Legendary Coaches Honored at Enfield Stadium Dedication [VIDEO]

ENFIELD, CT — Under a perfect blue sky and with the beautifully remodeled Enfield High School building as a backdrop, hundreds of friends, family members and former players of two of the town's most revered coaches turned out for a stadium and field dedication ceremony Saturday afternoon.

Following unanimous passage of a resolution by the Enfield Town Council in early September, the athletic complex has been named the Carl S. Angelica Memorial Stadium, and the turf playing field dubbed Cookie Bromage Field.

Shortly after Angelica's passing in 1978, the playing field at the rear grounds of the school campus was named after him, in tribute to his 40-year career as a teacher, coach and athletic director. At Saturday's ceremony, the entire athletic stadium was dedicated in his honor.

Mike Angelica, Carl's son and a 2002 inductee into the Enfield Athletic Hall of Fame in his own right, drove from his home on Cape Cod to attend the event, along with his brother Steve, who came from Boston.

"I'd like to say thank you to the people who made this celebration of coaches possible," he said during his brief address to the crowd. "Next I'd like to say congratulations to Cookie - what a coach, and what a lady."

Carl Angelica had hired Bromage during his tenure as athletic director in the mid-1960s, and she started the field hockey program in 1967. She retired from coaching following the 2018-19 season, after 52 years, five Class M state championships and eight inductions into halls of fame.

During her emotional remarks, Bromage turned to the Angelica brothers and said, "Thank you to Mr. Angelica's family, thank you for your support in agreeing with the idea of my name joining your father's on the board. It's incredible!"

She praised the visiting Woodstock Academy field hockey team, which had just lost a hard-fought 3-1 battle to the Eagles, for presenting her with a batch of homemade cookies and a bouquet of roses prior to the ceremony, but mainly for staying at the field and listening attentively, rather than heading straight to their bus following the game.

"You've got a long ride home, and for you kids to stay here for this little celebration, it means the world to me," she said.

After thanking the numerous players, parents, assistant coaches and colleagues with whom she worked over her lengthy career, Bromage concluded, "I truly count my blessings every day." The new sign on top of the scoreboard was then revealed, to raucous applause from the gathered crowd.

In honor of the occasion, current Enfield head coach Amy Bartholomew had her players decked out in uniforms from the championship days. The varsity squad wore white tops with plaid green and white skirts, while the JV team wore the classic gold tops with solid green skirts. For a day at least, the Raiders were back.

A video of the entire ceremony is posted below. Be sure to check out the photo gallery above, with more pictures to be added soon.