After High School Dan went to Kutztown University.
There he was the starting
Quarterback 1974-76
The streak of 34 - 0 did not begin on November 1968, it began somewhere before. So I will share my perspective as a player and a Bridgewater kid growing up during that time.
I grew up in the Finderne section of Bridgewater. Things where slightly different in the 60’s - there were no such things as play dates. What we had were school yards, basketball courts, and woods to run around in. Parents didn’t drive around the world so their kids could play organized sports at the age of 6. They just told us to go out and play, and so we did.
In doing so we learned how to interact with others and we decided who our friends would be. We experimented continuously with conflict resolution, often on the bottom of the pile. Sure there were plenty of bumps, bruises and black eyes but you learned how to stand up for yourself. Bullies and wise guys didn’t last long. They culled themselves out.
There was an interesting organic mentoring system that took on a life of it’s own. There were things called “pick-up games”. This is where I and many others first started playing football. Pick up games where an interesting mix of whom ever showed up on the front lawn of Adamsville school. It’s now all parking but back in the day we used it as a scrimmage field. No coaches, no parents, no supervision - perfect!
What we had though were older kids who took on those protectorate rolls. I’m talking about tackle football, no equipment, with an age spread between 8 and 16. There was no age paring, you just mixed it up. The interesting thing was that these older kids during that time, for the most part, used discretion. They took on leadership rolls, broke up fights that got out of control and were the kids that you could talk to about life... as a kid anyway.
As these kids grew up they passed along the ruff and tumble protocol and the neighborhoods set the stage for what was to come. Playing organized football for many began with Pop Warner. Bridgewater, as large as it was, did not have a Pop Warner team. If you wanted to play you had several options in neighboring towns that did have programs, depending on what part of Bridgewater you lived in. They were Somerville, Manville, and Bound Brook.
The mix of kids that played on the Somerville team was interesting and led to some great rivalries. Players from this team ended up going to 4 different high schools; Bridgewater East, Bridgewater West, Somerville, and Immaculata. These games ended up being real barn burners. Many of these kids grew up playing with and against each other growing up. Somerset County was stacked with great athletes and the games were intense.
AND THEN CAME GREINER
So here you have this great group of competitive kids, a new high school and Coach Greiner. Coach Greiner was intense, determined and had the ability to motivate. When it was game time he knew how to pump you up and at half time... forget about it. We would come out of that locker room not even thinking about scoring - we just wanted to hit somebody. And that was what it really came down to; tough fundamentals. Practice was all about that. He had a great system. It would start with technique and you would do it over and over, faster and faster. But in the end it was all about the hitting, blocking and tackling. This in my opinion is what sustained the dynasty. The entire coaching staff was talented and had the ability to instruct and motivate. Greiner had a policy - if you were a running back and you wanted to run with the ball, you had to know how to block first. East had great running backs. Perhaps not the fastest sprinters or the biggest, but they were, agile, tough and the best blockers.
OKLAHOMA DRILL - During practice you wore a red or blue vest designating 1st or 2nd squad. Your ranking was based on your performance by the coaches. However... there was this policy that any player could challenge another and compete in the OKLAHOMA DRILL. This was an intense hitting drill where two players laid on the ground head to head. The rest of the team would form a gauntlet on each side. The whistle would blow. Both players would scramble to their feet determined to run through each other. Straight on, no side stepping, like battering rams. It was like a gladiator pit. The coaches would then start calling out names. You’d be standing there one moment screaming at the other teammates, the next thing you know your name is called and you’re in it banging heads. It was like a shark frenzy. This was another motivate tactic that toughened our fiber.
So, what was the key to the success and the duration of the dynasty? Well, it was several things.
It was about relationships between older and younger kids that grew up with a sense of pride and respect for each other, their neighborhoods and their school.
It was about a new high school with motivated administrators, teachers, and staff
It was about a young and enthusiastic coaching staff
It was about the student body, the band, the cheerleaders, and the parents
It was about the teams and athletes we competed against
It was about one of the best Thanksgiving day rivalries
It was about everyone coming together and sharing the experience
For me it was a fantastic time full wonderful memories that concluded on a crisp Thanksgiving morning in 1972. I was standing on the John Basilone Memorial Field as a player for the last time. The game had just ended and we had beaten West. The joy of winning slowly faded to melancholy. My father ran out on the field to congratulate me. I looked at him and commented... well I guess that’s it Dad. Just then a couple younger neighborhood kids tugged on me and smiling asked me for my chin strap. A token souvenir. Perhaps a future quarterback, a spark to kindle another dynasty.