Projo Sports Blog

The championship trophy won by the 1945-46 La Salle Academy football team is now on display at The Hall at Patriots Place.

Ceremonies were held at The Hall on Thursday in which La Salle officials, headed by Brother Michael McKenery, La Salle president, and Ted Quigley, the school's athletic director, donated the trophy for display at the facility in Foxboro. Curator Brent Hensel accepted the trophy for the Hall.

The 1945-46 La Salle Academy football team was a New England juggernaut, defeating such highly regarded teams as Malden Catholic High, St. Clement's of Somerville and Cathedral High of Springfield. The team posted a 9-0 record while allowing only two points to be scored against them the entire season.

The team received an invitation to play in The New Orleans Classic, a mythical national CYO football championship game, against Holy Cross College, the Louisiana prep school champion. Playing in a heavy rain and on a very muddy field, the two teams battled to a 6-6 tie, allowing both teams to take home the trophy. The team was coached by John (Jack) P. Cronin, for whom the La Salle Academy athletic fields are named. Cronin is a legend in Rhode Island high school sports history.

The trophy is part of a display of actual jerseys from every current high school champion in New England, an interactive touch screen allows fans to peruse information about every high school football program in New England, including information about some of the personalities, rivalries and stories unique to football in the region.

The exhibit also features a video presentation on the history of football in New England and a display case of artifacts significant to New England football history, including Doug Flutie's 1984 Heisman Trophy, a football from an 1875 Harvard-Yale game and an original Providence Steam Roller uniform, circa 1931.

 Tags  La Salle Academy New England Patriots

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