Microsoft Word - 01-734 flynn.doc

THE COFFIN CORNER: Vol. 20, No. 1 (1998)

Father Flynn and the Last NFL Championship at

Yankee Stadium

by Victor Mastro

Before the Super Bowl, in my second year as a teen, 1962, I rooted for our Bronx Giants, the New York

Giants. They studied football plays, practiced, rested, and ate at Fordham University, and so at Yankee

Stadium and the Concourse Plaza. This folklore of football, stories, and tales passed from one elder to a

younger; "What a game! The Sudden Death versus the Colts..., How they stopped Jim Brown..., Giants

had white uniforms and sneakers, and were perfect in '56, 47-7 over the Bears..., Steve Owen knew

defense with his Umbrella Defense..., You should have seen those old AAFC Yankees; Young and

Sanders, Boy! were they exciting..., the Army-Notre Dame wars, especially the biggest one in '46..., Sid

Luckman threw 7 TD passes for the Bears at the Polo Grounds, Lombardi played guard with Fordham's

Seven Blocks of Granite..., Strong and Danowski put on sneakers at the half and the Giants won their first

NFL title..., The Four Horsemen..., "Outlined against a blue October sky..."

My three uncles and their friends were all diehard Giants' fans. We would go to home games or gather

around the television set for away games. Many of my Christmas gifts were football centric; helmets,

books, equipment, etc. Christmas of 1958, I received a pro football, "The Duke." My uncle's friend, Hank,

somehow picked up this ball from one of the last two home games at Yankee Stadium against the

Cleveland Browns that season. I wanted to believe it was Pat Summerall's 50 yd. clutch kick in the snow

and dark of Yankee Stadium, as the Giants beat the Browns, 13-10, to force the playoff game, the

following week, Dec. 21, 1958. (Many football historians considered this kick one of the greatest kicks of

all time in the NFL). What memories and tales cherished us from that ball...

During the Thanksgiving Game of 1962, the Detroit Lions mauled the champion Packers. The Lions gave

Lombardi's Packers their only loss in 1962. My uncle John boasted, "We were going to get tickets for the

championship game for Christmas." How? we wondered. John, "Meatballs," devised a plan a few days

later. He called the Giants and gathered some information. He told my friend, "Ace," to buy Fordham

University letterhead, and have "Ace's" older brother and college professor, to write up a beautifully

crafted letter. This masterpiece of a letter will request tickets for a Father Flynn, Religious Dept., Fordham

University, and four of his students. A short time later, "Meatballs" called, "Father Flynn, Religion Dept.,

Fordham University. May God bless you. I will keep you in my prayers and blessings this Christmas

season..."

"Did you come across my letter?" "

Yes, Father but the seats are unavailable, and are on hold until further notice."

Meatballs, "Fr. Flynn," paused with his unfiltered cigarette, puffed, and rambled on in a religious rhetoric

with prayers and blessings, sort of convincing him in between puffs and pauses. "I will send my best

student, Robert, tomorrow with the cash for the five tickets. May God bless you, especially, this season.

You will be prayed for in my masses, vigils, and novenas." "Ace," (Robert) was summoned by John. Of

course, "Ace" had to go with another masterpiece of letter writing, it was a tight one. The next day as

"Ace" stood in the ticket office, the phone rang, it was Fr. Flynn fondly... A few days later, John discussed

the upcoming game, "It stated in the newspapers that the last five tickets for the Giants Packers

championship were taken up by a Fr. Flynn, Religion Dept., Fordham University..." The football tickets

were the promised Christmas gifts from John.

Gameday, Sunday, Dec. 30, 1962, we piled into uncle Freddie's black '58 Le Sabre Buick, "The Bomber,"

to go to the game. We could not find a parking space. Uncle John motioned with his cigarette to park in

the driveway of All Hallow's High School, a block or two from the Concourse.

"How can we park here?" We wondered. Uncle John pulled out some Fordham letterhead and wrote a

short note, "Dec. 30, 1962, 12:00 PM - 5:00 PM, Father Flynn, Religion Dept., Fordham University. On

official business. May God bless." Underneath the short note, he drew a small cross.