From the 1975 Archives

Here's a real find! Stacey Marden found her copy of the program from the Thanksgiving Day football game between Andrew Warde and Roger Ludlowe high schools in 1975. If you recall, that season, during our senior year, the Crimson Eagles defeated the rival Flying Tigers twice on the gridiron, marking the only time either school accomplished the feat.

The program is a classic, including the rosters of both teams, team photos, and a color photo of the Andrew Warde cheerleaders, too. Many of the sponsors listed in the program are no longer in business.

Were you at the game? The Eagles won the contest, which was played at Ludlowe, 28-6. Warde defeated Ludlowe earlier in the 1975 season, too, 27-6.

The program also features a list of the Parent's Club members from Roger Ludlowe High School, which includes Mr. and Mrs. Fern Tetreau. A cover letter welcomes supporters of our Fairfield teams from School Superintendent Joseph Zapytowski. Do you remember him?

Clampett's Sports Center, 1530 Post Road, purchased a full-page ad with the slogan, "It is better to build boys than to mend men." Other advertisers included Loh Ford of Bridgeport, Citizen's National Bank of Fairfield, Parrott Real Estate Associates, Connecticut National Bank, Varsity Sports, Arthur's of Southport, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Greenfield Pharmacy, and the Chase Driving School.

This year, the Fairfield Warde field was dedicated in the names of Fern Tetreau, the school's first coach, and the late Bill Davis, who skippered the Eagles' gridders in the fall of 1975. Warde won the game, 21-12, last Thursday.


Thanks, Stacey. This sure brings back a lot of memories.

Paul

Tribute to Fern Tetreau

I wrote and delivered the following tribute to Fern Tetreau at halftime of the game against Ludlowe. The Warde field was named in honor of Tetreau, Andrew Warde High School's first football coach, Thanksgiving morning.

When Andrew Warde High School opened in 1956, the Crimson Eagles needed a football coach. They didn't have to look very far, however. Fern Tetreau was the head coach at Roger Ludlowe High School, on the other side of town, and he accepted the challenge to start a brand new program.

Although the first two years delivered growing pains and only two victories, Tetreau was building a solid program at the Melville Avenue high school. As hard as it may seem to believe, just three years after Andrew Warde High School opened, the Crimson Eagles won a state football championship! The 1959 team went undefeated in nine games, and even produced a future National Football League star.

One year later, Tetreau's gridders went 8-1. Their two-year cumulative record was 17-1. And this for a program which was just starting.

Fern Tetreau is seated in the dark raincoat and hood holding his plaque and proclamation at the field dedication ceremonies at Warde High School Thanksgiving morning.

Bob Anderson, a former housemaster at Warde who passed away a few years ago, played at Ludlowe and then at Warde. He wrote about Tetreau's 1959 team.

"Many Fairfield citizens recall the success of that team, with its tricky single wing T formation, using an unbalanced line, and a side-saddle blocking quarterback. The tailback had to be able to do everything. That threw off the defense through Fern's effective use of the draw, screen, and third down-11 quick kick." Six of the nine games that year Warde held the opponent scoreless.

Fern's move to Warde created quite a rivalry in his own family. His son, Mike, was the quarterback at Roger Ludlowe. Playing football was a family tradition. Fern once said, "We both wanted to win the big game, but we were pulling for each other, too."

Fern was the innovator on the gridiron. His love for the game has never waned. To him, football represents the belief that when you work together as a team, and stay focused, any dream is within reach. To Fern, football was learning about life --- dealing with victory and defeat, getting knocked down, and getting up again.

At Ludlowe, his 1954 team was ranked number three in the state. On his state championship team of 1959, 15 players went on to play college football, and Dave Graham played tackle for the Philadelphia Eagles. Tetreau always preferred the unexpected on the football field. He liked to run the Statue of Liberty play, where the quarterback fades back to pass, and the running back grabs the ball. He ran draw plays and screen passes. And, he taught his players to think on the field.

Tetreau is a native of Maine, speaks fluent French, and when he left Warde in 1970, he became an administrator at Fairfield Woods Junior High School. For two years, he took in a Cuban refugee foster child who spent time in an orphanage. Today, Roberto "Chico" Rodriguez is a business executive.

Bob Anderson also wrote the following about Fern Tetreau: "Every now and then when players call me 'coach,' I am touched that they might use that term with me, because it conveys my relationship with them, beyond what I taught or failed to teach them about football. Far more, it conveys what my coach and mentor taught me about life, ethics, the treatment of others, and the value of human relationships. Thanks, Fern, from the many of us who continue to call you 'Coach.'"

