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The sports giants highlighted on this website present the stories of a small fraction of former outstanding Norwich athletes. A much more complete list may be found by clicking on the “Norwich Sports Hall of Fame” logo. You will be directed to their site.
Danny Murphy (1876-1955)
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For more than a decade, Daniel Francis “Danny” Murphy was one of the best and most powerful hitters in the American League, a fine fielder with a strong arm, a savvy base runner, and a pioneer in the art of sign stealing and pitcher reading. He played both second base and outfield, and was appointed captain of his major league team twice: once as a player (1912-13) and later as a coach (1920-24). Born in Philadelphia and having grown up in Providence and nearby SE Massachusetts, he came to Norwich to pursue a professional baseball career.
This 1902 photo shows Danny wearing his Philadelphia Athletics uniform.
He had been playing semi-professional baseball in Massachusetts since September 1896. Over the next three seasons he played for a number of semi-pro teams out of Fall River and North Attleboro, earning just a few dollars for a weekend game. A millworker since he was a pre-teen, his baseball talent resulted in a full-time job in a jewelry factory soon after he turned semi-pro.
Danny arrived in Norwich in the spring of 1900. He had been signed to play second base for the Norwich Witches of the Connecticut State League (CSL). The league also included teams from Bridgeport, Bristol, Derby, Meriden, New Haven, New London and Waterbury. Over the three seasons that he played for Norwich he apparently was not paid anymore than $100/month. He eventually would begin supplementing his baseball income with a job at US Finishing Company in Greeneville.
Thanks in good part to Danny’s batting, the team won the CSL championship that first season. He batted .370 and led the league decisively in hits (138), doubles (28), triples (23), home runs (14). The top baseball expert at the Boston Globe reported at the time that he doubted that there was a better prospect in the country than Danny.
Note: If the number of home runs seems low it is because they did not occur anywhere near as frequently as they did in years to come. Two of the big reasons was that the ball was not as lively and the other that the fences at the ballparks were typically further from home plate.
1891-1910 MINOR LEAGUE BASEBALL in NORWICH
The Connecticut League, also known as the Connecticut State League (CSL), was a professional baseball association of teams in the state of Connecticut which dates back as far as 1884. Norwich based teams played in the league during the years 1891 to 1910.
| Years | Team Names |
|---|---|
| 1891 | Norwich |
| 1899 | Norwich Jackroses |
| 1900 | Norwich Witches |
| 1901 | Norwich Champs |
| 1902-1903 | Norwich Reds |
| 1904 | Norwich Indians |
| 1905-1907 | Norwich Reds |
| 1910 | Norwich Bons |
Danny Murphy
1900
Norwich Witches
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The Witches played at the baseball field at Sachem Park, a public entertainment venue on Boswell Avenue. The park eventually became St. Joseph’s Cemetery around 1920. The team played about 100 games each season.
Following a short stint in the majors Danny returned to the Norwich team in May 1901 and continued his hard hitting: .376 batting average, with 32 doubles, 16 triples and 12 homers. However, the team, which had started out badly in his absence, rebounded to finish narrowly out of 2nd place.
Danny returned for the 1902 season, but moved up to a permanent spot in the majors in early July. During his final months with Norwich, he mounted a 34-game hitting streak and finished with a hefty .462 batting average. It was the highest average in all of professional baseball that season. Unfortunately, the Norwich team suffered without Danny in the line-up — dropping from first to seventh place.
The 1910 Danny Murphy Night in Norwich is discussed in detail in the Historic Events placemark.
While in Norwich, Danny met the love of his life, Catherine Moriarty Murphy. Danny and Catherine were both first generation Irish Americans. Danny was a resident of Norwich during his major league playing days, and later when he managed a minor league club in New Haven.
His wife had grown up working in a Norwich cotton mill, as did several of her sisters. Danny and Catherine had been married 16 years when she died during the 1918 Pandemic at the age of 34. Danny had not remarried when he was buried beside her in St. Mary’s cemetery 37 years later.
