The Town
Hatfield in 1960 was a small New England town, with a population of only 2,350 people. Tobacco barns and potato fields shared space with tidy streets of homes and businesses, When the Falcons headed to the big city, the entire town was behind them.
Parents, clubs, businesses, churches - everyone was a Falcons fan and did their part to help the team. When it became clear the Falcons were Boston-bound, the town filled FOUR chartered buses, as well as many private cars, to be there and cheer on the team.
Cheerleading uniforms, 1960 and 1961. Worn and donated by Jeanne Zembiski Fitzgerald
"My mother and father were not huge sports fans but the support they gave us was remarkable. I think my father attended every game we played, home and away." - Charles Symanski, SA '62
Some people in town were huge sports fans. Helen Pelis, mother of Bernie Pelis, was such a stalwart advocate for all things Falcons that she was given an award, recognizing her as the Smith Academy Western Mass Champs - Most Valuable Female Fan - for the 1959-1960 season!
Bernie was on the JV team in 1959 and 1960, and played with the varsity team in 1960 Western Mass tournament. |
After most games, Russell's hosted the team, cheerleaders and crowds of fans, When fans stopped in, it was for hamburgers, Cokes and chips, not breakfast fare! Player Jim Southard worked at Russell's, although not quite as many hours during tournament season.
On championship occasions, The Hatfield Club & Barn fed half the town! |
Local groups celebrated every win, and the wins kept getting bigger- sometimes so quickly the town had to scramble to keep up! Winning the county-wide Hampshire League tournament was big enough on its own to warrant a celebration, but then they won the Western Mass title and were headed to Boston!
"I can still feel the excitement of traveling to the tournament on one of the buses with my parents and grandparents. On the way back, the buses stopped so my grandfather could make a a phone call to his staff at the Hatfield Club & Barn, to start setting up a smorgasbord...When we entered the Barn, the tables were being rolled out and my grandfather asked me to help, so this eight year old, with stars in her eyes, very proudly handed out plates to the hero players."
- Susan Kugler, SA '70
- Susan Kugler, SA '70
The following year, the Falcons were such a stand-out team they even inspired admirers from rival towns! Joni Gnatek, daughter of Hatfield native Joanna Szych Gnatek, attended Hopkins Academy in Hadley, and made this banner of the starting lineup headed for Boston in 1961: Billy Celatka, Charlie Symanski, Bob Kovalski, Marty Wilkes, and Terry Michaloski. Team members signed their names. "The banner was held up at Boston Garden by my uncles, "Panther" and Henry "Tiger" Szych, when the Falcons played there. They also marched around the Garden with it at halftime." - Jim Szych
Newspapers and clippings donated by Rose Kovalski Mulherin unless otherwise noted