In 1970, Hank Bazan of Chicopee started a club football program at Western New England College. He coached the team for 10 seasons, then saw it grow into varsity status.
In 1981, WNE defeated Framingham State 18-0 in the school’s first game as an NCAA Division III member. The Golden Bears were coached by Mark Federici, who had succeeded Bazan as coach of the club team in 1980.
At halftime of its 1 p.m. home game Saturday against Plymouth State, Western New England – now a university – will mark the 30th anniversary of its Division III football program.
Enfield, Conn., natives Jim Bedard and Rich Coverdill, players who were part of the transition from club football to varsity, helped organize the 30th anniversary tribute. It will be a highlight of Family and Friends Weekend.
“At the time, it was a pivotal moment to take the program into Division III,” Coverdill said. “It was our biggest hope and dream that the football program would continue to grow.”
That it has. This year’s team stands 6-1 and has won five in a row.
BIRDS AND BOWLING: The American Hockey League’s Springfield Falcons will say thanks to their ticket-package holders and corporate sponsors with a “Bowling with the Falcons” event Wednesday, Nov. 2, at 6 p.m. at AMF Bowling Lanes, 1387 Liberty St., Springfield.
“We always try to come up with a unique way to allow our loyal supporters to meet the players. We feel that this one will be a huge success,” president/general manager Bruce Landon said.
Ticket-package holders and sponsors can sign up for a night of bowling with Falcons players by calling 739-GOAL.
MEMORIES OF YAZ: Peter Nowak of Ludlow has fond memories of fund-raisers conducted by his dear friend, the late Edwin “Soupy” Tulik.
“I remember when Soupy brought Carl Yastrzemski to Ludlow. It was the winter after the Red Sox won the pennant in 1967. Yaz signed autographs and posed for all the pictures anybody wanted to take. All that and a sit-down dinner for $5,” Nowak said.
BASEBALL, AND MORE: Give Springfield’s “Bring It Back Home” baseball committee credit for getting to work early. Mike Borecki’s group already is making plans for the 2012 Father’s Day weekend events at Forest Park.
In addition to American Legion and vintage baseball games, the committee plans a 3-on-3 basketball tournament and a bocce event. The bocce portion will be taken care of by that well-known authority on the sport, Rico Daniele of Springfield.
Plans also call for a tribute to American Legion Post 420’s 1978 team, which made it to the Legion World Series. That team is the last from Western Massachusetts to win a state title.
BEST BET for the weekend: Haynesfield, in the Empire Classic at Belmont.
Garry Brown can be reached at geeman1918@yahoo.com