The Glory Years

"Close your eyes. Let your mind take you back to a glorious autumn afternoon as you visualize a football game at Woodman Field. Tune your senses to the sights and sounds all around and remember what it was like to be there. The stands are crowded with excited fans and the band can be heard marching into the field to a drumbeat cadence. Hear the cheerleaders as they entreat the crowd of thousands to "stand up and holler" for Montclair. And see the boys in blue and white as they walk onto the field, in good Mountie tradition, eager to take on the opponent in another contest for gridiron glory. The anticipation is high because it's a Montclair High School football game."

That sets the mood for "The Glory Years," a new book by local author Robin Hodgson, which is about Montclair High School football in the Clary Anderson/Butch Fortunato era. The book spans the time from the late 1920's when Clary played for MHS, through the 1983 season when Montclair won its first "official" State Championship (in the State Championship playoff format) and Butch retired from coaching. The years in between are about how Clary and Butch created gridiron success and the athletes who made it happen.

More than two dozen people were interviewed for the book [including 1960's own Tony Massi] and it gives an "up-close" account of Montclair football as told through the eyes of those who played for MHS over the decades --- their stories in their own words. Do you know why the Mounties have traditionally walked onto the field before a game, instead of running? Do you know the story of Clary's winning "Bloomfield game tie?" Are you one of those hundreds of kids who used to "jump the fence" to get into Woodman Field on a Saturday afternoon? This book is about the people, the games, the traditions and the aura surrounding Montclair football. So get ready to sit back, curl up with this nostalgic book, and re-live your "glory years" at Montclair High School. To place an order, call or e-mail: 973-777-6474 or rwh577@yahoo.com.