Without further ado, "Coach" Fern Tetreau, a state champion, and the very first football coach at Andrew Warde High School. Warde athletic director Chris Manfredonia will present a plaque to the man known as "Coach."

Photos courtesy of Tim Parry, author of fciacfootball.blogspot.com.

Paul

Warde Wins Thanksgiving Game, 21-12

The following story appeared in The Connecticut Post on Friday morning, November 23, 2006. Here is the Thanksgiving Day game summary of the Warde victory over Ludlowe at Tetreau-Davis Field, 21-12.

With the wind whipping and a cold rain falling, the walk from Tetreau-Davis Field back to the Fairfield Warde locker room could have been a pretty miserable one for the Mustang players.

But with the Gallagher-Banyas trophy safely secured in their mitts following a 21-12 win over cross-town rival Fairfield Ludlowe on Thursday morning, seniors Michael Primsky and Jamie Kristy nearly skipped the 200-or-so yards to the warmth of indoors.

"Our seniors have persevered through a lot," Warde coach Tony Catapano said. "It's good for them to get rewarded."

It was another senior — tailback Silus Shelly — that enabled the Mustangs to even the newly revived Fairfield rivalry at one game apiece.

Shelly ran for 71 yards on 14 carries, scoring three times to lift Warde to a second-half comeback in front of roughly 250 water-logged fans.

"Oh man, I'm almost in tears," said Shelly, who earned MVP honors for Warde. "I just go out there trying to help my team however I can." Warde also forced five turnovers and held Ludlowe to minus-14 yards in the second half.

Using a bruising, three-back offense, Warde (2-8) jumped out to an early 8-0 in the first quarter with Shelly scampering in from 13 yards out on the Mustangs' first drive.

Later Warde picked up a safety when Ludlowe senior quarterback Matt Deliberti was flagged for intentional grounding in the end zone.

But after the miscue Deliberti — teamed with his younger brother, Mike — led the Falcons (1-9) to a 12-8 halftime lead. Ludlowe got on the board midway through the second quarter on a drive aided by a pair of 15-yard penalties. Matt Deliberti hooked up with his brother Mike from 18 yards out to make it 8-6.

Matt Deliberti then put his team ahead with a 1-yard plunge on a 10-play drive, highlighted by a 28-yard pass to Mike Deliberti on a ball that was tipped by a pair of Warde defenders.

However the second half was a different story for Ludlowe, which couldn't get anything going as the Falcons had trouble holding onto the ball throughout the half.

A muffed snap by Ludlowe on a punt from midfield, recoverd by Kristy, set up the eventual winning score midway through the third. Taking over at the Ludlowe 33, Warde quarterback Ralph Fidaleo hit Primsky for 19 yards to convert a third down, which set up Shelly's second score of the game.

From there the teams traded punts with Shelly going in from four yards shortly into the fourth quarter to end the scoring. Ludlowe turned it over three times in the fourth, including Genero Montefuscoli's recovery of a fumbled snap, and an interception by Kristy that ended the game.

"Once I saw it pop out I got on top of it, like a pig rolling in the dirt," Montefuscoli said. Matt Tierno added an interception for Ludlowe late in the fourth.

"Our mistakes killed us," said Matt Deliberti, who finished 7 for 17 for 85 yards passing and 52 rushing, earning Ludlowe MVP honors. "Obviously it's not the way you want to go out."

Photos courtesy of Tim Parry, author of fciacfootball.blogspot.com.

Tribute to Bill Davis

I wrote and delivered the following tribute to the late Bill Davis at halftime of the game against Ludlowe. The Warde field was named in honor of Davis and Fern Tetreau, Andrew Warde High School's first two football coaches, Thanksgiving morning.

Tom Davis, brother of the late Bill Davis, accepts a plaque and proclamation during the field dedication ceremonies.

For nearly two decades, Bill Davis represented Andrew Warde High School as a student, teacher, assistant coach, and coach. Although he was born in Milford, he grew up in Fairfield, where he played Little League, Babe Ruth, and American Legion baseball.

At Andrew Warde, he played varsity baseball, basketball, and football. He was the captain of Bob Jackson's varsity baseball team in 1965. He played football under Fern Tetreau from 1963 to 1965, and he was captain of the gridiron squad his senior year.

After graduation, he played football at Springfield College. He returned to Warde in the Fall of 1969 when he served as an assistant to Tetreau on the football coaching staff. One year later, Davis became only the second head football coach at Andrew Warde, where he led the Crimson Eagles for a decade.

Bill Davis legacy became well-established over those ten years. Harry Caston played for him in the early 70s, and he said Davis' influence and impact helped him along the way.

