|
|
Post by timholycross on Sept 2, 2020 20:50:31 GMT -5
Was flipping channels tonight and saw a little human interest clip on Fox News sponsored by Ancestry.
The lady on the show was talking about her uncle, who went to Arlington (MA) High School. Showed a picture from his yearbook. There, quite prominently, was the name of another classmate: Melvin Massucco. Our former coach and radio commentator!
Until I looked Mel up after the show, didn't realize he came from that town.
What are the odds on showing a page of maybe 20 names and you know one of them?
|
|
|
|
Post by ts1970 on Sept 2, 2020 21:02:51 GMT -5
That’s quite a coincidence you were watching at that exact moment to make that observation of a small detail only significant to a limited, select group of people. A once in a million chance of that happening in such a way. One of my late uncles lived in Arlington, but he never mentioned this to me even though he attended a couple of games with me at Fitton in the mid 60’s. I remember Mel as our coach in 66 when HC ended up as the Number 1 team in New England after beating BC in Chestnut Hill.
|
|
|
|
Post by hchoops on Sept 2, 2020 21:31:18 GMT -5
32-26
Lentz to Kimener
|
|
|
|
Post by longsuffering on Sept 2, 2020 22:39:42 GMT -5
Was flipping channels tonight and saw a little human interest clip on Fox News sponsored by Ancestry. The lady on the show was talking about her uncle, who went to Arlington (MA) High School. Showed a picture from his yearbook. There, quite prominently, was the name of another classmate: Melvin Massucco. Our former coach and radio commentator! Until I looked Mel up after the show, didn't realize he came from that town. What are the odds on showing a page of maybe 20 names and you know one of them? 5%? |
|
|
|
Post by hc6774 on Sept 3, 2020 5:27:21 GMT -5
That’s quite a coincidence you were watching at that exact moment to make that observation of a small detail only significant to a limited, select group of people. A once in a million chance of that happening in such a way. One of my late uncles lived in Arlington, but he never mentioned this to me even though he attended a couple of games with me at Fitton in the mid 60’s. I remember Mel as our coach in 66 when HC ended up as the Number 1 team in New England after beating BC in Chestnut Hill. the same season we beat Dartmouth. a top 10 nationally |
|
|
|
Post by rgs318 on Sept 3, 2020 6:18:34 GMT -5
That’s quite a coincidence you were watching at that exact moment to make that observation of a small detail only significant to a limited, select group of people. A once in a million chance of that happening in such a way. One of my late uncles lived in Arlington, but he never mentioned this to me even though he attended a couple of games with me at Fitton in the mid 60’s. I remember Mel as our coach in 66 when HC ended up as the Number 1 team in New England after beating BC in Chestnut Hill. the same season we beat Dartmouth. a top 10 nationally ...in a driving train storm when HC knocked down the pass attempt for a twi point conversion. I believe they had the longest winning streak in the country at that time. I took my future wife to that game. We sat in that rain. for the e niter game... and she was still willing to see me again.   |
|
|
|
Post by hc6774 on Sept 3, 2020 6:36:12 GMT -5
I think we did lose to Colgate away; but it's not a New England team... their star players Mark van Eagen & Ray Ilg?
the late John Gorter, our LT, roomed next to me that year... he would share the scouting reports for the up coming games; i.e. 'who we have to stop... who we have to block'
|
|
|
|
Post by Xmassader on Sept 3, 2020 7:57:59 GMT -5
I was always puzzled about the coaching change after one of HC’s best seasons in the last 55 yrs. My classmate Dave Luciano’s father, Ecio Luciano, was an assistant coach on Massucco’s staff. I suspect that, like Buster Sheary 9 or 10 yrs. before, the situation may have turned on financial considerations.
|
|
|
|
Post by rgs318 on Sept 3, 2020 8:39:11 GMT -5
HC did not wish to pay him what he believed he was worth.
