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The Gridiron Club of Mansfield reached back to the 1920s as it inducted five new members into the Mansfield Football Hall of Fame this year.
Wilbur H. Johnson, class of 1922, leads the list with Warren MacKinlay ('34) coming from the next decade. Edward Richardson ('54), Jack Souza ('68) and Scott Carpenter (78) bring the team up to more recent times. Johnson, true to the norm of the day, was an every-down player, playing fullback, defense and special teams. He bad 17 extra points for the 1922 Bristol County champions. An all around athlete, Johnson was rated the best basketball forward in Bristol County, scoring 700 career points in an era when scores were under 40 points. In baseball, he was one of the top home run hitters in the league and pitched several one-hitters. Also a track star, he excelled in the 100- and 200-yard dashes and the running broad jump. A star in the classroom as well, Johnson was voted Scholar-Athlete for the class of 1922. Johnson, who was present at the December induction ceremonies with grandchildren Brenda, Brian and Timmy, graduated from Springfield College, playing both football and hockey. As a senior hockey player he also helped coach the freshman team. During World War II Johnson was a CPO in the Navy. Johnson also played seven years of semi-pro football and was a member of one Eastern League championship team In 1950 Johnson attained the status of Life Master in Bridge. Warren MacKinlay MacKinlay was known during his playing days as 'The Great W.M.', for his soft hands and spectacular catches from his left end position. He participated in what is known as one of the greatest games in Hornet history, a 7-0 loss to a powerhouse Taunton team on Thanksgiving Day. On that day the underdog Hornets dressed 11 players to Taunton's 35. MacKinlay received a football scholarship to Brown University, but was unable to attend due to economic hardships of the time as the Great Depression hit the country. MacKinlay went to work in the contraction industry was involved in such projects as the Prudential Building in Boston and the Newport Bridge. MacKinlay recently celebrated his 53rd wedding anniversary and lists his interests as his grandchildren, traveling and sports. Jack Souza Souza was another two-way player for the Hornets, but was mostly known as "another Fran Tarkenton" at quarterback for his ability to scramble through defenses. During his senior season, he intercepted 11 passes as a safety and in one game completed l-of-22 passes for 266 yards. He was named to the All-Sun District and All-Bristol County teams. Souza graduated from West Point in 1972 where he played both football and baseball. From 1973-75 Souza played on the Air Force traveling football team in Europe, garnering All-League and All-star honors all three years. Souza currently works at the Foxboro Company as manager of engineering. He is married to the former Carol Cataloni, also a graduate of MHS, and has three daughters- Keeley (MHS class of 1989), Kerrin (1991)and Kara, who was a senior co-captain of this year's undefeated Hockomock champion field hockey team. Edward Richardson - "Buzz" Richardson was a four-year starter at both defensive guard and fullback for the Hornets, captaining the team his senior year. Richardson was known for his hard-nosed rushing and bone-jarring tackles. As a senior he blocked four punts. Was named to the All-Sun District team three years in a row. Richardson also played basketball and baseball. Richardson graduated from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst in 1959 as the school's first four-sport letterman. Richardson played five sports in all, football and baseball, was named a captain for the swimming, lacrosse and wrestling teams. On Sept. 9, 1958, Sports Illustrated wrote, "Watch for the bull rushes of fullback Ed Richardson" in a season in which he led the Yankee Conference in scoring. Richardson set a new school record for rushing touchdowns, punted and also held a 32-yard punt return average. In 1959 Richardson won the prestigious Joseph Lojko Memorial Plaque given to the most outstanding multi-sport athlete. He was listed in Who's Who among students in universities and colleges. He also received a Certificate of Merit in recognition of scholastic achievement and athletic excellence. Scott Carpenter- Carpenter was a three-sport Scholar/Athlete, captaining the baseball and basketball teams as well as playing for the football team. Carpenter was known as an outstanding signal-caller since his midget football days. As a freshman team quarterback, Carpenter defeated rival Foxboro with two quarterback sneaks. Carpenters was a member of the 1976 Hockomock League champs and during his senior year averaged 10 carries per game and threw for 735 yards - despite missing three games. Carpenter was named to both the All-Hockomock League and All-Sun Chronicle teams. Carpenter was a 1991 graduate of Tufts University where he was a captain of the football team and a member of the baseball and rugby teams Carpenter is presently a manager of finance and international sales for the Bank of New England. He is married to the former Christine Bucci of Lynnfield and reside in Andover. This article was written by: Dale Ranson In the 12/29/93 edition of The Attleboro Sun-Chronicle.
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