I didn’t get to know John until later years but I’m sure glad I did. His reputation as a great athlete with a flare for being wild was to precede him. Larry went to Central Catholic for a while and later transferred to Lawrence High. John went to LHS as a freshman. I first met JK at the old Recreation Bowling Center that is still standing although in great disrepair on Hampshire St . Diagonally, across the street was the very popular Chez, then a watering hole that was an oasis to the bowling crowd, and it was a crowded place at the “rec” every night as many leagues filled the house.

There was also a pool hall annex at the alleys and many great pool players and “hustlers” alike would be performing nightly. Many present and past high school athletes congregated to this place and Larry and John were there almost nightly and that’s where I first met John. Stories abound about the great pass catching end that seemed to float on air as he ran these great passing routes. I couldn’t wait to see him perform and I knew what Larry could do in baseball but his gridiron skills amazed me. John injures his knee and is out for the season; he tries everything to return but to no avail. Most agree that this talent might not reach its zenith because of this injury.

Luckily for me and many of the local fans he comes back the next year to play. I cannot wait to see my two young friends perform and they didn’t let me down. I think it was against Beverly and Kel was like a guy we hadn’t heard of yet a high school version of Jerry Rice. I watched as he was double teamed and sometimes tripled and somehow made these acrobatic catches. I can close my eyes today and replay these highlights to this day. What a performance!

They both played basketball at the school that the Centralites called The Mill and I know Larry played baseball I’m not sure if John did. I mentioned before they could excel at any sport. Larry played for Coach Ed Buckley and became the team kicker showing a talent as a punter and field goal as well as kick off specialist that none of us knew he possessed. It was this talent that had U/Conn vicing for him to attend and play football there which he did.

John was also chased by many college teams but many afraid of his knee problems backed off he finally chose Villanova and after a few tries on the gridiron he had to let it go. Both graduated from their respective schools and occasionally would meet each other in New York City for a weekend or two. They financed their weekend excursions by going to the Gotham Pool Halls in Times Square and play the “hustlers” game with the city boys bringing up the learning of the “ Rec Center . It was once said by a well known writer that “hanging around a pool hall was a sign of a misspent youth” Larry and John blew holes in that theory as they split their winnings and had money to chow down.

Larry becomes a football and track coach in the area and is enshrined in the Methuen Hall of Fame. John starts out as the LHS girls hoop coach and later holds the same position for the boys. He also becomes the head football coach at the Haverhill St. School. Both marry their high school sweethearts and have two children. Larry becomes a physical education teacher at Methuen and Kel a classroom teacher at LHS.

Larry becomes a top coach in track throughout New England and John Kelleher along with Bob Licare Sr. and Will Hixon take over the reins of the now famous and greatly successful Christmas Basketball Tournament that was housed at Merrimack College for years and now uses the beautiful townhouse at No. Andover High as its home.

Both were thought to be excellent softball players in fast pitch and were adroit almost any position. Larry played for the teams that I managed for years and one day he brought John to a practice to let me know Kel wanted in with us. Both had a history in the league and I think both played for the “Hadley Whiz Kids” real young team that was exciting and one of the best teams in this fine league with many fine players.

Both could play the infield or outfield and I must admit now that I was a bit intimidated by Kelleher as we had a great team already sponsored by Jeff’s Tavern on So. Union St. now called the Lightship. My fears were unfounded as I found that along with all his talent, John was a great team man and there was to be no velvet glove in handling him. Larry, who could also pitch if needed, although not a great pitcher would be as I said earlier, probably better than most. Both were as smart a ballplayer could be and many times they made this manager look much smarter than I was.

I never saw this but many veteran softballers swear it’s true. One night Kelleher was asked to play shortstop for the Whiz Kids and he possessed one of the area’s strongest throwing arms. Across the street from the Hayden/Schofield Park was a men’s bar and on the Myrtle St. side (where the cleaners stands today) was an open door; I think the bar was Reynold’s Cafe. A ground ball to short; Kel fields it flawlessly and throws a blue dart across the field. It starts to sail and goes through the open door and on one bounce off the gin mill floor, hits an unsuspecting customer about to throw back a cold one in the head and consumer and libation hit the floor together.

Larry and I would get into each others hair when I wouldn’t play him in a game or hit him down in the order, he was so “loosely goosey” at times that I was never sure if he wanted to win as much as the rest of us and the ease in which he played the game had me sometimes “buffaloed”. He was really a great competitor something I, at times, misread and it caused a strain on a many yearned relationship.

In our final season as the LaSalle Club Team and in the final game of the playoffs if we were to beat our opponents one more game we would cop another city title. I benched Larry and he was furious. He didn’t say anything but we all knew it. As I think back, I’m surprised he didn’t take his gear and left. Maybe it crossed his mind but with the huge crowd he would’ve probably looked bad.

In the last inning of a zero to zero game I take out my pitcher who is steaming as he’s pitching a shutout and call for a pinch hitter and it’s Klimas. With a man on first Larry walks to the plate and it’s not a secret that he too is unhappy with me. The first pitch is high and Larry swings so hard he almost falls down, I yell at him, “Just hit the ball don’t kill it. I know he has early in this game turned me off. On the next pitch he hits it to softball heaven and into the Spicket River and we win 2/0 and the title. The pitcher has forgotten how much he hates me the crowd is amped up and as Larry crosses the plate he gives me a sly grin that could’ve meant a lot of things, I’m sure most of them unpleasant.

These are among the finest athletes these eyes have ever seen and their talent showed the more you were associated with them. Oh! Larry became a better than average golfer and worked as a starter at the Merrimack Country Club shortly before his untimely death. The field house at Methuen is named after him and his proud aunt was at the ceremony with his family; she had given dad Bruno a great helping hand raising his son.

It escapes me that the City of Lawrence has not named something after his buddy John Kelleher who certainly deserves it. The Christmas Tournament has named the championship trophy for him but his city that he gave some much to and performed so well for, seems to have dropped the ball. Maybe it’s not too late for his many friends to get together and petition the city to name an area at the new high school for him or maybe at the new field renovation at the Stadium.

With the track named the Perry/Kent track maybe the gridiron could be called the John Kelleher field or maybe the new clubhouse if there is to be one. To these to young men that are no longer among us can I quote Bob Hope and say, “THANKS FOR THE MEMORIES.”
 

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