Probably by noon on Monday, Nov. 9
and definitely before practice that day at 4 p.m., Eph Head
Football Coach Mike Whalen will receive a letter addressed to his
team from Ken Hollingsworth. This will mark the 30th year in a row
that Hollingsworth has put into words his suggestions for the
purple seniors on how to get the most out of the final week of
their final season at Williams.
Hollingsworth will urge the
graduating class to understand the privilege of wearing the purple
jersey and know that 11 football players at Amherst cannot beat the
thousands of Eph football alums who support this year's team.
His letter will encourage the
seniors to get every last bit out of their Williams football
friendships and drills and even to reflect on all of the
accomplishments the last four years, reminding them that there
isn't a football alum who wouldn't give “anything
to be back in your shoes.” He'll further remind the
seniors to look around and admire “the beauty of the Purple
Valley.”
|
| Ken Hollingsworth
'79
|
If all goes well
this season Hollingsworth will mention that the Ephs will be
halfway to the coveted Little Three title and he might even end
with a quote from Vince Lombardi, which hangs on his office wall at
Tilton School (N.H.): “I firmly believe that any man's
finest hour is that moment when he has worked his heart out in a
good cause and lies exhausted on the field of battle,
victorious.” His 29th letter concluded with, “Outwork
the Jeffs ALL WEEK and you will understand what coach Lombardi is
saying.”
“I wanted to 'give
back' and begin my own tradition,” Hollingsworth said
when asked about his annual missive to the Ephs. “I've
encouraged other alums to follow suit and write each year. Heck,
one year, I was interviewed by the New York Times about my
letter!”
As befits a man of letters,
Hollingsworth has spent 28 of the last 29 years as an English
teacher at Tilton and he also has coached football and still
coaches baseball, while serving as athletic director and as
academic advisor to 7-9 students and pulling some dorm duty on
occasion.
“I always
knew that I wanted to be a teacher and football coach like my
father, who is my idol,” stated Hollingsworth. Graduating
with a B.A. in American civilization Hollingsworth caught on with
the Eph football staff as an intern so he could take education
classes at North Adams State (now MCLA) and then secured his first
teaching/coaching position at Tilton in September of 1980.
Hollingsworth, known as
“Hollywood” at Williams, was quite a receiver and still
ranks seventh all-time in receptions (83) and yards (1,334),
snaring seven TD passes.
Despite his flashy nickname,
Hollingsworth is quick to highlight team accomplishments over
personal ones so further research was required. He's also
quick to point out that going up against future NFL player DB Scott
Perry every day as a first-year made him a better receiver.
The two biggest Eph football game
memories for Hollingsworth both came via total team efforts.
“We prepared for a whole year to beat Middlebury
and finally crushed them 33-12 our senior year,” he recalled.
“I remember the long walk from their field house to the field
in rows of two, and no one said one word. By the time I got to the
field before the game, I had tears streaming down my eyes I was so
excited to play.” Mary Kate Shea '81 reported in the
Williams Record that Hollingsworth was a factor in the contest,
“Hollingsworth collared five passes for 86 yards, and even
had Middlebury fans oohing and ahhing over several of his
off-balance catches.”
Perhaps as a precursor to his
letter writing campaign Hollingsworth fondly recalls the 1977 game
against Amherst on Weston Field: “I remember beating a
heavily favored Amherst in our junior year 21-13. Amherst refused
to allow the game to be played on ABC TV [national football powers
were at odds with the TV networks on coverage policies], so we took
it out on them in front of a huge Homecoming crowd. Walking down
Spring St. with my teammates after the game, going into the
barbershop, having a beer and a cigar and visiting the library (not
to write a paper!) was something I'll never forget.” A
Hollingsworth highlight from the win over Amherst he neglected to
mention was noted in the Williams Record by Tim Layden '78
(now at Sports Illustrated): “Hollingsworth thunderfooted a
40 yard field goal to close out Williams scoring with nine minutes
to go in the third quarter.” Hollingsworth told Layden,
“It just shows you what adrenalin can do.”
Not only was Hollingsworth a
standout receiver/placekicker he was also a football and baseball
captain. He took his love of sports to Tilton where he fashioned
impressive coaching records in football (116-81-3, New England
Football Championship 2007 – the first 9-0 record) and
baseball (193-151, with league titles in 2002, 2006, 2008 &
2009).
He was inducted into the Reading
[Mass.] Hall of Fame in 1998 along with his father John and in 2005
he was inducted into the Tilton Hall of Fame. At Tilton
Hollingsworth had the pleasure of coaching his sons Scott, a QB who
plays baseball at Clark, and Eric, a wide receiver for Bates. Sandy
Hollingsworth, Ken's wife of 23 years, and Ken are here today
rooting for Eric, but part of Ken's heart just might be with
the boys in purple.
Asked what he learned on Cole Field or Weston
Field that helps him to this day Hollingsworth stated,
“Football is the greatest game ever invented, and it requires
hard work, dedication, creativity, the ability to keep going after
getting knocked down, commitment to teammates and
coaches, and a love for what you do every day, which
are all things that one needs to succeed in life.” This
might be a part of the 31st November letter in 2010.
