Gid Roy

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Gid Roy
(Football Coach, 1927)


Long before legendary football coaches "Copper" Crotty, "Gus" Edwards and Doug Morrell walked the DHS sidelines another legend established Danbury as a football powerhouse. His name is Gid Roy. Gid Roy graduated from the University of New Hampshire in 1924. While at UNH he played four years of varsity football, four years of varsity baseball and two years of varsity basketball and received the prestigious Chase Davis medal for his work as a scholar and an athlete. His skill on the baseball diamond attracted the interest of professional baseball and he was offered contracts from both the Detroit Tigers and Baltimore Orioles. He turned these opportunities down in order to take a job with Westinghouse which, after a couple of transfers, led to hearing of a coaching and teaching opportunity in Danbury. He came to Danbury in 1927 and coached football, basketball and baseball for the Hatters for the next 18 years. Many of the players tutored by Coach Roy became legends in their own right. Players like LeGrand Hopkins, 2007 HOF inductees Lou Ghecas and "Copper" Crotty, and 2008 s inductee "Red" Negri. Even while coaching teaching and raising a family Gid remained active on the ball fields in Danbury himself playing for Maclans in the old City Baseball League before hanging up the spikes in 1932. Coaching and teaching during the Great Depression and World War II wasn't easy but the lessons his charges learned under Coach Roy's tutelage helped Danbury's "Greatest Generation" get through the toughest of challenges using Gid's favorite motto "Never Give Up" when the going got difficult. In 1945 Gid ended his coaching career but remained on the faculty of Danbury High School as both a math teacher and as head of the Industrial Arts Department and remained there until 1970. In 1966 he was honored by the Danbury Old Timer's Association for his contributions to Danbury athletics.