Acknowledgements
Thanks to Tom Sullivan for his contributions to this placemark
“Baseball’s Sherlock Holmes: The Biography of Danny Murphy of the Philadelphia Athletics (2022), by Tom Sullivan
“Danny Murphy Wearing Philadelphia Athletics Uniform”, (1902), Boston Public Library
“Norwich’s Sachem Park Baseball Field”, Otis Library
“Danny Murphy Wearing Norwich Witches Uniform”, (1900), Private Collector
“Danny Murphy, Philadelphia”, (1924), Library of Congress
The complete list of sources may be found by clicking the “Bibliography” button, and, then typing “Danny Murphy” in the SEARCH box.
1880 Norwich Croquet Club
National Roquet Association of America Club House Norwich, CT
*Place cursor over images to magnifyFrederick W. Cary’s 1909 overview of Norwich history states, “The game of croquet was introduced into Norwich in 1865 and 100 sets were sold in a few weeks. Norwich became the croquet center of the country, a distinction that has been perpetuated to the present time, as the annual meetings of the National Croquet Association are still being held in the Rose of New England.”
In the 1870s croquet was only played by members of high society in New York City and New England, but soon became the most popular lawn sport in America.
The National Croquet Association was formed in 1882 to help develop and control the game. However, Norwich had already established a local croquet club prior to January 16, 1880.
An early reference to Norwich’s first croquet club appears in the June 15, 1882 issue of the The Bulletin. It states: “The Messrs. J. W. Hooker and J. M. Brewer of the Norwich Croquet club went to New London yesterday and played several friendly games with the croquet players there. They were well received and handsomely entertained.”
An early references to croquet courts in Norwich appears in a 07/29/1883 Bulletin newspaper article, (Info Source 1): “The fine new grounds of the Norwich Croquet club, on the Robbins lot, Cliff Street, were laid out at an expense of $200. Two sets are arranged there, and the grounds are hard and smooth as floor.”
In the 1890’s, however the game lost much of its popularity, partly due to its association with gambling, drinking, and generally unsavory behavior. It was banned in Boston.
1886 National Croquet Tournament
Norwich, Connecticut
In 1899 national croquet rules were established in Norwich, provided for standardized court and ball dimensions.
In Norwich, the game was played during daylight or evening hours. The photograph, on the left, shows the club house, the National Roque Association court. Note the over head lighting in the photo.
Norwich became the home of roque in America in 1899, after a small group of players from the United States met in Norwich and revised the old, British Routledge rules. Their changes helped revitalize the game in America.
Acknowledgements
“Diversions” by Frederick W. Cary, 1909 Norwich Board of Trade Quarterly, page 39
“Croquet Gossip”, (07/26/1883), The Bulletin
Norwich Ct. Pictures, USA (09/29/2016)
The complete list of sources may be found by clicking the “Bibliography” button, and then typing “croquet” in the SEARCH box.
1888-Present Norwich Golf Course
The first golf course in Connecticut was laid out and played in Norwich. This course, also one the first in the United States, was near the old home lot of Benedict Arnold in Rockwell’s Woods. Ernest Felix Potter, the choirmaster of Norwich’s Christ Church, who lived at the old Benedict Arnold estate, laid out a four-hole golf course beginning in the backyard of Arnold’s homestead at the corner of Washington Street and Arnold Place. The early golfers consisted of Potter and his choir boys, who were given golf as well as vocal lessons.
These two enthusiasts slowly gained recruits … among them some women. The first course had in one of its fairways a ledge. This ledge was used in the past times as a place where the Mohegans ground their corn and the mortar holes were visible in the ledge.
The first golf course lasted no more than three years.
The second and third courses were located the same general area. They were laid out in a rough rock country adjacent to the residential district lying between the City of Norwich and the Town Green. A map of the area containing the first, second and third course is shown on the left.
Very little is known about the second course.
