Norwich Sports Hall Of Fame Honoree: The 1965 Norwich Football Team
Published: August 16th, 2024

The 1965 Norwich Football Team. Back Row: Jim Maiurano, Walt Prindle, Roger Gray, Dave Blaisdell, Charlie George, Ron Calicchio, Leonard “Bill” Smith, John Kroeger, Tom Brereton, Mike Cummings, John McNitt, Scott Ripley, Bob Jones, Jim Downey (captain). Front Row: Paul Herman, Ron Mossman, Cliff Stone, Jerry Parker, Tom Maxian, Bob Park, Dick “Bonzi” Lorimer, Kevin Burr, Mike Robertson, Harold Burton, Rick Melloy, Jim Rotunno. Missing: Jim Slater, Mike Vorhies. Coaches: Joe Grzibowski (head), Bob Peffley, Gary Sprout. (Submitted Photo)

The Norwich High School Sports Hall of Fame is happy to announce its 2024 class, which includes athletes Dr. Meyer “Sol” Bloom, Doug Grzibowski, Dave Lewis, Richard “Dick” Mattice & Bryn Loomis, Rifle Team Coach Jim Sergio & the 1965 Football Team. An in-depth biography of all inductees will run Fridays in The Evening Sun.

This year’s event will be held at the Canasawacta Country Club on October 5, where a buffet dinner, will commence at 5:30 p.m., followed by the induction ceremonies at approximately 6:30 p.m. Tickets to attend are $35 and can be purchased at the front desk of the Norwich YMCA or the Norwich High School by phoning 607-334-1600, Ext 1439. Those wishing to attend just the ceremony may do so free of charge.

1965: A Magical Season

By Tom Rowe

Optimism about the forthcoming 1965 Norwich High School football season did not exist within the hearts and minds of Norwich residents either old or young as summer slowly ebbed into fall. That positive feeling is hard to come by when you have been down and out for so long.

Although the City of Norwich was enjoying an economic and social boon during the summer of 1965, optimism was not found on the lips of many Tornado football fans as the new season loomed in the distance.

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Businesses such as Bennett-Ireland, Berglas Mfg. Co., Norwich Mills, Inc., Norwich Pharmacal Company, Norwich Shoe and Victory Markets – all locally founded and now gone – were experiencing exceptional growth. Local storefronts manned and owned by neighbors dotted North and South Broad Streets under marquees named Conroy’s and Hubbard’s Drugs, Hirsch’s and Winans Men’s Shops, Sullivan’s and Urlwin’s Shoes, The Carol Ann and Vogue for the finest in women’s wear, Frair’s for gifts and greeting cards for all occasions, Ackley Supply and Rappaport’s for athletic and hunting sportsmen of all ages, and large department stores such as Fishman’s, Grant’s, Montgomery Ward and Woolworth’s were teaming with customers.

If all that shopping created hunger pangs, then two iconic restaurants, the Taranto family-owned Blue Bird on North Broad and the Carvelas family-owned Imperial Tea Room on South Broad, offered a quick pick-me-up, and no need to travel outside the city to refuel your car because small garages like Child’s and Stevens’ Service Stations seemed to be on every corner in the city.

And the Chenango County Fair had just closed after showcasing the talents of top recording artists Chubby Checker and Bobby Rydell.

Such was life for Norwich adults and their Madras-clad sons and daughters as they awaited another school year on the site of the old O&W Railroad yards. The new school had just opened its doors a year earlier, but the change in academic venue did not alter the gridiron misery that had existed since the mid-1950s.

Since 1955, Norwich had posted only one winning season, that being a 4-2-2 mark in 1963, and had been outscored 1,184-670. During that dismal stretch, the Purple were shut out 21 times, and scored seven points or less on 44 occasions. And the Tornado’s success versus arch-rival Oneonta was even worse. Prior to the 1965 season, Norwich last defeated the Yellowjackets 7-0 in 1956; losing nine straight and was outscored 182-22 with only eight points to show between 1958-64.

Optimism, thus, was not a word associated with Norwich High School varsity football that halcyon fall of 49 years ago. And with only seven returning lettermen – four of them being linemen – from a 1-7 squad in 1964, a rosy outlook was not seen through many glasses.

