7

THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – Friday, February 7, 2020 Page 7 Alger aspect to it all; they persevered and found their place.” The team moved to Fenway Larry Eisenhauer and the early Patriots By The Old Sachem W hen I noticed the passing of one of the earliest Patriots, Larry Conway Eisenhauer, I decided to write a column to acquaint current Pats fans to an early star, but in researching early Patriots situations I ran into some humorous data on the early teams. But first Eisenhauer. He played nine seasons for the Pats from 1961 to 1969 and was named four times as an AFL All-Star. The early team was an original member of the American Football League in the days before they joined the NFL. Larry was named a three-time AFL All-Pro and a member of the Patriots’ 1960s All-Decade team. Eisenhauer was born February 22, 1940, in Hicksville, N.Y., and died January 29, 2020, in Jupiter, Fla. Eisenhauer stood six-feet-five and his playing weight was 258 pounds, which was quite suitable for a defensive end in this era. He attended Chaminade High School in Mineola, N.Y., then was recruited into Boston College, where he was an outstanding defensive end. He was inducted into the Boston College Varsity Club Athletic Hall of Fame in 1978. Eisenhauer was selected by the Pats in the 1961 AFL draft, in round six as the forty-second pick. During his career he led the team in sacks at 47.5, over 115 regular season games and two playoff games. Although I don’t normally include BC players (I prefer BU athletes), Eisenhauer was ASKS | from page 3 The principals and teachers were all in favor of it and were all very cooperative. They pretty much went above and beyond to help out. They wanted the girls to do something special for it. It’s a worthwhile trip, the kind you don’t get to do too often. Antarctica is like nothing else you have ever seen. It’s a very beautiful place and pictures really don’t do it justice. When I was talking to the science teacher – here are the science benefits. When I was talking to the social studies teacher – I said here are the social studa delight to watch; as I said in an earlier column, I would get tickets in Kenmore Square when attending Boston University. The AFL awarded the eighth and final franchise to a Boston business executive, Billy Sullivan, and his partners, who included his brother Joseph, owner of the Sullivan Brothers Printers, Dean Boylan of Boston Sand & Gravel, Dom DiMaggio, formerly of the Red Sox, and seven others. They put up $10,000 to capitalize the team. As many of you know, the early Pats did not have a field of their own in the beginning years. They played their home games in Nickerson Field at BU (Braves Field at the time), Harvard Stadium, Boston College Alumni Stadium, Fenway Park, San Diego, Calif., and Birmingham, Ala. The early tickets were printed without listing the field as it was subject to change from time to time. They were nomads in the early days like a traveling circus. There was quite a bit of comedy in the early years. In a home game against the Dallas Texans, the Pats were leading 2821 and Dallas was down to the one-yard line with time running out. On fourth down the Texans quarterback tossed a pass to an uncovered end in the end zone, and a person described as wearing a trench coat dashed in and batted away the pass and saved the Patriots game. In those days many fans stood behind the end zone and made noise and waved to distract the oppoies benefits. We had extra luggage. The bags were heavy because of the textbooks the girls brought from school. There was plenty of time for schoolwork. It was a day to get from Boston to Santiago [Chile] and a day to get back. Q: Did you see many people out there at sea? A: We ran into a yacht with about 20 people on it. They were the only actual humans we encountered before we hit the research base. It was the Club Med version of seeing Antarctica. We didn’t ASKS | SEE PAGE 9 Bill Stewart The Old Sachem nents. After the game it was noted that the owner, Billy Sullivan, was wearing a trench coat similar to that described to the interloper, but the fan disappeared into the crowd before anyone could positively identify him. A game at BC saw a fire develop in the stands interrupting the game, and the fans ran out to the fifty-yard line to escape the inferno. Other games had power outages and snowball fights, and when the referees refused to start the game before they were paid. In another contest an ex-player, Bob Gladieux, was summoned from the stands by the sound system, dressed in a uniform and made the tackle on the beginning kickoff. They practiced on a grassless high school field. A first season game drew only 8,446 fans, and it was reported that most of the tickets were given away by local supermarkets. Richard Johnson, curator of the Sports Museum in Boston, said, “There were elements of Mel Brooks mixed with Knute Rockne. The Patriots were the underdog team in an underdog league. But there was also a Horatio Park in 1963 and the players were astounded by the quality of the Red Sox dressing room. A goalpost was planted on the third base line, and the other end was before the bleachers in right field. A temporary grandstand was put up before the Green Monster, seating 5,000 fans. The team didn’t want fans blocked by the view in the seats along the first base line, and so both team benches were in front of the Green Monster field seats, which led to many questions by the fans to the players during the games. Gino Cappelletti said, “This led to some crazy things. We could wander near their bench and eavesdrop on their play-calling. I remember coach Hank Stram calling for screen passes and us yelling to our defense about what was coming.” In another game against the Kansas City Chiefs, the Pats quarterback, Babe Parilli, had thrown many pass interceptions and was being berated by Pats coach Mike Holovak. Lennie St. James said that Babe went over to the Chiefs’ end of the sideline to get away from the abuse. Fans often suggested plays to the team which were dismissed but caused laughter among the players. When the Red Sox were in the playoffs, the Pats had to quickly change venues, once playing their home game in San Diego. The daily practices usually ended at 2 p.m. because the players had to get to their other jobs, such as car dealerships, insurance offices or restaurants. Linebacker Nick Buoniconti rushed to Suffolk University to earn his law school degree. The players were paid $7,500 to $11,000 annually, and the Patriots withheld 25% of the salary until the season ended to keep them from leaving. Things have certainly changed from the first year when the Pats finished in last place. If you were around in these early years you often thought that the Patriots would find another city with a stadium that would stabilize the team, but the owners plodded on, and as we know the team ended up in Foxboro. They started out as a professional laughingstock and advanced with fan support to the Super Bowl Champions we have idolized today. 781-321-7700 DISCOUNT FURNITURE COMPLETE LINE OF QUALITY FURNITURE AT LOW PRICES *BEDROOM SETS *DINING ROOM SETS *KITCHEN SETS ASHLEY SOFA *SOFA / LOVE SEATS *TABLES & CHAIRS *COMPUTER DESKS $399.00 ASHLEY BEDROOM SETS 895.95 $ LAYAWAY PLANS AVAILABLE 42 Willow St., Malden, Ma. 505 Broadway Everett, MA 02149 Tel: 617-387-1120 www.gkdental.com • Family Dentistry • Crowns • Bridges • Veneers/Lumineers • Dental Implants • All on 4 Dental Implants • Emergency Dentist • Kid Friendly Dentist • Root Canals • Dentures • Invisalign Braces • Snap On Smile • Teeth Whitening We are the smile care experts for your entire family In House Dental Plan for $399 (Cleanings, X-Rays, Exams twice a year and 20% OFF Dental work) Schedule your FREE Consultations today STARTING AT

8 Publizr Home