Richard “Dick” Mattice, Class of 1949. (Submitted Photo)

The Norwich High School Sports Hall of Fame has announced the 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 the 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.

Richard “Dick” Mattice: Class of 1949

By Patrick Marks

Tennis and Norwich High School may seem synonymous with each other as of the writing of this article. But it has not always been that way. In the late 1940s the city was split into four corners, with residents of each corner playing a particular sport depending on which corner of town they grew up in.

The southwest corner of Norwich was known for its ability to produce strong tennis players. None of those players at that time were better than Richard (Dick) Edwin “Purple Ace” Mattice.

Born August 17, 1931, in Norwich, Dick was the son of Harold and Cecil (Dyle) Mattice. And it was at those famed Conkey Ave. tennis courts where the legend of the “Purple Ace” was born, too.

During his freshman year in 1946, he earned a record of 5-4 while the Tornado netters went 6-3. Playing out of the #2 singles slot, behind Ed Nelson, Mattice’s first major accomplishment was achieved when he and Bob Myles captured the Section IV doubles championship.

By the time his sophomore year rolled around, Dick had made it clear that he was the best player Norwich tennis had to offer. Playing #1 singles as a sophomore was relatively uncommon at the time, but Dick had earned that right.

With a modest record of 4-3, he made the best of a tough season during which most of his opponents were two years older than him. That season was highlighted by his two wins against Binghamton North, both victories coming in straight-set 6-1, 6-1 triumphs.

One might begin to sense a theme here; Dick also won the Section IV doubles title his sophomore season with his new partner Charles Stewart. They claimed that crown with victories against Auburn (6-0, 6-1) and Binghamton Central (6-3, 7-5), which was the enduring powerhouse in the tennis scene at that time.

It was during his junior year of 1948 when Mattice’s career reached new heights. At that time, Norwich Athletic Director Kurt Beyer and tennis coach Charlie Miers were known for scheduling the best opposition in the area. Matches were commonly comprised of a potential seven points, with ties being nearly impossible. That year, the Tornado played powerhouse Binghamton Central, Binghamton North, Oneonta, Utica Free Academy and Cortland.

The season began with him sweeping both singles and doubles wins versus Binghamton North and Binghamton Central. That stellar start never diminished as he went on to score victory in every match he played in both singles and doubles. That undefeated streak marked the first time a player had gone unblemished in 19 years. During that match with Central, the second of the year, Norwich made history by beating Binghamton for the first time in history. Mattice won his singles match 6-1, 6-3 and made it a clean sweep with identical victories in doubles play with Stewart.

Mattice further added to his resume when he won the sectional singles championship for the first time in his career. His closest set that season was a 7-5 win against Oneonta, making it evident that he was one of the best players in the area.

Playing with Stewart again, the Purple duo not only defended their Section IV doubles title but added an intersectional championship during competition with 15 other schools at Colgate University. Their doubles season mirrored Mattice’s singles play as only once did they even drop a set, that being the first one in two years, thus cementing their status as the best tennis tandem Norwich had ever seen up to that point.

As the leaves of Mattice’s high school tennis career began to fall, it was abundantly clear to all that his senior season would be an impressive one. Indeed, it was, but Norwich’s season as a team was largely unimpressive due to their team captain Dick Darling being injured during the early season. Mattice turned out to be the lone bright spot in a 2-7 campaign.

Up first for Norwich that season was a 4-2 victory over Cortland. Mattice dispatched his singles foe 6-0, 6-1 while contributing a doubles win by the same score. Facing Oneonta in the year’s second match, Norwich posted its only other victory with a 5-2 triumph over the Yellowjackets. Mattice again swept singles and doubles play. By the time the third match rolled around, Mattice was in fine form, contributing to the Tornado’s only two points in a 5-2 loss to Binghamton Central. He cruised in singles 6-0, 6-2 and won again in doubles 6-3, 6-2.

This trend continued throughout his entire senior season as he finished 9-0 in singles play and 8-1 during doubles competition. That success solidified Mattice as achieving the best singles record in Norwich history up to that point.

As one might imagine, he won the Section IV singles title again that year – the fourth sectional championship he captured. He went on to place second in the intersectional competition at Colgate University, losing in the finals to a player from Syracuse Central. That player was the reigning New York State champion who had not been beaten in two years. That loss was the only one suffered by Mattice over the course of his junior and senior singles campaigns as he posted a gaudy 26-1 mark then.

The 1948 Norwich boys’ tennis team was inducted into the Norwich High School Sports Hall of Fame in 2018, Mattice leading them in first singles and first doubles. At this point, his record and accomplishments speak for themselves. Richard “Dick” Mattice was, and still is, one of the best boys’ tennis players that Norwich has ever seen.

After high school, Mattice enlisted in the Army and served his country during the Korean War from 1950-54, being honorably discharged as a corporal.

Prior to his departure for the Army, he decided to take his tennis racket with him. His brother joked, “you’re not going to summer camp; why are you bringing that?” Dick replied, “you never know.”

The “Purple Ace” was ready to serve wherever called.