiders were down by one run to LHS with two outs in the ninth inning when “Bud” Stevenson came to the plate. He smacked one out of the park to tie the contest which the Red and Gray won in the 12th inning. When his father retired two years later, he recounted “Bud’s” home run as one of his biggest thrills.
Following graduation “Bud” Stevenson attended Fitchburg State College playing baseball and basketball and receiving his degree in 1953. His teaching career began in Holyoke in 1955, but “Bud” eventually worked in Winchendon, Massachusetts, from 1958 to 1981 as a classroom teacher, elementary supervisor and principal until his retirement from education. He later became involved with antiques and auctioneering. Which he continues to carry up to the present. During the Korean War “Bud” served in the United States Army.
He married Pauline Peters Stevenson, and they had four children Loring Stevenson, Lisa Stevenson, David Stevenson and Chris Stevenson. Today they reside in Palm Coast, Florida where “Bud” and Pauline both continue to work in the auctioneering business. The son of the athletic director, Loring “Bud” Stevenson had a heck of a career at FHS, and today he enters our Hall of Fame. Congratulations “Bud.”
When veteran NBA watchers talk about the outstanding scorers from twenty or thirty years ago, they recall the amazing exploits of “Pistol Pete” Maravich, “Earl the Pearl” Monroe or George “The Ice Man” Gervin. Today, when old time Fitchburg High School basketball fans talk gathered around the old hot stove, they discuss the exploits of Joey “Spags.”
Joe Spagnuola has to be seen to be believed. His jump shot, from twenty feet and beyond, would leave his finger tips and begin its long arcing flight toward the basket in the Brickyard on Academy Street. There would then be a pronounced swish and two more points would be added to the Red Raider’s total. Joe had come to Fitchburg High in the fall of 1958 with a reputation of basketball excellence which verged upon amazing. Tales were told of youth league contests in which Joey’s totals would be well beyond forty points. He was expected to bring the Raiders back to basketball glory. In the winter of 1960 Raider fans began to see some of the ability which the young sophomore possessed. His totals began to gradually climb into double figures, and the Raider fans began to think about what might happen in his junior and senior seasons.
Joe Spagnuola was a big strapping kid as we used to say in the 1960’s. He stood six foot two inches tall and weighed close to one hundred eighty pounds which meant he was a big kid. Usually those types of basketball players would play under the hoop, and use their superior size to power the ball into the hoop. The big kid from the Water Street area of Fitchburg was not a power forward, he was a point guard. That was usually the job for the five foot eight inch water bug with superior quickness, not a kid Joey’s size. His size would completely dominate the smaller guards who had to play him, and so opposing coaches would have to put their forwards on him, and Joey would just drive by them to the basket. In many ways Joey’s play was similar to the “Big O’s” in the National Basketball Association.
In the winter of 1960-1961 Coach John Oliva had high hopes for his Raider squad. John DiGeronimo was a strong force at the power position, and he was aided by junior forward Barry MacLean who was beginning to show athletic ability on the hardwood court as he had shown on Crocker Field. The guard position was manned by a young George Barnicle who was showing potential while Joey Spagnuola was listed as the center, but sort of played a rover position on offense. The sixth man on offense was another up and coming forward, Lee Drury who was dramatically improving every contest. The Raiders would be good this season with a solid 11-5 regular season record. But they just did not seem capable of getting past the big time opposition. Loses to Nashua and New Bedford had put a bit of a damper on the Raiders efforts. Still, all in all, Joey Spagnuola had a breakout campaign in 60-61. He averaged nearly twenty points a game to lead the north county in scoring. In the season’s opener against Brockton High, Joey had poured in 23 points as the Raiders upset the Eastern Massachusetts power 45-31. He had outplayed Brockton’s ace, Steve Sarantoupolus who was later establishing many scoring records at the old Tech Tourney in Boston Gardens.
The Raiders did not receive an invitation to the tournament in Western Mass. at Springfield College which disappointed many Raider faithful and the players. This was just before the establishment of the tournaments with which we are familiar today. The Raiders took solace in accepting an invitation to the short-lived Fitchburg State College tourney and they triumphed quite easily. Joey and teammate John DiGeronimo were accepted to the all tourney team. Following the 1961 campaign Joey was a unanimous selection for the North Worcester County All Star Team.
But the 1961 campaign was only a prelude to the season that was to become 1962. Fitchburg High School basketball believed that it would make its mark in their upcoming season. Expectations amongst the players were high and the kids wanted to reach the ultimate, playing in the Boston Garden as the Western Mass. representative in the old New England tournament. They expected to run the regular season slate, but they ran into some questionable officiating in Beverly, and a slippery floor at Notre Dame. Still the Raiders were loaded for bear. Seniors were going to dominate this squad.
Big Larry Shattuck was a huge force under the offensive and defensive boards as he cleared the way for the scorers. Dave Rissanen was the inside guy who picked up the loose balls and averaged close to ten points a contest. Lee Drury was a sweet-shooting guard who could play solid defense on the opponents leading scorer. Barry MacLean was the all around athlete who could score in double figures, help Shattuck on the boards, and play great defense. And then there was Joey Spagnuola.
Joey was the most spectacular player in Central Massachusetts. Maybe Athol High School newspaper The Little Red Schoolhouse said it best: “They (FHS) were led by one of the best schoolboy basketball players in the state…The great Joe Spagnuola poured in 22 points, led the defensive attack, and thrilled the crowd with his display of ball handling.” During this glorious regular season Joey averaged 22.6 points per contest with many of his points coming from way downtown. Imagine if there had been a three point line. Of course, he was selected to several All Star squads.
