Friday, September 03, 2010

Eugene "Spud" Moriarty - Chicago Mount Carmel Man at Yale 1967


The Prep Bowl was started in 1934 by then-Chicago Mayor Edward Kelly as a fundraiser to help needy kids around Thanksgiving time. As it has always been, the champions of the Chicago Public and Chicago Catholic High School Football Leagues collide at Soldier Field on the Friday after Thanksgiving. At one time, this event attracted 125,000 fans, making it the most well-attended event in amateur sports history, even surpassing today's big-college stadium records.


The Kelly Bowl later became the Prep Bowl and The Caravan of Mount Carmel won the title a record 13 times. The 1967 Championship Game at storied Soldier Field yielded a score of Mount Carmel 37 over DUNBAR 0. That game sealed the deal for Eugene "Spud" Moriarty of St. Walter's Parish. Spud was a talented tackle who played both ways all season for the Caravan and excelled in English with both Father Bob Lee and Father Gavin Quinn, O.Carm.

His test scores were as solid as his biceps and soul as pure as Canfields Ginger Ale. He was an exacting scholar who raised questions out of a genuine and pure empirical sense and became loudly annoyed, when his questions posed were deflected, or, worse, neglected.

Spud went to Yale University on a full ride. Spud leaped from Carmel Brown to Ely Blue! He could not wait for fall term.

Upon arrival at his freshman dorm, he was greeted with a cold nod, by seventh generation Yale Man - C. Dexter Vander-Swell of Fremont-Stokes, East Egg Long Island, New York.

Spud shrugged and smiled broadly

Spud: “Where are you from?”
Yale scion: “I come from a place where we do not end our sentences with prepositions.”
Spud: “Okay – where are you from, jagoff?”

Four Years later, C. Dexter went to Columbia Law.

At the end of September 1967, Spud quit Yale, joined the Army and went to Vietnam, came home, went to DePaul and Loyola Law on the G.I.Bill, went to work for Justice Department and indicted and convicted Vanderswell for running a Ponzi Scheme in 1983. The rest is history.

It's possible.

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