Manning Bowl was an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wit ...

and soccer stadium located in

Lynn, Massachusetts Lynn is the eighth-largest municipality in Massachusetts and the largest city in Essex County. Situated on the Atlantic Ocean, north of the Boston city line at Suffolk Downs, Lynn is part of Greater Boston's urban inner core. Settled by Eu ...

. It was the home stadium for Lynn English, Lynn Classical, Lynn Tech, St. Mary's High School, the

Boston Rovers Boston Shamrock Rovers (also known as Boston Rovers) were an American soccer team that competed in the United Soccer Association (USA) league in 1967. The team was based in Lynn, Massachusetts and played their home games at the Manning Bowl. ...

of the

United Soccer Association The United Soccer Association was a professional soccer league featuring teams based in the United States and Canada. The league survived only one season before merging with the National Professional Soccer League to form the North American ...

in 1967, and the

Bay State Titans A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a gulf, sea, sound, or bight. A cove is a small, circular bay with a narr ...

of the Minor League Football System in 1990. Demolished in 2005, it was replaced by Manning Field built at the same location.

High school football

Manning Bowl, a WPA project, opened on November 24, 1937 for the annual Thanksgiving Day football game between English and Classical. The stadium was not yet completed and was known only as Municipal Stadium. English defeated Classical 13-6 and Henry Pazik (father of future Major League pitcher Mike Pazik) scored the first touchdown in the stadium's history on a 33-yard pass play from Joe McNulty. The stadium was completed on June 21, 1938 and named for mayor

J. Fred Manning J. Fred Manning (September 17, 1875 – December 6, 1955) was a Massachusetts politician who served as the 39th Mayor of Lynn, Massachusetts. The Manning Bowl, Lynn's football stadium from 1938 to 2004 was named for Manning. Manning Field, ...

. The first football game held in the completed stadium was a night game between Peabody High School and Classical with Peabody winning 27-7. In 1948, the city of Lynn became the first to televise high school football, in an arrangement with

WNAC-TV WNAC-TV (channel 64), branded on-air as Fox Providence, is a television station in Providence, Rhode Island, United States, affiliated with Fox and The CW. It is owned by Mission Broadcasting, which maintains a local marketing agreement (LMA) ...

in Boston. The

Harry Agganis Aristotle George "Harry" Agganis (April 20, 1929 – June 27, 1955), nicknamed "The Golden Greek", was an American college football player and professional baseball player. After passing up a potential professional football career, he played in ...

All-Star Football Classic was played at Manning Bowl from 1956–1959 and again from 1965-2003. The final game played at Manning Bowl was on November 25, 2004 and was the annual Thanksgiving Day game between English and Classical. English won the game 28-8. The final touchdown in Manning Bowl history was scored by Mike Orfanos on a 2-yard run.

Notable high school athletes who played at the Manning Bowl

* Bill Adams, offensive lineman, Swampscott High School *

, Kicker/Halfback, Lynn Classical *

Mark Bavaro Mark Anthony Bavaro (born April 28, 1963) is a former American football tight end who played for the New York Giants (1985–1990), Cleveland Browns (1992), and Philadelphia Eagles (1993–1994) in the National Football League (NFL). Bavaro was ...

, tight end, Danvers High School *

Matt Bloom Matthew Jason Bloom (born November 14, 1972) is an American retired professional wrestler and professional football player. He is currently signed to WWE, where he is the head trainer at the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. Bloo ...

, offensive line, Peabody High School *

Billy Conigliaro William Michael Conigliaro (August 15, 1947 – February 10, 2021) was an American baseball outfielder who played five seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). He played for the Boston Red Sox, Milwaukee Brewers, and Oakland Athletics from 1969 t ...

, running back, Swampscott High School *

Tony Conigliaro Anthony Richard Conigliaro (January 7, 1945 – February 24, 1990), nicknamed "Tony C" and "Conig", was a Major League Baseball outfielder and right-handed batter who played for the Boston Red Sox (1964–1967, 1969–1970, 1975) and California ...

, quarterback, St. Mary's High School * Boley Dancewicz, Quarterback, Lynn Classical * Joe DiVito, quarterback, St. Mary's * Richard Fecteau, lineman, Lynn Classical *

Jim Hegan James Edward Hegan (August 3, 1920 – June 17, 1984) was an American professional baseball player, coach, and scout. He played for 17 seasons as a catcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) from to and to , most notably for the Cleveland Indi ...

, Lynn English *

Dick Jauron Richard Manuel Jauron (born October 7, 1950) is a former American football player and coach. He played eight seasons in the National Football League (NFL), five with the Detroit Lions and three with the Cincinnati Bengals. Jauron served as the he ...

, Safety, Swampscott High School *

Greg Landry Gregory Paul Landry (born December 18, 1946) is a former American football player and coach who played quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) from 1968 to 1981, and again in 1984. He played for the Detroit Lions, Baltimore Colts and C ...

, quarterback, Nashua (NH) High School *

Steve Lomasney Steven James Lomasney (born August 29, 1977) is an American former professional baseball catcher who played in a single Major League Baseball (MLB) game. In the late 1990s, he was a highly regarded prospect for the Boston Red Sox. During his care ...

, quarterback, Peabody High School *

Doug Mackie Douglas Mackie (born February 18, 1957 in Malden, Massachusetts) is a former offensive tackle who played for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League and the Tampa Bay Bandits and New Jersey Generals of the United States Football Lea ...

, offensive line, Saugus High School * Mike Pazik, quarterback, Lynn English *

Art Spinney Arthur F. Spinney, Jr. (1927–1994) was an American gridiron football guard. He played nine seasons with the Baltimore Colts in the National Football League (NFL) and was captain of the 1949 Eagles' football team. Spinney attended Boston Colleg ...