Coston said, "To me, it's the lessons that we learn along the way that give our life direction, meaning, and value, that we remember. It was Coach Davis and the things that he did which have provided me with many of the core values and lessons that I treasure. I gratefully acknowledge that I would not have the life that I have enjoyed if not for his belief in me and the chances that he gave me."

Younger brother Tom Davis, who was instrumental in getting the field named after his brother and Fern Tetreau, was influenced by Bill. In fact, Tom played for Bill for three years. And the Davis brothers --- Bill, Tom, Jon, and Bob --- all played for Fern. The Davis and Tetreau families remain close. Fern served as Bill's "best man" at his wedding.

One of Bill's most memorable years was 1975, when his Crimson Eagles defeated Roger Ludlowe twice on the gridiron in the same year, marking the only time that feat has ever been accomplished in Fairfield.

Bill Davis' resume is impressive. He gave much of his life to Andrew Warde High School. He was the Eagles' boys and girls track and field coach, wrestling coach, where he started the program, and lacrosse coach.

In addition to his legacy at Warde, Bill was assistant principal at Tomlinson Middle School, Assistant to the Superintendent for the Fairfield Public Schools, administrator for curriculum in Wilton, Superintendent of Schools in Narragansett, Rhode Island, and Superintendent and Chief Executive Officer for four other schoool districts. And, believe me, I can go on and on.

Sadly, Bill Davis passed away in June of this year. His memory, though, will live on at Warde. In fact, his niece, Allie, plays soccer here, and she'll be playing on her uncle's field.

Warde athletic director Chris Manfredonia would like to present Bill's brother, Tom, with a plaque. Let's have a warm, hearty Fairfield Warde welcome for Tom Davis and the Davis family.

Paul

Random Thoughts

I applaud the players, coaching staffs, officials, parents, and fans for battling the elements during the football game at Warde Thanksgiving morning. The conditions were simply awful. A driving rain fell throughout just about all of the game, and the winds were howling as well.

The halftime dedication ceremony was a nice touch. Unfortunately, although I was able to read the biographies of Fern Tetreau and Bill Davis without much incident, the rain and wind made it almost impossible to turn the pages. In fact, the pages began sticking together and falling apart. I wasn't able to read the best part of the tribute to Fern. That's been bothering me all day and night. Trying to hold the microphone, umbrella, and script in pouring rain and wind is not easy.

Thankfully, the ceremony ended just before the start of the second half. If anything, perhaps it's a good thing my tribute didn't go on much longer. We were soaked in the middle of the field. The highlight of the day --- the unveling of the sign over the scoreboard while the school fight song was being played --- was emotional and gratifying.

Following the halftime field dedication, Tom Davis, brother of the late Coach Bill, joined me, and we spent the second half reminiscing.

From our perch atop the grandstands, the view of the high school, baseball field, softball field, and gym looks exactly like it did over 40 years ago. We chatted about the team's original uniforms, which sported two stripes across each of the shoulders. Tom told me he wore those uniforms as a freshman, and the team changed jerseys for his sophomore season.

The entire Davis family was on hand for the field dedication. His Mom was seated not far from Fern Tetreau, Andrew Warde's original coach. Tetreau is now 85 years young, and the photo of him with his players which appeared in this week's Fairfield Citizen-News is classic. Fern will always be known as "Coach" at Warde and throughout Fairfield.

Tom told me the family is gathering for Thanksgiving dinner at his brother's home in Easton. He and his family are grateful for the support from the Fairfield Warde High School athletic department and the Board of Education.

Both of us clapped whenever Warde made a good play on the field. He was thrilled that the hosts won the game on the day the school forever remembered his brother.

Thanks, Tom, for being such a kind and decent human being. Your brother, Bill, is smiling today. The Davis family has much to be thankful for on this special day.

Watch the News 12 Connecticut feature story on the Thanksgiving Day festivities at Warde High School by clicking here.

Paul

Larsen & Knuth Cop Most Memorable Sports Honors

Andy Larsen and Tom Knuth won the Connecticut Class LL tennis doubles championship during our senior year at Andrew Warde High School. That accomplishment was voted the most memorable athletic achievement during the 1975-76 school year in our latest online poll.

Larsen and Knuth garnered 45% of the votes, well ahead of three other sports achievements. The baseball team's dramatic 4-2 come-from-behind victory over Ludlowe, the girls' basketball team's FCIAC championship, and Floyd Scholz new high jump record each received 18% of the votes.

The poll was taken over a two-week period. Congratulations to Tom and Andy for an outstanding accomplishment.

Paul