“Before the start of the season, some prognosticators opined that we would be lucky to beat the league’s perennial doormat, Little Falls,” noted NHS grid captain Jim Downey. “As a team, though, we never thought about how good or bad we would be. We just played the games one at a time.”

As August slowly tracked toward September and the horde of gridiron hopefuls readied for the tough two-a-day practices at Veterans Park – at least the annual two-week, Paris Island-like football camp at the H-Bar D Ranch near Chenango Lake had ended two years before – a new vocal group out of New York City known as The Lovin’ Spoonful could be heard warbling what they called “good-time” music and that initial hit – “Do You Believe In Magic” – by Steve Boone, Joe Butler, John Sebastian and Zal Yanovsky proved to be prophetic for what was to transpire over the next 10 weeks.

There were no black hats, false trap doors or hocus pocus of any kind, just a firm belief among the 50 teenage varsity and junior varsity gridders and their three coaches – Joe Grzibowski, Bob Peffley and Gary Sprout – that they could stem the tide of losing. And that they did by not only carving a 6-1 record and outscoring their foes 224-42, but by turning the populace of Norwich aghast with glee as triumph after triumph overtook the city like a glorious plague.

These boys – victory by victory – began to put Norwich on the map. Everyone in town believed that now, and it pulled them together and made them feel better about themselves.

“We had a good mix of seniors, juniors and sophomores,” pointed out Downey when asked about the influx of new blood. “There were no egos, no jealousies, no show-boaters. Nobody cared who scored touchdowns as long as someone scored. No one cared who made the tackles as long as someone made them. We were team oriented and focused.”

For that reason, the 1965 Norwich High School football team is one of the newest inductees of the 12th edition of the Norwich High School Sports Hall of Fame.

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GRIDIRON PRIDE REGAINED ONE GAME AT A TIME

Chenango Valley (26-6) – September 18 (Away): Three days prior to the autumn equinox, Southern Tier stifling temperatures were more suited for a mid-July barbecue rather than a season-opening football encounter. And it was the hometown Warriors who wilted quickly and often as Norwich ended their 19-game winning streak in convincing fashion.

“They’re not established yet. They are pretty green, and I think for that reason they may have more desire,” explained head coach Joe Grzibowski following his team’s impressive victory.

But all did not start well for the Purple. After winning the pre-game coin toss, Norwich was forced to punt following its first offensive series. That initial boot was blocked, and CV moved ever onward to within two yards of the end zone. The Tornado defense, however, forced a fumble there, and quarterback John McNitt engineered a 98-yard drive for the day’s first score. Jim Maiurano rang up most of that yardage with a 53-yard romp, and Cliff Stone and Tom Brereton later swapped carries to the 3-yard line from where Maiurano did the final damage for a 6-0 first-quarter lead.

McNitt snuck in from the 2 and Maiurano added the PAT in the second quarter to up the halftime edge to 13-0 in favor of the Purple. Runs of 16 and 13 yards by Mike Robertson and Maiurano, respectively, were followed by a 3-yard plunge by Stone as the ante reached 19-0 at the conclusion of three periods. Two minutes later, McNitt intercepted CV signal caller Dale Leighton’s attempted aerial and weaved his way through the Warrior defense en route to a 60-yard touchdown. Charlie George booted the extra point to conclude the NHS arithmetic.

As was reported by Evening Sun sports contributor Steve Gladwin in the Sept. 20 edition of the paper, “With the game in the bag, Coach Grzibowski utilized the rest of the time to prepare for what is already shaping up to be a surprising season.”

Maiurano led the impressive Norwich ground game, that out gained its hosts 259-98, with 117 yards on 11 totes, while Stone bulled his way to another 54 on 11 more carries.

Optimism or something like it was felt for the first time since Ike’s first term.

“CV was a great start. We won. Great,” remembered Downey. “Time to get ready for the next game.”

