Walter Anthony Comerford (January 25, 1898 – August 25, 1970) was an American college football and

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

coach, university

athletic director An athletic director (commonly "athletics director" or "AD") is an administrator at many American clubs or institutions, such as colleges and university, universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, who oversees the work of c ...

, minor league baseball player, government official, and

United States Marine The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through co ...

. He served as the head football and basketball coach at the Loyola College of Maryland from 1928 to 1933.

Early life

A native of

Worcester, Massachusetts Worcester ( , ) is a city and county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, the city's population was 206,518 at the 2020 census, making it the second- most populous city in New England after ...

,TWO EX-B. C. PUPILS TO AID CAVANAUGH; Comerford and McNamara Get Fordham Posts Joy Also to Be an Assistant, but Doyle Declines.
''Boston Daily Globe'', December 31, 1926. Comerford served in the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through ...

during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

.Tony Comerford
Boston College, retrieved August 16, 2011. He attended

Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Founded in 1863, the university has more than 9,300 full-time undergraduates and nearly 5,000 graduate students. Although Boston College is classifi ...

, where he played on the

football team A football team is a group of players selected to play together in the various team sports known as football. Such teams could be selected to play in a match against an opposing team, to represent a football club, group, state or nation, an all-s ...

as an end from 1919 to 1922, and was the team captain in 1921.Tony Comerford dies; BC football end, 1918-22
''Boston Globe'', August 26, 1970. Comerford also played

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding ...

and ran track for Boston College. Tony Comerford Boston College

Coaching career

After graduating in 1923, Comerford played minor league baseball for the Star Taxis club in

Lewiston, Maine Lewiston (; ; officially the City of Lewiston, Maine) is the second largest city in Maine and the most central city in Androscoggin County. The city lies halfway between Augusta, the state's capital, and Portland, the state's most populous cit ...

. In the fall, he coached the football team at Dummer Academy in South Byfield, Massachusetts. The following season, he played minor league baseball with the Everett club of the Boston Twilight League. In 1924, Comerford coached the Newport Naval Training Station football team. In 1925 and 1926, he played center field for the

Osterville Osterville is one of seven villages within the town of Barnstable, Massachusetts, United States. The village of Osterville is located on the south side of Barnstable on Nantucket Sound. Osterville is a residential community that includes marshes, ...

town team in the

Cape Cod Baseball League The Cape Cod Baseball League (CCBL or Cape League) is a collegiate summer baseball wooden bat league located on Cape Cod in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. One of the nation's premier collegiate summer leagues, the league boasts over one thous ...

. He returned to his alma mater to coach the Boston College ends under Frank Cavanaugh during the 1926 season. In 1927, he followed Cavanaugh to

Fordham University Fordham University () is a Private university, private Jesuit universities, Jesuit research university in New York City. Established in 1841 and named after the Fordham, Bronx, Fordham neighborhood of the The Bronx, Bronx in which its origina ...

to serve as an assistant coach and the freshman coach. In March 1928, Loyola College in

Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

hired Comerford as its

and coach. He served as the school's football coach from 1928 to 1933 and basketball coach for the 1928–29 season and from 1930 to 1934. His basketball teams amassed a 43–34 record. During the 1932 season, the football team traveled to his alma mater, Boston College, to play the dedication game at newly renovated Alumni Field. Boston College won, 14–0. Loyola discontinued its football program after the 1933 season, and Comerford left the school. In 1934, while an assistant at

Canisius College Canisius College is a private Jesuit college in Buffalo, New York. It was founded in 1870 by Jesuits from Germany and is named after St. Peter Canisius. Canisius offers more than 100 undergraduate majors and minors, and around 34 master' ...

, he filled in for head coach

William Joy William Joy ( fl. 1310 – 1348) was an English master mason, or architect, of the Decorated Gothic style, known for his work on several English cathedrals. Joy's cathedral work shows influences of Bristol Cathedral, and he may have originated ...

, who had been seriously injured in an automobile accident.

Saint Anselm College Saint Anselm College is a private Benedictine liberal arts college in Goffstown, New Hampshire. Founded in 1889, it is the third-oldest Catholic college in New England. Named for Saint Anselm of Canterbury ( Archbishop of Canterbury from 1093 to ...

hired Comerford as its head football coach in 1941. He remained there for one season and finished with a 1–6 record.

Later life

By 1943, he was seated on the Massachusetts State Parole Board. In 1951, he was appointed as the executive assistant to Boston Mayor John Hynes for Region Five of the Civil Defense Agency.Comerford to Be Aid to Hynes in Civil Defense
''Daily Boston Globe'', Jan 20, 1951. Comerford died at St. Elizabeth's Hospital in

Brighton, Massachusetts Brighton is a former town and current neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States, located in the northwestern corner of the city. It is named after the English city of Brighton. Initially Brighton was part of Cambridge, and known as ...

, on August 25, 1970, at the age of 72. The Boston College Varsity Club Athletic Hall of Fame inducted him in 1982.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Comerford, Tony 1898 births 1970 deaths American football ends Boston College Eagles baseball players Boston College Eagles football players Canisius Golden Griffins football coaches Cape Cod Baseball League players (pre-modern era) Fordham Rams football coaches Hyannis Harbor Hawks players Loyola Greyhounds athletic directors Loyola Greyhounds football coaches Loyola Greyhounds men's basketball coaches Saint Anselm Hawks football coaches Boston College Eagles men's track and field athletes High school football coaches in Massachusetts United States Marine Corps personnel of World War I Basketball coaches from Massachusetts United States Marines Players of American football from Worcester, Massachusetts