Tom King

It’s a celebration of history.

That’s what July 4 always is, and that’s also what the Nashua Lions Club Legends of Holman event is as well.

It was something that began 12 years ago, as we’ve told you before, the remnants of the last professional baseball team to play at Holman Stadium,the ill-fated American Defenders of New Hampshire.

They were pretty much a joke as the successor to the Nashua Pride, but the one good idea that they helped originate was the start of basically a Legends of Holman. And we all know the stadium has been the home for many of them.

The Nashua Lions Club is the main sponsor, and each summer they never fail to disappoint. They even had an induction last summer, despite the pandemic. There was no July 4 celebration, but as the Silver Knights were still playing, we got to see broadcaster Woody Woodland, youth sports advocate Al Savage, and former Nashua mayor Maurice Arel inducted.

You know what? We think that’s the best time to have the induction – right before a Silver Knights game. Always debatable, but last year it just seemed fitting that many involved with the stadium, especially baseball, be inducted right before a game during the Knights season. With all the July 4 hoopla, it might have more of its own stage, and more of the attention from the crowd.

This year’s event certainly honors a family that dominated the Nashua athletic landscape, with Al, Duane and Mel Briggs all being inducted, mainly for their football exploits. And don’t forget the late Ed Dombrowolski, perhaps the best running back Nashua football has ever seen. Both Mel Briggs (early 1970s) and Dombrowolski (1940s) had the talent to move on to the NFL. Briggs got in a few preseason games with the Detroit Lions and fellow Holman Legend quarterback Greg Landry.

The one thing you got from talking with the three Briggs family members? The incredible feeling they got running out onto the Holman turf to a crowd of thousands. They were in awe, especially the first time.

Those athletes would go to games as little kids, and dreamed of playing for Nashua High School. And when they did, they felt like they were on top of the world.

It’s simply not the same today. Of course the crowds at games anywhere this past year were limited. But they rarely reach four figures these days, unless it’s North vs.South or a championship game. And it’s been pretty much that way for the last few decades – not just in Nashua, but anywhere. There is simply too much for people, especially kids, to do.

And, of course, it’s not just in Nashua, but all over New England. High School football on a game-to-game basis has the most following of the school sports, but it’s not nearly the same as years ago.

But that doesn’t make it less important. At some point, after another 10-20 years, perhaps there will be a Legends of Stellos Stadium, and think of all the athletes and sports to choose from.

That’s why it’s important to recognize and honor the past. History and fame can be fleeting things, and if they lay dormant, will fade away. Every community has its piece of athletic history that it considers vastly important, and Nashua has more than its share.

That’s why what the Nashua Lions Club does to celebrate the great history of a great facility is superb. Every year, those that helped make Holman Stadium a special place are honored.

The murals of Don Newcombe and Roy Campanella at the stadium entrance, as well as the Legends plaque inside the gate, tell us something very important every time we walk through:

They call it Historic Holman Stadium for a reason.

Happy Fourth.

Tom King can be reached at tking@nashuatelegraph.com, or on twitter @Telegraph _TomK.