Alan Greenwood

Nashua’s rich football history makes it a glorious time of the year, streaming through the decades. Even before the intra-city Turkey Bowl began its run, there were state championships to settle.

NOV. 21, 1955: “Only a handful of customers braved the snow and cold at Concord’s Memorial Field on Saturday to watch Buzz Harvey’s Nashua eleven continue its mastery over New Hampshire football foes as it put the freeze on Dick Martin’s Concord Crimson Tide, by a score of 20-0. The victory puts Nashua one game closer to the 1955 state championship, which will be decided at Manchester on Thursday in the traditional classic with Bishop Bradley.”

Note that Bishop Bradley is now known as Trinity High School. So, at Gill Stadium, then known as Athletic Field, where Telegraph sports editor Mike Shalhoup spent his Thanksgiving morning. …

NOV. 25, 1955 – “Rising to the occasion in superb fashion, Buzz Harvey’s Nashua High football forces unleashed a brilliant and powerful running attack to subdue Bishop Bradley, 19-6, for its fourth consecutive state Class A championship before a couple thousand holiday fans at Manchester’s Athletic Field.

“… The tilt closed out the 1955 season for the Purple gridmen, notching an impressive 8-1 record. It also rang down the curtain on the schoolboy careers of Charlie Parker, Johnny Wardner, Don Bazin, Sam Paul, Ken Theriault, Stan Slosek, John Narkunas, Roland Bertrand and many others.”

In news firmly related to the history of Nashua football …

NOV. 22, 1935: “Definite plans for the Holman Memorial Field and stadium at the Artillery Pond location on North Common were accepted at a conference held here Thursday afternoon.

“If the weather remains open it is possible that the work on the field, stadium and memorial gateway may get underway at once.”

As often happens, it took a bit more time for the project, which also included funding by the Works Progress Administration, to rev up. Holman Stadium officially opened on Sept. 23, 1937.

NOV. 23, 1997: In the legendary Mud Bowl game at Holman, Nashua High School posted a 15-0 win over Londonderry to win the Division I championship. A snowstorm and morning rain turned the infield into a mountain of muck.

Overcoming the conditions, Nashua quarterback Aaron Gureckis went in on a sneak from the 1 with 2 minutes left for the deciding score. Sean Young had a pick-6 for Nashua in the closing seconds to clinch it.

NOV. 24, 1980: “… In a game that was as statistically one-sided as the MuhammadAli-Larry Holmes fight, the Nashua High Panthers were hounded, pounded, astounded and confounded by the Red Raiders of Spaulding,

“Yet miraculously, they also defeated those Red Raiders on Saturday, 7-6, at Holman Stadium to capture the state’s Division I football championship, Nashua’s second in three seasons.”

The winning score came early in the fourth quarter when Nashua QB Jim Frederick fired a pass to Tom Viafora, who hauled it in at the Spaulding 20 and scooted in for the TD, completing a 55-yard catch-and-run.

NOV. 26, 1976 – “It was a superlative day and crowd (more than 5,000) at Holman Stadium yesterday. And in perhaps the most exciting encounter since the Nashua-Guertin series began in 1972, the game itself was the biggest superlative of all.

“After a morning of attacking each other as if the loser would be sentenced to watching a lifetime of Gilligan’s Island reruns, Nashua finally came up on the long end of a 25-20 score.

“The gritty Cardinals, utilizing an inspired defense and big-play offense, held leads of 6-0, 13-6, 20-13and even 20-19, until Nashua scored the clincher with 4:19 left on a 1-yard Ernie Lewis run.”

Let us hope that the Cards have long-since been pardoned from the Gilligan’s Island reruns.

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