With their 14-2 record FHS was selected for play in the newly organized District Tournament. After early round victory, FHS was stopped by a solid Worcester Classical squad led by George Riddick, but they could gain a spot in the Western Mass. tourney with a third place victory. Trailing early against Worcester Commerce, the Raiders rallied behind Joey’s scoring and tough play from the rest of the “Iron Five.” It was onto Springfield.
The old Springfield Field House rocked as the Raiders led by Joey “Spags’” sensation easily defeated Drury High and then upset Springfield Commerce led by the great Henry Payne. MacLean, Shattuck, Rissanen, Drury and Joey Spagnuola showed one and all that the Red and Gray were the real deal. Next came the finals against Pittsfield and Mark Belanger, and the Raiders just came up short. It had been a wonderful run.
Joey Spagnuola played some high school baseball and one memorable Thanksgiving contest, but basketball was his game. Following his high school years Joey began working for a small company called Digital, and would continue with Dek for 25 years. From his marriage, Joey had three daughters, Lisa Nash, Lynn Powell, and Lori Keohan who have given him five wonderful grandchildren. Joey “Spags” suffered a terrible stroke much too young in life, but he has still maintained his wonderful personality, and today we honor Joey Spagnuola as a member of the FHS Hall of Fame.
As the Great Depression ravaged America, and Franklin Delano Roosevelt instituted the New Deal of the 1930’s, Fitchburg High School was enjoying a period of athletic excellence which few, if any other school in the Commonwealth, would ever match. Young men with names like Savitt, Whelan, MacLean, Mackie, Fellows, Blake, Allen, Shattuck and Belliveau had put the “Red Rioters” on the interscholastic. Any roll of call of Fitchburg High’s greats must include Hall of Famer, Jimmy Leo – Class of 1936.
Under James Joseph Leo’s yearbook picture in The Boulder could be found a quote which so correctly identifies the big strong Italian kid raised in the Water Street area: Strength of body and of character. Thus was Jimmy Leo of Fitchburg High. Jimmy Leo was a big kid: yearbooks would picture a broad shoulder youngster with the great athletic physique. In an era in which the average football player or basketball player might weigh 165 pounds and stand five foot nine, Jimmy Leo weighed close to 195 pounds and stood well over six feet tall. And his athletic heart was greater than his physique.
In the fall of 1933 Coach Clarence N. Amiott fielded a gridiron squad which old timers will tell you was the greatest to ever perform on the sod of Crocker Field. This team led by the likes of Bill Mackie, Felix and Stanley Esielionis, “Dub” Mologhan, John Chalmers and Larry Shattuck swept through the opposite with a spotless 11-0. When the final gun was fired at Doyle Field on Thanksgiving morning of 1933, and the Red and Gray had defeated previously unbeaten LHS 20-12, Jerry Nason of the Boston Globe declared FHS the mythical state champions. Holding down the end position was a very young sophomore, and he had shown that he could play with the very best. His name was Jimmy Leo, and a fabulous high school career had begun.
As soon as the gridiron season ended in 1933, Jimmy Leo put on those basketball sneakers and joined the Raider’s basketball squad which was mentored by the great Amiott. With his size and surprising soft touch, Jimmy Leo immediately became a factor on the senior-laden squad which marched to the finals of the M.I.T. tournament which was the unofficial state championship in the 1930’s. Many Raider fans of that era would tell you that Jimmy Leo’s best sport could very well have been basketball. He was a three year starter leading the Raiders deep into the Tech Tourney every single season. In an era when most squads would barely score thirty points in a game, Jimmy averaged in double figures in his last two basketball campaigns.
But “Ossie” MacLean would tell you that Jimmy Leo’s very best sport was baseball. The FHS Hall of Famer said that Jimmy hit the baseball as hard as player of his era. In 1936 Coach Loring Stevenson which just dominated the opposition. Led by Jimmy Flynn, the Torcoletti brothers, Tito and Joe, Guy DiBenedetto and MacLean, the Red and Gray just smashed the opposition. Scoring double figures in nearly every contest, they were feared by pitchers throughout Central Mass. People said that Jim Leo hit balls in Crocker Field which reached an area in the park thought unreachable. His prowess with the stick captured the attention of one and all. When Jimmy went to Providence College, his favorite college professor, Father Quinn, asked him if he would be interested in working for the good father’s father. Father Quinn’s father, Bob, happened to own the Boston Braves. That’s how good the slugger from Fitchburg really was. But during the 1930’s football was the true king of Fitchburg, and Jimmy Leo was in the middle of the mix. In 1994 when asked to reminisce about his years of playing football for his alma mater, Jimmy recalled 1. Being a member of the undefeated team of 1933, 2. Being a member of the 1934 team that only lost to Leominster and Brockton, 3. Being a member of the 1935 team that went 10-1 only losing to Brockton. If you do your math, that means that Jimmy Leo’s squads were 28-3-1 in his varsity years.
But he does not tell you about his individual accomplishments. Whenever the big games were on the line against the likes of Brockton, Gardner or Leominster, Jimmy Leo was a favorite target of tailbacks like Bill Mackie and “Ossie” MacLean. But on the defensive side of the line Jimmy Leo made the bone-crunching tackles on opposing halfbacks or fullbacks.
When Jimmy Leo graduated from FHS in 1936, he was recruited by Providence College to continue his athletic career and to get a solid liberal arts education. Many in his old hometown wondered which sport Jimmy would concentrate upon while at Providence. There was no problem there. Jimmy Leo earned nine varsity letters while competing in football, basketball and baseball for the Friars. Remember the aforementioned Father Quinn and his admiration of Jimmy Leo’s baseball skills. At his graduation Jimmy was given the MAL Brown Athletic Award which was given for an individual who best epitomized honesty, integrity, and loyalty. His attitude certainly made a great impression upon the good fathers of P.C.
