LYNN — Over the years, the City of Lynn has produced some of the top athletes in Massachusetts. Tuesday night in Lynn City Hall, four more were honored with citations from Mayor Jared C. Nicholson.
Four Lynn Classical greats, also in the Boston College Hall-of-Fame, were recognized in Stu Primus, Tony Thurman, Jeff Waldron, and the late Henry Toczylowski.
“To our Hall-of-Famers, thank you so much for all that you have done contributing to your sport, to your families, to your city. We’re proud of you,” Nicholson said. “It’s so important that we have these stories that we can share with our community. These accomplishments are truly impressive and require a lot of hard work. Showing the entire City of Lynn what can happen when you pursue your dreams and give it your all – and how that is rewarded and celebrated – is a great message to share to our entire community.”
Primus won state championships in football and basketball before committing to Boston College to play hoops. He mentioned that when he was in school, there were plenty of athletes to look up to.
“I graduated in ‘81, so we had other people in front of us: Eddie Thurman, Arthur Acres, Lewis Reynolds, Junior Guy. We looked up to these guys and grabbed the baton from them,” Primus said. “Then, we did the same thing. They won a Super Bowl, we won a Super Bowl; they went to Division 1 schools, we went to Division 1 schools. We also got our papers. We didn’t just go in there and play around. We got diplomas.”
Waldron touched upon Primus’ unselfishness.
“Stu used to come down and play basketball with us as we were going into the state tournament to help get us ready for state tournament games,” said baseball star Waldron, a career .341 hitter who recorded 198 hits, including 42 doubles and 18 home runs across his four years.
Waldron, who started every game in his four-year career, spoke about the community showing up Tuesday night.
“It’s wonderful. I saw some of my old teachers here and that was always the Classical way. We always had great support from the faculty, staff, and the students. Some of my old teammates are also here. It’s an honor,” Waldron said. “These guys are great people and tremendous athletes, and it’s nice to be part of them.”
Thurman, Lynn’s only consensus All-American who shined at the defensive back position, was honored to be back with fellow Rams.
“When you do these things, it reminds you of where you started and all the good things that have happened to the City, even before me,” Thurman said. “There are some great athletes that have come from Lynn.”
Thurman hopes there are more events to come in the future, regardless of which Lynn school is being recognized.
“I’ve done a lot of these types of award ceremonies and when I thought about it, four people from Lynn Classical High School who went on to Boston College and got put in their Hall-of-Fames is pretty cool and special,” Thurman said. “To be recognized for it with the other guys is a good thing. Hopefully, it’ll happen again, whether it’s Classical or any other school in Lynn.”
Primus also believes in the talent that makes its way through the city.
“We’re all from the same cloth. Yeah, I’m sure that cloth is yellow and green. Joking aside, it’s the City of Lynn and the tightness of the city where we can pull our people together and uplift each other,” Primus said. “I see kids going to Division 3 schools and that’s great, but we also have Division 1 athletes here and we need to nurture that.”
Toczylowski’s impact at Lynn Classical and Boston College will forever withstand the test of time. He was selected to the BC Hall-of-Fame in ‘74 and played on the Eagles’ team that defeated Tennessee, 19-14, in the 1941 Sugar Bowl.
