What is a championship without a trophy?
The Stanley Cup. The Lombardi Trophy. The Commissioner’s Trophy.
In truth when it comes to sports, the honor and prestige that comes simply from winning is enough to satisfy every athlete.
But a trophy is a symbol of that greatness.
And for 50 years now, one of the best high school football rivalries in the state of Massachusetts has had a symbol worth fighting for.
Some time late on Thanksgiving morning, the Landry Memorial Stadium clock will show triple zeros to bring an end to the 102nd annual Amesbury vs. Newburyport holiday game. And after the two storied rivals shake hands and form lines around midfield, the J. Walter Chase trophy will — for the 50th year in a row — be presented to the winner. Chase’s grandson, Mark Daigle, will once again do the presenting, and say a few words before handing the beloved trophy off to the captains of the winning team.
And then … the celebration is on.
Athletes hoist the trophy high.
Some hug it.
Others grab teammates or family members to get a picture with it.
“For years our family drove all over to watch (Newburyport) play,” said Daigle, a proud Newburyport football alum himself. “I can remember as a kid, coming back from a big win with a streamer out the window, honking the horn behind the bus. It was huge back then. We never missed a game. So when they came and asked if we wanted to do this (trophy presentation), it was a no-brainer.”
It’s just simply a fact now: Growing up, football players from both Amesbury and Newburyport dream of beating their archrival on Thanksgiving Day, and getting the chance to hold the J. Walter Chase trophy after.
And Thursday morning, that symbol of the third-oldest rivalry in the state turns 50.
‘Just an ordinary person’
What makes the Amesbury and Newburyport rivalry so great are the unbreakable bonds that define both communities.
J. Walter Chase wasn’t some superstar athlete.
He was just a Newburyport lifer … and a super fan of the Clippers.
One of the original Booster members back in the early 1920s, Chase and his family — wife, Reta, their daughters, Jean and Carol, and later their grandchildren — attended every Newburyport football and basektball game, home and away, for decades. He then of course became good friends with legendary Newburyport football coach James T. Stehlin, who wanted to do something special for Chase following his passing in 1974, while also adding new interest to the annual Thanksgiving game.
“Right after he died, Jim Stehlin came to the house and talked to my mother,” said Carol Chase. “And originially she said, ‘Oh no, no, he wouldn’t want that recognition.’ But the more we thought about it, we thought it would be quite an honor. That, just an ordinary person, they thought enough of that they should present a trophy in his honor.
“He was just a very quiet man who loved sports.”
So in 1975, the J. Walter Chase trophy was officially introduced to the rivalry.
In honor of a Newburyport family through and through.
Reta Chase worked in the cafeteria at Newburyport High for many years, and always had a special treat waiting on Mondays following a football victory. She knew and took care of all of the kids, and was a beloved figure so much so that after her passing in 1993, many past and present football players attended her wake.
“On Monday if they had won a football game, she’d make a cake and only the football players could have the cake,” said Carol. “Nobody else could have the cake! At that time when you went into the cafeteria, the boys sat on one side and the girls sat on the other. So the boys would be on my mother’s side, and she would know if they were a football player or not.
“If someone else tried to take a piece of cake she would say, ‘That’s not for you!’”
All for the ‘Clipper Family’
As the years went on, Daigle started hearing a classic line from ‘Grandma Reta.’
“I can remember sitting at the dinner table one year, and we had lost a tough game to Amesbury,” said Daigle. “My grandmother was getting old, and my aunt (Jean) would come home and my grandmother would ask, ‘How’d they do?’ and we told her, ‘Oh, they lost.’ So you’re thinking, oh man this is going to be a rough dinner, she’s going to be upset because the (football team) were always her boys. She would read about every game. And she would say, ‘Oh those guys must of had a bad day.’ It was always a good comment.”
But it emphasized the love for Newburyport football that never waivered.
Just as faithful a Newburyport fan as her parents, Jean Chase originally presented the trophy to the Thanksgiving Day winner. Soon after her brother-in-law, Pete Daigle — who served in the Boosters alongside Walter Chase — took over the responsibility. Then following that for many years, it was Pete’s son Rob — Mark’s brother — who served in the role. Rob Daigle sadly passed away from ALS in 2016, but for years he was a JV baseball coach at Newburyport, so he knew all of the kids at both schools.
The year after his death, Mark inherited the honor.
“When he got diagnosed with ALS, the year before he died we walked him out with a cane because we couldn’t get him on the new turf with a wheelchair,” said Daigle. “And he told everyone, ‘I hope to make it next year,’ and he didn’t make it. So the following year I had to do it, and it was emotional. I told the kids, ‘Do me a favor. When you’re sitting at your dinner table later on, look around and realize that any given minute, one of your family members could be gone.’ My brother died within 14 months.
“It was the hardest thing I’ve had to do, but it’s an honor to do it every year.”
Here’s to 50 more!
Thursday morning, two communities will flock over to Landry Memorial Stadium for a 10 a.m. kickoff.
About two hours later, Daigle will walk onto the field.
He’ll be holding the trophy named after his grandfather, a man who raised a family that loved everything about Newburyport. Since the inception of the trophy 50 years ago, the Clippers lead the series against Amesbury, 30-19.
And whoever gets to hoist it up following this year’s game will be holding that history with them.
Since 1975, to 2025 — and probably to 2075 — the J. Walter Chase trophy symbolized everything great about the Amesbury and Newburyport rivalry.
“Thanksgiving has always been a big day for us,” smiled Daigle. “because I know this trophy is getting handed out at the end.”