After receiving his B.A. from Providence, Jimmy accepted a teaching and coaching position at Sacred Heart Academy in Falls Church, Rhode Island. But soon his nation was calling upon Jimmy Leo as a member of the Greatest Generation. He would take his place in the military shortly after the attack upon Pearl Harbor, and would find himself training to be a combat engineer for the 43rd Division. In late 1943, he was shipped to the Asian Theatre in the Pacific where he would serve twenty two months. For his work in the Army Engineering Corps, Mr. Leo would receive five battle stars.
In October of 1945 Jimmy accepted a coaching and teaching position in Manassas, Virginia, and the next stage of his life began. He would remain in the classroom for nine years and then was appointed vice-principal at Osbourne High School. After twelve years Jimmy was appointed middle school principal and then was appointed the first Superintendent of Schools for the town of Manassas, Virginia. In 1981 after 40 years of education Jimmy Leo decided to retire from education, but his community wanted to honor their beloved educator. April 10, 1981 was officially named “James J. Leo Day” and five trees were planted at the five schools in the school district which pleased him greatly because he possessed a wonderful “green thumb”. Later the school community would further honor FHS’ native son by naming Osbourne’s athletic stadium “The James J. Leo Stadium.”
Today, Jimmy Leo resides in Manassas, Virginia as he approaches his ninetieth birthday. His beloved wife Mary Hope Smith Leo has passed on, but Jimmy has two daughters Robie (Leo) Arnold and Ann (Leo) Toothman and three grandchildren. We welcome one of Fitchburg High’s greatest to the Hall of Fame. The honor is ours.
Number fifty-two slowly jogged to the sidelines, exhausted but undaunted, on that cold and crisp Thanksgiving morning in 1956. Coach Ed Sullivan walked over to his gladiator, and gave him a solid pat on the shoulders as Dick Boutwell looked to the scoreboard. At that moment, loyal Red Raider fans in Sections Eight and Nine rose in unison to give their gridiron warrior a standing ovation. Dick Boutwell had given one of the grittiest and gutsiest performances that ever the Turkey Day Classic has ever seen. The scoreboard read Leominster 44 Fitchburg 13 as the final seconds wound down, but that was not indicative of FHS’ Thanksgiving effort.
When the Raider faithful entered Crocker Field so many seasons ago, it was said that they were four touchdown underdogs to the Blue Devils of LHS. But Dick Boutwell would have nothing to do with that prediction. Throughout the first half consistently broke through to Devil’s offensive line, and brought down with smashing tackles LHS’ duo of Palazzi and Robichaud. He was aided by sterling play from his fellow Ashburnhamit, Joe Fortin, who returned an intercepted pass thirty-two yards for a Red and Gray touchdown. When the gun sounded for half time, the astonished fans at Crocker Field noted the score FHS 13 LHS 13. The dream victory was not to be, as the Devils rolled in the second half, but Boutwell’s effort never waned. Following the contest Dick Boutwell received the Bernard W. St. Germain Memorial Trophy which was awarded by the media to FHS outstanding Thanksgiving performer.
The “Mayor of Ashburnham” as he was called in the Red and Gray in his junior year was never lucky enough to play football for a strong Fitchburg High team. Raider football in the mid-1950’s was not up to the caliber of gridiron squads of earlier or later decades. But that never stopped Boutwell from giving his very best on every single play. Against superior squads from that era Dick Boutwell was always sure to give as much as he took. He played some of his best games against Raider rivals like Gardner and St. Bernard’s. Coach Ed Sullivan always said that Dick Boutwell was the type of player who made everyone around him better. That certainly was proved on Crocker Field nearly fifty years ago when Boutwell the gladiator battled the arch-rival Blue Devils.
Football may well have been Dick Boutwell’s best sport and the sport which he most liked to play, but it was on the basketball court where he achieved the greatest team success. During Dick’s junior and senior years the Red Raiders were North Worcester County champions and his hustling style contributed greatly to the Red and Gray’s success. He was never the leading scorer for the Raiders. That task was given to players like Paul Kendra, Bob Musgrove, Dave King, Ron Boudreau or Ralph Anttonen, but Dick could put the ball through the hoop when it was needed. His greatest importance for the hoop squad was all the little things which do not show up in the scorebook, but win ball games.
Although he stood only six foot one inch tall, Dick Boutwell was a ferocious rebounder on both the offensive and defensive boards. When you watched the Raiders, Dick Boutwell would often out leap opponents, who were four or five inches taller than he, to get the ball for FHS. His favorite play was to get a defensive rebound and lead the fast break himself. Not many high school centers can accomplish that feat, but Dick Boutwell loved that type of play. It showed his toughness and determination along with athletic skill.
During Dick Boutwell’s senior season the Red and Gray were the classiest basketball squad in the North County. Following an early season loss to arch-rival Leominster in May A. Gallagher “swimming pool” Dick led a young Raider squad to a neat 13-1 regular season record with choice victories over Nashua, Notre Dame and Gardner which led to a post-season invitation to the old Western Mass. tournament held at Springfield College. Young Dave King became the Raider’s leading scorer, but Dick Boutwell scored in double figures frequently during the season. His clutch efforts against a strong Nashua squad and cross-town rival Notre Dame might have been his most important contribution.
