In 1955 the Warren High Redskins defeated Bristol’s Colt Memorial for the first time since 1937 and having also defeated the Barrington Eagles, captured their first Bristol County Football Championship in two decades.

Many of that team’s stars returned for the 1956 campaign, one that began with low expectations for a league championship run.  However, six-point wins over Westerly (in an Injury Fund contest) and North Providence, a game in which Dick DeBlois scored on a twenty-five yard run around left end and Pete MacDougall spent the afternoon in the Cougars’ backfield, stirred some excitement in town.  This excitement increased markedly when South Kingstown, the 1955 Class C Champions, were tied, 6-6, at Kingston’s Old Mountain Field.

Next came the team’s only bump in the road, as the Redskins were surprised at home by East Greenwich, 6-20.  However, that loss was quickly forgotten, as North Kingstown was shut out, 19-0, on a one-yard plunge by Johnny Costa and two long touchdown passes by Chico Andrade to DeBlois.

Up next were the Barrington Eagles.  Down six points at the half, the Warren eleven came back to tie on linebacker Pete Andreozzi’s interception return.  They then won on a fake quick kick, with Costa racing thirty-seven yards up the middle to make the final score, 19-12. 

Then Pawtucket Vocational was shut out at Jamiel’s Park, 25-0.  In this win, Chico Andrade, belted into foam rubber that protected his “caved-in” chest (he had fallen on a railroad rail), threw three touchdown passes, one each to DeBlois, Warren Proulx, and Pete Rybka.

Now on a roll the Redskins next defeated Colt Memorial, 18-7, with Andrade throwing a touchdown pass to Proulx and running for one hundred and eighteen yards and two touchdowns.  Having captured the Bristol County Football Championship for the second year in a row, the team celebrated with free cabinets and sundaes at Delekta Pharmacy.

But Burrillville loomed, and the Redskins had not defeated the Broncos since the 1936 season.  In addition, in order to remain in the title race, the Redskins needed South Kingstown to either vanquish or tie East Greenwich.  The Rebels and Avengers met in a morning game and thankfully, that game ended in a 7-7 tie.

In the afternoon DeBlois scored on a reverse and Costa ran for one hundred and thirty-one yards, with his largest gain going for a game-leading touchdown on the first play of the second half.  However, Burrillville came back to take the lead and then set off on what appeared to be a game-clinching drive.  But on fourth and one deep in Warren territory they made a mistake: They ran right at Pete MacDougall, of whom Hall of Fame Contributor Jay Barry had written earlier in the year, “Has anybody ever seen Pete MacDougall play a bad game?”

Knocking off territory in large chunks, the Redskins were soon on the Broncos’ sixteen-yard line. Coach Charlie Burdge then reached into his bag of tricks.  Ends Rybka and Proulx switched positions, and when DeBlois was handed the ball on another reverse, the entire Burrillville team headed in his direction.  But Dick then handed the ball to Proulx on a double reverse and he raced into the end zone for the winning score.  (Half the men in the town of Warren claimed that they stuck their leg out and prevented him from being knocked out of bounds.)  The East Greenwich Avengers and the Redskins ruled as Class C Co-Champions.

Team members included ends Proulx (tri-captain) and Rybka, tackles Andreozzi, Steve Davis, Manny Menezes, and Tom Rimoshytus, guards Charlie, Ollie, and Pete MacDougall (tri-captain), center “little Freddy” Dyer, backs Ed Abrain, Ray Acciardo, Andrade, Costa, and DeBlois (tri-captain), substitutes Jim Abbruzzi, Paul Aubin, Joe Finucci, George Gempp, Bucky Greenwood, Wayne Hebert, Bud Jannitto, Tiger Jannitto, Bill Lach, Bruce MacDougall, Jack MacGovern, Ralph Petrucci, Ray Rossi, and Joe Terry, managers Tommy LaFortune and John Jannitto, and statistician Jack Flynn.  The team was coached by Charlie Burdge, who was assisted by Donat Brochu.  

Cheerleaders were co-captains Pat Benedetti and Bernie St. John, Terry Aguiar, Becky DiPalma, Ginny Hebert, Anissa Jamiel, Gerry Massed, Betty Primiano, and Eileen Sarracino.

Picture from Hall of Fame archives