, guard, Saugus High School * Lou Tsioropoulos, kicker/tight end/defensive end, Lynn English

Professional football

On September 18, 1945, the

Boston Yanks The Boston Yanks were a National Football League team based in Boston, Massachusetts, that played from 1944 to 1948. The team played its home games at Fenway Park. Any games that conflicted with the Boston Red Sox baseball schedule in the ...

defeated the defending

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ma ...

champion

New York Giants The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Giants compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisio ...

14-3 in an exhibition game at the Manning Bowl. The game was only attended by 8,500 due to poor weather. The Yanks returned to the Manning Bowl the following season for "Boley Dancewicz Night", which honored Yanks quarterback and Lynn native Frank "Boley" Dancewicz. The Yanks defeated the Long Island Indians of the

American Football League The American Football League (AFL) was a major professional American football league that operated for ten seasons from 1960 until 1970, when it merged with the older National Football League (NFL), and became the American Football Conference. ...

27-0 in front of 10,000 spectators. At halftime, Dancewicz was presented with a radio, watch, and a pen and pencil by Mayor Albert Cole. In 1959, the

Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) North division. The Bears have won nine ...

defeated the

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team play ...

24-21 in the Cardinal Cushing Charity Game. Future Hall of Fame quarterback

Norm Van Brocklin Norman Mack Van Brocklin (March 15, 1926 – May 2, 1983), nicknamed "The Dutchman", was an American football quarterback and coach who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons. He spent his first nine seasons with the Los Ang ...

started for Philadelphia. The

Boston Breakers The Boston Breakers were an American professional soccer club based in the Boston neighborhood of Allston. The team competed in the National Women's Soccer League (NWSL). They replaced the original Breakers, who competed in the defunct Women' ...

of the

United States Football League The United States Football League (USFL) was a professional American football league that played for three seasons, 1983 through 1985. The league played a spring/summer schedule in each of its active seasons. The 1986 season was scheduled to be ...

considered moving to the manning bowl after 1983 season, however the team moved to

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

Eric Swann Eric Jerrod Swann (born August 16, 1970) is a former professional American football player who was selected by the Phoenix/Arizona Cardinals in the 1st round (6th overall) of the 1991 NFL Draft. A 6'5", 317 lbs. defensive tackle, Swann neve ...

would be selected with the 6th overall pick in the

1991 NFL Draft The 1991 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 21–22, 1991, at the Marriott ...

College football

The first college football game in the Manning Bowl was a 1953 contest between

Holy Cross Holy Cross or Saint Cross may refer to: * the instrument of the crucifixion of Jesus * Christian cross, a frequently used religious symbol of Christianity * True Cross, supposed remnants of the actual cross upon which Jesus was crucified * Feast ...

and Dartmouth.

Concerts

The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...

kicked off their 1966 North American Tour at the stadium on June 24, 1966. Police cut the event short in response to crowd surge toward the stage. The extensive tear gas use by police caused a stampede away from the stage. On June 11, 1976,

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson Sr. (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential singers in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Ge ...

held a charity concert to raise money for the

Life Institute for Blind Life is a quality that distinguishes matter that has biological processes, such as signaling and self-sustaining processes, from that which does not, and is defined by the capacity for growth, reaction to stimuli, metabolism, energy tra ...

The Four Tops ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in ...

and

Dorothy Moore Dorothy Moore (born October 13, 1946) is an American blues, gospel, and R&B singer best known for her 1976 hit song, "Misty Blue". Career Moore's parents were Mary Moore and Melvin Hendrex Senior. Her father performed under the stage name Melv ...

also performed.

Mötley Crüe Mötley Crüe is an American heavy metal band formed in Los Angeles in 1981. The group was founded by bassist Nikki Sixx, drummer Tommy Lee, lead guitarist Mick Mars and lead singer Vince Neil. Mötley Crüe has sold over 100 million albu ...

drew 15,000 fans during an August 1985 concert, Accept and Y & T were on the bill, as were Helix (Helix did not perform). It was known as Summer Jam 85. Aerosmith performed at the stadium during their Done with Mirrors Tour on September 14, 1985. The Beach Boys performed at the Stadium September 23, 1984. The Kinks performed at the Stadium September 8, 1985.

Other events

The first official event held at the Manning Bowl was a citywide dance held on a specially made dance area in the end zone. This area was also used to show night time movies during the 1930s and '40s. The Manning Bowl hosted memorials following the deaths of Presidents

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

and

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...

. From 1966 to 1982, The Manning Bowl was home to Drum & Bugle Corps World Open Championship. The Manning Bowl was the home stadium for the

during the

's only season. The league's first ever game was held here and ended in a 1-1 draw against the Detroit Cougars.

Mick Leech Mick Leech (born 6 August 1948 in Dublin) was an Irish professional football player who made his name with Shamrock Rovers in the 1960s. He was signed by Paddy Ambrose and Liam Tuohy for Rovers in September 1966 from junior side Ormeau. He sp ...

scoring for Rovers. The first ever Agganis All-Star Basketball Game was played here in 1976. In 1985, the Manning Bowl hosted 2

World Class Championship Wrestling World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW), later known as the World Class Wrestling Association (WCWA) (1986–1991) was an American professional wrestling promotion headquartered in Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas. Originally owned by promoter E ...

Events In 1978, Eddie Feigner hurled one of his 930 no-hitters in a game played on makeshift diamond.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Stadium information
Defunct American football venues in Massachusetts Defunct soccer venues in Massachusetts Buildings and structures in Lynn, Massachusetts Sports in Lynn, Massachusetts