Carrying the Torch of Sporting Tradition

Founded in 1932, the Gridiron Club of Greater Boston proudly carries the torch of sporting tradition in New England. Our mission is to promote and advance sportsmanship, fair play, teamwork in sports, athletic and academic achievement, good citizenship, and other admirable qualities exemplified in the great game of football and other sporting endeavors.

Leadership in Boston Sports

The Gridiron Club of Greater Boston is governed by a dedicated group of officers and board members. Their commitment to excellence and passion for sportsmanship drive the club's mission forward, making a significant impact on the landscape of Boston sports.

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Message from the President

There are few gifts in this life that I embrace more than being on or around a football field on a crisp fall weekend. The anticipation gives way to the action, which will yield big moments, both teachable and celebratory. And then the best part – we get to do it all over again next week.

As my high school coach would say as he walked around stretching lines while we prepared for an early-morning August practice, “The rest of your classmates are asleep, and you’re out here getting better. Where else would you rather be?”

It felt a bit tongue in cheek as we prepared to work out in the summer heat, but the years have brought more clarity.

Since 1932, the Gridiron Club of Greater Boston has promoted the great game of football at all levels and nurtured the ideals of citizenship, sportsmanship, leadership, and athletic and academic achievement. As members of my family have been part of the Gridiron Club since its founding, it is my distinct pleasure to now serve as president of this storied and prestigious group.

With 57 college football programs across New England’s six states to go with high school programs numbering in the hundreds, the sport continues to thrive as an integral facet of the educational and instructional experience for so many young people. In the fall, that valuable and requisite hard work of the winter, spring, and summer is put on display, with spectators reaping the benefits of the grueling hours put in by players, coaches, and referees alike.

The 2024 football season cannot get here soon enough, and we hope to see you get involved as we promote this game that has given us all so much joy and fulfillment through the years. As a former high school and college player who has been around the game both as a club member and in a journalistic capacity, I am honored to serve this club and the New England football community.

There is no place we would rather be.

Tim Whelan Jr.

Officers and Directors

Club Officers, 2024-25: President: Tim Whelan, Jr.; First Vice President: Richard Schoenfeld; Second Vice President: Lou Abare; Third Vice President: Kevin Gallant; Secretary/Treasurer: Dick Lawrence
Board of Directors: Tim Whelan, Chairman; Dick Lawrence, Clerk; Tom Burke, Chris Clemente, Jim Kearney, Tom Lamb, Cheryl Duddy Schoenfeld, Tim Whelan Jr.

Executive Committee: Skip Bandini, Curt Bletzer, Tom Burke, Jay Civetti, Chris Clemente, Tim Costello, Pete Cronan, Ned Cully, Ken Eldridge, Ray Gallant, Steve Grogan, Bob Horan, Jim Kearney, Tom Lamb, Dick Lawrence, Tom Lopez, Bob Norton, Dave O'Brien, Ed Schluntz, Cheryl Duddy Schoenfeld, Richard Schoenfeld, William J. Stewart III, Bob Weiss, Tim Whelan

The Gridiron Club’s Mission and History as “Keepers of the Flame”

Our Mission

To promote and advance sportsmanship, fair play, teamwork, athletic and academic achievement, good citizenship, and other worthy qualities and attributes exemplified in the great game of football and in other sporting endeavors. The club is responsible for several of the oldest nationally recognized and most tradition-rich honors in American sport, such as the Bulger Lowe Award (1939), Nils V. “Swede” Swede Nelson Award (1946), and Walter Brown Award (1953). The Swede Nelson Award’s past winners include Doak Walker '49 and Doug Flutie '84, both of whom were Heisman Trophy winners, as were Club members Dick Kazmaier '51 and Joe Bellino '60. Please see our awards pages for the full listings of winners.

Our History

Renowned author and Sports Illustrated writer Dan Jenkins once dubbed the college football phenomenon “Saturday’s America.” Perhaps that realization, unexpressed though it would be for many years, impelled a small group of men to gather on Saturday afternoons during the winter, spring, and summer to talk about their beloved pastime – the game of football. Five of these gentlemen – Tom Whelan, George “Bulger” Lowe, Mark Devlin, Dan O’Connor, and “Bunny” Corcoran – had been members of the 1919 Canton Bulldogs. Jim Thorpe was also a member of that Canton team, which had paid the $25 entry fee to the American Professional Football Association along with outfits from Akron, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, Rochester, Rock Island, Decatur, Muncie, Chicago, Buffalo, Detroit, and Hammond. With a roster of just 17 players, the Bulldogs had 5 players (29.4% of the team) who eventually became members of the National Football Hall of Fame.

In the autumn, of course, those five football men and their fellow club members, who included Joe McKenney, Bill Ohrenberger, Bill Stewart Sr., D. Leo Daley, Bill Ormsby, and Swede Nelson were intensely engaged in the gridiron game itself, coaching and officiating high school and college contests throughout New England.

