Agganis Football Classic has poignant date

If Mother Nature allows the Agganis All-Star Football Classic to proceed as scheduled tonight (at Manning Field, 7), the game will be played on the 58th anniversary of the Lynn athletic legend’s death.Harry Agganis died on June 27, 1955, at the age of 26, the victim of a pulmonary embolism. At the time, he was the starting first baseman for the Boston Red Sox.But the story goes deeper than that.Agganis was a three-sport star at Lynn Classical (football, baseball and basketball) who was voted – in an end-of-the-century poll – the best athlete in Lynn history. He led Classical to one appearance in a mythical national championship game in Florida, and the Rams would have played in another one had they not decided to boycott the game after they were told to keep their African-American teammates home.Agganis continued his stellar athletic career at Boston University – forgoing more nationally prominent schools to stay close to home out of concern for his widowed mother.After an extraordinary career at BU, he was wooed by Paul Brown of the Cleveland Browns. But again, Agganis chose to stay close to home, and signed with the Red Sox. Although baseball wasn’t his most comfortable sport, he was doing well enough with the Red Sox to be hitting over .300 when he fell ill in June of 1955.His death sent shock waves through Lynn and other parts of the country.Upon the urging of attorney Charles C. DeMakis, an Agganis scholarship foundation was formed by The Item and the Red Sox in 1955. Since then, it has awarded $1,562,000 in scholarships to 878 male and female scholar/athletes.Today, the foundation sponsors a weeklong series of nine athletic events in Agganis’ memory. But the football game was the original one, as the first game took place in 1956.Tonight, at halftime, this year’s scholarship winners and Agganis Hall of Fame inductees will be announced. There will be 17 new recipients, four of which come from the Boston areas with money granted through the Yawkey Foundation. Agganis Hall of Fame awards are given in memory of Harold Zimman, Elmo Benedetto, Paul Cavanagh, Charles DeMakis and Dave Weidner.Steve Krause can be reached at [email protected].