But the victory over Leominster on George Washington’s Birthday might have been the most memorable. Leominster had humiliated the Raiders early and feelings were running high as the final game of the season approached. Leominster was very large and bulky under the board, and so they would have to be challenged. Dick Boutwell was up to the task. Bodies were flying all around the Brickyard on Academy Street when an altercation broke out at mid court. Dick Boutwell won that one also, and even got his picture in the New York Daily News. The Raiders were defeated in the first round in Springfield, but all in all Dick Boutwell’s gang had a great year. For his efforts on the gridiron and the basketball court in his senior year at FHS, Dick Boutwell was named to the North Worcester County Sportswriters Association’s first team all stars.
When the spring came around Dick could be found on the track competing for the Red and Gray. He was the captain of the squad in his senior year, and specialized in the field events. But the competitor in Dick Boutwell would raise to the fore. When Coach Joe Hannon asked Dick to run the 400 meter race against teammate Mike Conry and N.D. sensation, he was only glad to help. His efforts “helped” Conry defeat Gastonguay. He was always a great team player.
Following high school, Dick enlisted in the Coast Guard and served two years, and returned to Ashburnham to work in the family business, Boutwell’s Garage. Soon he would marry Paula Badstiibner – Class of 1959 – and they had three children, Marcy (Boutwell) Smith, Kimberly (Boutwell) Loomis and Rick Boutwell. Today Dick and Paula have eight wonderful grandchildren.
It has been nearly 50 years since Dick Boutwell graced the athletic fields of Fitchburg High, but his determination and spirit have not been forgotten. Now he is a new member of the FHS Hall of Fame. Congratulations, Dick.
The legendary Fitchburg High School track coach, Erkki Koutonen, said to his young assistant coach, Ed Gastonguay, that he had been blessed to coach many outstanding track competitors during years at FHS, and that Dennis LeBlanc was the very best he had encountered. Erkki said that LeBlanc was his best runner in 1961 from the hundred yard dash to the two mile. The old coach might have been exaggerating a bit, but Erkki was not a guy to make up stories. If you look at the old Fitchburg Sentinel photographs of Dennis LeBlanc, you see determination and pure physical strength as the Raider ace charges to the finish line.
In the spring of 1959, young Joe Hannon began to work with his veteran track squad which included the likes of Dick Berger, Roger Kielty and Bob Bennett, and he liked what he was observing. One individual was really beginning to show great promise, and that was sophomore, Dennis LeBlanc. The dynamo-like runner was showing great speed and endurance as Coach Hannon pushed his squad with new running techniques which were being preached by Australian and Eastern European coaches. The more Hannon pushed the young kid, the more the kid gave. When the campaign began LeBlanc electrified track fans with his brilliant times in the low 4:40’s. Today we might say, “What’s the big deal!” Don’t forget that Doyle Field, Stone Field and beloved Crocker Field were not exactly Olympic venues with their cinders from the 1920’s. Soon opponents began to hold Dennis LeBlanc in aware for his running skills. Late in the year a Leominster athlete, Brian McCarthy, sort of ambushed Dennis in the North County meet and captured the mile run. For his effort, LHS honored the miler with an award honoring the LHS’ single most outstanding achievement. That award tells you what people thought of Fitchburg’s prize sophomore. His coach felt highly of Dennis also. LeBlanc was named co-captain of the track team in his sophomore season.
In 1959 FHS initiated cross-country under the leadership of Erkki Koutonen, and Dennis LeBlanc had an immediate impact. Running on the wooded Burbank Hospital course, the Raiders were undefeated in their first season. The Raider squad was solid, but their junior star was sensational. His strength and speed were outstanding. Today’s cross-country fans who have been around for a while would love to have seen Dennis LeBlanc sprinting across the Golf Course in Gardner. That year, Dennis traveled to White Stadium in Franklin Park and placed fourth behind Art DuLong of Holy Cross fame in the Class B competition. A few weeks later Dennis finished 7th in the New England championship held in Maine. He could truly be called the initiator of cross-country excellence which distinguishes FHS today. His efforts lay the ground work for later excellence by Raiders named Cormier and Laakso.
In the fall of 1960, Dennis was able to lead the Red and Gray harriers to the top of the mountain. Running in the Class B race the Raiders easily outdistanced schools like Lexington, Lawrence, Central Catholic and Melrose to capture the state title. Dennis would finish sixth overall to be followed by teammates Bill Matesowicz, Dickie Caron, Tim Kandianis and Jimmy LeBlanc who all finished in the top thirty in the race. The Raiders had 75 points to second place Lexington’s 144. Folks, in cross-country running that is a romp. One interesting aspect of the race was that David Fournier of Worcester South was overall individual Class B champion. That must have bothered Dennis’ pride a little bit because later on he would top the state champ in a mile competition. The truly great one’s don’t like to be beaten ever!
Dennis LeBlanc’s final outdoor season as a track competitor was going to be one for the ages. As we look back four decades Dennis’ efforts continue to be a bit mind boggling. Remember that Dennis’ times were being recorded on an oddly shaped cinder track at Crocker Field. Running under the lights in a dual meet against cross-town rival Notre Dame Dennis LeBlanc ran a 1:59.8 half mile. This established a new field record which had been established by Mike Conry two years earlier. Look at that time, folks. That was a run for the ages. Just one week earlier Dennis had run a 2:01.1 against arch-rival Gardner. But Dennis LeBlanc’s most outstanding accomplishment was still yet to come.
