? (1965)
Independent (1966)
Northeast Amateur Football League (1967)
Eastern Football League (1968-2004 & 2006)
Tombstone
Born: 1965
Folded: June 20071Whelan, Jr., Tim. “No season for Shamrocks this year”. The Metrowest Daily News (Framingham, MA). June 21, 2007
First Game:
Last Game: October 21, 2006 (L 41-12 @ Middleboro Cobras)
Eastern Football League Champions: 1968, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002 & 2004
United States Football Association National Champions: 1993, 1994, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000 & 2002
Stadium
Kelleher Field
Marketing
Team Colors: Kelly Green & White21977 Eastern Football League Directory & Schedule
Ownership
Owners:
- ???? – 2006: Bob Kays
Background
The original Marlboro Shamrocks were a top-flight amateur football team that played for nearly forty seasons in Central Massachusetts.
The Shamrocks’ best seasons came during the 1990’s and early 2000’s under the direction of Bob Brennan and the patronage of owner Bob Kays, proprietor of the local Prospector East Saloon. Brennan’s crew benefitted from a core of veterans that returned year after year to dominate the Eastern Football League en route to 12 straight league championships between 1991 and 2002.
Between 1993 and 2002, Marlboro earned seven United States Football Association national championships by defeating top amateur /semi-pro clubs from Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin in postseason tournaments.
Long-time standouts included star quarterback Dave Palazzi out of UMass, massive 320-pound offensive lineman Mike Balzarini and defensive leaders Larry Heindl (defensive line) and Larry Dorey (linebacker).
Decline & Revival
The Middleboro Cobras ended the Shamrock’s reign of Eastern Football League dominance in 2003, snapping the Shams’ streak of 12 consecutive league titles. In 2004, Marlboro had its last hurrah. With Dave Palazzi at quarterback for the final time, Marlboro muddled through a mediocre regular season. But in the EFL playoffs, the Shamrocks stunned undefeated Middleboro and then knocked off the Brockton Buccaneers in the championship game to claim their final EFL crown.
The following season, team owner Bob Kays shuttered the team, citing a lack of player enthusiasm. The team returned to the field for a final campaign in 2006. But after player interest dwindled again in the spring of 2007, the original Shamrocks closed their doors for good. By this point, the term “semi-pro” football was a misnomer for most of the top community-based outdoor football teams in the country. Whereas the best semi-pro clubs provided game checks back in the 1970’s, but the end of the century “semi-pro” football had evolved to a pay-to-play model, where local players frequently purchased their own equipment and chipped in for playoff travel against national opponents. The Shamrocks final coach, Bob Devoe, acknowledged as much when he announced that the team was going dark once more.
“We haven’t gotten guys to come out, and it costs a lot of money to put a season together. We need the ballplayers to put that money up.”3Whelan, Jr., Tim. “No season for Shamrocks this year”. The Metrowest Daily News (Framingham, MA). June 21, 2007
In 2019, a new version of the Marlboro Shamrocks took up residence at Kelleher Field after a 12-year absence.
Downloads
9-2-1983 Shamrocks vs. Middleboro Cobras Roster
9-2-1983 Marlboro Shamrocks vs. Middleboro Cobras Roster
1977 Eastern Football League Directory & Schedule
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