LYNN — His name was actually Aristotle George Agganis, and he was the baby in a family of seven boys and girls. His mother, Georgia, shortened his first name to “Ari,” and at some point, the “H” was added, and he became Harry Agganis.
In short order, he also became “The Golden Greek,” the best athlete the city of Lynn has ever known (borne out by an end-of-the-century survey by The Item consisting of people who grew up in the era and saw him play). He also became the unfortunate main character in the ultimate Greek tragedy, having died suddenly on June 27, 1955, of a pulmonary embolism while recovering from a respiratory ailment. He was 26, and, by then, the starting first baseman on the Boston Red Sox.
Sunday, and for the next week, his legacy will be renewed at various venues around the city as Agganis Week commences.
Agganis played three sports at Lynn Classical, and helped the Rams football team win a mythical national championship as a junior. Though he had numerous offers from high-powered universities, he chose to attend Boston University, where he played football and baseball. He was drafted by the Cleveland Browns, but chose the Red Sox instead. By 1955, he was batting .315 at the beginning of June. By the end of the month, he was dead.
Shortly after Agganis died, Lynn attorney Charles Demakis proposed that The Item and the Red Sox establish a scholarship foundation to keep his name alive, and to reward deserving scholar athletes for their accomplishments. Since then, the Agganis Foundation has awarded 984 scholarships totaling $2,095,000.
Fifty-eight years later, on Thursday, the Agganis All-Star football game will be played at Manning Field. Until 1994, the football game was the principal fundraiser for the foundation. Then, slowly, the foundation expanded. The Thomas A. Yawkey Foundation came on board, donating funds for four scholarships for Boston-area students. Along with those, as well as others, this year the foundation awarded 20 $4,000 grants.
The athletic scope of the Agganis Foundation expanded 25 years ago with the advent of a baseball game. From there, the Agganis Game became Agganis Week, with the addition of softball, boys and girls soccer and basketball, and lacrosse.
Sunday, a mural commissioned by the Downtown Lynn Cultural District will be unveiled outside Manning Field, depicting Lynn’s football history. At 10 a.m., the awards ceremony will begin at Manning, five new Agganis Hall of Famers will be inducted, this year’s scholarship winners will be announced, and the seniors participating in the games will be introduced.
Softball begins at noon, and baseball follows at 2 p.m. All the rosters are comprised of seniors, and it could be the last time some of them play an organized team sport.
Monday it’s basketball at Lynn English, girls at 6 p.m., boys at 7:15 p.m. Tuesday, and for the rest of the week, the action is at Manning Field. Girls soccer is at 5:30 p.m., with the boys following at 7 p.m. Lacrosse takes place Wednesday, with the girls taking the field at 5:30 p.m., followed by the boys at 7 p.m.. And football wraps up the week Thursday at 7 p.m.
