THE DATE: 1960
THE PLACE: * Gill Stadium *
THE GAME: The 1stever football game between Central and Memorial
THE CROWD: Estimated at 10,000 plus
THE FINAL SCORE: Memorial 8 – Central 6
THE CRUSADER QUARTERBACK? WALLY ROZMUS, THE SUBJECT OF THIS STORY
Back to that infamous game later…
THE EARLY YEARS
Wally began his athletic career at Bakersville, playing hoop (under the guidance of Mr. Walsh) with the likes of George “Winky” Basoukas and Tommy Fisher. He also played baseball there joined by Paul Evans, Bill Lewis, and Nick Macenas. “I think Nick pitched pretty much every game we played because no one else could reach the plate!”
He also played for legendary manager Frank Cronin at Odd Fellows of South Little League. Because he didn’t try out until he was twelve, he was with the club for only one year joining teammates Fisher and Lenny Pappas. “There were no minor leagues or T-ball back then. Only the ‘majors’. And kids did get cut. That’s pretty much unheard of now. Today, everybody who tries out ends up on some team.”
Wally played first and pitched (2 years) for Jason Jewelry of the Babe Ruth League.
A NEW HIGH SCHOOL OPENS ITS DOORS
Spending his first two years at Central, and though he played both baseball and basketball for the Little Green, most memorable to him were his early days on the gridiron under coaches Bill Hall and Nick Gabardina. “As a freshman, I dressed for varsity, but played JV. After my sophomore year, Memorial opened its doors and about half of the team headed to the South End. If I remember correctly, Central retained the running backs and skill position people while Memorial ended up with most of the linemen…the down-in-the-trenches guys. I had made a lot of friends at Central and it really felt strange when the team split.”
FRIENDS AGAINST FRIENDS
“The transition went well, but when we played, it felt like the old intra-squad scrimmages we had in practice…but now it was a real game situation. Mike Kobilarscik was one of their backs and he was best friends with Ed Wynot, Memorial’s center.
That first game against each other was unbelievable! They were supposed to beat us by at least two touchdowns. The first three-quarters were played pretty much between the 30 yard lines. Central scored in the first half and went for two. The 2-point conversion was brand new back then and everybody was using it. The extra-point kick was almost forgotten. In the second quarter, I hit Jim Psaledas with a pass to get us down to the 8 yard line. Jimmy Dickey put a phenomenal block on two guys to let me get the pass off. Right after that, Bob Walsh took it in to make it 6-6 then added the two-pointer to put us on top.”
Wally continued “At the tail end of the game Central, under the direction of QB Bill McKee, drove down to our one yard line. It was fourth and one and we all knew that Kobilarscik was going to get the ball…and he did. But his best friend/Memorial center, Ed Wynot, stopped him short of the goal. When I ran out onto the field I looked down at where the ref had placed the ball. It was no more than three inches from the goal line. That stop took the wind completely out of them. I can still see that ball and remember that feeling as clearly as if it happened yesterday.”
A COUPLE OF UNKNOWNS
There was one very important thing about that game (as well as many others) that he wanted me to mention. “The quarterbacks and running backs always got the majority of the media attention, but let me tell you, if it hadn’t been for two of the “no-names” (‘unknowns’ other than to teammates) – Jim Dickey and Ed Wynot – we probably don’t score and Central most likely wins. Those two guys, in particular, are the reason we won that game!”
Wally was also a member of the Crusader baseball team under Hubie McDonough Jr. While he mostly played first, he did remember the one (and only) game in which he pitched. “It was in the sixth inning and starter Andy Kyriazis got hurt. We had some really good pitchers on that staff so it surprised me when coach told me to take the rubber. We won, but that was it for me ‘toeing the slab’. That was OK by me. ‘Just meant fewer balls whizzing by my head!”
MOVING TO AN ELITE LEVEL
It was as a member of the basketball team that Wally came into his own, garnering All-American honors as a senior. “I think that basketball was where I ‘felt’ the switch in schools the most. Central’s Chuck Bournival also was an All-American that year and we both would have been on that same club. Though we weren’t close friends, I know we would have been closer had we stayed together.”
