Van Tine and ‘52 team forever linked
Paraphrasing a famous quote, “those who forget history are doomed to repeat it.” While that quote was an admonition, perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad to repeat some of Norwich’s football history.
Seventy-six years ago, Norwich’s 1937 football team went unbeaten and unscored on. Since that time, only one other Norwich football team has completed a full season with a perfect record, the 1952 gridiron gang. That ’52 club did give up some points, but not many, and it was one of the six honorees at the third annual Norwich High School Sports Hall of Fame banquet, held Saturday evening at Canasawacta Country Club.
These gentlemen were a little older than my father, but were, indeed, his contemporaries. My uncle Bud Sheehan was a letter winner on that club when earning a varsity letter really meant something, and my Aunt Mary Sheehan (Pires) was a classmate of the seniors on the championship squad. I have a special fondness for the ’52 club because of the family connection, but also because one of the great sports editors in our newspaper’s history, Bob Van Tine, was also enshrined in the 2013 class.
As was said at the banquet many times, they don’t make ‘em like Bob Van Tine anymore, and you would be hard-pressed to find a similar collection of athletes on par with the group of men that comprised the 1952 squad. Van Tine and those gridiron greats are inexorably linked.
I am repeating facts that are widely known in this community, but for those not up to date on Norwich sports history, two seniors from the 1952 club went on to play Division I college ball at Syracuse University. Ed Ackley was a backup running back for the Orange, and would have likely been the starter if not for the presence of Jim Brown, regarded by many as the greatest running back in NFL history. When Brown took a rest, Ackley filled his spot in the lineup.
The other SU recruit, Ron Tyler, took a backseat to no one, and actually started in Syracuse’s defensive backfield.
A man I sat next to at Saturday’s banquet, Bob Endries, a junior starting offensive lineman on the ’52 squad, went on to play college football at Cornell. To that point, Cornell – and most of the Ivy League schools – was still on par with the great collegiate football schools in the nation.
To draw a comparison, this past fall I completed my 18th season covering high school football. Not one Norwich football player in that time has gone on to play Division One college football.
Don Chirlin, an offensive end and defensive back on the 1952 team, spoke at the banquet, and listed some of the other accomplishments that followed the undefeated football season. The basketball team went on to win a Section III championship. Back then, schools of all sizes competed in one tournament. There weren’t separate Class A, B, C, or D divisions. There was one champion in all of Section III basketball, and Norwich was the 1953 titleist. That same winter, led by coach Sam Elia, the Norwich wrestling team completed an unbeaten season. Moving forward, the baseball team lost exactly one game, Chirlin said.
Norwich had some great teams and great athletes in the early 1990s, and it’s the only other set of athletes one can point to with a similar resume to the 1952-1953 class. But even those athletes of 20 years ago are a step shy of the teams from 60 years ago.
Chirlin, echoing the sentiments of many classmates, said that Van Tine was largely responsible for what he became as an athlete. Van Tine, a 1939 Norwich High School graduate, apprenticed under the legendary Perry Browne working as a sportswriter for the Norwich Sun. Browne ascended to managing editor, but tragically passed away in 1949. Van Tine, continuing in Browne’s tradition, assumed the mantle of sports editor, but did much, much more for the Norwich community than write sports stories.
Van Tine was a tireless volunteer and advocate for youth sports outside of his sportswriting duties at the newspaper. He coached many of the same kids who would become the legends of 1952. He freely gave his time – and money – with his pay-off seeing those men blossom into great athletes and even finer men. When he left Norwich for the daily newspaper in Kearney, Nebraska in 1956, Van Tine picked up where he left off. He became as revered and respected a man in his new town as his hometown, Norwich. In 1977, Van Tine passed away suddenly, much like his mentor, Perry Browne. Browne’s legacy is the elementary school that bears his name; Van Tine’s is the group of men who were honored Saturday evening.
Seventy-six years ago, Norwich’s 1937 football team went unbeaten and unscored on. Since that time, only one other Norwich football team has completed a full season with a perfect record, the 1952 gridiron gang. That ’52 club did give up some points, but not many, and it was one of the six honorees at the third annual Norwich High School Sports Hall of Fame banquet, held Saturday evening at Canasawacta Country Club.
These gentlemen were a little older than my father, but were, indeed, his contemporaries. My uncle Bud Sheehan was a letter winner on that club when earning a varsity letter really meant something, and my Aunt Mary Sheehan (Pires) was a classmate of the seniors on the championship squad. I have a special fondness for the ’52 club because of the family connection, but also because one of the great sports editors in our newspaper’s history, Bob Van Tine, was also enshrined in the 2013 class.
As was said at the banquet many times, they don’t make ‘em like Bob Van Tine anymore, and you would be hard-pressed to find a similar collection of athletes on par with the group of men that comprised the 1952 squad. Van Tine and those gridiron greats are inexorably linked.
I am repeating facts that are widely known in this community, but for those not up to date on Norwich sports history, two seniors from the 1952 club went on to play Division I college ball at Syracuse University. Ed Ackley was a backup running back for the Orange, and would have likely been the starter if not for the presence of Jim Brown, regarded by many as the greatest running back in NFL history. When Brown took a rest, Ackley filled his spot in the lineup.
The other SU recruit, Ron Tyler, took a backseat to no one, and actually started in Syracuse’s defensive backfield.
A man I sat next to at Saturday’s banquet, Bob Endries, a junior starting offensive lineman on the ’52 squad, went on to play college football at Cornell. To that point, Cornell – and most of the Ivy League schools – was still on par with the great collegiate football schools in the nation.
To draw a comparison, this past fall I completed my 18th season covering high school football. Not one Norwich football player in that time has gone on to play Division One college football.
Don Chirlin, an offensive end and defensive back on the 1952 team, spoke at the banquet, and listed some of the other accomplishments that followed the undefeated football season. The basketball team went on to win a Section III championship. Back then, schools of all sizes competed in one tournament. There weren’t separate Class A, B, C, or D divisions. There was one champion in all of Section III basketball, and Norwich was the 1953 titleist. That same winter, led by coach Sam Elia, the Norwich wrestling team completed an unbeaten season. Moving forward, the baseball team lost exactly one game, Chirlin said.
Norwich had some great teams and great athletes in the early 1990s, and it’s the only other set of athletes one can point to with a similar resume to the 1952-1953 class. But even those athletes of 20 years ago are a step shy of the teams from 60 years ago.
Chirlin, echoing the sentiments of many classmates, said that Van Tine was largely responsible for what he became as an athlete. Van Tine, a 1939 Norwich High School graduate, apprenticed under the legendary Perry Browne working as a sportswriter for the Norwich Sun. Browne ascended to managing editor, but tragically passed away in 1949. Van Tine, continuing in Browne’s tradition, assumed the mantle of sports editor, but did much, much more for the Norwich community than write sports stories.
Van Tine was a tireless volunteer and advocate for youth sports outside of his sportswriting duties at the newspaper. He coached many of the same kids who would become the legends of 1952. He freely gave his time – and money – with his pay-off seeing those men blossom into great athletes and even finer men. When he left Norwich for the daily newspaper in Kearney, Nebraska in 1956, Van Tine picked up where he left off. He became as revered and respected a man in his new town as his hometown, Norwich. In 1977, Van Tine passed away suddenly, much like his mentor, Perry Browne. Browne’s legacy is the elementary school that bears his name; Van Tine’s is the group of men who were honored Saturday evening.
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