Thursday, October 1, 2026
I remember those autumn Saturday afternoons like they were yesterday. Leaving our house on Lindell Boulevard on game day as we walked toward Long Beach High School, I still recall those little details vividly: The sound of the band warming up, the sight of the blue and white balloons, and the aroma of the hot dogs from the snack stand just as The Marines were about to take the football field.
The 1960 Long Beach High School varsity football team were Saturday’s heroes. Among them were my big brother Noel, number 69, along with his pals who I had known for all of my six years. The guys who had parties and played cards in my basement on weekend nights, the guys who took me to the Texas Ranger after a big win, were the guys that the whole town, including me, were cheering for from the stands. As I watched each game I knew one thing: When I got bigger, I wanted to be just like them.
Admittedly, it wasn’t a stellar season, and I doubt that as they trudged off the field for the last time, the members of that year’s team pictured themselves getting together a half century later to revel in the memories of the 1960 season. The team recently held its 50th reunion at Sutton Place in Long Beach, where they shared laughs and memories, and once again happy to be in each other’s company. It was another in a long line of get-togethers that the seniors from the class of ’61 — the gridiron heroes and their pals who cheered them on — have had since the cleats were hung up for the last time all those years ago.
We recalled the memories of a group of genuinely good kids, with a lot of heart, both on and off the field. They were the tough guys of the school, but they were never the bullies. They stuck up for the underdog, perhaps in part because they were one of the smaller teams in the annals of Long Beach football, both in size and number. The early 1960s were what many refer to as the end of innocence. The era of sex, drugs, and rock ’n’ roll was not yet upon us, and many of us often long for those simpler times.
With enough victories and successful trick plays to brag about and the laughs we shared during those “mud bowls” in the pouring rain — not to mention a genuine sense of pride in our hometown — we wound up with bonds of friendship that outshine any championship trophy.
Of course, there was a very important person who was instrumental in creating that bond, and everyone in the room acknowledged who that was — their coach, Mr. Piazza.
Anthony Piazza taught science at LBHS from 1953-1970, and you’d be hard pressed to find a yearbook from any of those years that didn’t list him in the senior poll under the favorite teacher category.
But as a football coach he was more. The faces of his former players beamed as they remembered the man who would literally bring himself to tears with his passionate halftime speeches. He was an educator and a motivator, not only in the ways of football but also in the ways of manhood. Their coach was demanding and tough, but he always had their backs. He was their advocate, a father figure, someone whom they both revered and honestly enjoyed spending time with. Fifty years later, they still do.
A lot has changed since 1960. The high school is now the Lindell Elementary School and the Texas Ranger is a Ruby Tuesday. But some things haven’t changed, such as those seniors from the class of ’61 who went into their three-point stances at the line of scrimmage during the fall of 1960. Today, they still enjoy a close friendship, which few people may ever experience. Through all the good times and the bad, they are still there for each other.
Scott Podell was born and raised in Long Beach and graduated from Long Beach High School in 1972. He serves as a Clinical Assistant Professor at NYU’s College of Dentistry.
