Matuszczak a part of Cornell's history

Nearly 70 years after he played his last football game for Cornell, Walt Matuszczak's name remains linked to the Big Red program.

All it took was one of the most bizarre endings in the history of the sport.Matuszczak, a native of Lowville, was in the middle of the action on Nov. 16, 1940, as No. 2-ranked Cornell faced lowly Dartmouth in Hanover, N.H.

Late in the game, with Dartmouth leading 3-0, Matuszczak, a blocking back and captain for the Big Red, requested a meeting with referee William H. "Red" Friesell to discuss a call. Friesell eventually became confused about the down situation, allowing the Big Red another play in the waning seconds of the game. The Big Red took advantage of its "fifth down" to score a touchdown, seemingly securing a 7-3 victory.

Friesell, though, later admitted his mistake, and Cornell reacted accordingly, accepting a 3-0 defeat two days later.

The bitter loss did not detract from Matuszczak's contributions to Cornell, however. In 1979, the man who had been nicknamed "60-minutes Matuszczak" in honor of his strength and endurance, was inducted into the Cornell Hall of Fame.

Matuszczak played three seasons with Cornell, receiving second- and third-team All-America recognition. He served as co-captain of the North team in the 1940 Blue-Gray football game, and also participated in junior varsity basketball and varsity baseball for the Big Red.

Following graduation from Cornell in 1941 - the same year he was selected by the New York Giants in the 10th round of the draft - he entered the New York State College of Veterinary Medicine, where he graduated in 1943 before starting DeWitt Animal Hospital.

Matuszczak, who simplified the spelling of his last name to "Matuszak," owned and operated several golf courses, including Willowbrook Golf Club in Watertown. He was a co-owner of the club from 1960-66, then the sole owner from '66-'69. He also served as president of the Syracuse District Golf Association and president of the Lake Shore Yacht and Country Club in Cicero.

He died in 2001 at the age of 83.

To read about previous selections to the Times' list of The North Country's Greatest 100 Athletes of All Time, log on to www.watertowndailytimes.com