Members of the West Orange High School football team stand for the national anthem before the start of a game.
By Charlie Brannick
Special to the Chronicle
When two high schools from neighboring towns play each other it often winds up being called a “rivalry game.”
When Orange and West Orange take to the field Fridy night, it will be the 60th year since October 1964 when the then West Orange Cowboys and the Orange Tornadoes met and here’s the story why that is important.
For more than a decade the West Orange team was the doormat of Essex County. For one stretch, from 1959 to 1962 they compiled just two wins against 34 losses. The Orange High School team fared better, finishing third in the state in 1960, but had gone into a downward spiral since then.
It was a common practice for ex-Cowboys Harold Behar, John Nardiello and Pat Romano, and former Tornadoes Joe Massaro and Frank Granato, who we called the “old guys,” to attend the games and afterwards meet at Timmy’s Luncheonette for a “Post Game Show.”
I was 12 at the time and Timmy’s was where I hung out with friends. Listening to the old guys, our hungry little ears were fed from these meetings and conversations. More importantly, the idea to form the West Orange/Orange Rebels youth football team was hatched.
These “old guys,” who were about to become coaches, reasoned that if Montclair could consistently turn out powerhouse teams then why couldn’t the Cowboys or Tornadoes?
Here’s a quote from the original Rebels’ mission statement, “They have asked for our help and we could not refuse.”
Everything from coaching, to practices, to scheduling, transportation and insurance, to the colors of the uniforms for the team and cheerleaders came from the volunteer efforts of these men.
As for myself, I grew up down the hill from the West Orange field. From our house you could hear the weekday practice whistles and the marching band. Mom used to sing along with the fight songs and point out the stars in her yearbooks.
The Cowboys were good back then and I went to games from the time I could walk.
At Jenkins Playground, before it was decimated to make room for Interstate 280, we played out all our football fantasies. In the summer of 1960 the Rebels held their first practice and I was pegged as a quarterback. Permission slips were handed out for parental approval but my dad said, “you’re not going to play now because your body isn’t fully developed.”
What hurt the most was he wasn’t getting behind my dream.
As the Rebels rolled through the competition they grew in popularity. One day a well-dressed man, I vaguely recognized, in a nice overcoat, suit, tie and hat, was in attendance who turned out to be the congressman for the 11th District of New Jersey, Hugh Addonizio.
Fast forward to the 1964 season—the West Orange vs Orange game featured many of these former Rebels.
According to tradition, on Friday afternoon, the Town of West Orange started depositing crates and pallets at Jenkins, in a huge, misshapen pile as big as the dump truck that brought them. Local kids were on fire with excitement long before the first match was struck. The Friday night rally with band and cheerleaders would fan the flames of Cowboy pride in the hearts of the townsfolk and team alike.
The Tornadoes were underdogs that day but that wasn’t the only challenge they would face. The team bus wouldn’t start so here they came like foot soldiers marching through our town making theirsomber ascent to Hayden Evans Field.
In front of a packed house, the Cowboys in white uniforms with maroon numerals and the Tornadoes in orange and black, took the field. The flag waved while the national anthem played as the hazy blue New York City skyline sat in the background with the moment of truth moments away.
In a hard fought battle the Cowboys won 13-0. Heroics were provided by Billy Dalton returning a punt 45 yards for a touchdown and Pete Troccoli recovering a fumble on a Tornado drive. One thing was certain, the walk back down the hill for the Tornadoes was a lot harder than the walk up.
The 1964 Cowboys finished the season 4-4-1, their second best record in the last 15 years. OHS finished 2-7. More important was what those boys did with the rest of their lives.
From West Orange, one went to the United States Naval Academy, became a shortstop, captain of the baseball team and a pilot. Another was a linebacker and co-captain for the University of Connecticut Huskies and then a lawyer. Another was a minor league catcher for the St. Louis Cardinals.
Several more played college football and one was inducted into the New Jersey High School Coaches Hall of Fame. All had good careers and more could have played college ball if they wanted to.
Orange High School produced similar results; four doctors, one who played end for Syracuse, a playwright, law enforcement officers and military members. From those first two years of Rebel football came 35 future players for the Orange and West Orange teams.
Most of the “old guys” are gone now but are remembered for their passion and positive influence.
Players still recall those days with a smile. Sharing a dream and working together to achieve it was a good habit to establish when building a life.
As for me and my dad, he made his decision with the long view in mind but I still would have loved to have been a part of that team.
Charlie Brannick graduated from Our Lady of the Valley High School in 1966, joined the Army and served with the 82nd Airborne Division in Vietnam from 1968 to 1969.
He returned home, graduated from Kean College in 1974 with a degree in psychology and has lived in Eureka, California since 1977 where he works as a painting contractor. He has published three travel/memoir books, which are available on Amazon.
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