THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, JANUARY 15, 2021 Page 11 SPORTS | FROM PAGE 10 cellent varsity football season as the starting varsity quarterback for Head Coach Paul Finn’s Malden High School (MHS) Golden Tornadoes football team. Monaco was a steady-under-pressure field general with a rocket arm who had already begun to attract the attention of college scouts, despite it just being his sophomore season. Just 36 hours earlier, Monaco had directed a brilliant comeback attempt in the 96th Annual Malden-Medford Thanksgiving Game, only to see the Tornadoes fall, 25-14. Despite the loss, the 15-year-old Monaco was sensational, staring down a 25-0 halftime deficit at windy, frigid Hormel Stadium and completing 18 of 21 passes for 177 yards and two TDs. I was an assistant coach, just my second season of many on Coach Finn’s football staff; we all had visions of what lay ahead for this kid, who would go on to set records and be one of the best Tornadoes signal-callers of all time. A high school sophomore already on the map Games like that had already put Monaco on the map, and about a week earlier Cowboy Jack and the Eagles had invited a passel of local high school prospects, including Monaco, to come see what was arguably the most anticipated BC home football game in its history at the time. Since Monaco wanted to take two of his MHS football buddies to the game, Moose Gennette and Jake McGrath, who had been on the receiving end of many of Monaco’s passes the day before, there left one more ticket to be had. “Thank you very much,” I said, “I’ll drive,” as we loaded up the Impala and headed down 95-South to go see Godzilla and try and see what Flutie Fever felt like in person! Despite the horrendous weather, with wind and rain drizzling at the beginning and then whipping up stronger and stronger like an orchestral storm, the game lived up to its billing...if you were a BC fan. An Alabama fan? An utter disaster. The Crimson Tide was supposed to mop up the floor with the lowly Eagles, who had somehow surreptitiously snuck into the Top 20. First half all tied at 6-6, a disaster for Alabama The first half was a deadlock, tied at 6-6. The rain, wind and snow had been a steady three-course, sloppy serving of weather that football fans and players all swear they love, but ond half began. The Sullivan Stadium lights went out just before the second half was to begin. It was later reported that the nationally televised CBS picture transmission went out, too, although the commentators, Lindsey Nelson and Jack Snow, continued the play-byplay audio. But they kept playing the Here is Malden High School Hall of Famer quarterback Steve Monaco (12), the Golden Tornadoes’ all-time leading passer, making a handoff in the 1983 Thanksgiving Day Game, which was the 96th game in the Malden-Medford series. Just over 24 hours later, he was at Sullivan Stadium, taking in the BC-Alabama showdown. (Courtesy/Maldonian) most of them are flat-out liars on that one. Obviously, being from Malden, we had brought neither umbrellas, proper rain gear nor decent footwear, except Monaco, who swore by work boots even at that young age. For all of us, it was plastic trash bags all around, belay the ponchos, with holes ripped open to poke our heads through, of course. For the Eagles, it was not “Flutie Magic” that ruled the night – it was the BC defense. Leading the way for BC was middle linebacker Steve DeOssie, a senior captain who simply ate the Crimson Tide for dinner, one of the best games of his senior year. Alabama was stopped at the BC two-yardline on one first-half drive, then at the BC one-yard line in another deep drive. It had to settle for field goals of 20 and 28 yards for a 6-0 lead. (An aside: I actually knew DeOssie at the time, having met him when he played in the Shriner’s High School Football All-Star Game in 1980 with my younger brother, Gary. The two became good friends, having both been born in Charlestown, and they stayed in touch. They both went on to be college football captains, DeOssie at BC, after a great high school career at now gone Don Bosco, and Gary a three-year starting tight end at UMass Amherst. DeOssie went on to a 12-year NFL career and is now an analyst of the present-day Patriots. My brother got some professional football offers from the then fledgling USFL, but he opted to go start earning a paycheck and became a career corrections officer.) Back to the game: Flutie took his team 66 yards in the closing minutes of the half to a fourthdown, one-yard touchdown dive by Steve Strachan to make it 