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| Wayback Wednesday: The 1973 CAL Champion Pioneers |
Before the team even began preseason workouts, they were dealt a severe blow when they discovered that they would be without the services of team captain Jim Peterson. Head coach Bill Rodan announced that the standout guard and linebacker would not be able to play his senior year due to a blood clot in his left leg suffered during the summer.
"We hope to have him in a coaching position," Rodan told the Villager, "but the team will miss his leadership."
Even with Peterson unable to play, the Pioneers looked to have a solid core coming back from the 1972 team that went 6-3 in their final year in the Dual County League.
Rodan, who was beginning his fifth year as Pioneer head coach and had compiled a 23-13 mark in his first four years, noted that only a few players were lost through graduation.
Back for the Pioneers were junior halfback Alan Harrington, junior tackle Gary Wolfe, both starters from the '72 team. Also returning were senior center Jeff Silva, junior running back Steve Celata, senior John Callahan, junior linebacker Dave DiFillipo and seniors John Embrescia, Brian McMahon, Brian Robinson, James Neuman, Larry Mitkus and Brian Rea.
Also back and destined to have a huge impact on the 1973 season were two year starting quarterback Steve Olsen and his receiving sidekick Lindsey Ross.
Olsen came into the season with 10 career touchdown passes, nine as a junior in 1972 which tied Doug Murdock's single season record for most TD's set in 1960. Ross had a pair of TD catches as a junior.
Olsen would go on to become the all time career TD passing leader with 23, a record that would hold up for 38 years until Gino Cohee finally surpassed it in 2010.
Ross has 11 career TD's and that still ranks as the career best by a Pioneer.
The duo would terrorize their new league in 1973.
Rodan was pleased with the early workouts telling the Villager "they look pretty good for the second day of practice. They're working pretty hard."
But the coach, who amassed a 101-52 record in 16 years and is still the winningest coach in Lynnfield High history, would not speculate on how he felt his team would do in 1973.
"I have no idea how the season will go," Rodan said. "It's a new league for us and we really can't make any predictions."
Next: Choosing the new team captain
1973 Flashback
The meeting was held because of a letter to the editor from two 1973 LHS graduates who were asking the board to repeal the ordinance and instead were looking to have the town approve the South Hall parking lot "as an alternative location for youths to congregate."
The two girls explained that "there is a need for a location for youths to socialize and the that South Hall area is large enough plus there are no houses immediately adjacent to the area eliminating complaints such as those presented to the Selectmen by Oak St residents adjacent to Newhall Park."
The girls agreed that littering fines should be enforced, "but that a greater number of trash barrels be provided, more than the three which are at Newhall Park. They added that the police could check the age of drinkers in the area."
Keep in mind that in 1973, the legal drinking age in Massachusetts was 18.
Selectman Board Chairman Joe Maney said he "didn't think the Board had the authority to set up a drinking place for any age group."
Some other suggestions at the meeting included "building a bar room whose profits would go to lower taxes" and to "build a building where kids could bring their own liquor."
No final action was taken at the meeting.
If you played on or were involved with the 1973 Pioneers and would like to share a memory, please pass it on to me at tcondardo@gmail.com.
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