|
|
|
|
Post by hc6774 on Sept 3, 2020 9:01:40 GMT -5
HC did not wish to pay him what he believed he was worth. Recall that HC had serious financial problems at the time... it was the year that Fr Swords established the President's Council... Eddie Anderson was part time... Mel, Bill Whitten, Tom Boisture??? |
|
|
|
Post by hchoops on Sept 3, 2020 9:07:55 GMT -5
Massucco could not have made more at WPI
|
|
|
|
Post by jkh67 on Sept 3, 2020 10:09:05 GMT -5
I was there. A barn-burner of a game from start to finish, with my two classmates pulling it out at the end. There may have been more exciting tilts in the long HC-BC rivalry, but this one has to be right up there with the best. The Class of 67 finished 2-2 against the Chestnut Hill brethren. Sadly, it was all downhill from there for this storied New England rivalry. (Reminds me of watching a Syracuse football game at about that time in which the broadcaster noted that the biggest New England game of the year...Harvard-Yale...was being played that day. His color guy...a former football coach whose name I can't recall...quickly pointed out that, no, the biggest New England football game was not Harvard-Yale. It was HC-BC. Those were the days, my friends.) |
|
|
|
Post by longsuffering on Sept 3, 2020 10:09:56 GMT -5
Massucco could not have made more at WPI Remembering his banter with "Mr.E" Bob Fouracre on the radio, Mel was a mild mannered, pleasant gentleman. Perhaps the same or similar salary at WPI with less pressure and equally bright kids was a welcome change for Mel. |
|
|
|
Post by sader1970 on Sept 3, 2020 10:17:09 GMT -5
It was all downhill when Mel left. To wit: Boisture (of "5+5=10-0" fame, illegal practices, players' revolt) capped off by hepatitis.  |
|
|
|
Post by jkh67 on Sept 3, 2020 10:26:12 GMT -5
the same season we beat Dartmouth. a top 10 nationally ...in a driving train storm when HC knocked down the pass attempt for a twi point conversion. I believe they had the longest winning streak in the country at that time. I took my future wife to that game. We sat in that rain. for the e niter game... and she was still willing to see me again. The weather in Worcester that Saturday afternoon was simply atrocious. Dartmouth, coached by John Blackman and featuring the much heralded Mickey Beard at QB, did indeed have the longest Division I record in the nation as they entered Fitton Field. (Take that, Oklahoma, Penn State, Michigan, et al.!) Everybody was long since drenched to the skin by the time it was over. Didn't matter for the exhilarated Crusader fans. A very long ride back to Hanover for the Indians...er, the Big Green, however. Plenty of time to dry off, anyway. (Speaking of the Big Green, I don't know what the situation is now, but there was a time when the three schools we had played the most over the years were Dartmouth, Colgate, and BC. Don't know why we've played the boys from Hanover less and less in more recent years. I'd love to see them back on the schedule again on a regular basis.) |
|
|
|
Post by longsuffering on Sept 3, 2020 12:07:59 GMT -5
...in a driving train storm when HC knocked down the pass attempt for a twi point conversion. I believe they had the longest winning streak in the country at that time. I took my future wife to that game. We sat in that rain. for the e niter game... and she was still willing to see me again. The weather in Worcester that Saturday afternoon was simply atrocious. Dartmouth, coached by John Blackman and featuring the much heralded Mickey Beard at QB, did indeed have the longest Division I record in the nation as they entered Fitton Field. (Take that, Oklahoma, Penn State, Michigan, et al.!) Everybody was long since drenched to the skin by the time it was over. Didn't matter for the exhilarated Crusader fans. A very long ride back to Hanover for the Indians...er, the Big Green, however. Plenty of time to dry off, anyway. (Speaking of the Big Green, I don't know what the situation is now, but there was a time when the three schools we had played the most over the years were Dartmouth, Colgate, and BC. Don't know why we've played the boys from Hanover less and less in more recent years. I'd love to see them back on the schedule again on a regular basis.) Dartmouth played at Jacksonville (FL) last year in front of 2077 fans and against Marist in Poughkeepsie (NY) in front of 1188 screamers. They won 39-6 and 49-7. Bob Chesney's Crusaders would have been a much stiffer battle for Buddy Teeven's Big Green, even in their 9-1 season. My sense is Jacksonville could have been scheduled to broaden their exposure and connection with alumni, donors, recruits and prospective students beyond the Northeast where they play most of their games. Marist might have been scheduled in the midst of their long drought of mediocrity to give them a better shot of returning to their traditional winning ways, which they have done. |
|
|
|
Post by hchoops on Sept 3, 2020 13:47:37 GMT -5
We did tie Colgate 10-10, but it was in Hamilton
So you must have kissed your sister there
|
|
|
|
Post by beaven302 on Sept 3, 2020 14:00:30 GMT -5
Since I recalled little about this game except that HC got a tie on the road, I dug up the account of the 1966 HC-Colgate contest on a NY Times database. HC won at Hamilton 14-14. HC's Bob Kurtz blocked a Colgate extra point try with three minutes to go. Earlier in the game, Colgate had missed another extra point. They did get a safety, which explains their 14 points.
