Terry Erwin, BC Eagle
Classmate Brian Froelich reported back in December about a visit to Denver and a reunion with classmate and football star Terry Erwin. (Obviously, I have been very tardy in posting this, for which I apologize to Brian, Terry, and all of you. Judith beat me to it in Class Notes!) Here’s Brian’s report:
“I went to Denver in mid-December to attend my wife Jeannie’s last performance with her championship barbershop quartet. (They are retiring after 15 years together. See here for more. ) I contacted Terry Erwin from our class who lives out there. I hadn’t seen Terry in 50 years. We had dinner together and then we both went to the show and an after-show party. Terry played for the Denver Broncos for a couple years and stayed in the area in the real estate business.
(L-R) Terry Erwin, Jeannie and Brian Froelich
“It was a great night. I was a little worried that Terry might not be interested in a barbershop singing show. But he was a great sport and, as it turned out, Terry’s dad and uncles were barbershop singers and singing was part of his family holiday tradition. Terry actually remembered some of the song tags from those days. (And his unrehearsed renditions were only slightly ragged!)
“We had a fine dinner before the show. Of course we reminisced about the 50 years. Terry looks great. And he has a terrific group of kids and grandkids. He had some great stories to tell.
“He told me that when he was drafted by the Broncos the team had also signed classmate Joe Divito and later traded for Brendan McCarthy. At one point in the season, the starting halfback (all-pro Floyd Little) and the starting quarterback were out with injuries. Terry (at running back) and Joe (quarterback) were on the field and into the huddle comes Brendan. At that moment the Denver Broncos were fielding an all-BC backfield that was the same one that started games as far back as our freshman year team in 1964! Apparently a lineman looked up and said, “Ok, now you Eagles better make something good happen!”
“Terry also said his daughter (Shelly ’87) was tri-captain of the BC swimming team and a classmate of Doug Flutie (Editor note: Doug was ’86 so same era, not same class). Terry told his daughter to tell Doug that since he was wearing Terry’s #22 jersey number that he better be play well. Apparently she actually did and, as we all know, he actually did. So Terry claims total credit for Flutie’s success.
“No meeting of grads is left without a Father Hanrahan story. When Terry was first bringing his daughter to BC he saw Father and went up to introduce her. Father mentioned that he started as Dean of Discipline when our class came in and was just then retiring. He added that it was apparently just in time since he was sure he ‘could not deal with another Erwin!’
“One of his sons was a world-class snowboarder.
“Terry told about how his (dearly loved) high school coach, who was a famous BC football grad (Roy Norden ’50), maneuvered that Terry got to BC and not to some other schools by carefully editing his submitted game films! For instance a game in which Terry gained over 300 yards was ‘accidentally’ left out of some tapes. Terry has since been inducted into his Beverly High School Hall of Fame.
“He talked about once after graduation visiting Brendan McCarthy in Washington, D.C., and trying to keep up with Brendan’s cigar smoking and whiskey drinking — always a challenge. There was more than a dozen other names and ‘events’ mentioned and discussed with much laughter. He mentioned fondly his friendship with Chris Markey back in the day.
“And, far from the financial heyday that professional sports is today, Terry only got paid about $14,000 with the Broncos and actually left football to make more money from a business job offer!
“In any event it was a night of good food, great stories, and fun singing (and a little wine!). Much like 50 years ago.”