LEOMINSTER -- The Leominster High School Football Hall of Fame's inaugural induction ceremony, held at the Elks Lodge in Leominster Thursday night, was the community's first chance to honor individuals who made significant contributions to the sport in the city.
The inductees included athletes, coaches and one special team that went undefeated.
"This was an easy one," said Mark Bodanza, who organized the Hall of Fame with help from Gil Donatelli. "Some of these people are just legends. It was either because of their contributions to Leominster football or because of their playing days or because they were coaches with amazing records."
Inductees for the inaugural class were Bernard W. Doyle, Lou Little, James "Red" Barrett, Charles Hazard, Ray Comerford, Charles Broderick, Ronnie Cahill, Elio Torcoletti, Leon "Huck" Hannigan, and the 1932 LHS team.
Comerford coached the Blue Devils to back-to-back wins over Fitchburg High School in 1928 and 1929, the first time that feat had happened since the early 1900s.
Broderick holds the record for longest tenure for a coach at LHS, leading the football team for 34 years. He was the coach of the 1932 team that went undefeated and the 1933 team that won all of its games except a Thanksgiving Day loss to Fitchburg.
Hannigan, who coached in the 1960s and 1970s, is the group's member with the most recent accomplishments.
Little coached LHS football directly out of high school, but his heyday came as head coach of Columbia University, leading them to a victory over Stanford University in the Rose Bowl in 1934. He was also instrumental in helping LHS boys get scholarships to Columbia.
Barrett was one of the early significant players in LHS history. He went on to become the captain of the Harvard University football team in 1929, a major distinction at the time, according to Bodanza.
Doyle gave the program a lift in hiring Comerford as well as building Doyle Field.
Hazard was the captain of the football team in 1928.
"Leominster was pretty forward-thinking because Charles Hazard was not really the star of the football team, but apparently was the guiding force and could be counted on. He was also of African American descent," said Bodanza.
The NFL was segregated completely from 1933-1936.
Cahill is arguably the best player to ever play for the Blue and White, according to Bodanza, who also serves at Leominster's historian. Cahill played at Holy Cross before playing professionally for a year with the Chicago Cardinals.
Torcoletti was inducted for his support of Leominster youth programs and Leominster football through the years.
"He was always there for the youth of Leominster," said Bodanza.
Torcoletti played for LHS and is also credited with starting the Leominster Pop Warner program and local baseball leagues.
"Leominster has a great football heritage and this is a good way to preserve not only the heritage of it but to educate the youth of the city as to what went before them," said Bodanza.
It is Donatelli's hope that a second story will be added to the field house at Doyle Field to house the Football Hall of Fame. For now, at least, the Hall will be housed at the Leominster Historical Society.
Frank Novak, a 1956 Leominster High School graduate and a 16-year coaching veteran in the NFL, was on hand as the guest speaker.
"I'm proud to be from Leominster," Novak said. "I've been to a lot of places since I left here and started coaching. This is my home, make no mistake about that. I'm proud of this community. I'm proud of their efforts they made with the football program here.
"If your actions inspire others to do more, to dream more, to learn more and to become more, you can be a leader."
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