To highlight our upcoming March 18, 2021, live-streaming virtual program on the Fabulous Falcons of Smith Academy (see Events page for signup info), we have been given permission to re-run this Garry Brown article by The Republican/ Springfield, MA.
Part 2, a retrospective written by Garry last month, will run later this week.
Posted Mar 12, 2011 (and updated Mar 25, 2019)
Part 2, a retrospective written by Garry last month, will run later this week.
Posted Mar 12, 2011 (and updated Mar 25, 2019)
At left, Bob "Jingles" Kovalski of Hatfield holds the 1960 and 1961 Basketball Championship Trophies won by teams he played on at Smith Academy in Hatfield. Photo by Jeff Brown
By Garry Brown | Special to The Republican
Fifty years ago, Western Massachusetts had its own version of “Hoosiers.”
Just like Gene Hackman’s team from that memorable 1986 movie, the players came out of a small town to win a big-time championship.
They were the “Fabulous Falcons” of Smith Academy, a Hatfield school with only 57 boys in grades seven through 12.
This is golden anniversary time for those Smithies, who twice stormed the old field house at Springfield College to win the Western Massachusetts Tournament.
Until Smith’s remarkable run, no small school had ever won this region’s biggest basketball tourney – and no school had ever won it twice in a row.
(to continue reading, click HERE.)
Fifty years ago, Western Massachusetts had its own version of “Hoosiers.”
Just like Gene Hackman’s team from that memorable 1986 movie, the players came out of a small town to win a big-time championship.
They were the “Fabulous Falcons” of Smith Academy, a Hatfield school with only 57 boys in grades seven through 12.
This is golden anniversary time for those Smithies, who twice stormed the old field house at Springfield College to win the Western Massachusetts Tournament.
Until Smith’s remarkable run, no small school had ever won this region’s biggest basketball tourney – and no school had ever won it twice in a row.
(to continue reading, click HERE.)