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The third course was incorporated in 1895. Detailed information about the course was printed in the “Harper’s Official Golf Guide 1889,” and “The Official Golf Guide 1902, by Grafton Press,” as shown below. It was a nine-hole course played by men, women, and juniors. The Grafton Press guide shows the course as 2506 yards long and a par 38. It is interesting to note the difference in the two guides. In 1889 the membership was 208 and three years later the membership was only 100. Also the membership costs and cost to play changed dramatically during the three year period.
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The first verifiable tournament was in November, 1896, proven by the existence of a small silver cup which for a number of years was contested for. On it is engraved the names of the winners, dates, and their score. In the archives of the Norwich Golf Club there is a score card of the third course. This course was 2707 yards in length. The score card does not show what par was in use at that time. The bogey system was the criterion of excellence. The back of the card is filled with local rules and penalties for lifting. A note at the bottom announces that hole number one has no local rule.
The fourth course of nine holes was laid out in 1910 on approximately 80 acres acquired by the Norwich Golf Land Company for golf purposes at a point about three miles south of the center of the city (the site of the current course).
On March 12th 1924 the Governors of Norwich Golf Club authorized the Norwich Golf Land Corporation to purchase additional land. It was stated that the “land has been characterized by a celebrated golf course architect and constructor as the finest natural golf land he has seen in this State and the equal of any in the country.”
At that meeting it was further reported “Blueprints of the proposed new layout gotten out by Tull & Tull, well known golf architects, with whom is associated Walter J. Travis veteran golfer and now designer of courses were exhibited. If sufficient money is raised Mr. Travis will polish off the plans, otherwise Tull & Tull, who are entirely competent to act, will do all the work.”
The following month, on April 19th 1924, the Norwich Bulletin reported that the plans for the fourth course were changed and new land acquired including the Connelly farm of 31 acres, 11 acres of the Elmer Pierson farm, and 18 acres of the James Allen farm. The new plans were considerably different from the original plans. It unknown if these changes were because of the review by Walter Travis or just changes instigated by Tull & Tull or the Norwich Golf Club. Course construction started in May 1924.
Play continued on the original 9-hole course during the summer of 1924 as the new course was being built. A temporary 6th green was used starting September 2, 1924. By September 13th the fairways and tees had been seeded and “Stolens” was used to seed the greens which were completed by September 22, 1924. Apparently there was some restricted play on the course (possibly to the old greens or temporary greens) in the spring of 1925 since there were reports of match play at the course on June 2, 1925 and a Memorial Day Program with “special rules in effect due to the construction of the new 18-hole course”.
The fourth course formally opened on Saturday July 4th 1925.
Prior to 1978 the golf course was owned by the Norwich Inn. In 1978 the Norwich Inn and golf course were sold as separate parcels. The City of Norwich purchased the golf course due to the efforts of Charles Whitty and others interested in benefiting the citizens of Norwich and surrounding communities.
The video shows a foursome of avid golfers playing the first few holes at the Norwich golf course in July 1975. The first hole shown in the video is the 17th hole of present-day Norwich Golf Club.
This placemark was researched by Rob Ladd. He was aided by Richard Strauss and Bruce Noland. A portion of the text was provided as a courtesy of the Norwich Golf Club. Map drawn by Rob Ladd. Many thanks to Brian Girasoli for the 1975 original video.
Acknowledgements
“Wee Burn: The First Century 1896-1996,” page 7, (1996) by Bill Quinn
Norwich Bulletin 03/10/1898, 03/12/1924, and 04/19/1924
The complete list of sources may be found by clicking the “Bibliography” button, and, then typing “Golf” in the SEARCH box.
1899-Present NFA / New London Football Rivalry
More than 145 years ago, the first game of the oldest high school football rivalry in the country took place on May 12, 1875. The rivalry between the Norwich Free Academy and the Bulkeley School for Boys in New London continued until 1951, when Bulkeley merged with New London’s Chapman Tech to become New London High School. In the early years the Norwich-based games were played in Williams Park (today’s Chelsea Parade) and the New London-based games were played were played in various fields, including Cannonball Park and the Admiral Billard Academy field.
For the first 35 years the fierce NFA teams dominated. It is believed they won every game but one until 1910. And, in the one game in which Bulkeley triumphed, it is believed that their team included non-Bulkeley student players.