Mohawk (48-0) – October 2 (Home): When you recover three of your opponent’s fumbles and block another punt to set up four of your seven touchdowns, you know you are going to have a great home opener, despite scattered showers and temperatures in the low 50s that descended upon that inaugural afternoon at Alumni Field in 1965.

That trio of loose Mohawk balls was recovered by Bill Smith, Rick Melloy and Ron Calicchio, while Stone blocked a would-be Mohican punt during the opening quarter. Maiurano scored after two of those fumbles on a pair of 22-yard jaunts in the first and second quarters, Brereton followed suit on a short first-period dive after the blocked punt, and Stone rang up six more points two plays after Melloy’s find.

Harold Burton did not recover any fumbles, nor did he block a punt, but he sure made the Mohawk faithful hang their heads even lower with a pair of scintillating long runs of 83 and 69 yards in the first and fourth quarters, respectively. Norwich, which substituted early and often, closed out the onslaught when reserve quarterback Dave Blaisdell teamed up with Mike Cummings on an 11-yard scoring strike.

Burton paced the Purple runners with 152 yards and a pair of touchdowns on just those two aforementioned carries, while Maiurano added two more scores as Norwich out rushed the Mohicans 257-73. McNitt figured in on five of the Tornado’s six extra points.

It started with a groundswell, but now the murmurings were evident throughout the city – maybe this team wasn’t all cloaks and daggers but a reality that everyone could latch on to.

Herkimer (58-6) – October 9 (Home): The Magicians were riding a two-game winning streak after opening their season with back-to-back triumphs over Little Falls and Mohawk. But Grzibowski, despite his team’s impressive start, was still worried coming into the third game.

“If we can contain Herkimer’s quarterback, Len Mitchell, we’ll be all right. Mitchell is one of the best passers in the league and is a good runner as well,” said the NHS coach.

Grzibowski’s concerns about Mitchell were quickly calmed when on the game’s third play Burton leaped up to knock away his pass attempt. The ball went unerringly to Stone at the Herkimer 36, and on the next play – Norwich’s first from scrimmage – Maiurano went the distance. McNitt showed some fine passing in the next Tornado drive, moving the ball on a 74-yard, eight-play drive featured by passes, one of which went to captain Downey for 42 yards. Brereton climaxed this push by scoring from the five to give the Purple an early 12-0 lead after the opening quarter.

McNitt connected on two touchdown passes during the second period in which the game was iced. After Maiurano scored on a run from the 8 to open the quarter, McNitt found Burton on a 44-yard strike. Late in that same stanza, Downey fell on a Herkimer fumble on the 49, and McNitt teamed with Stone to cap the fifth Norwich TD of the first half.

Downey accounted for Norwich’s only third-quarter arithmetic when he tackled Fred Testa in the end zone for a safety. During the fourth quarter devastation, the Tornado blew to touchdowns almost at will. Robertson sandwiched runs of 22 and 15 yards around a 90-yard interception by Burton and Jim Rotunno completed the rout after hauling in a 22-yard aerial from Brereton.

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Norwich picked off three Mitchell passes and recovered a Magician fumble. The Tornado held a 276-40 rushing edge and out dueled their guests 206-112 via the airways.

“Improved offensive blocking really helped us today,” said Grzibowski. “Team effort, however, is what is winning us games.”

Believers now were everywhere in the city. Just a few days shy of Columbus Day, the populace of Norwich had discovered a new sense of pride that only success can bring.

Even The Evening Sun got on the bandwagon when the Oct. 11 edition of the paper sported a headline – Tornado Battle Cry: Bring On Oneonta. The article began, “The stage is set. Arch-rivals Norwich and Oneonta are alone on top of the Iroquois League grid standings. Oneonta is usually there, but for the Purple Tornadoes of Norwich High, Saturday’s outstanding mangling, 58-6 of previously unbeaten Herkimer signaled the emergence of the best football team Norwich has seen in more than a decade.

“While many possible roadblocks stand in the Tornadoes’ path before the November contest, the Herkimer game Saturday proved that Coach Joe Grzibowski’s squad deserves the respect of all the long-overdue Norwich fans who have been patiently waiting for a return to the old Purple grid tradition which dominated area football in the early 1950s.”

