February 15 — In September 2021, a meeting was held to commemorate a great team, a great game and a great coach.
The members of that great team that reunited 55 years after that great game were the Coughlin Crusaders.
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The big game took place on Thursday, November 24, 1966 against another great team: the Kingston Huskies.
The great coach who guided the Crusaders, Joe Moran, died this week at the age of 92.
The reunion was an opportunity to once again celebrate this victory, but it was more of a tribute to Coach Moran – yes, a great football coach, but above all, a gentleman and a true role model who lived an exemplary life.
The Wilkes-Barre Record newspaper report said: “Kingston made a tremendous second-half surge, but fell short of its goal, as the red-and-blue-shirted Crusaders of Coughlin High School claimed a 20-19 victory yesterday for the Wyoming Valley Conference championship.”
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Coach Moran and several of his former players from the 1966 Wyoming Valley Conference Championship football team attended the reunion – about 40 team members, coaches and guests – to celebrate their victory over Kingston on Thanksgiving Day, November 24, 1966, in what is now Spartan Stadium.
Here is the second paragraph of this Wilkes-Barre Record story:
“A crowd of 12,763 gathered at Kingston Stadium for the annual Turkey Day clash and found the brawl lived up to expectations. Rooters from both schools remained on their feet for the final three minutes while the action only stopped at the last second.”
“Coach Joe Moran’s Crusaders won the school’s first championship since 1957 and it was Moran’s first title since he took over as coach in 1960. His 1964 team narrowly missed out on the honors following a single loss to Meyers – tour champions that year.”
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I remember Coach Moran refuting the attendance figures – he said there were over 15,500 at the game. He said the stands were full and special stands had to be installed to accommodate the overflow crowd. He said more and more people were all along the field watching the title game.
But here’s what made Coach Moran even more proud.
Coach Moran said he had 50 players in uniform for this game. He said 32 of them graduated from college, including five from Ivy League schools. He said team members became doctors, lawyers, educators, architects, business executives and civic leaders. He said several players entered the military and served in Vietnam.
“It was certainly a very unique group,” Moran said. “They have had incredible success on and off the field.”
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As he spoke, you could see, hear and feel the pride in Coach Moran’s voice.
Coach Moran said his players now live all over the country.
“We’ll talk about the team, the game and the coach,” he said of the reunion. “We definitely have a lot of good memories together.”
A few players arrived early that day: Bruce Evancho, a defensive end who chaired the reunion planning committee; Joe Duffy, running back; his brother Tom Duffy, the quarterback; Jim Blaum, the team’s valuable punter; and Mike Lowery, center and co-captain.
All of the players commented that Coach Moran was not only a great coach, but he also cared deeply about his players and worked tirelessly to help them get into college.
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Joe Duffy said, “It was one of the greatest high school football games ever played. And the game clock was kept on the field. We never knew how much time was left in the game.”
Evancho added: “I will never forget the crowd and the police escort we received.”
Back then, football matches were played on Turkey Day. Thanksgiving dinner would wait until “the game” was over. Thousands of people flocked to stadiums to watch these games, and they were rarely disappointing.
This week, we will surely talk a lot about this match. But there will also be a lot of talk about Coach Moran that goes far beyond football and athletics.
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Although proud of his many academic accomplishments, Coach Moran was best known for his lifelong dedication to athletics and the youth he coached. He was instrumental in the development of high school athletics in the Wyoming Valley.
In recognition of his lifelong contributions, Coach Moran was inducted into the Luzerne County Sports Hall of Fame in 1995.
Coach Moran’s coaching was guided by a simple philosophy: “It’s for the kids,” the obituary read. “Whether on the sidelines or as a referee, he always took the time to teach, encourage and make sure every athlete had a fair chance.”
And he was most proud of his family – he always provided updates every chance he got.
Although we will miss Coach Moran, he will be remembered forever.
Contact Bill O’Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.
