Coal Crackers recall roots
Article published 06/27/2007, The REPUBLICAN & Herald
CUMBOLA — You’ll have to excuse Fred Lutkus if he feels like throwing on a pair of shoulder pads and lacing up the football cleats Saturday.
The 60-year-old from Minersville may feel like he’s taken a few gulps from the fountain of youth when the Schuylkill County Coal Crackers take the field for an exhibition game dubbed the Anthracite Classic against the NEPA Miners at 7 p.m. Saturday at Scranton Memorial Stadium.
The NEPA Miners play in the North American Football League, so Saturday’s contest is just an exhibition, but the teams will compete for a prize — the Miner’s Trophy — and hope to do so every year.
The Coal Crackers will open their regular season July 21 at the Southern Jersey Jaguars.
A member of the original Coal Cracker franchise in 1969, Lutkus has joined the Colonial Football Alliance franchise as an offensive and defensive line coach for this season — its third since its revival after a 31-year hiatus.
“Just watching these guys practice here (at Cumbola), going back to Saint Clair (to play) … I might want to get the equipment on myself,” Lutkus said.
“It’s like bringing back a part of the original me.”
Lutkus isn’t the only change the franchise has seen since a playoff loss to the Lehigh Valley Steelers last October.
The CFA booted the Coal Crackers from the league after the franchise didn’t pay its league dues.
Enter James “Howie” Long and Joe Zelonis, who took over the franchise and got it reinstated in the CFA for this season.
Long and Zelonis knew something needed to be done to keep the franchise alive and improve it.
“I’ve seen how other teams I’ve played for have been run,” Zelonis said, “and we knew something needed to be done.”
The pair wanted to instill a bit of the pride the original franchise had and took a few steps to bring that closer to reality.
They renamed the franchise from Pennsylvania to Schuylkill County and moved the team’s games back to Saint Clair’s Veterans Memorial Stadium — the same site the original franchise played at.
“When we sat down and started working on the name for the team, one thing we wanted … this area’s all about Coal Region and heritage,” Long said. “We’re showing how we’re honoring those coal miners and those that came before us, how they worked to make this area what it is.
“Saint Clair was very special to us because it was the place where the original Coal Crackers played. Especially with having Coach Lutkus join us this year.”
Also, the cheerleading squad was revamped and renamed the Breaker Girls.
Tryouts were held in April to select the 13-member team, which will perform at the Coal Cracker home games and special promotions.
“It’s actually been really, really good for us and for the team,” Zelonis said of the new management team. “That’s what we wanted to bring back to the area.”
According to Long, sponsorships have risen from 15 last season to 43 this year.
“Everything’s progressing very well,” said Long, a 37-year-old Minersville native. “The team as a whole is coming together very good. We’ve got a lot of influx of young players. The sponsors have just gone through the roof. The local involvement with the businesses and community in Saint Clair is just outstanding.”
Zelonis, also a linebacker for the Coal Crackers, expects much better things this year.
“We’ll see more people at the games,” said Zelonis, who played his high school ball at Tamaqua and currently resides in Middleport. “We’re definitely going to field a much better team than last year.”
It hasn’t been easy for the 34-year-old Zelonis to fill the role of owner and player.
“It’s been hard so far to do both,” Zelonis said. “I’m confident we’re gonna win that title, which will allow me to retire.”
The team has been coming together nicely since tryouts back in April and looked good during the CFA Jamboree held June 23.
“We do a controlled scrimmage with the other teams,” Long said. “We had a great showing at the jamboree. The offense is really coming together nice. And, of course, our defense is what we hang our hat on.”
Lutkus, a former high school coach at Minersville and Nativity who coached Coal Crackers head coach Tony Siminitus at Minersville, is pleased to be involved with the game again.
“It’s a little bit different trying to relate to younger people,” Lutkus said.
“If you’re flexible, you can get a lot out of people. Coaching is teaching. Once you’re a coach, you’re always a coach. That never leaves you.”
The players in the CFA are unpaid, playing because they still love the game.
The Coal Crackers have a roster of 49 active players, mostly from the Schuylkill County area, with 12 spots still open and available until the fifth week of the season.
“It’s great that there’s somebody out there,” Lutkus said. “They’re sacrificing and they still want to be part of the game. If we continue to keep this going and be successful, that would be great.”
As for Saturday’s contest, the squad and management are looking at it as more than a preseason game.
“This is the blue-collar game where we’re going to go up there to play for the Anthracite Classic trophy,” Long said. “They’re miners up there just like we’re miners down here. We’re going to go up there and have a good time with them sharing a game up there and sharing our lives.”