Little Falls (39-0) – October 16 (Away): Norwich’s defense, which had yielded only 12 points coming in through four games, was at its best this day as the likes of Kevin Burr, Jerry Parker, Bob Park, Calicchio, Downey, Melloy and Smith held their hosts to only three total yards and no first downs during the shutout. While the Tornado was producing 178 yards on the turf and another 156 through the air, the Mounties were held to minus 10 yards on the ground and 13 by way of their passing attack.

But as dominant as that defensive effort was as a team, one individual stood out amongst the horde of Tornado offensive weapons – fullback Stone. Stone, in a fantastic afternoon, rushed for 82 yards, caught five passes for 104 yards and two touchdowns, recovered a fumble to set up another Purple score, intercepted a pass to pave the way for another TD and was in on countless tackles until relieved in the fourth quarter.

Besides Stone’s heroics, Norwich’s offense was headlined by three touchdown runs by Maiurano and another by Burton via a 21-yard pass from McNitt. Burton added two points after touchdown and Maiurano another.

Lunch counters, barber shops, restaurants, bars, basically any place where people congregated were now constantly abuzz about these newfound Norwich headliners. Names that no one could pronounce two months ago now rolled off Tornado fans’ tongues with glib perfection. And next week professed to be the culmination to the perfect year as a packed house was expected at hallowed Alumni Field when the Purple put the cap on the home season with their annual Homecoming ceremonies.

Ilion (27-0) – October 23 (Home): Rain and mud not only quieted Norwich’s offensive juggernaut that had steamrolled to 145 points in its last three games but made the Homecoming ceremonies an umbrella affair.

Although the scoring was less than usual, the Tornado still outgunned the Bombers 361-113 in total yardage. Maiurano led the ground game, which produced 341 yards, with 137 yards and two touchdowns on nine totes. McNitt, meanwhile, connected on five of 12 passes for 120 yards, which included a 40-yard scoring strike to Downey for his first touchdown of the year.

Two plays after taking possession in the first quarter, Norwich produced the first points on the damp afternoon. Stone, Burton and McNitt took turns carrying the ball to the Ilion 12 from where Maiurano scored his first touchdown. Maiurano added his second score a period later via a 79-yard caper and Downey came up with the reception that gifted him with his first TD of the season, while Stone and Burton accounted for the PATS for a 21-0 edge at halftime.

Penalties negated a pair of Norwich scores in the third quarter, but McNitt engineered an 81-yard march during the final period and capped the scoring himself with an 8-yard run for his initial touchdown of the year.

The victory was especially sweet for the Purple which dropped a 20-0 contest to Ilion on its home environs a year earlier.

Despite the wet afternoon, spirits were alive as the annual Homecoming court was announced during halftime. Nancy Davison was crowned Queen with her court consisting of Gretchen Haefelin, Sue Martin, Debbi Moncho and Carol Westover. The queen and her court along with the football team and its classmates were treated to the annual dance at the high school that night, featuring the sounds of the Syracuse University-based band the “Fallen Angels.” Among that foursome was 1965 NHS grad Dave Stevenson, who during his high school days in Norwich headed a quintet called DJ & The Soul Kings. The rest of that talented group consisted of Jeff Brillinger on drums, Anthony “Nouch” Caputo on bass, Gary Russell on saxophone and Dave Taranto on rhythm guitar.

It hadn’t become a hip thing in 1965, yet, but after a handful of convincing victories something very similar to “high fives” were sure to have been evident as the throng danced the night away.

“After five wins, I can’t say what the coaches were thinking, but as a team we felt like no one could beat us,” recalled Downey. “I don’t think as a team we ever thought we had something special going on. We were glad to be winning, but we were still focused on the up-and-coming game.”

Frankfort-Schuyler (13-19) – October 30 (Away): The day before Halloween the red-hot Maroon Knights played a trick on the undefeated Tornado by not only shutting down their vaunted running game, but by producing a dominant ground offense of their own as Frankfort ended Norwich’s hopes for a perfect season.

