FAIR LAWN HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL RECORD 1943 – PRESENT
By Dick Engelhardt
The 1950s
The 1960s
The 1970s
The 1980s
The 1990s
The 2000s
Leagues: B-PIL Bergen-Passaic Interscholastic League,
1945 - 55
NBIL
The B-PIL was renamed in 1956 as the Northern Bergen Interscholastic League,
1956 – 1958 and 1984 - 2008
NNJIL Northern
New Jersey Interscholastic League, 1959 – 83
North Jersey
Tri-County Conference (NJTCC) 2009
Big North
Conference (BNC) Liberty Division 2010-
The 1940s
1943 4
- 1 - 1 (.800) Independent Schedule
1944 5 - 3 - 1 (.625) Independent Schedule
1945 4
- 3 - 2 (.571) B-PIL Champs!
1946 6
- 3
(.667) B-PIL Co - Champs with
Bogota
1947 8
- 1
(.889) B-PIL Co – Champs with
Lyndhurst
1948 4
- 3 - 1 (.571)
1949 7
- 1
(.875) PF PA
TOTALS: 38-15-5 (.717) 843 458
A great start
for the new “CUTTERS Of Fair Lawn
High” under coaches Marty Fischbein 1943 – 44 and Frank Bennett starting in
1945. Bennett’s CUTTERS joined the B-PIL his first year and won championships in 1945, 46 and
47.
The 1950s
1950 1 - 7 (.125)
1951 3 - 5 (.375)
1952 6 - 2 – 1 (.750)
1953 7
- 1 (.875) B-PIL
Champs & Co-State Group III Champs with
Hackensack
1954 2
- 6 (.250)
1955 7
- 1 (.875) B-PIL Champs
1956 5
- 3
(.625)
1957 3
- 3 - 1 (.500)
1958 2
- 5 - 1 (.286)
1959 6
- 2
(.750) PF PA
TOTALS: 42-35-3 (.545) 1,358 1,174
1943-59: 80-50-8 (.625) 2,201 1,632
The 1950s saw Bennett’s CUTTERS take 2 more B-PIL titles just missing in 1952. The
League changed its name in ’56 when
Hawthorne, the only Passaic County school,
dropped out. Fair Lawn and Ridgewood
moved up to the NNJIL in 1959 and
the
CUTTERS
nearly took the title
finishing a half game behind Hackensack though the
CUTTERS
had beaten the COMETS 27-6.
The 1960s
1960 0-9 (.000)
1961 3-5 (.375)
1962 5-4 (.556)
1963 5-4 (.556)
1964 6-2-1 (.750)
1965 8-0-1 (1.000) NNJIL
Champs
1966 8-1 (.889)
NNJIL Champs
1967 3-6 (.333)
1968 5-4 (.556)
1969 6-3 (.667) PF PA
TOTALS: 49-38-2 (.563) 1,476 1,188
1943-69: 129-88-10 (.594) 3,677 2,820
Wow, what a decade! Legendary Coach Frank
Bennett retired from coaching after the
1960 season, Fair Lawn’s first
ever-winless season. His 16 years at the helm were the
longest of any coach. Mike Albergue’s
1988-2001 tenure was next longest followed
by Pete Natale’s 1978-87 reign. Coach Ed
Sheehy was diagnosed with Cancer after the
1964 season and died before the 1965
season. After losing their first two games in ’64,
Sheehy’s CUTTERS began the wonderful 24 game non-losing streak that ended
with
that shocking 40 – 34 upset by the MAROONS of Ridgewood on Thanksgiving
Day of
1966 before some 13,000 fans at what is
now SASSO FIELD. Coach Frank Devens
led
our CUTTERS
to NNJIL championships in 1965 and 1966. His 1965 team
remains the
only undefeated team in FLHS history.
