Biography

With blood streaming down the bridge of his nose, and slits for eyes peering through his face mask, he appeared to have been in a fight the truth of the matter was he had been in a fight every play in the trenches of the line. Though only 5'7" and 165 pounds, Jerry Flanagan always seemed to win his personal battle and his team always won the war. The hard as nails offensive guard was the unsung hero on a team which featured seven current Hall of Fame players and their legendary Hall of Fame Coach, Chet Hanewich. Thorpe was so quick, Kirby so athletic, MacDonald and Johnson so intimidating, Cosgrove so strong, Poirier so talented and Parker so smooth. Flanagan was just tough not only physically tough, but rather a toughness borne in the heart and the soul, also known as courage.

There were numerous memories in the fall of '66 in what has often been described as Feehan's finest season. Most memorable were victories over traditional rivals Attleboro and North Attleboro, as well as an incredible come from behind victory over perennial BCL power house Durfee by scoring twice in the final minute. Thirty-four years later, people still talk about Feehan's stunning victory over Bishop Stang which was televised live on Channel 6 so great was the interest in this contest. And Jerry Flanagan went out week after week and hit and bled and hit and bled and let others get the glory. His contributions seemingly went unrecognized except among those who counted the most. However, after the magnificent campaign of his senior year, Jerry was finally recognized as an All Star in the Bristol County League and in several local papers.

Of all the talent on that superb team, Jerry Flanagan was the only one to play four years of college football where he excelled at St. Michael's in Vermont, serving as captain in his senior year. So much was his love of football that he stayed on as an assistant coach for three seasons at the school. After obtaining a Masters in Education in 1973, he has served in the Admissions Department at St. Michael's, where he is currently Vice President for Admission and Enrollment Management. There's an old football adage: It's not the size of the dog in the fight but the size of the fight in the dog. The size of Jerry Flanagan's fight was both immeasurable and priceless.