Through the first five games, Norwich had steamrolled to 1,324 yards on the ground, while allowing its foes only 259 – a per game difference of 213 in favor of the Purple. And that turf dominance was even more evident in Iroquois League play, where Norwich held a 1,065-161 edge – a per game advantage of 226 yards. But all that changed in the Mohawk Valley region of Frankfort as the hosts limited the Tornado to only 134 yards of ground real estate while piling on 201 themselves.

Frankfort began Iroquois League play early on like a slumbering giant, losing to Oneonta 21-20 before barely edging Ilion 14-13. And Coach Grzibowski had his concerns about this now-formidable Mohawk Valley foe coming into this crucial affair.

Frankfort, which easily outweighed the Tornado, sported a 285-pound guard, while Norwich’s biggest player tipped the scales at 210 pounds. At the forefront of that stellar Maroon Knight defense were tackles Joe Ferraro and Forrest Hobbick and defensive end Mike Spohn. Ferraro and Spohn were both later crowned New York State wrestling champions, Ferraro at 180 pounds in 1966 and Spohn a year later at 148. Sadly, First Lieutenant Ferraro, a 1970 graduate of West Point, was killed in Vietnam on June 5, 1971. The present-day football field for the Maroon Knights is named Joe Ferraro Memorial Field in his honor.

“We’ll have to stop their ground game. They have three good backs – (Bob) Brooks, (Joe) Sharrino and (Bob) Oliver. All are good runners with some weight behind them, which will make them hard to stop,” noted Grzibowski at the time. “Frankfort hasn’t done much with passing so far this year, but that’s not saying they won’t do some Saturday.”

Unlike its victory three weeks earlier versus Herkimer, where Norwich shut down the aerial heroics of Magician quarterback Mitchell, those three aforementioned Maroon Knight runners had their way with the Tornado defense. Brooks, Oliver and Sharrino built up a pile of yardage for the Frankfort ground attack, which was so effective the winners went to the air only twice in the entire game.

After a Norwich punt following the opening kickoff, the three host runners rolled to a touchdown with Sharrino doing the honors from the 3-yard line. Oliver added the point after to give the hosts a 7-0, and Norwich its first deficit of the season.

Norwich answered, though, with a drive of its own, sparked by a 33-yard pass from McNitt to Downey. Stone capped off the drive with a 12-yard TD jaunt, but a fake-kick play on the extra point failed to end the opening quarter with Frankfort on top 7-6.

The Maroon Knights upped that edge to 13-6 late in the second period when the hosts marched 80 yards with Oliver doing the bulk of the work on nine totes, including a 5-yard blast. Norwich looked to answer again, having moved the ball to the Frankfort 10-yard line, but the halftime gun ended the threat with a second-and-goal situation.

Again, Frankfort responded, taking the opening kickoff of the second half, and marching to a third score with Oliver doing the honors from the 16 to give the Maroon Knights a 19-6 cushion. Through Norwich’s first five games, the Purple had allowed only 12 points.

Norwich, spurred into action by the touchdown, roared right back for another score. Maiurano, Robertson and Stone took turns carrying the ball into Frankfort territory, and McNitt, who was beginning to find his range, hit Stone with a pass that was then lateraled to Parker for the score. Burton tacked on the kick to cut the lead to six points.

Although neither team reached the end zone again, there was plenty of action left. A Hobbick interception gave Frankfort the ball deep in Norwich territory late in the game, but Stone came right back to intercept for the Tornado and run the ball out to the 49. From there the Purple drove to the Frankfort 32, but a run from the shotgun formation on fourth-and-two was stopped, and the Maroon Knights took over and ran out the clock.

“The feeling after the Frankfort loss was, we could have won that game,” said Downey. “We were emotionally and mentally flat. Frankfort caught us when our biorhythms were down. It wasn’t hard to put that loss in the rear-view mirror. Our attitude was, if we played them again, we would beat them.”

Oneonta (13-12) – November 6 (Away): Downey recalls how the team prepared itself for its final game versus Oneonta. “The team attitude was simple: the only game on the schedule that really matters is Oneonta. This is the game – 110 percent effort on every play.”

