Bill Kipouras
Call it "Manuel Labor" — or simply a family's love for football.
The Manuels will be out in full force this morning at Hurd Stadium as a personal fan club for Panthers' wide receiver, defensive back and kick returner Curtis Manuel. He is the seventh member of the Manuel gridiron clan to appear in the classic Beverly-Salem series.
Curtis is a junior and has one more year to carry on a rich Manuel tradition of having success against Salem. All told, the Manuels have an aggregate record of 11-4 vs. the Witches.
The senior citizen among those football-playing Manuels, 75-year-old Charlie Manuel, was introduced to the holiday rivalry in a rather rude, very shocking fashion.
In his sophomore year, 1949, the Orange & Black were skinned alive in one of the series' greatest upsets. Salem had just one victory, Beverly had just one loss (and one tie), but Salem prevailed, 22-19. Beverly fumbled inside its 5-yard line in the final minute, Salem recovered and Fred Marrafa scored the touchdown that shook the North Shore with the effect of an earthquake.
It was one of Beverly's all-time great teams, and it had a famed halfback, Billy Ransom, one of Beverly's best-ever. Charlie Manuel was one of three who rotated at the other halfback slot, along with Bobby Hayes and Pinky Scobey.
"Salem cleaned our clocks. They came out in a spread offense, and we didn't know what to do," Manuel recalled. "They really whipped us. We beat Salem the next two years, but I the game I always remember was the '49 game. I was heartbroken. I vowed Salem would never again beat Salem with a Manuel in the lineup."
Two brothers followed Charlie (Class of 1956) to the gridiron for BHS after he went 2-1 vs. Salem. Skooma (Class of '59) was 3-0 vs. the Witches, as was Bippy (Class of '63).
Beverly reeled off eight wins in a row over Salem with the Brothers Manuel. Bippy and Charlie became Beverly High Hall of Famers. Skooma settled in Denver in '77 and formerly scouted for the NFL's Broncos.
However, Charlie's sons (Chuckie, Class of '82, and K.C,, Class of '84) were 1-2 and 1-1, respectively during Thanksgiving Day games. Curtis Manuel is currently 1-0 against Salem, and his team is favored this morning.
After Curtis plays his last game next November, Beverly will run out of Manuels. Charlie is already feeling melancholy.
"I saw my first Beverly-Salem game in 1940; I was 7 years old. I fell in love with it. It was my whole world when I played," Charlie said.
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Dan and Lisa Carnevale of Beverly are to be commended for raising $130,000 for The Travis Roy Foundation.
Roy is the young man who was paralyzed in his 1995 Boston University hockey debut a mere 11 seconds into his college career. He has been a profile in courage and character ever since, fundraising to assist others who are paralyzed.
The Carnevales took it upon themselves to open their home to Roy the past two summers in an endeavor to support Roy's cause. Bobby Orr and Ray Bourque were only some of the VIPs who were invited guests. Billy Costa has been the MC. Lee and Brenda Roy, Travis' parents, also participated.
"We couldn't believe raising that total," Lisa said. "After meeting Travis and hearing his story, how he turned a tragedy into a triumph, we had to get involved. Cleon Daskalakis oversaw the auction, and many others volunteered their time and talent to make both occasions magical nights. Dan and I were very extremely proud."
Both times the fundraisers totaled $65,000.
Carnevale, a mainstay on St. John's Prep's state hockey titlist in the early 80s, struggled on the ice at BU his first two years, did a marvelous job in land training, sharpened his skating at Paul Vincent's, and went back his junior year and told Terriers' coach Jack Parker that he felt ready to kill penalties. He was voted BU's Most Improved Player as a junior and became a two-time regular.
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Henry Brown, who is in 90s, never played football at Marblehead High, but did serve as he the manager in 1928.
"I don't remember how I became the manager," he said, "but (1928) wasn't a good year.
"If I recall correctly, the coach was more interested in the ladies than the football team and he (eventually) got fired. We did have a great halfback, Trem Robarts, who was very shifty, hard to tackle. He was a true star."
In those days, Brown said, the Thanksgiving Game was played at Seaside Park in Marblehead.
"The old grandstand that is still standing there offered the only seating. People brought their own seats," said Brown, who played baseball at MHS. "The big game was just as big as it is now, and when the game was played in Swampscott we went by train."
The Brown family was best known for Brown's Bakery in Marblehead, which delivered delicious goods to much of the North Shore.
"We were the best bakery around. We didn't use margarine," he said. "We used butter."
Nowadays, Mr. Brown is a popular resident at Salem's Grosvenor Park Nursing Home on the hill at Vinnin Square.
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Contact Bill Kipouras at bkipouras@salemnews.com or 978-338-2615.
