Legendary Enfield Coaches to Be Honored With Stadium Recognition

ENFIELD, CT — Two coaching legends from Enfield High School will be forever memorialized at the school's athletic complex, following a resolution adopted Tuesday night by the town council.

Since 1979, the playing surface at the rear of the school grounds has been named the "Carl Angelica Memorial Field." Angelica, a posthumous original inductee into the Enfield Athletic Hall of Fame in 1996, had been a three-sport star for the Raiders, graduating in 1933, then played football and baseball on an athletic scholarship at Providence College. He began teaching physical education in the Enfield school system in 1938, and in 1948, embarked on a 20-year period where he coached football, basketball and baseball. Following his coaching career, he became Director of Athletics for the Enfield Public Schools from 1968 until retiring in 1975. He passed away on May 19, 1978.

One of Angelica's greatest decisions was the hiring of young physical education teacher Kathleen Blodgett, fresh out of Southern Connecticut State College. Known to everyone as "Cookie," she started the initial field hockey program at Enfield in 1967, meeting and eventually marrying math teacher Bob Bromage along the way. Prior to this season, she retired from that post after 52 years, five Class M state championships, numerous state final and semifinal appearances and eight inductions into halls of fame, including the initial Enfield class alongside Angelica. She and her husband were honored by the Connecticut Sports Writers' Alliance in 2015 with the Bo Kolinsky Special Recognition Award, commemorating an unprecedented combined 100 years of high school coaching by a husband-wife duo.

By unanimous vote, the council adopted a resolution christening the entire complex, including the bleachers, track, press box and storage buildings, as the Carl Angelica Memorial Stadium. With expressed written support from the Angelica family, the playing surface will be re-named Cookie Bromage Field.

Councilor Bob Cressotti, a liaison to the Hall of Fame, expressed his support for the resolution by stating, "I'm very happy about this, it is quite an honor. She's put her heart and soul into the town of Enfield for over 50 years, coaching and teaching. She has touched many lives."

"We are ecstatic about this, and I'm sure our dad would be as well," said Angelica's son Mike, himself a 2002 Hall of Fame inductee. "Cookie is one of the greatest coaches ever, and an outstanding person on and off the field. She and Bob always help kids, even after they've graduated."

Cookie Bromage said, "I'm humbled by this honor; it's the greatest honor a coach can receive. To be even considered close to Mr. Angelica, who gave me a chance and career, is unbelievable. I'm just a little guy doing my job."

She gave her former boss a tremendous amount of credit for realizing the importance of women's sports long before most others.

"He was an incredible advocate for women's sports; he was way ahead of his time," she said.

Angelica introduced the Bromages in his office upon her hiring at Enfield. Sports has been a constant presence in the couple's life ever since, including their Canadian honeymoon being cut short due to Bob's pitching assignment in the final game of the 1969 Tri-County League playoffs. The Bromages celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on July 26.

Angelica and Bromage will be feted at a formal unveiling ceremony of the new sign which will adorn the top of the stadium scoreboard. The event is slated for Saturday, Sept. 21, following Enfield's home field hockey contest against Woodstock Academy and prior to the 2 p.m. alumni game between Enfield and former crosstown rival Fermi.

A GoFundMe campaign has been initiated to pay for the design, construction and implementation of the new sign, as well as a sign for the previously-approved Ben Aleks Wrestling Center, which will be dedicated in late November. A link for supporters to contribute can be found here.

Carl Angelica. (Photo courtesy of Enfield Athletic Hall of Fame)

Cookie Bromage. (Photo by Tim Jensen/Patch Media Corp.)