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1953 Football Team
The 1953 Football Team: In the summer of 1953, first year Head Coach Dave Auxter sent a one-page invitation to all candidates for the football team emphasizing the important characteristics of AGGESSIVENESS, CONCENTRATION, and DETERMINATION. Coach Auxter and his assistant coach, Al Angelosante, had high expectations of the Brewer gridiron players even during the summer months stressing conditioning and most importantly speed. Speed, according to Coach Auxter, was the players’ greatest single physical asset and the only way to improve it was through work. Much of the success of the 1953 Football Team was determined by not only hard work and speed but the fight and spirit that the Brewer men put into their play in practice and on game day. The Brewer Witches had one of the best records in football history with a record of eight wins and one loss (8-1-0) in the fall of 1953. Brewer won the Twin Valley Conference title, the Inter-City Conference title and was crowned the “FF” State Champions (known today as Class B). Sports had been part of the Brewer High School landscape for decades beginning with basketball in 1897 and then football in 1902, the two oldest sports offered at Brewer. The historical significance of the 1953 Brewer Football Team winning the state championship was monumental as this marked the first time that Brewer had won a state championship in any sport.
The Witches were led throughout the season by one of the greatest halfbacks of all time, Bobby Bower (2015 Brewer Athletic Hall of Fame Inductee). Bower was complemented by the outstanding leadership of quarterback Tom Kelly (2015 Brewer Athletic Hall of Fame Inductee), who called all of the plays in every game, and Co-Captains Jackie Miller (half-back) and Rollie Gray (center). While Bobby Bower led the team in scoring, also contributing to the running and scoring in the backfield were Edgar Payne, Eddie Dean, and Craig Clement. Although the backfield was considered inexperienced and small with the beefiest back weighing in at 140 lbs., their speed, agility and desire made up for their lack in size. The Archer twins, Ron and Roger, with their 5’11”, 190 lb. frames added some power on the offensive line as Brewer’s premier tackles. Other key linemen playing offense, defense or both were Grant (Sonny) Dearborn, Dick Gray, Howard “Buddy” Augherton, Wayne “Ira” Giffard, Bud McEwen, Phil Brown, and John Gass. Coach Auxter noted that he considered Percy Cotton to be one of the greatest defensive linemen at the high school level and that Brewer linebacker Calvin Rowe was the smartest football player he’d ever coached in his 15-year coaching career. Other contributing team members included Rollie Andrews, Larry Baker, Bruce Bower, Bob Connor, Mel Corey, Harmon Gibbons, Paul Gilman, Roland Gray, Jim Grindal, Eugene Hamm, Earl Hewes, Ray Hewes, Wayne Ireland, Tom Largay, Tony Manzo, Marty McCluskey, Richard More, Dave Tardiff, Stan Weston, Robert Wilson, Ray Vachon, Dick Violette, and managers Ralph Holyoke and Billie Roberts.
Brewer invaded Bangor on Armistice Day (now known as Veteran’s Day) in front of approximately 5,000 fans which proved to be one of the best games of the year. No one thought Brewer could beat Bangor but a superb team effort by the Witches gave Brewer a 14-7 victory over the Rams. It was the first time Brewer had beaten Bangor since 1939, fourteen long years. Coach Auxter credits Brewer’s outstanding defense to the victory, “We didn’t beat them on big plays…every player did his job.” This was, in fact, the team’s recipe for their overall success. “They were a true team,” Auxter recounts, “with each individual playing his position well. Every player on the team made a contribution; it was the entire supporting cast that made them State Champs.”
As the first State Champions in school history, the 1953 Football Team was recognized for its achievements at an extravagant banquet held at the Brewer Auditorium with legendary Adam Walsh, the football coach at Bowdoin College at the time and former captain of the 1924 National Champion Fighting Irish of Notre Dame, as the guest speaker.
CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE INDUCTION OF THE 1953 FOOTBALL TEAM WITH MEMORIES FROM COACH DAVE AUXTER
1957 Football Team
The 1957 Football Team: It had been four years since the school’s first ever state title in any sport. The 1957 Brewer Football Team looked quite different than their 1953 State Football Champion predecessors. Now, under the coaching helm of Larry Mahaney (2014 Brewer Athletic Hall of Fame Inductee) and assistant coach Bill Booker, the 1957 Brewer Football Team had one of the heftiest school-boy lines in the state of Maine. With offensive linemen like 185 lb. left end Don Harnum (2014 Brewer Athletic Hall of Fame Inductee), 190 lb. left tackle Norris Nickerson, 190 lb. left guard Roy Stewart, 165 lb. center Joe McCluskey, 170lb. right guard Bump Hadley, 185 lb. right tackle Browne Goodwin, 190 lb. right end Pud Robertson and defensive standouts like 195 lb. tackle Dan Pooler, 170 lb. defensive end Percy Mailman, and 215 lb. tackle Bill Simpson, the Witches forward wall was quite imposing averaging 185 pounds on the field at all times. That weight coupled with tremendous speed by outstanding players like Bob MacLeod (half-back) and Dick Kenney (full-back) spelled more than trouble for Brewer foes. The Witches possessed one of the most talented backfields in Eastern Maine which included Brewer’s defensive safety Robbie Robinson and defensive half-back Jere Connolly. The team’s offense was led by the team’s co-captain, quarterback Ed Kiley, a 170 lb. senior who possessed an uncanny knack for calling the right play for any given situation, and was considered one of the most accomplished passers in the high school ranks.
The watchword for the Witches’ 1957 season was “Defense” with a capital “D”. “The boys take a great deal of pride in their defensive ability. It’s a big part of our offense,” acknowledged Coach Larry Mahaney. Brewer scored a total of 238 points for the season while only allowing 20 points scored against them, clearly dominating the opposing teams. With six of the eight games played as shutouts, thirteen of the 20 points were scored in the 13 to 13 tie against Skowhegan. The other 7 points were scored during the annual Brewer-Bangor showdown. During the final game of the year, on Veterans Day, with four thousand fans in attendance, Brewer defeated Bangor 14-7 and captured the Tri City Series Title (Brewer, John Bapst, Bangor). With only 45 seconds remaining in the game, Roy Stewart pushed open a hole big enough for Dick Kenny to crack over the middle of the line on third down to score the winning touchdown. Many fans considered this game to be the finest school-boy football game of 1957.
The Witches placed six members on the 1957 All-Eastern Maine Grid Team: Offensive guard and defensive tackle and team co-captain Roy Stewart; offensive and defensive end Don Harnum (1956 Second Team); quarterback Ed Kiley (All-Eastern Maine selection two years in a row); one of the Witches leading ground gainers and scorers, half-back Everett Pellon; one of the finest blocking ends in Eastern Maine, right end Robert “Pud” Robertson; and superlative blocker, right guard Alton “Bump” Hadley (1956 All-Eastern Maine Second Team). Norris Nickerson (tackle) was named to the 1957 All-Eastern Maine Second Team and Dick Kenney (full-back) was named to the Third Team while linemen Browne Goodwin and Dan Pooler and half-back Bob MacLeod received Honorable Mention.
Other members of the 1957 Brewer Football Squad were Russell Black, Bob Blanchard, Roy Blethen, Harry Bowden, Don Copeland, Roger Hitchcock, Jim Garrity, Frank Gemme, Ronald Given, Tom Goodwin, Ronald Graves, James Grindal (volunteer coach), Dick Hadley, David Harnum, Richard Harnum (manager), Paul Kiah, David McClay, John McDonald, Nelson Savage, John Vanidestine, and Gerald York.
The combination of excellent squad morale, strength and size coupled with speed made Brewer an undeniable force. The 1957 Brewer Football Team compiled the best season record in school history with seven wins, zero loses, and one tie (7-0-1) and clinched the Class B State Championship.
As the 1953 and 1957 Football Teams were the first and second teams to capture a state championship title, they symbolize a special era in organized sports at Brewer High School that has paved the way for great football teams to follow; thus, it is with honor that these two championship teams are inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame together on the 65th anniversary of Brewer’s first ever state title.
CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE INDUCTION OF THE 1957 FOOTBALL TEAM