|
|
|
|
Post by longsuffering on Sept 3, 2020 14:33:11 GMT -5
Since I recalled little about this game except that HC won on the road, I dug up the account of the 1966 HC-Colgate contest on a NY Times database. HC won at Hamilton 14-14. HC's Bob Kurtz blocked a Colgate extra point try with three minutes to go. Earlier in the game, Colgate had missed another extra point. They did get a safety, which explains their 14 points. Those "wins" are like kissing a cute second cousin.  |
|
|
|
Post by timholycross on Sept 3, 2020 15:24:07 GMT -5
Since I recalled little about this game except that HC won on the road, I dug up the account of the 1966 HC-Colgate contest on a NY Times database. HC won at Hamilton 14-14. HC's Bob Kurtz blocked a Colgate extra point try with three minutes to go. Earlier in the game, Colgate had missed another extra point. They did get a safety, which explains their 14 points. Two ties up there, 1966 and 1972 (my senior year, we shoulda won, IIRC). That 1966 game Ray Ilg probably played in. Mark Van Eeghen (Sp?) graduated somewhere in the 71-73 timeframe. Ilg played for Wellesley, class of 1963. Running back and linebacker. Great team that my high school upset in a rainstorm similar to HC/Dartmouth; sparked by an Ilg fumble that was caught in mid-air and run back 99 yards. |
|
|
|
Post by hchoops on Sept 3, 2020 15:51:07 GMT -5
Since I recalled little about this game except that HC won on the road, I dug up the account of the 1966 HC-Colgate contest on a NY Times database. HC won at Hamilton 14-14. ??won, 14-14 ?? score is correct according to goHC.com Sports reference has the wrong score, 10-10 |
|
|
|
Post by hc87 on Sept 3, 2020 16:31:01 GMT -5
...in a driving train storm when HC knocked down the pass attempt for a twi point conversion. I believe they had the longest winning streak in the country at that time. I took my future wife to that game. We sat in that rain. for the e niter game... and she was still willing to see me again. The weather in Worcester that Saturday afternoon was simply atrocious. Dartmouth, coached by John Blackman and featuring the much heralded Mickey Beard at QB, did indeed have the longest Division I record in the nation as they entered Fitton Field. (Take that, Oklahoma, Penn State, Michigan, et al.!) Everybody was long since drenched to the skin by the time it was over. Didn't matter for the exhilarated Crusader fans. A very long ride back to Hanover for the Indians...er, the Big Green, however. Plenty of time to dry off, anyway. (Speaking of the Big Green, I don't know what the situation is now, but there was a time when the three schools we had played the most over the years were Dartmouth, Colgate, and BC. Don't know why we've played the boys from Hanover less and less in more recent years. I'd love to see them back on the schedule again on a regular basis.) Picking a nit, it was Bob Blackman....who left the Indians for the Fighting' Illini in the early 1970s. The 1970 Dartmouth team was the last Ivy to be ranked in the Final Top 20 at the FBS-level. |
|
|
|
Post by jkh67 on Sept 3, 2020 19:16:44 GMT -5
The weather in Worcester that Saturday afternoon was simply atrocious. Dartmouth, coached by John Blackman and featuring the much heralded Mickey Beard at QB, did indeed have the longest Division I record in the nation as they entered Fitton Field. (Take that, Oklahoma, Penn State, Michigan, et al.!) Everybody was long since drenched to the skin by the time it was over. Didn't matter for the exhilarated Crusader fans. A very long ride back to Hanover for the Indians...er, the Big Green, however. Plenty of time to dry off, anyway. (Speaking of the Big Green, I don't know what the situation is now, but there was a time when the three schools we had played the most over the years were Dartmouth, Colgate, and BC. Don't know why we've played the boys from Hanover less and less in more recent years. I'd love to see them back on the schedule again on a regular basis.) Picking a nit, it was Bob Blackman....who left the Indians for the Fighting' Illini in the early 1970s. The 1970 Dartmouth team was the last Ivy to be ranked in the Final Top 20 at the FBS-level. Thanks for the correction. As I typed "John Blackman", I sensed that I wasn't getting the name entirely right. Bob Blackman indeed! |
|
|
|
Post by timholycross on Sept 4, 2020 12:41:50 GMT -5
Red Sox broadcasters had good moonlighting jobs in those days. Ken Coleman was the voice of Harvard football, and got to do the play-by-play for the famous 29-29 tie.
Meanwhile, Ned Martin was the Dartmouth radio voice for quite a while, including the superb 1970 season. Mercy.
|
|
|
|
Post by beaven302 on Sept 5, 2020 12:29:45 GMT -5
I recall the Colgate tie as being regarded as a satisfactory result. Colgate had beaten HC in '64 and '65, had very good team in '66, and it was a road game. (That year, HC travelled to Buffalo and lost 35-3.) Another factor was the manner in which the tie was achieved -- blocking an extra point late in the game. If Colgate had had its kicking game in order, it would have won 16-14.
|
|
