Andrew Warde Gridders Defeated St. Joseph in Season Lidlifter 58 Years Ago Today

Senior halfback John Malec scored one touchdown and rushed for a two-point conversion while quarterback Chico Rodriguez threw two touchdown passes to lead Andrew Warde to a 28-6 opening day victory over a young and inexperienced St. Joseph team on this date, Saturday, September 14, 1968, at the Trumbull High School field.

The Crimson Eagles, who scored once in every quarter, played opportunists as they converted a pair of blocked punts and a recovered fumble into touchdowns.

Warde took the opening kickoff and marched inside the St. Joseph 10-yard line before the Cadets' hard-nosed defense held. However, after three plays, the hosts were forced to punt and, when Dave Abraham broke through and partially blocked the kick, Warde took over on the Cadets' 29-yard line.

Malec, who was the game's leading rusher with 36 yards on 17 carries, rushed three times to advance the ball to the 15-yard line. Then, sophomore signal caller Rodriguez tossed a touchdown strike to Abraham. The extra point attempt was short, but the guests took a 6-0 lead.

Sophomore defensive back Tim Carthen gave Warde its second touchdown when he fielded a punt and raced 67 yards up the right side to paydirt. Malec scored his first conversion points as he went around right end to give the Eagles a 14-0 lead which they held at the half.

In the third quarter, Abraham blocked another Cadet punt and John Rozgonyi recovered on the St. Joseph 21-yard line to set up Warde's third score. Three plays later, Rodriguez rolled left and flipped an 11-yard touchdown pass to Ernie Tuska. A Rodriguez to Doug Forstrom pass over the middle gave the Eagles the conversion points and a 22-0 bulge.

A fumble recovery on the St. Joseph 31-yard line following an intercepted pass by Steve Duncan set up Warde's final score. Malec climaxed the drive when he raced around right end from two yards out. The attempted kick failed.

St. Joseph avoided the shutout late in the fourth quarter. The Cadets took over on their 44-yard line and marched 56 yards with senior quarterback Lou Miklos passing 14 yards to junior wingback Rick Healy for the touchdown. The attempted rush for the conversion points failed.

Paul

Classic High School Collectible Touts Warde as "Party School"

Since I started this tribute website 20 years ago, I've received classic photos, videos, hats, souvenirs, yearbooks, Crimson Crier newspapers, and numerous emails from graduates of Andrew Warde High School.

Recently, a teacher in the Fairfield public school system and a graduate of AWHS gave this framed collectible to me as a gift. I took these photos at Fairfield Warde High School.

Paul

Vintage "Film" from Half-Century Ago Features AWHS Class of 1976 as 50-Year Reunion Looms

Please credit this website if you share or publish this video to other sites. Thank you.

Paul

AWHS Class of 1976 50-Year Reunion Planned for August at Vazzy's 19th Hole in Fairfield

Andrew Warde High School's Class of 1976 will hold its 50-year reunion Saturday, August 29, 2026, from 6:00 until 10:00 p.m. at Vazzy's 19th Hole at Fairchild Wheeler in Fairfield. The event includes a dinner buffet and dancing.

Click the photo below to visit the class Facebook page for more information.

Paul

Warde & Ludlowe Swimmers Held Fundraising Marathon 55 Years Ago This Weekend

Swim team members and alumni from Andrew Warde and Roger Ludlowe high schools swam for their proverbial lives in a 30-hour marathon 55 years ago this weekend. The marathon, which raised $4,000 to help keep the swim teams at both schools afloat for the 1971-72 school year, set a national record of 100 miles.

The event, which was held at the Olympic-size Fairfield YMCA pool on Old Post Road, began at noon on Saturday, July 3, 1971, and ended Sunday evening, July 4, at 6 p.m., according to a front-page story which appeared in The Bridgeport Telegram, Monday, July 5, 1971 (see below).

More than 60 swimmers participated, completing the 100 miles in 28 hours and one minute. Encouraged by financial backing from townsfolk who pledged one dollar for every completed lap, the participants continued after setting the record to log 30 hours of uninterrupted swimming.

George Ford, a parent of one of the swim team members, announced at the conclusion of the event that $4,000 had been raised. However, he emphaszied that another $4,000 was needed to support the activities for the swim teams at both high schools.

"If the Board of Education approves a request for a $2,000 allocation for the program, the swim teams will be able to continue their activities in the new school year," Ford stated. As a result of sharp budget cuts, the Board of Education eliminated funds previously provided for the swim team programs.

Rather than let the program die, members of the swim teams at both high schools started the ball rolling for a fund-raising event. The marathon was the first endeavor, and other plans for raising the needed funds were in the works.

The marathon was supervised by Edward Quinn, the Ludlowe swim coach, his assistant, William Babcock, and George Reed of Warde. Mike Tierney and Bob Wilk, Ludlowe's co-captains, and Dan Ford and Mike Cardone of Warde helped organize the marathon.

Paul

AWHS Three-Sport Athlete Jack McFarland Inducted Into Class of 2026 FCIAC Hall of Fame

The following article appeared on the Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference website June 19, 2026:

Jack McFarland was born in Stamford, Connecticut, and grew up in Fairfield, where he attended Andrew Warde High School and was a three-sport athlete. 

After graduating, he attended Southern Connecticut State University, where he played baseball. Following college, Jack was hired by Westport Public Schools to teach at Staples High School. He and his wife, Norma—an English teacher at Trumbull High School—live in Monroe, Connecticut, and have four daughters: Kelly, Kenzie, Megan, and Abby. 

Watch the video at this link: https://vimeo.com/1202101977

In 1988, Jack began his coaching career at Fairfield High School as an assistant football coach under Gus Lindine. In 1994, he moved to Staples High School as an assistant coach under Marce Petroccio, helping the team win five FCIAC Championships and three State Championships. 

In 2005, Jack became the head baseball coach at Staples, compiling an outstanding record of 323–156, a 70% winning percentage. His teams captured four FCIAC Championships, appeared in seven FCIAC Finals, and won seven divisional championships along with four regular-season titles in 2009, 2010, 2014, and 2019. 

Among his many honors are the 2019 FCIAC Coach of the Year, 2019 Overall Coach of the Year, the 2011 Westport Coaching Award, and the 2017 Westport Sports Person of the Year from the Fairfield County Sports Commission. 

Jack is the all-time winningest baseball coach in Staples history, and his 2019 team achieved a perfect 35–0 record, the most wins in a season. Three of his players were named Gatorade Player of the Year in 2017, 2019, and 2023. Since 1997, Jack has also served as Assistant Dean at Staples High School and remains active in the sport as a member of the CIAC Baseball Committee and the FCIAC representative on the CHSCA Baseball Committee. 

He is honored for his exceptional coaching career and dedicated service to Staples High School.