Oh Boy, After 52 years get a chance to brag because I am given permission to! lol! Let's see, hit 750 my last year in LL. 2nd Place in old MSG in Freshmen NYC Catholic HS. 880 relay championships. Got 2nd because I stepped off the inside lane of the steep banked curve of the 11 lap to the mile track the Garden had and lost my stride, my teammates none too happy, Christ the King HS of Queens took 1st. 3rd place Senior year Indoor Catholic HS 60 Yd. Hurdles.
Before playing for UCONN, in HS Football, Senior year, 1st of 2 games where I scored 4 TDs.(God, hate to use "I", "I" so much but "I" have permission correct? still laughing....)
OK, here goes.... H.S. Co-Captain. Wingback & Safety/Corner. K & PRT. Against La Salle Military Academy on L.I. Opening 85 yard Kickoff Return for TD, 2 Pt.conversion run, They Punt, 75 yard return for TD, 2 Pt. conversion run, later 2nd of only 2 passes thrown to me, one a 75 yarder beautifully thrown ball(QB played at Brown) directly over my head in full stride, 2Pt. Pass Reception conversion, later a 3 yard "gimme" TD run, 2 Pt. run conversion. 32 Pts. total.
Against Blessed Sacrament of New Rochelle, 2 weeks later, 3 pass receptions, 3 TD's 65, 45 and 20 YDS. and 1 20 Yd. Run. 24 Pts. Next week against our rivals, St. Anthony's of Smithtown, L.I., they had a Banner strung across the goal posts we entered under: "$100 Reward for ....(aforementioned QB), and "$200(a lot of dough in '69) Reward for ....(me)", (Don't think that would be allowed today....) Well, they got me. 1st Pass reception early in 1st period hit me High and Low, woke up to hazily seeing a silhouette of a DB & LB dancing around against the sun yelling "We Got Him!, We Got Him!' Ambulance took me to hospital, Nasty Concussion and stretched knee ligaments. One of the dads got me to go see Dr. James Nicholas, who was Joe Willie Namath's specialist at the time, and NY Jets head Doc I believe, got me this heavy knee brace, said "Do these exercises...." Laid on the top bunk all week and did what I was told. Didn't practice all week. (No such thing then of "Concussion Protocols") Following Saturday, against St. Mary's of Greenwich, Ct. for League Championship was taken off D, only played O, 2 pass receptions, a 65 Yd. TD, and an 8 Yd. TD. Undefeated 8-0. That night my parents threw a "Everyone come back to our house for a party", a room my carpenter father had just barely finished, (concrete floor, no carpet yet, so was perfect) We lived a 100 Yds. from the Bay on L.I. so all the kids went down to the water while the parents partied at the house. Drank Saki that night, hung over just a wee bit as we stepped on the early morning bus that was taking the senior class to D.C. for the Senior Trip...and where I said hello to Gary Beban, the UCLA QB, who we met at the FBI Building who was also taking the tour and had been drafted by the Redskins I believe. And got to meet Joe Wille at Shea during pre game warm ups as one of The Daily News All Star kids a week or two after that (lost to the Raiders I believe, but sat on the sidelines-very cool, HOFer Fred Blintinkoff almost fell into my lap)
But Here is the Best Part of that whole HS Glory Days thing... It was 1969 and Vietnam was raging and we all knew somebody personally, or knew someone who knew someone personally who didn't come back.
So..., My parent's first born, of 5, My older brother Ray, was a US Army Sentry Dog MP who walked the perimeter of the firebase camp at Ban Me Thout about 30 clicks from the Cambodian Border, with his German Shepard "King John". Ray had survived his 12 months "in country" and was awaiting his flight out of Cam Rahn Bay back to the states figuring there was no way he would ever see his younger brother play HS football that year. But got to Honolulu, then Seattle where he "hitched" a transport ride just leaving for the East Coast. Got to Newark, to The City, LIRR out to little Bayport, L. I. (When it still stopped there).
After my mother's steak and eggs cooked pre-game breakfast, I left early for my usual weekend early morning job of kitchen cleaning at the local yacht club, (hey, I got a $20 bill.) Then on to the St. Mary's of Greenwich game. Unbeknownst to me, Ray had just made it to our home, just before everyone left for the game, my 2 sisters made a "Welcome Home Sign". He was there in his uniform in the stands. That day, my Glory Days game was just a background, fun and joyous though it was, it was the day my parents first born, came back from Vietnam-alive and well. Now That, That was a Good Day.
Let's wrap this up, '72-"Yale Week"-1st game of year, fighting for starting wide out opposite Greg Andrews, one of our co-captains, Ray Tellier of Notre Dame(West Haven?) is QB, running 7 on 7 passing drills, quick slant underneath the inside backers, Ray fires me perfect pass on the run catch it clean with both hands, full speed in stride, just as I turn with both hands on ball an inside backer, He who shall Not be named, hits me hard up high, my hands pinned against against my pads, my feet go flying out from under me, my head smashes to ground first, I'm out cold, but was it the head hitting the ground or that my left thumb caught underneath my pads, and snapped completely off(like Paul Newman in "The Hustler"). Kinda woke up in more pain than I ever felt, I tried to turn I guess to look at my hand, but good 'ol Tom Pike who was the Head Trainer then, turned my head away and said "Don't Look", my thumb was hanging down by my elbow. My season was shot and... He who shall Not be named never came to visit me in the hospital. (Not that I hold a grudge to this day or anything.)
So one more brag came out of this...didn't train or run much for 2 months, they fused my thumb back together. End of the season, late November, on the practice field under the lights near where the track is now about, I think. Played Dartmouth "Sub-varsity" is what they called it then. No more Frosh teams.1st year Freshman could play varsity. Dartmouth was on a 3 Consecutive Year IVY Championship roll then, so had some good guys playing on the "Sub-Varsity" along with the Frosh.
Under the lights, very little practice or even running, caught 14 passes with 2 TDs. (1 may have been called back but I'm counting it!) My Glory(One) Day at UCONN.
End of Brag, In '72 we ran a Pro-Split Back, pretty much "traditional" offense, 1973 new coach from BU comes in, runs the "Delaware" wing T" Run, Run , Run. And with our starting QB transfer from BC hurt in the 1st game of the year vs. Lehigh, and having 2 talented but raw true Freshman QBs and the New England College Player of the Year in our backfield we run.
No complaints, one the greatest UCONN teams ever 8-2-1. Played along side great guy who ran for over 1200 yds. I believe, now on Board of Directors with Green Bay. In 1974, 4 and 6, same "O" but no New England Player of the Year, guys quit, injuries. Very last game up in Worcester against Holy Cross, '74, caught a 2Pt. conversion against Little All-American John Provost, conversion out of the "Delaware Wing T". My scoring total at Uconn? 2 Pts.
Oh, yeah, my older brother was there.
And That's a Fact Jack!
