Legendary Enfield Field Hockey Coach Elected To National Hall Of Fame

ENFIELD, CT — Just when one would think the legendary Cookie Bromage had received every accolade possible for a high school coach, one more honor has been bestowed upon her, with her recent election to the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Hall of Fame.

She and three other honorees will be recognized on Jan. 13, 2023, at the NFHCA Hall of Fame Reception, the culminating event at the association's annual convention in Lake Mary, Fla.

"I am humbled by this honor to be included with the awesome group of exceptional coaches who have been inducted into the NFHCA Hall of Fame," she said. "Over the years, I have attended the banquets and listened to the accomplishments of the inductees. It is truly an honor to be included with such a prestigious group of coaches."

Bromage founded the field hockey program at Enfield High School in 1967, and remained in that post until retiring following the 2018 season. Over the course of 52 years, her teams won nearly 450 games, accumulated five Class M state championships (1983, 1984, 1992, 1993, 1994) and was state runner-up once (1982).

"I still remember the day that Carl Angelica called me to his office asking me to start a field hockey program," she said. "I am thankful to him for the opportunity which led to 52 years of working with great kids, parents, coaches and friends."

Charlene Lauria, a member of the inaugural squad in 1967 who went on to a long career as a teacher and coach at John F. Kennedy Junior High School, said, "Cookie introduced us to a game that we had never seen nor played and convinced us that we could form a team to go against longstanding powerhouse teams from western Massachusetts. She was patient and positive with a group armed with sticks and clubs and no knowledge of the game during the first year. She made us feel like varsity athletes at a time when there were only two such teams at Enfield High. Probably most importantly, her leadership skills became part of my skill set as a teacher, a coach, and a fraternal board member throughout my life. While most of my students and players never had the privilege to suit up for Cookie, they benefitted from what she passed along to me."

In Nov. 1982, Enfield advanced to the Class M championship game for the first time, taking on Farmington at Choate-Rosemary Hall School in Wallingford. During the title contest, two Raider goals were disallowed, resulting in a 1-0 defeat.

"It was so exciting to make it to our first state championship game," Bromage said. "My team was young, but I thought we had a chance to do well. However, it was a disappointing finish. We had two goals called back in the game. I thought they were good. Making it to the finals is not easy. I wondered if we would ever have another chance to make it again."

The Raiders did exactly that the following fall, racing through the regular season with a 13-1 record to earn the top seed. Shutout victories over Joel Barlow and Branford earned them a return trip to Choate, where they took on second-seeded New Milford. Neither team scored in regulation time, but an overtime goal by senior co-captain Lisa Carrara propelled Enfield to its first state championship.

"Cookie was really good at figuring out how to put people in the right places at the right time," Carrara said. "She created a team-first mentality that stayed with us not only as players, but later in life."

With just two returning starters and a number of reserves from the championship team, the Raiders came back to win it again in 1984. They knocked off top-seeded Guilford in the semifinals before defeating Branford, coached by Bromage's former college teammate Cathy McGuirk, 2-0 in the title game at Choate.

Dawn Massey, tri-captain of the second championship squad, said, "To this day, I am often reminded of the positive impact Cookie Bromage had on me on and off the field. She not only taught us the necessary skills to be competitive in the sport, but also how to stay positive, how to overcome adversity, how to work together for a common purpose, and how to be resilient. My experience being trained by such a brilliant coach, who focused on teaching her athletes skill and sportsmanship, is a key reason I was able to go on to play field hockey at the college level, with a sense of confidence on and off the field."

Less than a decade after the consecutive state titles, Enfield embarked on another mini-dynasty beginning in 1992, capturing three straight Class M crowns. The Raiders earned the top seed all three years, with a combined regular season record of 40-1-3, and won each championship contest by identical 1-0 scores against New Canaan, Haddam-Killingworth and Pomperaug, respectively.

"I was blessed with a group of very talented athletes that came along in consecutive years," Bromage said. "I thought we had something very special. The kids lived up to their potential. With their hard work and dedication, we earned three straight state championships. I was certainly blessed with wonderful players. The respect and love they gave to me was incredible. If I’d say jump, they would say, "how high?" We loved each day at practice.

Karen (Hebert) Gowen, co-captain of the 1993 championship team, said, "What an outstanding accomplishment for an amazing person. Cookie has made an impact on so many lives and continues to be a role model for many. She empowers and guides endlessly, which we all hold dearly to our hearts."

"Coach B had a very positive influence on my career as an athlete and a worker in the real world," All-American and 3-time state champion Erica Johnston said. "I believe she got the most production out of her athletes, both physically and mentally. She had a way of inspiring drive and work ethic through her positive energy and knowledge of the sport. She always encouraged us to dig deeper with work ethic, to go to clinics during off-season, and practice skills on our own time. She often told her athletes that if you want to develop your skills and become a better player, you must practice on your own time as well and put in the work behind the scenes - not just showing up at practice. She also was a firm believer of being in great shape, and we did a lot of conditioning which always helped us in the postseason. She made herself available for support on and off the field. She found a place for all athletes no matter what their level was, included everyone and truly instilled a team effort and winning together.

Bromage was a charter inductee into the Enfield Athletic Hall of Fame in 1996, and her five state championship teams have subsequently been inducted as well. She is also a member of five other halls of fame: Suffield, New Agenda: Northeast, Connecticut High School Coaches Association, Connecticut Field Hockey and National High School Athletic Coaches Association.

Following consolidation of Enfield and Fermi high schools in 2016, Bromage's teams experienced one last burst of success in a powerful Class L division. In her final three seasons, the Eagles compiled a 49-5-2 record, making two appearances in the state semifinals and one in the quarterfinals.

In 2019, the turf playing surface at Carl Angelica Memorial Stadium at Enfield High School was dedicated as Cookie Bromage Field, one of the few fields in New England named after women. In 2021, she received the prestigious Gold Key Award from the Connecticut Sports Media Alliance.

"The kids that played for me kept me in the game," she said. "All were very special in their own way. Some were extremely talented and went on to do great things at the next level. Some were role players, and others were just happy to be part of the team. They all contributed to the overall success of our program. I am grateful for each of the 52 years I coached at Enfield. I had the opportunity to work with great kids of all abilities. They all had something in common - they gave me everything they had each day in practice and games.

"As each season came along, we would begin with early practice on the first day. I would say to them, 'I’m so excited to be here today. I want to be the first team on the field today and the last to leave in November.' We set our goals to make the tournament, win our league, and win the state tournament.

"As I think of this special award, I think of so many people that helped me along the way. Administrators who pretty much gave me full reign to do whatever I asked. Colleagues who would cover classes for me, assistant coaches who were so loyal to me and would do whatever I asked, all parents who never doubted what we did, parents who supported me in working with their kids.

"I remember one day finding a note in the bag of one of my players that a parent wrote. It read, 'Play hard today for Mrs. B, she wants it so much.'"