On October 19, 1953, during his second season as head coach of the Lower Merion Football Team, John J. “Fritz” Brennan’s Aces lost to Abington 19-13. It was their only defeat in a season that saw Lower Merion compile a 6-1-1 record (they “suffered” a tie at the hands of Upper Darby).
The following year there were no losses or ties for the Aces, just wins. And they repeated that again in 1955, and for a third consecutive time in 1956.
Over the three seasons they outscored their opponents by a total of 932-110.
The Aces won the opener of their 1957 campaign, beating Camden High, 19-7. But the following week, Norristown snapped their 32-game unbeaten streak and 29-game winning streak, by a score of 7-6. Lower Merion also lost their season-ending game that year to an undefeated Radnor team, in front a reported crowd of 12,000, at Arnold Field. In their first non-undefeated season since 1953, the Aces were still a respectable 4-2-1. (They only played seven games in 1957 – their matchups with Chester and Upper Darby were cancelled because of a rampant flu virus!)
From 1958 until Brennan called it quits as coach, after the 1968 season, Lower Merion compiled a record of 65-26-2, winning league championships in 1963, 1964 and 1966. His Lower Merion career record was 105-33-5.
As a young man, Brennan was no slouch as a player. He played four seasons for Cass Township High School (Schulkill County). Then he went on to play for LaSalle, captaining their 1935 undefeated team. Brennan scored the winning touchdown for the Explorers in their 1935 win against Villanova, the only time LaSalle ever beat Villanova in football.
After college, he took a position as a Phys. Ed. And Health Teacher at West Catholic, where Brennan was also an assistant coach of their football team. He came to Lower Merion as an assistant to Head Coach, Dick Mattis, in 1947 – and stepped up to the head coaching job in 1952.
Philadelphia Inquirer – November, 1990
Fritz Brennan died in 1988, at the age of 75. In 1990, a statue created by Zenos Frudakis was erected in his honor, at Lower Merion High School’s Arnold Field.
If you like this story, please share it.