Andy Ball on Garnet Football’s Mohawk Haircut Tradition Ahead of The Game
Each year before the Rye – Harrison game, Garnet football players will get mohawk haircuts – a commitment to the cause. MyRye.com was curious about the origins of the mohawk haircut tradition, so we tracked down former Garnet player and former Rye City Councilman Andy Ball for a trip back to 1980.
What year was this – the year of the first mohawk? And what was the state of the Rye – Harrison rivalry?
Ball: November 1980. Long before the state championship system was in place. The Harrison game was everything. It was a fixture as the final game of the season, typically the second Saturday in November, for roughly 50 years. It was for all the marbles, and the Garnets had not won the game since the fall of ’74.
What was the origin of the mohawk haircut before The Game?
Ball: We were intensely focused on preparing for the game, and a few of us seniors – at the urging of co-captain Ed Fitzgerald (whom you may know as the proprietor of Beaver’s Tree Service) decided to shave our heads as a public signal of our commitment to the cause. A group of us went to Ralph Vellone’s barbershop, The Yankee Clipper on Purdy Avenue, to be shorn. While we were there a few of us, including Ralph, thought a mohawk would be a next-level gesture. I was the next player to get in the chair, I was game, and it happened.
What other players from that Garnet football team are still in town?
Ball: Quite a few. In addition to Beaver Fitzgerald, players like Gerry DiEdwards, Eduardo Pellon, Moose O’Brien, Jim Lavelle, Steve Nye, Mike Fitzgerald, and Brian Dempsey still live in Rye – and many other players’ families including names like Surhoff, Ballantoni, Greto, Hurley, Duffy, O’Keefe and Josephson are still here.
What did Coach Dino Garr think?
Ball: Not sure, because we played during Coach Garr’s “intermission” from Rye. A Garnet alumnus, Dino was tapped to lead the program when John Nugent stepped up to become AD, and if I recall correctly, he coached the fall ’75, ’76’, ’77, and ’78 teams before leaving to rebuild the program at Westlake. From the fall of ’79 to sometime in the mid-’80s the Garnets were coached by John O’Reilly, who had previous success at Irvington, and eventually left Rye to join the Penn State staff. The continuity was assistant coach Tom Maloney, another Garnet alum who spanned the Dino 1, O’Reilly, and Dino 2 eras. So O’Reilly was our guy, he was really supportive of the shaved heads as well as my mohawk.
What do you think of the mohawk tradition?
Ball: We never meant for it to continue, yet it went on for quite a few years, with even JV players getting into it throughout the 80’s and maybe the 90’s. I don’t think it’s happened much over the past few decades. Coach Garr downplayed its significance when he spoke with MyRye.com, and I’m inclined to agree with him. Sure, it debuted while he was at Westlake. But to him, the only tradition that matters is being prepared as possible, and ultimately winning the game. That’s why he’s the GOAT.
What did your Mom think?
Ball: She was pissed.
What’s your prediction for The Game on Saturday?
Ball: Garnets roll at home, 35-15.
Thanks Andy.
Note: Ahead 8 -7 at the half, the Garnets fell to Harrison 15 – 35 in that 1980 game.
Notes @ The Game:
- Going to the game? Make sure to adhere to Rye PD’s parking policy for Friday 10/25 and Saturday 10/26.
- The OG on Rye Football: The Game (#97) is Saturday, 3pm @ Nugent Stadium. Read it.
- Jeff Provenzano (RHS ’94) will deliver the game ball via a skydiving stunt. Read it.
- Coach Garr on The Game, Going in the Brook & Tradition. Read it.
- PHOTOS: Pep Rally & Bonfire Ahead of Rye – Harrison Game. Look.
