50-year reunion was a real kick!

Members of the 1971 Newark Valley league championship football team reunited on Oct. 23 at the John George Football Stadium, home of the Cardinals.

The Newark Valley High School Homecoming parade jumpstarted the day’s activities, with the reunion team selected by the school to serve as Grand Marshal.

Parade participants gathered at Trout Ponds Park for the 10 a.m. parade, which meandered around the streets of Newark Valley and concluded at the Middle School. Community members cheered and waved as the reunion team rode by on a celebratory hay wagon float.   

The Homecoming game, a match-up between the hometown team versus Walton resulted in a significant victory for Newark Valley, 38-6, and pushed them further up in the division rankings. 

During halftime, the 1971 reunion team, which was then a part of the Susquenango League, was honored on the field and introduced by name. Of 29 teammates, six have since passed away, and 15 were able to attend the reunion. A couple of team members traveled from as far away as Arizona and South Carolina. 

At the conclusion of the game the teammates, including one former cheerleader, gathered on the bleachers for a group photo under the John George Field signage, and later met up for reunion activities which included watching converted game tapes from “back-in-the-day” on a large screen television.

Teammate Mark Johnson shared, “There are a lot of great memories, and you feel as though it was the best years of your life.” 

An “In Memory” board was on display to honor deceased teammates, while a special prayer was held to remember them. 

One teammate remembered was Tom Zimmer. Jim Smithgall recalled that Zimmer was an excellent quarterback and good play caller, while Scott Miritello shared that Zimmer was “an amazing quarterback. He was the heart of the team with incredible leadership skills.” He added, “He also owned a fiery spirit that was unparalleled.”

Reunion team members interviewed mentioned that they have not seen many of their high school teammates since they graduated.

Smithgall said, “The reunion was phenomenal,” and Mark Monroe added, “Everyone was glad to see each other.”

Miritello commented, “It was good to reconnect,” and Gregrow shared that coordinating the reunion was a labor of love, while both said that seeing their teammates after five decades was indicative of “a brotherhood” and a bond that has endured.  

Monroe and Smithgall recalled early school days when they attended Newark Valley football games with their families, and it was on those occasions where the seeds were planted about playing football.

Smithgall remarked, “Football means a lot to this area, it’s a tradition,” and Gregrow added that several of the players are connected via family ties, and as a “small town team” it makes those bonds feel even stronger. 

Reunion team members also cited how team camaraderie played into their success. Miritello explained that each player inspired each other, and collectively they worked to form a solid team. Smithgall and Johnson noted that a majority of the players were together as a freshman team and many through senior year, and as Johnson remembers, also going back to junior high football.

A key element in the equation, too, was Coach John George. George retired from Newark Valley High School after more than 25 years as a teacher, coach and athletic director, and later achieved notoriety as a member of the Section IV Hall of Fame. Newark Valley’s 1971 league championship was George’s final championship team during his last year of coaching. The football stadium is named in his memory.

George is remembered by the 1971 teammates as being a role model, someone who provided life lessons, and a coach who motivated his players to perform to their best abilities while also making them feel that each one of them was important.

Miritello added about Coach George, “He was an ‘old-style’ disciplinarian, and a great leader who expected one hundred percent,” and added, “You left trying harder, even after you did your best.”  

Going forward, a couple of teammates mentioned that they hope they will all be able to stay connected, whether via social media or phone calls. All expressed a sense of pride for that moment in time and are thankful they were able to attend the reunion.