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The Lower Merion High School Alumni Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony for 2023 will be held Oct. 7 at halftime of the Lower Merion-Penncrest football game at Arnold Field. The game starts at 1 p.m.
The inductees for 2023 are Lower Merion’s 1950 undefeated team, John Rohan (Class of 1963), John Raezer (Class of 1959), David Raezer (Class of 1960), Michael Mandarino (Class of 1964), Bernard Blanchard (Class of 1962), Ed Brennan (Class of 1971) and Tom Tracy (Class of 1978). This group represents a mix of record-setting receivers, linemen and running backs.
The Hall of Fame reception and dinner will be held Oct. 7 at the McCall Golf & Country Club in Upper Darby, from 6 to 9:30 p.m. Admission is $30 per person ($15 for those under 18 years of age) and is payable by cash or check (payable to “LMHS Football HOF”) at the door. Dress is casual, and all transactions at the bar must be paid by a credit card.
For more information email Paul Monaghan at lmgridhof@aol.com or call him at 610-896-5420. The Hall of Fame is a non-profit, self-supporting organization. Donations can be sent to the Lower Merion Football Hall of Fame at 923 Clover Hill Road in Wynnewood.
Here is a brief description of the inductees:
1950 Undefeated Squad – This squad, which posted a 9-0 record, outscored their opponents 242 to 39. The head coach was Dick Mattis (2006 HOF inductee). The co-captains were John Braithwaite and Marios Chios. Four players from the team have been inducted into the Hall of Fame- Russell Carter, John Braithwaite, Terry Malloy, and Al Ciarrochi. 1950 was the year that the new athletic facility was renamed in honor of General Henry H. Arnold.
John Rohan (Class of 1963) – The Rohan family moved from the Pittsburgh area to Narberth in 1960, and that fall John enrolled in Lower Merion as a sophomore. During the 1960 football season he earned a varsity letter playing mostly on special teams for the Suburban I co-champions. During the next two seasons he was a starting two-way tackle. In 1962, he led the team with 59 tackles (including 12 vs. Radnor), was voted the team’s Most Valuable Player and won the Old Time Gridders Award as the MVP in the Radnor game. His accomplishments on the gridiron earned him a scholarship to Villanova. While at Lower Merion he also wrestled and played lacrosse.
John Raezer (Class of 1959) – As a sophomore, John was a member of LM’s last undefeated squad (1956). As a junior and senior he was named first team on the 1957 All-Main Line All-Star team. In his final game (vs. Radnor) he caught seven passes – a single game school record at that time. John also was the leading scorer (19.8 ppg) on the 1958-59 LM basketball team, and continued his basketball career at Harvard University. John’s daughter, Julie (Lower Merion Class of 2005), was an outstanding
tennis player for LM and later Penn State. She was a four-time varsity letter winner, captain of the 2005 Pennsylvania State Championship team, and All-State for four years.
Dave Raezer (Class of 1960) – One of the defensive heroes of the 1959 Lower Merion football squad, Dave served on the Board of Directors of the Fritz Brennan Scholarship Fund from its inception in 1989. In the fall of 1996 he was selected to participate in a round robin discussion of the history of the Lower Merion/Radnor football rivalry. Dave’s son, David, Jr., played soccer and lacrosse at Harriton. His brother, John, was captain of Harriton’s 1993 District 1 championship football team.
Michael Mandarino (Class of 1964) – When he arrived at Lower Merion football practice in the summer of 1961, he found himself playing for the same coach, Fritz Brennan, who had coached his father years earlier at West Catholic High School. Mike was a two-way starter in 1962, and the 1963 season would be his finest. The team finished with a record of 8-1 and were champions of the Suburban One League, winner of eleven straight league games. In 2021 this team was inducted into the Lower Merion Football Hall of Fame. Mike’s post-season honors included being named First Team All- League and First Team All-Main Line and was named First Team on the Philadelphia All-Scholastic Team. Mike played four years of football at the University of Pennsylvania.
Bernard Blanchard (Class of 1962) – There is a story that Fritz Brennan was asked at an Old -Time Gridders dinner to identify who he considered the best player he ever had in his tenure as head coach of Lower Merion. His answer was “Bernie Blanchard.” Bernard was a two-way performer on the 1960 squad, which were league co-champions and in 1961 was co-captain, team MVP, a Weekly Maxwell Award winner and first team All-Main Line. In 2023 he was inducted to LM Track Hall of Fame. He was a defensive standout for Colorado State football team in 1964 and 1965.
Ed Brennan (Class of 1971) – Ed Brennan had the best game of his sophomore season (1968) against Radnor, which was the final game his father, Hall of Fame coach John “Fritz” Brennan, would serve as the head football coach of Lower Merion. Brennan had 10 receptions (a school record) for 69 yards and a touchdown. His senior season was his finest. He was co-captain of a team that finished 6-3 (two of the losses were by a total of five points), rushed for 728 yards and scored 12 touchdowns. He won the James Fleck Memorial Award as the Most Valuable Player and the “Old Time Gridders” award as the MVP of the Radnor game (158 yards rushing). At season’s end he was named first team All Main Line and All Central League and was named second team on the Philadelphia Area All-Scholastic team and honorable mention All-State. He earned a football scholarship to the University of Pittsburgh.
Tom Tracy (Class of 1978) – In 1977, Tracy caught 25 passes for a school-record 577 yards in a wishbone offense. Tom won the Old Time Gridders Award as the Most Valuable Player of the Radnor game. At season’s end he was named first team All Main Line and in the spring was named to the Montgomery County All Star team, and helped lead the South team to victory. That spring he served as co-captain of the baseball team, played shortstop and pitched, and received first team All-Main Line honors.
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