Over the years, there have been countless legends, stories, accusations, and counter accusations. In 1886, NFA officials discovered a member of the Bulkeley faculty was a star player in the lineup, a far from uncommon occurrence in the early days of high school football.
In 1902, the score already 130-0 in NFA’s favor, Bulkeley gave up a few minutes into the second half. It remains the most points ever scored in a football game by one team in Connecticut history.
In 1909, the NFA timekeeper allowed play to extend thirteen minutes during which time NFA scored a touchdown to tie the game. He ran for his life when the error was discovered.
Usually, the games were played annually, but there were exceptions. In 1921, and then again for a brief period in 1970s, the games were held twice a year. Since the year 2000, the gridiron battle has taken place as the final regular-season game on Thanksgiving Day. The rivalry burns brightly to this day and is expected to continue for many years to come.
The book listed in the Info Source below provides an excellent, in-depth history of the rivalry.
Acknowledgements
“The Norwich Free Academy V. New London Football Rivalry”, 2012, by Brian Girasoli
USA Today High School Sports
The complete list of sources may be found by clicking the “Bibliography” button, and, then typing “rivalry” in the SEARCH box.
Lefty Dugas (1907-1997)
Lefty Dugas was a Major League Baseball player who grew up in the Taftville neighborhood of Norwich. He was an outfielder who batted left-handed and threw left-handed. He played with the Pittsburgh Pirates from 1931 to 1933 then played one year with the Washington Senators. He was also a star for the minor league Montreal Royals. During his minor league career he had a .327 batting average and a .206 batting average in the major league.
His family moved to Taftville from Quebec when he was two years old. His father worked in Ponemah Mills in Taftville. Lefty was described by Bill Stanley, a former writer and historian, as “a good man — humble, very religious, very caring”. And when Bishop Reilly first came to Norwich, he described Lefty as a “saint”.
Lefty played baseball for many teams over the years. He first signed with the Pittsburgh Pirates at the end of the 1929 season and was assigned to the Wichita Aviators of the Western League in 1930 where he had a tremendous season, hitting .349 and slugging .565 with 24 doubles, 12 triples and 26 homers in 143 games. The Pirates gave him a look late in the 1930 season and he did well, hitting .290 in 31 at-bats. In his big league debut on September 17th, he went 3 for 5 in a 12-5 win over the Philadelphia Phillies.
On September 28, 1930 he was the first player to face the St. Louis Cardinals’ Dizzy Dean in the future Hall of Famer’s big league debut, drawing a walk and scoring the Bucs’ only run of the game. The French Canadian press took notice of him at that point, and he would become a regular subject of coverage in his native province over the next two decades, even if he never became a household name in the United States.
In 1943, he was back in the International League with the Toronto Maple Leafs, where he hit .283 in 48 games. He then had to give up the game for a few years because of World War II, working those years at Hamilton Standard, a war plant manufacturing aircraft propellers in Connecticut. The Royals were reportedly interested in bringing him back as their manager in those years, but the call of Uncle Sam was stronger. When the war was over in 1946, he played a few games for the Providence Chiefs of the New England League at age 39, hitting .260, then hung up his cleats for good.
Dugas worked for a number of years as an extrusion operator for the Plastic Wire and Cable Co. in Norwich before retiring in 1972. He was a frequent visitor to Quebec in those years, including as a guest of the Montreal Expos when they began play in 1969 and again when they inaugurated Stade Olympique in 1977. The city of Norwich honored him by naming a street in the vicinity of Dodd Stadium “Lefty Dugas Drive”.
He suffered a stroke shortly after his 90th birthday and died less than a month later, on April 14, 1997. He is buried in St. Joseph Cemetery.
Acknowledgements
Baseball-Reference.com
“Norwich Was Home to Its Own Lefty”, (2009), by Bill Stanley
FindAGrave.com
The complete list of sources may be found by clicking the “Bibliography” button, and, then typing “Lefty” in the SEARCH box.