Red Raider athletes who are over the age of fifty like to discuss the accomplishments on the gridiron, basketball court or baseball diamond, but they really like to talk about their times in the Senior-Junior Relay. From the early 1920’s to the mid 1970’s the Relay race was the second most important athletic event after the Turkey Day Classic. Members of the Class of 1965 will gladly talk about the day that 30 runners averaged under 2:17 to break 33’s record. They will talk about guys from 1948 like John Bennett and Ray Ablondi who raced around Crocker Field. But Dennis LeBlanc was the guy that established the standard.
He not only broke Jimmy Gallagher – Class of 1948’s record, he smashed it. The runners in the Senior-Junior Relay Race could not wear spiked running shoes. You had to compete in sneakers, so your time would probably be slower. When Dennis took the baton in the 29th spot, he was on a mission. The senior class had a huge lead over the juniors and so the race was a foregone conclusion. The eyes of the crowd in packed Crocker Field were on the five foot nine inch dynamo blazing around the track. As Dennis crossed the finish line for the first time, the true track fans looked at their stop watches in amazement. He was running well under one minute, and seemed to be gaining momentum. Dennis raced past the backstop of the baseball field and set sail for the flag pole. People were on their feet, for they knew they were watching history. Still the dynamo continued onward. Classmate Billy Corliss was waiting at the line awaiting the baton pass. Dennis LeBlanc sprinted down the race as the concrete stands exploded with applause. Following the victory Dennis rightfully would be carried off on the shoulders of his teammates. Next day the Sentinel proclaimed: Dennis LeBlanc Breaks Individual Mark, 200.4; Senior’s 1:12.40 Wins.
Dennis LeBlanc established so many stands that they are almost too long to list. His overall body of work was the stuff of champions. He participated in track at Kent State University with personal bests of 4:19 in the mile and 1:55.1 in the half before a back injury curtailed his running career.
Dennis received his Bachelor of Science degree from Fitchburg State College in Human Services and Masters in Education from FSC also. Between 1988 to 2003 Dennis was a counselor and Program Leader at West Boylston High retiring in 2003. He is married to Susan Brinkman LeBlanc and now resides in Westminster.
FHS has a legacy of historic track competitors, and Dennis LeBlanc is always found on the top of that list. Welcome to the FHS Hall of Fame, Dennis LeBlanc.
The six foot two inch quarterback stood tall in the pocket as enemy tacklers buzzed all around him. Suddenly number fourteen launched a bullet pass down field to a Raider wide receiver who gathered in the pass on the opponent’s twenty-five yard line. The Red and Gray were on the march toward the enemy end zone. During the 1975 and 1976 football campaigns for Fitchburg High, number fourteen was an extremely talented player named Dave Caputi.
Unfortunately during that period the Raiders were not having great success on the gridiron, but the quarterback was being noticed by college scouts for his outstanding arm, and overall athleticism. Soon Dave would catch the eye of the football staff at Middlebury College, and they convinced “Caputs” that Burlington, Vermont would be a great place to continue his football career. Because Dave Caputi was an excellent athlete, an excellent student, and a good school citizen, he was a perfect fit for Middlebury.
David Caputi would spend his autumn years between 1977 and 1980 firing that pigskin down the field for Middlebury College with a great deal of success. When his career was completed, Dave ranked very high on the school’s list for touchdown passes, completion percentage, and passing yardage. When he received his diploma, Dave was still very interested in continuing his involvement with football, so naturally he gravitated to coaching. Being with a coaching job at Tufts University, Dave gradually moved up the coaching ladder until he landed a coaching plum at Williams College. The Ephs were a Division III football powerhouse which was beginning to skyrocket under the leadership of Coach Dick Farley, and Dave established himself as an integral member of Farley’s staff. Dave started as a quarterback coach at Williams College, but soon he moved up to be offensive coordinator. During its long history of intercollegiate football, Williams College has had few decades as successful as the 1990’s. When the Ephs took on the likes of Amherst, Wesleyan, Tufts, or Trinity, they played an exciting brand of football which dazzled opponents. Dave’s contributions were soon noticed, and other schools became interested in expertise. In 2000 Dave took the head coaching job at Bowdoin College in Maine where he hoped to revive their program. He enters his sixth year as Bowdoin’s head football coach as the 2005 season begins.
Surprisingly football was not the sport at Fitchburg High in which David Caputi achieved his greatest success. During Dave’s three years at FHS, the Raiders under Coach Doug Grutchfield were becoming one of Central Massachusetts’ dominant hoop powers. With his size, strength and athletic ability, Dave Caputi fit extremely well into “Grutch’s” program. From his sophomore year on, Dave was a valuable member of the teams which went to District finals and state championship games. With players like Joe DiZuzio, Mike Petrides, Doug Romano, Ray Spagnoula, Tony Jones, Lauri Rahnasto, Dan Emma and Ricky Tienhaara, the Raiders were always in the fight for the top slot. And Dave Caputi fit the mold of a Grutchfield player during this terrific era.
Coach Grutchfield always held a soft spot in his heart for players who sacrificed personal glory for the good of the team. Dave Caputi was just such an athlete. In his final season for FHS in 1977, Dave was surrounded by some very large teammates who could really score from underneath. Teammates Lauri Rahnasto, Tony Jones and Rick Tienhaara were all natural forwards, so Dave Caputi was being squeezed out of his natural position. Doug Grutchfield went to his senior, and explained that he would use a single point guard, Dan Emma, to bring the ball up the court for FHS’ offense. He asked Dave if he would play the off-guard position for the sake of the squad. This position was quite unnatural for a kid of Dave Caputi’s size, but he told the coach he would give it his best. Some kids would sulk and complain, but Dave Caputi just did his job, getting loose rebounds, hitting the outside jump shot and playing tough defense. That is the kind of pieces which create a championship puzzle. The coach’s offensive scheme and Dave’s unselfish attitude seem to work out well for the Raiders as they captured the Division I Central Massachusetts District title. Following their victory at WPI, the Red and Gray played a memorable state semi-final game against Durfee High of Fall River, in which they were just nipped at the end. The Raiders finished that 1977 campaign with a nifty 22-3 record.
