Reunion of 1976 Catholic Middle School “Chargers” Basketball Champs: Everybody Had a Role

A unique and touching ceremony took place on Friday in Town Hall when members of the 1976 Catholic Middle School league championship basketball team, the Chargers from Greenwich Catholic, celebrated 50 years since their historic season.

The moment was nostalgic, if not a touch emotional.

Expanding on the slice of history, the coach of that winning team, David D’Andrea, pointed out that the Town Hall meeting room was originally the Greenwich High School gymnasium before a new high school opened in 1970 on Hillside Rd.

Peter Borchetta, former Greenwich Catholic School principal and current head of school Rebecca Streck were present, along with several members of the team.

Borchetta, who in addition to serving as principal, coached the team for 5+ years, before turning the coaching job over to Mr. D’Andrea, who coached the team the year of their championship win.

First Selectman Fred Camillo, who was a member of the team, said the regional championship win in 1976 was significant given the league encompassed six states, and the Chargers had to defeat teams that included 9th graders.

Most of the original team made the trip including members from as far as Florida (Mike Reilly), Minnesota (Matt Fox) and Maryland (Dwight Rochester) – and David Hogan Zoomed in from California.

Camillo thanked D’Andrea, not only for his basketball coaching at the court at Hamilton Avenue School, but for his accomplishments in Greenwich, including chairing the Parks & Rec board for many years and overseeing the Griff Golf Course which he noted was named The Bruce Golf Course at the time.

State Rep Steve Meskers recalled the moment he met D’Andrea eight years earlier during a campaign stop.

“The spark in his eyes and the intensity was remarkable,” he recalled. “When I look at the work and contribution he’s given to the community, it’s been impressive.”

Meskers read a citation from the State of Connecticut and on behalf of himself, State Rep Hector Arzeno, State Senator Ryan Fazio and State Rep Tina Courpas.

“Coach David D’Andrea’s leadership guided the 1976 Greenwich Catholic Middle School basketball team to the unprecedented, undefeated New England Catholic Middle School championship. His dedication, discipline and commitment to excellence inspired young athletes to achieve the extraordinary, leaving a lasting legacy in Greenwich that continues to be celebrated 50 years later.”

Rebecca Steck, Head of School at Greenwich Catholic, shared a note from Bishop Frank Caggiano congratulating the team on the 50th reunion of their championship and their decades long friendships.

“Congratulations on this 50th anniversary and reunion. Fifty years ago as a group of young men from Greenwich Catholic Middle School, you made history on the basketball court when you  won a major championship, but what you have built off the court – bonds of brotherhood, loyalty and faith – have proven more enduring than any championship trophy,” Caggiano wrote.

Bobby Farrell, who went on to play golf professionally, said, “It’s crazy when you think about it – we were 13 and 14 years old back then – at that age you don’t realize you learn discipline and confidence. It definitely came from knowing and being on a championship team like that that you could actually win.”

Matt Fox recalled a game against a team from Brunswick, he described as formidable.

“We started out the game and Dave had us in a full-court press, and we ran up the score a bit. They had a difficult time getting the ball over half court, and running their own offense,” Fox said. “At on point the coach of the other team called a time out and mumbled something under his breath and Dave heard it. He didn’t make much of it but came to the huddle and said, ‘That guy just called me a turkey.’ We scored 99 points in that game – it was 99 to 28.Nobody is going to call Dave a turkey!”

Dwight Rochester said the Chargers did something that a lot of great teams from the league did not do.

“We went to St. Mary’s School and we stayed together,” Rochester said. “We won the JV championship. Then went on to States our senior year, losing in the semi-finals, but we stayed together. I’ll always have these memories, that you guys will always be in my heart.”

Dwight Rochester said he remembered spending time in Borchetta’s office, and the principal encouraging him to join the team.

“I said, ‘I don’t have a ride. My mom and I don’t have a car.’ He said to me he’d take care of that,” Rochester recalled.  “He arranged so that I would have a ride all the time – that was sixth grade through high school. The foundation that was built at CMS goes a long way that people don’t realize.”

Rochester said the league was only for basketball.

“There were no other teams other than the cheerleaders,” he recalled. “We had a 5th grade team, a 6th grade team, JV and Varsity. I was fortunate I was a 7th grader and Dave brought me up. With that I learned the team concept.”

“We got to varsity, 8th grade, Dave did something I thought was spectacular,” he said, recalling D’Andrea would play Motown Music and especially songs from the Spinners (“I’ll Be Around” and “Could It Be I’m Falling in Love”).

“We were pumped up, doing our drills and coach said, were going to run today because at the end of every game, everybody else is going to be tired, but you won’t be because you’re prepared,” Rochester said. “With that, we just started winning.”

“It’s the spirit of what you can accomplish as a team. And on our team, everybody had their role,” he said.

George Prince said he still talks to 18 members of his graduating class at St. Mary’s every single day of the year.

“That environment comes from something created at Catholic Middle School and St. Mary’s,” he said.  “You don’t realize how valuable that is until you run into something like Covid or have a dear friend who passes away…I don’t run into anybody else who has that in life.”

He said that after Peter Borchetta turned the coaching position over to him, Garland Allen who was athletic director at Greenwich High School, offered him a coaching job at GHS.

“It’s all about the friendships you make on the court. It’s not about the shots you make, the rebounds you get, how fast you run or how high you jump. It’s all about the memories,”  D’Andrea said.