In 1932, these sportsmen established the Gridiron Club of Greater Boston and elected George Lowe its first president. At first, membership was limited to 50. Meetings were at the headquarters of the Boston Athletic Association. In 1939, President Joe McKenney led a drive to broaden the criteria for membership. All who loved sportsmanship and fair play, exemplified not only in football but also in all other athletic pursuits, became eligible to join our mission to promote amateur football so as to instill and nurture the ideals of citizenship, leadership, and sportsmanship.

Joe McKenney knew the meaning of sportsmanship well. A legendary player and coach at Boston College, he was one of the field officials in the fabled “Fifth Down Game” between Cornell and Dartmouth. In that 1940 contest, Cornell had inadvertently been allowed an extra down that made the difference in the Big Red’s initial margin of victory. When the mistake came to light, Cornell agreed to relinquish the ensuing score, a selfless move that cost the team the game and its top national ranking but earned it a permanent niche in the annals of selfless and honorable competition.

Presidents of The Gridiron Club of Greater Boston

1932-33

*George H. Lowe, Jr.

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1933-34

*George H. Lowe, Jr.

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1934-35

*Thomas J. McCabe

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1935-36

*Thomas J. Whelan

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1936-37

*D. Leo Daley

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1937-38

*Daniel G. O’Connor

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1938-39

*Mark H. Devlin

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1939-40

*Joseph P. McKenney

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1940-41

*Roland B. Hammond

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1941-42

*William E. Ormsby

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1942-43

*James L. Duffy

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1943-44

*Nils V. Nelson

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1944-45

*Daniel J. Kelly

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1945-46

*William H. Ohrenberger

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1946-47

*Arthur J. Barry

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1947-48

*Thomas E. Lynch

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1948-49

*Denis W. Delaney

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1949-50

*John J. Cavanagh

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1950-51

*Joseph C. Tomasello

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1951-52

*James J. Golden

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1952-53

*Daniel J. Silva

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1953-54

*Charles S. Fitzgerald

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1954-55

*Edward M. Kelleher

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1955-56

*Henry D. Hormel

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1956-57

*Thomas H. McNamara

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1957-58

*John J. Donahue

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1958-59

*Harry J. Downes

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1959-60

*William J. Pendergast

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1960-61

*Joseph Blumsack

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1961-62

*Thomas E. Lynch. Jr.

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1962-63

*Gerald S. Maloney

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1963-64

*John F. Kelleher

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1964-65

*Herbert M. Kopf

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1965-66

*John J. Carver

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1966-67

*Murray Lewis

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1967-68

*George H. Hill

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1968-69

*John J. Daly

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1969-70

*Robert V. McCabe

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1970-71

*John J. Bane

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1971-72

*Frank A. Zammarchi

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1972-73

*Francis O. Tracy

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1973-74

*Joseph Zapustas

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1974-75

*Leonard S. Nelson

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1975-76

*E.A. “Foxy” Flumere

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1976-77

*John Baronian

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1977-78

*Henry J. Smith

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1978-79

*Joseph Zabilski

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1979-80

*Robert F. Barrett, Jr.

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1980-81

*Tim Horgan

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1981-82

*Dr. Chet Boulris

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1982-83

*Thomas Oates

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1983-84

*Walter Fitzgerald

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1984-85

Robert “Bo” Lyons

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1985-86

*Robert Whelan

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1986-87

Robert Meehan

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1987-88

*Robert Pickett

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1988-89

*Dr. George MacDonald

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1989-90

*James Stehlin

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1990-91

Edward Schluntz

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1991-92

Paul F Costello

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1992-93

Peter J. Cronan

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1993-94

Curt F. Bletzer

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1994-95

*Robert Chrusz

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1995-96

*Richard J. Clasby

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1996-97

Bill Stewart III

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1997-98

*Alfred L. Nardini

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1998-99

Robert J. Cappadona

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1999-2000

Robert R. Weiss

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2000-01

Edmund .J. “Ned” Cully

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2001-02

Dick Lawrence

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2002-03

*Bernard A. Smith

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2003-04

Thomas J. Burke

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2004-05

Ken Eldridge

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2005-06

George Crotty

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2006-07

Dave O’Brien

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2007-08

*Al Robichaud

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2008-09

Tim Whelan

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2009-10

Steve Grogan

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2010-11

Ray Gallant

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2011-12

Paul Stewart

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2012-13

John Ingoldsby

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2013-15

Bob Norton

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2015-17

Jim Kearney

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2017-19

Chris Clemente

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2019-24

Cheryl Duddy Schoenfeld

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2024

Tim Whelan Jr.

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*Deceased

Awards and Honors

As one of the oldest and most respected athletic clubs in New England, the Gridiron Club of Greater Boston is responsible for several nationally recognized honors in American sport. These include the prestigious Bulger Lowe Award (1939), the Swede Nelson Award (1946), and the Walter Brown Award (1953).

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