Dave Caputi had been extremely unselfish in his last year for team goals, but every season has games which bring back memories in later years. During this era, FHS had huge rivalries with teams like St. John’s, Doherty, Leominster and Holy Name, but the contests against Notre Dame High were probably the most memorable. The Crusaders from 1974 to 1976 had great squads which had captured two or three Division III state titles. But by 1977 they had begun to recruit players from outside the district, and the rivalry became white hot. It was arranged that FHS and N.D. would play a game at the Wallace Civic Center on a court which was better suited for tennis than basketball. That did not matter to the fans as nearly 3000 packed every corner of the Civic Center. It was a tremendous contest as the two titans battled tooth and nail on the court. The ball game went into overtime, and as the clock ran down, Dave Caputi, the silent star, hit a key jump shot to bring victory to the Red Raiders.
When the spring months came around, Dave Caputi could be found at Crocker Field working out with the track and field team. With that strong right arm which could unleash that fifty yard pass down the football field, Dave was a natural for the javelin. He would become one of the Raider’s most proficient competitors with tosses well over one hundred fifty feet. He was the type of kid who participated athletically the whole year round. It was the natural thing for a kid to do in 1977.
Today the autumn months are filled with activity as Dave guides the Bowdoin College football team as it attempts to defeat his old college, Middlebury, Williams where he coached for so many years, and his two interstate rivals, Colby and Bates. He married his wife Beth, when they were involved with athletics at Williams College and they have four children, Mac – 13, Maggie – 12, Lydia – 10, Claire – 8, who are growing by leaps and bounds every day. Today Dave calls , Maine, home, but he will always have great feelings for Fitchburg High School, and now he joins its illustrious Hall of Fame. Congratulations David Caputi – Class of 1977.
It was Memorial Day and Crocker Field was almost completely deserted. From across River Street viewer could see two lonely figures circling the track at the ancient facility. One was FHS runner, Jamie Cascio, who was working out with his buddy Craig Cormier, who seemed to be a picture of extreme concentration. Just a few days earlier Craig had put in poor effort, according to his standards against track rival, St. John’s which he felt had cost his Raiders the Class A District title. According to the athletic ethic of Craig Cormier, this was simply not acceptable. Craig Cormier’s sport’s career was marked by grit, determination and versatility. He would always try to outwork his opponent to bring about triumph. Those guys from St. John’s might be sitting around the family background enjoying a nice Memorial Day barbecue, but Craig Cormier was plotting for the next encounter.
St. John’s always is the favorite, so Chris Woods and his captain knew that the ultimate effort would be necessary for that District E championship. And as they say in “Casey at Bat”, things did not look good in Mudville. The Red and Gray were trailing by 13 points to the Pioneers as the day’s two final events were to be contested. Fitchburg needed a superior effort from their two-milers and they would get it. That Memorial Day practice reaped great rewards for the old Red and Gray. Making sure that no little foul-ups which occur, as the gun sounded Craig Cormier leaped to the front in the two mile and was never headed. His buddy, Jamie Cascio, ran a solid race to capture 4th place with its valuable points. Now the Raiders were in the driver’s seat and it was up to his teammates, Jason Desmarais, Darren Bennett, Brandon Auger and Evol Stewart to come out on top in the 4×400 and they did just that. Final Score: Fitchburg 68 St. John’s 65.
Craig Cormier won tons of races running for the Red and Gray during his FHS career. Long time track fans favorably compare his record and his ability with that of people like Dennis LeBlanc, Norman “Red” Goguen, Peter Bergeron and Ray Ablondi which is pretty good company. But it was toughness which always impressed his coaches Ed Gastonguay and Chris Woods. Like a good boxing champion, Craig Cormier could always take a good body punch, and get off the floor. He would not stay down. That’s the way he played basketball for Coach Grutchfield. His fighting spirit would win Craig the defensive player award in his senior year. That attitude was brought to the cross-country course and indoor and outdoor tracks during Craig’s running career.
In Craig’s junior cross country season he had simply been the best runner in Central Massachusetts, and he had raced rather easily through the competition in the early weeks of his senior season. But early in November Craig had picked up a virus which gradually took away his energy. So when the Raider faithful gathered on the hills of Gardner on Veteran’s Day in 1989, they expected their ace to run away from the competition. As the runners appeared at the head of the long stretch Craig Cormier could be seen near the head of the pack, but all did not look well. His usual vim and vigor seemed to be lacking, and soon all could see that Craig was in serious trouble. Through guts and determination Craig struggled to the finish line in fourth place. For most competitors this would have been acceptable, but that was not Craig Cormier’s style. He was crestfallen, but still the flu persisted.
One week later on that Gardner course, Craig returned. The flu was still raging in his system. He had not practiced all week long. During the days leading to the meet he had gone down to the gymnasium to shoot hoops. Nobody, including Craig himself, did not know what was in store. Coach Ed Gastonguay spoke to his star and cautioned about the early pace which would be established by the Eastern Mass. runners. Ed told Craig that they would pay the price, and then he could make his move. But the question of the virus still hung in the air. The starting pistol sounded, and the runners were off. Craig settled into the end of the lead pack still a little unsure about his conditioning. Off they went into the hills, and a few minutes later they would return. As they reached the home stretch which is about 500 yards long, Craig Cormier stood around 10th and Coach Gastonguay thought that he had made a gallant effort, and a top ten finish would be fine.