As the phalanx of cars packed with Tornado rooters snaked its way through the hills and dales of Route 23 on a typically dreary Central New York day, the collective breaths of their passengers were on hold mode and the lumps in their throats even more pronounced – was history going to repeat itself even after such an impressive start?

No one expected the outcome at Frankfort a week ago, but now Norwich faithful were faced with the daunting reality that a trip to undefeated Oneonta meant going up against the Yellowjackets, who had yielded only eight points to the Purple over the last eight falls.

That trepidation quickly turned to utter angst after Ron Cower returned the game’s opening kickoff 101 yards for a touchdown, the longest TD in the Iroquois League’s 13-year history. The gray pallor of the day eventually matched that on the forlong faces of the 2,000-strong Norwich crowd later in the first quarter when after an interception by Bob Stineford, quarterback Mike Sanchez tossed a 20-yard scoring strike to Vic Ronovich for a 12-0 Oneonta lead.

At about the same time Oneonta scored its second touchdown, a single-engine plane, sponsored by the Norwich Boosters, could be seen heading toward the field, carrying a banner that read “Go, Norwich.” It was just what the now-depressed Norwich fans needed. Life came back to the Purple faithful and the Tornado squad. From then on everything seemed to click.

“That was just one instance of how supportive the Boosters and the Norwich band were,” explained Downey. “They were there every game, home or away, and it gave us a big boost.”

Midway through the second quarter Norwich began to come alive. Following a couple of carries by Burton, McNitt hit Stone with a 15-yard pass to put Norwich deep into Oneonta territory. After the Purple caught a break when the Yellowjackets were penalized for pass interference on a fourth-down play, McNitt found Robertson on a 10-yard slant for the Tornado’s initial touchdown of the afternoon. Burton’s placement kick cut the margin to 12-7.

But the Yellowjackets were not deterred. Following the kickoff after the Norwich score, they quickly moved the ball to the Tornado 10, from where Brereton knocked down a would-be touchdown pass to end the first half.

Neither team was able to penetrate the end zone during third-quarter action, but Oneonta did mount a drive deep into Purple territory late in the stanza. That is when the Norwich defense turned in its finest stand of the season when it denied the Yellowjackets a third score on first-and-goal. After three scoring denials by the Tornado, Tom Maxian, Burr and Park stopped Sanchez on the one-foot line to keep the Oneonta lead at six.

The hosts kept their guests hemmed in deep in their own territory, but McNitt, punting from his own end zone, booted the pigskin 70 yards to the Yellowjacket 35. Two Oneonta punts ensued, but so did a pair of Norwich fumbles as the chess match reached a feverish pitch.

Time was of the essence now. The Yellowjackets failed again against the stellar play of the Tornado defense and Norwich took over on its own 30-yard line. McNitt connected with Maiurano for 10 yards before finding Robertson on a little screen pass that the speedy junior, behind fine blocking, took 60 yards for the go-ahead touchdown with only two minutes left on the clock. Ironically, Robertson’s two touchdown catches were his only ones of the year. You might say, he saved the best for last.

Oneonta’s last-ditch comeback attempt was snuffed out when McNitt intercepted a pass and Norwich ran out the clock with a dramatic 13-12 come-from-behind victory before a full-house crowd of over 5,000.

Dave Ring, a 1965 graduate of Norwich High School and one of the most ardent Tornado followers over the past 60-plus years reflected on the day.

“I remember the day very distinctly. I drove over so that we’d get to the game at least an hour before, but the traffic from Norwich fans was backed up well over a half mile outside Oneonta. We didn’t know if there was an accident or what, but we inched slowly forward.

“It turned out the first traffic signal in Oneonta on Route 23 was the culprit, only a few cars getting through at a time. That delay put us back timewise. We scooted on to the OHS football field only to find the parking lot was jammed full. Once we found a slot we got in a real long line at the ticket booth, and facing the field, while still in line, we watched the Norwich kickoff to Oneonta, only to see OHS run the kickoff back for a touchdown.

“We wondered then should we buy a ticket? We did and watched Norwich score the winning touchdown with two minutes left for a 13-12 win.