In fact, it was Chuck who impacted Wally the most. “He was an excellent player, very competitive. There was so much you could learn just by watching him.”
Speaking of “impact”, it was that first football game against Central that he still remembers. “Stepping onto that field and hearing that crowd. I had so many butterflies in my stomach that they, alone, could have carried me off that field.”
Also impacting him was his chance to play in the old Boston Garden. As a member of New Hampshire College (now SNHU), the Penmen played against Emerson College as the prelim to a Celtics game. His comment…”Unbelievable experience…and we won!”
NOT QUITE READY FOR PRIME TIME…
After graduation form Memorial, Wally headed to UNH on a partial scholarship. In short, the “college” experience (and I don’t mean the sports) was not a good one for him and he left…not a good move back then.
For those readers too young to remember the ‘60s, as much as it was a time of athletic “celebrity”, it was also a time of war…Vietnam. When Wally got his draft notice, he opted to join the United States Air Force. (If you didn’t join another branch, you automatically became the “property” of the U.S. Army.)
“First I was stationed in Hawaii, then they moved me to Pease. I was two years active, then reserves.”
UNTIL NOW
It was as a member of the reserves (which allowed him to come back to Manchester) that he crossed paths with NHC coach Lou D’Allesandro. “I was offered a “full boat” and headed for college again…but this time with more maturity and a better sense of purpose. My whole attitude changed. Heck, I even made Dean’s List…consistently!”
PENMAN END VICTORIOUS BASKETBALL SEASON, 17-8
Kneeling: Assistant manager George Towle, Joe Raycraft, Danny Hannigan, Bob Cruz, Dave Fredericks.
Standing: Manager Larry Kelley, Ted Karonis, Wally Rozmus, Tom Hardiman, John Jordan, Ken LaPointe, Sam Lewis, Coach Lou D’Allesandro, Freshman Coach Bob Williams.
HIS MOST EMBARRASSING MOMENTS?
“We were playing against Brown in grammar school and were blowing them away. I stole a pass and drove the entire length of the court using all my best moves and laid it up beautifully. One problem…it was their hoop.”
HIS MOST IMPACTING COACH?
He had two…Hubie and John “Jumbo” Reilly (two coaching icons). “Jumbo taught me strategy and fairness. Though his clubs were usually loaded with talent, he never played favorites, With guys like Ken Faggiano, Pete Kearns, Johnny Keane, Brooks Foster, Dave and Vinny Wenners, Dick Kearns, Andy Kyriazis, Carl Heath, Bob Kerrigan, and Dick Powers, we had some of the best players in the city and state…and, understandably, the potential for a lot of egos. Not for coach, though. He never played favorites. Never could…never would spend time on it because he was always teaching.”
“Hubie taught me to be level-headed, particularly when people around you were going crazy. The tension in the 4th quarter of our game with Central you could have cut with a knife. In his classic and cool way, he just told us to ‘keep the clock running’ and, believe it or not, his saying that DID just that…it calmed us down ’til the ref’s whistle blew, ending the game.”
HIS FAVORITE SPORT?
Though he was a good baseball player and a great basketball player, football was the sport he most enjoyed. “I had a rifle arm, but concrete shoes. I was definitely a pocket-passer. Most of my best friends were football players. We developed a level of camaraderie that still exists today. Football prepared me for the business world in that it taught me what I needed to do win and how to deal with defeat. I learned that I can’t win them all and that if you never lost, you’d never know how to handle it. In business, the principles are the same, the stakes are just higher.”
AS FAR AS SPORTS TODAY?
Wally hates the player “celebrations” and “show-boating”. “If you sack the quarterback or stop a running back behind the line of scrimmage, you need to remember one important thing…that’s your job! Act like you’ve done it before. Your actions trickle down and kids end up emulating you. Plus, they’re scouting kids way too early, even looking at them in grammar school. They put them on pedestals. And we all know what for.”
AND MANNY?
He refused to spend even a moment on him.
WHAT IS HE MOST PROUD OF?
Not his selection as a high school All-American basketball player, not his selection as NHC ’68 Athlete of the Year, not his selection in 1969 as a member of Who’s Who In American Colleges, not even his induction into the Queen City and Memorial High School Halls of Fame, and not his appointment as head football coach of his Alma mater…
There are two different things that he is most proud of.