But Craig Cormier possessed a fire within which separates the good from the great. This would most likely be his last race wearing the Red and Gray colors which he had done for four years, and his effort had to be all out. The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner came forth. All those hours of hard work came to the forefront. Craig’s step picked up and the runners began to come back to the guy in the red jersey. Craig was moving forward and the Cormier family screamed with delight, and Ed Gastonguay roared for his star. As the finish line approached, Craig roared toward the front then burst across the line 4th best in the state of Massachusetts. Many wondered what would have happened if Craig had not been ill, or what if the course was four hundred yards longer? That will never be known but Craig Cormier had shown that he has the athletic heart of a lion.
Another comeback from adversity occurred during Craig’s sophomore year when he was a member of a terrific Raider cross-country squad which went into the Districts undefeated. They had conquered all including those dastardly Pioneers from St. John’s, but then Mother Nature was cruel to the Raiders. An early November snow storm covered Gardner’s Golf Course, so the championship would be held on the roads. Craig, Tim and Mike Trainor, Ashraf Awad, David Gagne and Dave Beaulac were powerful on the hills, not the roads. As so the District championship eluded the 1987 Raider’s and Coach Gastonguay. Did they feel bad for themselves? No, they did not. In 32 degree temperatures at Northfield Craig led the Raiders to 4th place finish in the States while St. John’s finished 11th. Oh, what could have been!
Craig Cormier can fill a scrapbook with stories of his victories in District championship competitions and show you medals and trophies. Following his graduation from FHS in 1990 Craig went to UMass on an athletic scholarship. He would become a captain of both the outdoor track and cross-country teams earning All Atlantic – 10 honors for both sports. He also showed his versatility by becoming the Eastern Conference Steeplechase champion.
Today he works for Fidelity Investments as a conversion analyst and is married to the former Jennifer Libby and the Cormier’s reside in Fitchburg. Craig was a true Red Raider who is now welcomed to the FHS Hall of Fame.
Back in the 1930’s John Tunis and Clair Bee used to write sports novels, which were read endlessly by young teenage boys with great enthusiasm. Every kid wanted to be like Chip Hilton who threw the winning touchdown pass, hit the key jump shot in the championship game, or smacked the home run in the bottom of the ninth. Chip Hilton also got good grades in school, and was usually elected class president. We won’t mention that he usually dated the prettiest girl in the school. Of course, it was only fiction. But sometimes kids can come close to the ideal that was Chip Hilton. One such student who might easily have fit that category was Chris Petrides from the FHS Class of 1969.
In the fall of 1966 a young sophomore quarterback named Chris Petrides stood over the center barking out offensive signals. Chris and his fellow classmates like Tom DiGeronimo, “Yogi” DiPasquale, Gary Arsenault and Clyde Hutchins had come to the varsity with high expectations. FHS in 1965 had suffered through an extremely difficult varsity football campaign. Meanwhile the freshman squad had swept all before it, and so Raider faithful were hoping for the best. Chris Petrides, who had guided those undefeated frosh, was a known quantity to many Fitchburg area sport’s fans. He had been very successful at Pop Warner, and so they felt he would step right into the slot and success would follow. Teaming with Tom DiGeronimo, Chris immediately made opponents aware that the Raiders could put the ball in the air in 1966. But the Raiders were playing the likes of Nashua and the 1960’s Wildcats of Gardner, and so the steps sometimes could be small in that initial campaign. The Raiders played an outstanding Thanksgiving game against the Blue Devils losing 14-12, and hope springs eternal. Chris had acquitted himself very well, and the coaches and fans looked forward to next season.
Chris Petrides was too busy putting on his sneakers to worry about next year’s football season. During his sophomore year Chris split time between Squad B and the varsity. He was the ace point guard on the Junior Varsity getting ready to move forward. His time would come soon. Next would come the baseball season, and Chris had the pleasure of playing with his brother, Dennis, who was the captain of the Raider squad. The sophomore year was completed and Chris Petrides had received three varsity letters. Not a bad beginning to a Hall of Fame career. The Red and Gray began their 1967 season with Chris Petrides in command of the offense, and he soon showed that he was becoming one of the area’s better QB’s. The Petrides-DiGeronimo combo was becoming dynamic. Chris’ accurate arm opened up enemy defenses, and the Raiders would score choice victories over Gardner and Nashua as they marched to a victorious 7-2 season. But, to Chris and many of his teammates, the season was a disappointment when they were stopped by the Blue Devils 14-0 on Thanksgiving morning. As the Class of 1969 walked out of Doyle Field, they silently pledged to themselves that next year would be different.
The 1968 basketball season brought a dramatic change in the athletic career of Chris Petrides of FHS. Ted Paulauskas of Assumption College had been selected to be the Raider’s new varsity basketball coach, and he immediately installed Chris as his point guard to lead the Red and Gray offense. It was a match made in heaven as Chris prospered in Teddy P’s up tempo offense. The Red and Gray played an exciting brand of ball which featured Chris’ sharp-shooting from the perimeter and his crisp passes to Tom DiGeronimo and “Mo” Lagasse under the hoop. The Raiders had a solid 13-5 record in the regular season which was highlighted by a great victory over the powerful Bernardians led by Jimmy and Danny Small at packed FHS. Chris was rewarded for his efforts, which helped send the Red and Gray into post-season play, with his selection to the North Worcester County All Star Team.