“I then proceeded to drive in downtown Oneonta with several other Norwich fans blowing our horns and yelling to celebrate the win. I burnt out the horn in my car that afternoon, but it was a very memorable day.”

The Monday, Nov. 8 edition of The Evening Sun sported a front page spread with pictures and stories that chronicled that memorable day’s victory under the large banner headline: Storybook Win: Norwich Edges Oneonta.

Coach Grzibowski, a man of few words, had opined earlier in the week “We’re not going to Oneonta to lose.” How right he was!

Postseason Honors

There was no celebratory parade, but the team received a myriad of honors from the Iroquois League as well as many service clubs in Norwich.

Norwich dominated Iroquois All-League selections, placing five players on the 11-man first string, three more on the second team and another three with honorable mention status. The Tornado probably should have had two more first-team picks in Burton and Stone, but with five already on the elite squad, no more could be expected.

First Team (Iroquois stats only):

Jim Downey (Right End-Sr.): The Norwich captain scored eight points and turned out 53 tackles in defensive plays.

John McNitt (Quarterback-Sr.): Norwich’s play caller completed 32 of his 77 passes for 637 yards, scored one touchdown and added six extra points.

Jim Mairano (Halfback-Sr.): Led the league in scoring with 56 points on nine touchdowns and two extra points.

Bob Park (Right Guard-Sr.): Third on the Tornado squad in tackles with 37, Park did an outstanding job both offensively and defensively.

Bill Smith (Center-Jr.): One of two juniors who made the first string, Smith handled the center position throughout the season. He was also credited with calling for the screens against Oneonta.

Second Team: Harold Burton (Left End-Jr.), Jerry Parker (Right Tackle-Sr.), Cliff Stone (Fullback-Sr.).

Honorable Mention: Kevin Burr (Guard-Jr.), Charlie George (Tackle-Jr.), Mike Robertson (Halfback-Jr.).

The 12 senior players – Jim Downey, Paul Herman, Bob Jones, Dick Lorimer, John McNitt, Jim Maiurano, Tom Maxian, Rick Melloy, Bob Park, Jerry Parker, Walt Prindle and Cliff Stone – were honored at a Rotary luncheon at Canasawacta Country Club, and both the varsity and junior varsity squads were guests at a dinner given by the Ontario Hose Company.

What began as a dream in August finally came to an end on Monday, Nov. 29 when the year-end banquet was held at the Norwich High School cafeteria. With Cortland State head football coach Roger Robinson as the night’s guest speaker, a variety of awards were given out by virtue of a team vote.

Cliff Stone won Most Valuable Player honors (Coach Kurt Beyer Award), Bob Park was honored as the Outstanding Lineman (John “Piker” DiStefano Memorial Award), Jim Maiurano was tabbed the Most Improved (1943 Team Trophy Award) and Jim Downey was named the Outstanding Defensive Player.

Almost four decades later, The Evening Sun Sports Editor Pat Newell conducted a poll amongst the papers readers to pick what NHS football team – 1937, 1952, 1965 or 1970 – was the best in school history. The 1965 club received over 50 percent of the tallies, with the 1937 team second and the 1952 club third.

Coach Grzibowski, who chose his terse words well, may have been more prophetic than he realized when he said, “The greatest team ever” as he left the field that late November afternoon back in 1965 in Oneonta.

The Lovin’ Spoonful may have sung the tune – “Do You Believe In Magic” – that symbolized the season, but the No. 1 song in the country on that memorable day in Oneonta was “Yesterday” by The Beatles. But for the players and the citizens of Norwich, a much more appropriate ditty by Chad & Jeremy from a year earlier would have been more soothing to their ears and psyches – “Yesterday’s Gone.”

Indeed, it was!

TEAM STATISTICS

Scoring

TDs PATs Safeties Pts. Avg.

Jim Maiurano 10 3 0 63 9.0

Harold Burton 5 7 0 37 5.3

Cliff Stone 6 1 0 37 5.3

John McNitt 3 6 0 24 3.4

Mike Robertson 4 0 0 24 3.4

Tom Brereton 2 0 0 12 1.7

Jim Downey 1 0 1 8 1.1

Mike Cummings 1 0 0 6 0.9