Reason to celebrate

Seymour to mark rich history with 75th anniversary ceremony

Seymour will celebrate a football tradition this year that former coach Paul Sponheimer says was partially forged at 7 a.m.

“In the weight room on a summer morning, I told them it wasn’t because I wanted to be with them at 7 in the morning,” Sponheimer said, “but they’d probably need to be somewhere at 7 in the morning the rest of their lives, or be on time somewhere.”

Sponheimer led the Wildcats for 29 seasons, and those years are a part of the story as the program celebrates its 75th anniversary this season.

The team has invited alumni back for the last weekend of October (Sponheimer said one alum from the Class of 1947 is expected). They and the current players will have a dinner together on Oct. 29 before the Wildcats meet Waterbury Career Academy the next day at noon.

“It means a lot to me. Seymour has such a rich history and rich tradition and to be a part of that means a whole great deal,” said Mike Kearns, who became Seymour’s coach in 2019.

“To continue that tradition and history, and to pass it on to our current players, it’s an honor. There’s a long line of great players and coaches here, and I feel very lucky and blessed to be the guy to continue that line.”

The program has 425 wins and 300 losses going into Friday’s season opener against Wilby, according to the Connecticut High School Football Record Book. Only 12 state programs have more victories, all of them older.

It won the 1980 Class M cham

Christian Abraham / Hearst Connecticut Media A look at the Seymour High School’s artificial turf football field. The Wildcats will celebrate the 75th anniversary of the program with a ceremony on Oct. 29 in which a number of alumni are invited to attend.