University of Massachusets Athletics
UMass Hall of Famer Doug Grutchfield To Be Honored
December 05, 2006 | Men's Basketball
Dec. 5, 2006
FITCHBURG, Mass. - The Fitchburg High School Athletic Department is proud to announce that it will be hosting a "Back to the Brickyard, Doug Grutchfield Appreciation Night" basketball game on Wednesday, December 20, 2006.Grutchfield was inducted into the UMass Hall of Fame in 2002. The game will be played at the Academy Street School (the former Fitchburg High School) and the Raiders will host the North Middlesex varsity boy's team. Game time will be at 7:00 pm and the doors will open at 6:00 pm.
The highlight of the evening will be a short ceremony prior to the event honoring Coach Grutchfield for his 32 years of service to the Fitchburg Public Schools as a teacher, coach and administrator. Tickets for the event are $10.00 for reserved seats and will be sold on a first come, first serve basis. Seats are limited. tickets are available from Mr. Alan Twomley at the Fitchburg High School ticket office or by calling the ticket office at 978-343-2142.
At UMass, Grutchfield was a three-year letterman for coaches Robert T. Curran and Matthew Zunic, and set 13 school records during his career from 1959-61. He tallied a then-school record 1,257 points in just 74 games for the Maroon and White, a figure that currently ranks as the 15th-best mark in school history. Grutchfield earned second team All-Yankee Conference honors as a sophomore in 1958-59, then earned unanimous first team recognition in his final two seasons while also being named first team All-ECAC. He still ranks among UMass' all-time leaders in scoring, scoring average (17.0 ppg, eighth), field goals attempted (1,207, ninth) and rebound average (10.6 rpg, seventh). His 782 rebounds was a school record at the time of his graduation, and sits just outside the all-time UMass top 10 today. A 1961 UMass graduate and a native of North Quincy, Mass., Grutchfield was one of the Commonwealth's most successful high school basketball coaches ever, and recently retired as the Athletic Director at Fitchburg (Mass.) High School. He began his high school coaching career at Amherst Regional High School, where he won the first of his 21 career conference championships in 1963-64. All-told, his teams won 588 games at Amherst and Fitchburg, 21 league titles and seven district championships. As an administrator, Grutchfield was named the 1994 National High School Athletic Director of the Year. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2002.
Proceeds from this event will go to the Doug Grutchfield Scholarship fund and checks can be hade payable to that fund. Separate donations to the scholarship fund may be sent directly t
FHS going back to the Brickyard
By Chad Garner
For diehard Fitchburg High School supporters, mark down Dec. 20 as a can't-miss evening.
On that night, the Fitchburg High School Athletic Department will be hosting a "Back to the Brickyard, Doug Grutchfield Appreciation Night."
Grutchfield, a basketball legend, was the Fitchburg boys' varsity coach for 32 years and was the school's athletic director for 18, before retiring from Fitchburg High in 2002.
"It's been in the works for a while and we always wanted to get back to play a game at the Brickyard ... it's the combination of going back to the Brickyard and honoring Coach Grutchfield," said Fitchburg A.D. Ray Cosenza. "We figured it would be against North Middlesex since he was there for a while."
The basketball
Grutchfield game -- Fitchburg vs. North Middlesex -- will begin at 6 p.m. There will be a short ceremony prior to the event to honor Grutchfield for his 32 years of dedicated service as a teacher, coach and administrator.
"It will be very brief, 15-20 minutes max," said Cosenza, who will emcee the event.
"John Cordio, his assistant, will speak briefly and a former player will also speak."
Needless to say, Grutchfield is excited and a little nervous for the event.
"I'm very honored and flattered that they'd do something like this," said Grutchfield, noting his daughter, Hannah, graduated from North Middlesex and he served as the interim A.D. at the school in 2004 after Tom Murray left to become the A.D. at Winchester. "The Brickyard brings back all the great memories of all the great teams we've had over the years. That place is filled with wonderful memories."
Cosenza can't help but be impressed by what Grutchfield was able to accomplish in his illustrious career.
"He spent 32 years as a teacher, coach and administrator. I am aware of the rich tradition in athletics we have here at Fitchburg High School and the list of great coaches who have served the school and the city, but I don't think many parallel the accomplishments of coach Doug Grutchfield in terms of years of service and overall record of athletic excellence," said Cosenza. "As an A.D., he added programs, helped improve facilities and helped all the programs, not just basketball. He's done so many things and he's meant a lot to the thousands of student-athletes he came in contact with over the years."
Grutchfield starting working in the Fitchburg Public Schools in the fall of 1970 and was hired to teach physical education and coach basketball. He was promoted to Athletic Director in1984, and retired in 2002.
Grutchfield's coaching resume is absolutely amazing. He led the Red Raiders to 21 league championships, seven district championships, five state semifinal appearances and two state championship appearances.
He's second all-time in the state with 588 wins. He is a member of the Fitchburg High School Hall of Fame, the Mass. State Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame, the New England Basketball Hall of Fame, the Quincy High School Hall of Fame, and the University of Massachusetts Hall of Fame.
He was selected as the State Athletic Director of the Year and the National Athletic Director of the Year in 1994.
"I'm very proud of it, but it all comes back to the student-athletes because they are the ones who made it possible," said Grutchfield when asked to look back on his career.
After graduating from the University of Massachusetts in 1961, Grutchfield immediately landed the head varsity coaching job at Amherst Regional High School in 1961.
"I've never been an assistant coach," joked Grutchfield.
Besides paying tribute to a coaching legend, fans will also get to experience the old-school feel of the Brickyard gym at Academy Middle School, which used to be Fitchburg High School before the new school was built on Scripture Road.
"There's been a lot of talk since we started at the new high school," said Cosenza. "A lot of people probably haven't experienced the Brickyard. We've had to make a few minor repairs ... the bleachers, the rims and lights, but nothing major."
At one time, the Brickyard was a place visitors hated to play, while the Red Raiders used their home-court advantage to the fullest.
"I remember even before we walked into the Brickyard, the fans were yelling from the student section," said Grutchfield. "The place was absolutely packed. It had to be intimidating on the opponent. We had an incredible record there."
"When I first came to Fitchburg he (Grutchfield) had some outstanding teams and the place was always packed," said Cosenza, noting the maximum capacity at the Brickyard is 1,000. "People were so close to the court and the lighting was a definite advantage. The visiting teams always felt it was dark. You never knew if the roof was going to leak. The cheering section was amazing, they wouldn't sit down the whole game. It was a fun place." o the high school, 140 Arn-How Farm Road, Fitchburg Mass. 01420 c/o Alan Twomley