As the summer months came to a close in 1968, there was excitement in the air concerning Red Raider football. Coach Marco Landon was returning a veteran squad with lots of experience and star power. In his offensive line, Marco could call upon outstanding players like Leo LaRoche, Gary Arsenault and Tommy D. with help from sophomores Roger LaRoche and Mike Thibeault. And Chris Petrides triggered an offense with Richie Boudreau and “Yogi” DiPasquale and his pass catching threat and buddy, DiGeronimo. The Raiders were very good and soon opponents began to fall. When the smoke would clear in late November the Red and Gray’s record stood at 7-1. If you look quickly, the record does not look quite that impressive. But there were extenuating circumstances. First, there was the cancellation of a contest because of snow early in November, and then there was that officiating in Holman Stadium up in Nashua. With hundreds of fans from FHS screaming in the stands, the men in the striped uniforms took away the contest. Chris Petrides, tossing to Tommy, was brilliant, but it’s tough to top bad officials. The personal highlight of Chris’ senior campaign might well have been the victory over Athol when he and Tom personally dismantled the Tool Towner’s with pin point passing leading to a 42-14 Raider victory. Chris was injured before the Thanksgiving contest, but cheered loudly as his Class of 1969 gave the Raiders a cherished victory over the Devils. For his efforts Chris was named to the North County All Star squad.
Once again Chris was a key player as the Raiders completed a successful senior basketball season and a slot in the District tournament. The Raiders fought with determination against the very best on their schedule like defending state champion Lexington, but a lack of size always hurt. The shooting ability of Chris Petrides and his teammates was never in question, but size was. He was an All Star for a second year in a row.
Now it was time to think about college. Chris Petrides was a natural for Amherst College. He was an excellent athlete who had been an All Star in two sports, a Gold F student and class treasurer in his last two years at FHS. So Chris Petrides went off to Amherst where he concentrated on basketball. Under Coaches Rick Wilson and Tracy Mehr, Chris was the starting point guard in his last two seasons. He led the team in assists and foul shooting percentage, and was elected captain in his senior season. He later played professional basketball in England retiring in 1981. Following a coaching career at Westfield State and Easthampton High, Chris began his own house painting company. He is married to the former Sally Rubenstone and they have an eight year old son, Jack. Chris loves coaching his youngster and watching him compete in youth leagues. Chris Petrides now becomes a member of the FHS Hall of Fame; congratulations Chris.
In the fall of 1945 America was living in the afterglow of victory in World War, and her young men had returned home to begin their lives anew. The G.I. Bill was sending millions of young men and women off to college and its wonderful opportunities. With a devastated Europe, American industry was able to flex its muscles. New England’s industrial communities continued to thrive, and so towns like Fitchburg, Leominster and Gardner were bursting with energy. Historians have called the period between 1945 and 1950 the Good Years. And in the city along the river, that boundless energy was transferred to the athletes of FHS. The athletic teams for the Red and Gray were loaded with excellent players who brought glory to their school. One such athlete was a scrappy Irish kid from the Teacher’s College area named Arthur Paul Shea Jr. But to friend and foe alike, Mr. Shea was always “Bucker”.
When “Bucker” Shea is discussed by his contemporaries, one aspect of his play is always discussed. “Bucker” was a tough guy whether he was throwing a block on a defensive end, clearing a rebound on the defensive backboard to initiate a fast break down the basketball court or digging in at home plate. The Boulder of the Class of 1948 may have said it best with the words, “A mixture of red hair, pep and many moods.” Classmate and fellow Hall of Famer Bob Duncan told a great story which symbolized the fire which burned in the belly of “Bucker” Shea. When the Raiders went on the road during the winter months to compete against the likes of Leominster, Athol, or Nashua, opposing public address announcers when naming the Raider starting five would never introduce “Bucker” by his nickname. And so Arthur Paul Shea Jr. would refuse to run to center court for the introduction. He would wait for the opening tip-off, and then explode into action. Finesse might be the name of the game for the likes of Bob Duncan, Johnny Gates or “Corky” Ervin, “Bucker” Shea’s job was to grind under the boards, and get that rebound. His efforts helped the Red and Gray reach the western Massachusetts championship tournament in both 1947 and 1948.
But really baseball and basketball were two sports which “Bucker” competed in when FHS wasn’t competing in football. Number eighty-nine was born to play on Crocker Field during the autumn months. He was a varsity starter for the Red and Gray for three years. Coach Marty McDonough and Coach Eddie Sullivan loved the banty rooster attitude of “Bucker” Shea. Teammates today will tell you that “Bucker” would have played varsity his freshman year if he hadn’t been a student at Teacher’s College Junior High School. T.C. kids were ineligible to compete at FHS. During the post-war years, FHS played a very challenging schedule against teams like Brookline, Woburn, Watertown plus traditional rivals Gardner, Leominster, and St. Bernard’s. The competition in the trenches could get very intense, but “Bucker” loved every minute of it.
In “Bucker’s” junior campaign this is how the Fitchburg Sentinel discussed his effort in a 19-7 loss against powerful Eastern Mass. powerhouse, Brookline: This standout tackle is truly the man for the opposition to “get” in the Fitchburg forward wall. A never-say-die redhead with a heart of a lion, Shea is probably the most aggressive lineman for this year. He also took more than his share of punishment from a big Brookline eleven, but was in there at the finish, setting up the only FHS score.
In that same junior year Coach Marty McDonough named “Bucker” Shea his acting captain. Following the 13-6 victory Coach McDonough said “Bucker” earned this nod for his outstanding ability as a field leader who led his teammates to an inspired victory. His defensive play was spectacular who always performed like a seasoned veteran.
During his senior season against an extremely strong Marlboro High squad which was riding high in 1941, “Bucker” made two spectacu