There was football, fútbol, and lots of paddling going on in the sports world in our area in May 1981.
“His long trek began on the Oneonta High School football field,” The Daily Star reported on May 13, 1981, “continued on the gridiron at Pittsburgh University’s Panther Stadium and ended this month at Robert F. Kennedy Stadium in Washington, D.C.”
“And, through the entire journey, Mark May has carried a throng of Oneonta football fans along,” who would be closely following Washington Redskins games in the fall.
“In late April, four years of hard work and dedication paid off, as he was the 20th player chosen in the NFL draft. The Washington Redskins, with a new coach in Joe Gibbs, and a new, stronger offense…made May their first choice, and he became the first Oneonta player ever to be drafted by the pros. He was the third offensive tackle to be drafted, and he believes he’ll be able to fit in well with the veteran Washington team.
“While May expects to be able to contribute to the Redskins team, he knows that not many rookies become starters at his position.
“May said he will finish his studies at Pittsburgh by taking night courses in the off-season. He also has a job at Equi-Bank in Pittsburgh for the off-season.”
While Mark May joined pros in Washington, The Star of May 6 reported, “The pros came to town last night, heightening the growing excitement swirling around Oneonta’s National Soccer Hall of Fame project.
“The American Soccer League champion Pennsylvania Stoners and the New York United were feted along with several USSF Hall of Famers. About 150 people attended the banquet at Oneonta’s Holiday Inn.
“The two pro teams play tonight at Damaschke Field … in what Hall of Fame officials hope will be an annual soccer match to bolster the fledgling plans for a national soccer shrine.
“Excitement was high Tuesday as Hall of Fame officials launched its first big promotion to be followed up by the annual exhibition. Both professional teams have strong local connections and they were joined by a host of national and former all-time soccer stars and officials at the banquet.”
“Jeff Tipping, Hartwick College’s stopper during the run to the 1977 national collegiate soccer championship, is captain of the Stoners, while Dave D’Errico has recently been signed with the United. D’Errico was also a standout for Wick in the 1970s.”
As for the game, attendance could have been better, as 1,050 watched the New York United blank the Pennsylvania Stoners, 1-0.
“Unseasonably cool weather may have kept the soccer fans away but that didn’t keep the two American Soccer League teams from playing a lively, fast-paced game.”
Albert Colone, director of Oneonta’s bid to attract national attention to its soccer Hall of Fame capabilities told The Star, “I think the significant thing to note tonight is that we had a professional exhibition. It may have been the first such exhibition to support a hall of fame concept in the country.” Oneonta was designated by the United States Soccer Federation as the site for its Hall of Fame in 1983.
From the playing fields, news went to the waterways, as Star readers on May 23 learned, “Otsego County planners estimated Friday that spectators at this weekend’s General Clinton Canoe Regatta will spend $4.7 million in communities along the 70-mile course on the Susquehanna River.
“Using a formula developed by the U.S. Travel Data Center, planners also predicted that $2.8 million will remain in the area to trigger one of the bigger economic boosts of the year.”
The regatta was then 18 years old. The first race was held on July 4, 1963 and had 45 entries. It had been proposed by the Bainbridge Chamber of Commerce to boost local tourism. The winning time in 1963 was 11 hours, 45 minutes. Today, top professional tandems complete the 70-mile course in roughly 6½ to 8 hours. It later switched to the Memorial Day weekend.
This weekend, local looks to the past and present during spring 1931.