One is his 19 years with Manchester Vikings football. As one of its founders, he and co-founder, Bob Lawrence, led the program to an astounding record of 146 victories, 18 losses, and one tie, winning the National Championship in 1973 and ranking in the top five teams nationally for eight consecutive years. His comment…”Other than Bob (Chabot) and Hubie (Memorial’s dynamic coaching duo), high school coaches never took advantage of what we could offer their kids. Freshmen and JV teams had one or two coaches, we had seven. We had excellent equipment, great coaches, and played in a very competitive league. We were a perfect ‘feeder system’ for varsity programs and only Memorial used it.”
“While all the teams we coached were special, that ’73 club was the most memorable. When we meet former players, there is a common link among them…they all believe that the Viking team they played on was the best one,”
The “other” thing he is most proud of is graduating from college, the first in his family to do so. Only his Mom, Blanche, and Dad, Walter, felt greater pride in that accomplishment.
HOW HE’D LIKE TO BE REMEMBERED?
“As a person who enjoyed playing and coaching at all levels and grateful for the friendships I’ve been fortunate to make. I’m satisfied with what I’ve done at each level knowing that I gave it my best shot. Most of all, I really loved playing with the people I did,”
RETIREMENT
Now 64 years old and looking forward to his retirement in nine months (his birthday) from Hallsmith Sysco Food Services where he works as a marketing associate, he’s happily married to wife, Suzanne, an MTA employee for over 30 years.
Residing in an absolutely beautiful home in Bedford, they’ve been together for 18 years (though she had to “help” him remember that anniversary number!). They now spend most of their spare time volunteering with Greyhound Placement Services of New Hampshire, located in Goffstown, an agency that finds homes for retired racing greyhounds. Though they have one daughter, Erin, presently working for the Bedford Ambulatory Surgical Center, they also have two more “children”,,,of the four-legged variety, ex-racing greyhounds, Kelso and Abby.
As Suzanne puts it, “That’ll do until the grand kids are born.” And the look on Wally’s face in anticipation of that event? As excited as he was at the end of a particularly “special” game on a high school football field in Manchester’s south end back in 1960…
ADDENDUM
Sadly, Wally passed away in 2023…and he left one heck of a legacy, especially in football.
On a more personal note, not that long before he died, I received a phone call from him asking me if it was difficult to serve as chairperson of Memorial High School’s Hall of Fame.
I told him that if he had the right people around him to help, people that would finish the work they agreed to do, then No. It was tedious and time consuming, but definitely worth it.
Then I asked why and he said that he was seriously thinking about taking over Bill Allen’s position as chairperson of the Queen City Athletic Hall of Fame.which ceased operating 17 years ago.
Considering the success he enjoyed in the world of sports as both a player and as a coach, I believe he would have enjoyed the same success heading the QCAHF committee.
Perhaps the impact he had on the people around him was best said by…
Brian Boucher…
Coach Rozmus left such an indelible impression on so many young people. He was a mixture of toughness, compassion, intelligence and most importantly class. He taught his players as much about life as he did about the game of football. I reflect on my 3 years playing for coach and the Manchester Vikings as the most wonderful ( and difficult ) experience. A lesson in how hard work, preparation, dedication and teamwork prepares you for life´s many challenges. My deepest condolences to the Rozmus family.
Nick Kotekas…
Dear Susan and Erin, You both have been blessed by having a great man in your lives. I will never forget Wally, he was a great teacher of the game of football and much more in all phases of life. Coach gave me a tremendous advantage at the athletic level more so than anyone. Viking practices were the toughest of all the football teams that I experienced. God bless you Susan and Erin. Rest easy Coach.
Stan Urban…
Rest in peace Wally. I remember you fondly as an upper-class man who helped me when I was just starting my career at Memorial High. We played baseball and basketball together and I benefited from your tutelage. You will be missed.
Ted Menswar Jr. is a life-long resident of the Queen City and a retired member of the English Department of Memorial High School who has been involved in local sports for 70 years as a player, a coach, a mentor and a fan. He can be reached at tedmenswar@outlook.com