The 1970s
1970 3-6 (.333)
1971 6-3 (.667)
1972 3-5-1 (.375)
1973 2-7 (.222)
1974 2-6-1 (.250)
1975 4-5 (.444)
1976 0-9 (.000)
1977 2-7 (.222)
1978 6-3 (.667)
1979 7-2-1 (.778) Made The State Playoffs; lost to Clifton 30 – 0
TOTALS: 35-53-3 (.398) PF
1,233 PA 1,643
1943-79 164-141-13 (.538) PF
4,910 PA 4,463
Not a good decade but
1978 did bring Pete Natale as head coach and athletic director after Al Reinoso
(1972-74) and Rich Szura (1975-77) couldn’t make our CUTTERS winners. The ‘70s finished strong leading into the
successful 80s.
The 1980s
1980 9-2 (.818) NNJIL
Tri-Champs with Clifton and Passaic Valley
and
Beat Passaic in States at GIANTS STADIUM
before
losing 20- 0 to Passaic Valley in finals.
1981 2-7 (.222)
1982 0-9 (.000)
1983 2-7 (.222)
1984 7-2 (.778) Returned to NBIL
& won Division 1 title
1985 9-1 (.900) Took NBIL
Division 1 title & lost 36-26 to
Passaic
in States.
1986 7-2 (.778)
1987 9-1 (.900) Took NBIL
Division 1 title & lost 12-6 to
Bayonne
in States.
1988 6-4 (.600) Lost 20-6 to JFK
of Paterson in States.
1989 8-3 (.727) Took NBIL
Division 1 title & lost 19-14
to
Hoboken in States after beating North Bergen 14-7.
TOTALS: 59-38 (.608) PF
1,607 PA 1,306
1943-89: 223-179-13 (.555) PF 6,517 PA 5,769
The 1980s were a great
decade. 1980 saw our CUTTERS win 9
games for the first
time ever. They were
Tri-NNJIL Champs with Clifton and
Passaic Valley and, in
one of the most exciting
games in FLHS history they trailed
the INDIANS of
Passaic 7-0, 12-0, 12-7
and 18-7 before roaring back to win 27-18 in the States at
GIANTS STADIUM. 1984 saw a return to the NBIL, which
Fair Lawn had left in
1959 and our CUTTERS took the Division 1 title in
1984, 85, 87 and 89 and made the State
playoffs in
1980, 85, 87 and 89.
The 1990s
1990 4-5 (.444)
1991 4-4-1 (.500)
1992 2-7 (.222)
1993 1-8 (.111)
1994 5-4 (.556)
1995 7-2 (.778)
1996 6-3 (.667)
1967 5-4 (.556)
1998 4-6 (.400)
1999 5-5 (.500)
TOTALS: 43-48-1 (.473) PF
1,446 PA 1,428
1943-99:
266-227-14 (.540) PF 8,240 PA 7,331
The 1990s were
not a great decade for our CUTTERS.
1994-96 were their only winning seasons and the ’95 CUTTERS beat Ramapo and the GREEN
RAIDERS’ freshman QB
Chris Simms (son
of Phil, the great GIANTS QB). The CUTTERS of Fair Lawn High would finish
out the 20th century with an overall winning record!
The 2000s
2000 7-3 (.700) Made States losing great 14-6 battle with Hackensack!
2001 7-3 (.700)
2002 4-6 (.400)
2003 5-5 (.500)
2004 2-8 (.200)
2005 2-8 (.200)
2006 1-9 (.100)
2007 4-6 (.400)
2008 6-4 (.600)
2009 7-4 (.636) Made states beating Passaic 39-38 & losing to
Roxbury 42-7
TOTALS: 48-63 (.446) PF 1,960 PA
2,327
1943-2009: 311-283-14 (.524) PF 10,200 PA
9,658
The 2010s
2010 3-7 (.300) 149 281
2011 1-8 (.111) 72 345
2012 2-8 (.200) 128 302
2013 0-9 (.000) 80 347
TOTALS 6-32 (.158) PF 429 PA 1,275
1943-2013 317-315-14 (.502) PF 10,629 PA
10,933
posted by Bill Engelhardt | 1:53 PM
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