Wednesday, October 11, 2017
Destined for the NFL, Slaby SLABY
took an interesting path
Continued from page 28
The story Slaby seared into the old high
school legend is largely the result of his football,
basketball and track achievements, but his first
to playing for the Quakers years he played in the band and on the basketball
team because a head injury prevented him from
playing football.
By LARRY SHIELDS He attended the old high school from his
There’s a story behind how Lou Slaby, perhaps Salem’s greatest athlete among freshman to his junior years and his class was the
many, many greats, made it to the high school football team. first to graduate from the new high school build-
He was a member of the 1959 Salem High School graduation class — the first class ing in 1959.
to graduate from the new high school building. He played basketball in the old high Slaby didn’t recall “dressing” at all for the
school building. He also practiced playing the clarinet as a member of the band. jayvee team as a freshman and recalled the team
During the football season Slaby played in the band, since he couldn’t play football went undefeated.
due to an injury. Ironically, he was destined to play football at the University of Pitts- “During my sophomore year, I started the bas-
burgh and for the New York Giants and Detroit Lions as Salem’s first NFL player, ketball season playing jayvee but also dressing
“When I was young I had a head injury and was being treated by a neurologist,” he for the varsity team. Eventually I received a fair
said recently. “He didn’t allow me to play football. So when I got to high school I amount of playing time with the varsity, I was
joined the high school marching band. Although I really wanted to play football, I final- awarded a varsity basketball letter my sophomore
ly resigned myself to the fact that it was not going to happen.” year.”
Attitudes about sports were different in the mid-to-late 1950s. The injury didn’t pre- During his junior year the varsity went unde-
vent him from playing basketball. feated. During his senior year, the capstone of all
“I played basketball on the freshmen team, I don’t recall ‘dressing’ at all for the JV Quaker teams, was 17-1 during the regular sea-
team as a freshman,” he said. “During my sophomore year, I started the basketball sea- son while finishing as state finals runner-up in
son playing JV but also dressing for the varsity team. Eventually I received a fair 1959.
amount of playing time with the varsity, I was awarded a varsity basketball letter my Slaby’s athletic legacy roamed across the grid-
sophomore year.”
iron, to the hardwood courts — on both the old
Slaby, who began his pro football days by being named to the NFL “All Rookie
and new high schools — and onto the track field
Team in 1964,” also competed on the track where he set a new SHS record in the shot
where he held the school shot put record.
put.
Like everyone who played on the old high
His most vivid memories revolve around his desire to play football and the sequence
school basketball court, Slaby holds particular
of events that placed him on the gridiron he so wanted to perform on.
“The band practiced in the school’s football stadium,” Slaby recalled, “Although the memories of its small size like Jim “Moe” Meiss-
football team dressed at the stadium, they practiced in a park that was located about a ner, a year ahead of him and current school
half-mile from the stadium.” Superintendent Dr. Joseph Shivers, a 1966 SHS
What follows is Slaby’s very detailed look into what he was thinking, a self-effacing graduate who carries of sharp, almost like-it-hap-
and — at times — delightfully humorous insight into his frame of mind that was driv- pened-this-morning memories.
en by the raging fire to play football that was burning inside him. The basketball court is located in the basement
This is part of a Lou’s Talk before Morris Plains, NJ Rotary Club in June: with an overhead track, where fans looked down
“After a band practice during my sophomore year, as I was walking off the field, by on the court. There is a protective railing on the
chance, I ran into the athletic director. He said, ‘Lou, why aren’t you playing football?’ inner portion of the track.
“I told him my story. He paused a moment and said, ‘How about if you get a foot- The first Salem athlete to play in the National
ball uniform and then after band practice go watch the football team practice. That way, Football League, Slaby started a successful engi-
if things change during the next two years you will be that much further ahead. I didn’t neering company after retiring from the league
have any hope that things would be different, but I said ‘OK.’ and employed his engineering expertise in look-
“Nobody told any of the coaches about the arrangement, and, of course, I didn’t tell ing back at the old gym.
my parents. So the next day after band practice, I went and asked the equipment man- “The dimensions of the basketball court were
ager for an outfit. After a couple attempts, I was able to figure out how the pads fit. substandard. Limited spectator seating was locat-
Then I walked up to the football practice field. ed on the lower level on both sides of the court,”
“When I got to the field, I stood around and watched the team run through some Slaby said. “In grade school, we would get to the
drills. Then the head coach blew his whistle and told everyone to go to their position gym early in order to get a seat on the railing to
coach. watch the jayvee and varsity basketball games.
“Now I had a decision to make. I was one of the biggest players so I thought that I “The available lower level seats would fill
should go with the linemen. quickly and there were layers of spectators on the
“Then I thought, ‘Nah,’ the linemen hardly ever get their name mentioned in the track. Thank God the structural engineers antici-
newspaper. Then I thought maybe I should go with the ends. After all they catch passes. pated the extent of the crowds on the track. With
Then I thought, ‘Nah,’ the team doesn’t really pass that often. the small court and with spectators packed close-
ly, there was near pandemonium during close
basketball games,” he said.
The small court meant more presses and fast
See LOU, PAGE 30
Century of Education 29
breaks, already major tactics of Head Coach John
Cabas. And fewer passes.
All the while players had to keep that track in
mind, as it hung over onto the court. “You were
aware of it,” said Shivers, who played on a state-
ranked Quaker basketball squad in the mid-60s,
the last Salem basketball team to be ranked in the
top 10.
“It was tough,” he said and the building size
squeezed in on players. “You felt how confining
it was; like a phone booth with backboards. The
kids would sit on the rail, the second row would
put their feet through the rail and they were
packed.”
He wondered how no one fell through.
Meissner, quarterbacked the Quaker football
team during those glory seasons. He along with
Slaby were the sole two that played both sports.
“You couldn’t see the basket if you shot from
the corner,” he said of that unique gym. “You
couldn’t. It curved out and you’d hit the ceiling.
You can see the fans.”
Meissner remembers Jack Alexander’s jump
shots.
“He was 6-6 or 6-7,” Meissner said. “He shot
from mid-court. It was more than (today’s) 3-
pointer range. I’d be interested to see where the
3-point line would be. It was really a small
court.”
The dimension could accelerate play during
the eight-minute quarters. Meissner recalled a
Warren team coming in and beating the Quakers,
106-103.
“I can remember how fast people scored.”
“We shot more from the outside than we did
at the new high school,” Slaby recalled, “Shoot-
ing from the corner, you could hit the track.”
“As a player, this was inspirational. It was a
great experience. The ball games were quite
noisy, quite deafening really. Really loud. It just
used to be really loud at the games.”
Today Shivers still wonders.
“How they played there for all those years is
beyond me.”
Shivers recalled players had to know the gym
to play it.
He said the overhang, “interfered physically
and mentally. The Salem kids knew where and
more than once the opposing team hit the over-
hang. They were aware, knew it was there but if
you didn’t play there much, you couldn’t adjust.
“Those corners were tempting and I always
misjudged,” said Shivers who didn’t play varsity
basketball until reaching the new high school.
“Shooting from the corner, you could hit the
track. You had to get distance so you didn’t,” Sla-
by said. lshields@salemnews.net