6-6. But kicker Kevin Snow missed two chances at the extra point – on the first miss Alabama was penalized – and the score was tied at intermission. The weather continued to be incredibly bad. Let the record show that over 58,000 tickets were sold for this game, a near sellout. But the place was, maybe, just over half full at kickoff. Thousands more fled the wicked weather at halftime. When asked about the game at the time, Flutie said in one published report, “It was so bad that when you came out of the game after not moving the ball you were almost glad because you had a chance to get warm. That sounds ridiculous, but it’s true.” A weird night got weirder: “The Big Blackout” A weird and crazy night then got a little weirder, and a little crazier. Then came “The Big Blackout” just before the secgame! The game had started at 1:30 p.m., but now it was well after 3:00 and heading to 4:00 as the second half started. Daylight wasn’t burning, to quote John Wayne from “The Cowboys,” it was running away and hiding, it being late November. With about 4:30 left in the third quarter, no times were exact because of the absence of a scoreboard; a punt by Boston College’s John Mihalik from midfield was blocked by Paul Tripoli. Anthony Smiley got the ball at the Alabama 42, picked up several blockers and went all the way to give the Crimson Tide a 13-6 lead. That must have been what jumpstarted the “Fever.” Flutie had been not much of a factor up until the fourth quarter. That changed in the fourth quarter as Flutie took over and along with two fourth-quarter touchdowns by fullback Bob Biestek, one on a five-yard pass from Flutie, the other on a three-yard dive with 5:06 to go, the Eagles soared to 9-2, as great a comefrom-behind victory as the school has ever experienced. Flutie Magic pulled it out for BC in the end Flutie finished 14-of-29 for 198 yards, over half of that total yardage in the fourth quarter. Defensive end Dave Thomas recovered two deadly (for Alabama) Tide fumbles in the fourth quarter to set up both BC TDs. Alabama never gave in, and with under three minutes left got the ball back twice, but BC’s defense hung on with stops at the Eagles’ 28-yard line, and finally, on the last play of the game, at its own 11-yard line. Of course, the Malden guys stayed all the way to the end. Wet and cold, but happy to see a part of history. Flutie would go on to be one of the most celebrated collegiate players in modern times, winning the Heisman Trophy as the nation’s best player the next year, his senior season in 1984. He also led BC to back-to-back wins over Alabama, a 37-31 victory in Tuscaloosa, Ala., the next season. (Alabama never scheduled BC again!) Flutie – 5-10, 175 lbs. – was not projected as a professional QB, but went on to have a 20-year pro career in the USFL (1985), NFL (1986-89 and 19982005) and Canadian Football League (CFL, 1990-1997), including two stints with the Patriots (1987-89, 2005). Monaco did not end up wearing the Gold and Maroon of BC. After he finished a Hall of Fame career at Malden High, he became the Golden Tornadoes’ first Division 1 scholarship quarterback since the 1940s, heading to South Kingston to play four years for the University of Rhode Island Rams. It was great to see history in the making...and we will all never forget the day we saw BC beat Alabama in our own backyard. Good times, indeed – a real memory-maker. Saugus Babe Ruth gets ready to start 2021 season (Editor’s Note: The following info is from a World Series Park press release issued this week.) fter not being able to have a 2020 season, Saugus Babe Ruth is gearing up for the 2021 season. All games will be played at World Series Park starting in early April. Saugus Babe Ruth offers Saugus 13 to 15 year olds the opportunity to play competitive baseball for a reasonable A sign-up fee. “We’re anxious to start regrouping for the 2021 season,” Saugus Babe Ruth President Bob Gratiano said. He continued, “We’re in need of coaches and hope to sign up a lot of players. The more players we get, the more teams we’ll have and the more LET’S PLAY BALL! Pictured is a Saugus Babe Ruth game at World Series Park from an earlier season. (Courtesy photo to The Saugus Advocate) games we’ll be able to play. We’ll get the word out soon about where and when we’ll have sign-ups.” Saugus Babe Ruth has a long history, having been in existence for over 60 years. For more information about Saugus Babe Ruth and how someone can sign up, contact Gratiano at 781-520-0536 or email bob507@comcast.net.
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