Seven A Lucky Number For Reading High and Fodera Family

There was a family reunion of sorts Sunday morning at Hollingsworth Field: The seven Fodera brothers, mom and dad, and one seriously outnumbered reporter.

Less than 48 hours earlier Reading had beaten Wakefield, 48-14, in its 2017 opener. It was the 16th straight year (since 2001) there has been a Fodera on the Reading Memorial High School football roster, and Friday night David, the youngest and a senior, began his final year - his family's final year - by beating the rival Warriors.

"Going all the way back to my first year as head coach in 2004, I've said this a million times at every banquet, I've passed out a letter to a Fodera every year since I've been a head coach," said Reading coach John Fiore. "They've all been real tough kids for us and real good players. Some had a larger role than others as far as contributing on a Friday night, but they've all brought that to the table and it's been an honor, a pleasure, and a joy to coach all of them."

Subscribe to Reading Patch for more local news and real-time alerts

Before there were seven brothers there were two parents, Gino and Maria. Gino came to America with his parents from Sicily when he was 6. He attended Somerville High School where he played ... gasp ... soccer, and his coach was Phil Vaccaro, who would later become RMHS athletic director in 1994. He met Maria, who grew up in Lexington and is one of 17 children, and they moved to Reading in 1991.

Maria had no interest in figuring out how many football games she's seen, despite helpful suggestions from her sons like "11 x 7" or "do the math."

"Countless," said Maria. "It's like asking how many diapers did I change? I always loved sports and I did like football a lot too. I grew up with eight brothers and they were all athletic, and eight sisters. I played with my brothers a lot."

The Fodera roster starts with the eldest, 30-year-old Giuseppe. A 2005 RMHS graduate, Giuseppe owns GC Fodera Masonry. He's also in his sixth year as the RMHS freshman football coach, meaning he's coached two of his brothers both on and off the field.

James is 28 and graduated in 2007. He lives in Danvers and owns Boston Metal Fabricating in Haverhill.

Giovanni graduated from Reading in 2008 and is 27. He graduated from UMass-Amherst and is in the process of becoming an engineer.

Twenty-four year-old Anthony graduated from Reading in 2011. He then graduated from Westfield State and is now working in property management.

Peter is 22 and a 2013 RMHS graduate. He works with Giuseppe doing residential masonry.

Mike graduated from RMHS last year, is 20, and currently attending Middlesex.

And then there's David, the baby, albeit a 5-11, 230-pound baby.

With a Fodera on the roster, Fiore knows exactly what kind of player he's going to get.

"First and foremost we're going to get a strong kid. And we're going to get a guy who's not afraid of contact and will be a great teammate. I don't know if you noticed, their shoulders are pretty broad. They're big strong kids. Strength, loyalty to their teammates, he's going to add a lot to our team."

All seven brothers were linemen, with occasional duty as linebackers. Which is another way of saying not one of them ever scored a touchdown, an apparently touchy subject on Sunday. There have been close calls but as David pointed out, "I'm the one making a lane so someone else can get the touchdown." Still, Fiore wouldn't mind if David scored. "I'd like to see him get a strip sack, scoop-and-score, or a blocked punt and a score, something like that."

Anthony, Peter, David and Mike all played at Gillette Stadium and Giuseppe was on the sideline with them as an assistant coach. Peter and Anthony won Super Bowls with the Rockets. Anthony's came at Gillette while Peter's was won at Bentley. Peter, who recovered a fumble at Gillette, along with Anthony and James, all earned recognition as Middlesex League All-Stars. Giuseppe is married to Stefanie and they're the proud parents of ... you guessed it, a son, and Sunday's reunion would quickly change into an afternoon birthday party as Matteo celebrated turning one.

Of the seven, David may already have the most impressive football resume. In December of 2013 the Reading Pop Warner A team won a national title in Orlando, the first in town history. The players on that team, including David, Jack Geiger, Matt Panagopolous, and many others, are seniors now. With a national title and at the very least two Super Bowl appearances, David may already have brotherly bragging rights. And ya, the brothers talk.

"Well ya, they talk about how I won the Super Bowl, I went undefeated ...," said David.

David's too smart to look ahead to another potential title game. For now it's a tough daily practice routine, and having six older brothers has certainly prepared him.

"They're probably equal," said David of the comparison between practice and his brothers. "All of them pick on me cuz I'm the youngest, it's just how it happens. Ya, it's tough."

What's tough for his coach, however, is thinking of a season without the Fodera family.

"I can't count how many pasta parties, how many post-Super Bowl celebrations they've hosted, how many barbeques they've hosted in the preseason. They've been incredibly generous in giving to our program and not just their own kids, all the kids, and all the families over a long period of time. They're just great people. We'll miss the family, we really will.

"I was joking with the staff in an email because the Foderas were hosting a preseason barbeque at their house for parents and coaches and I said Fodera probably means hospitality in Italian. Those things are what makes this special. It allows people to connect and get together beyond game night and the field and that will be missed as well."

For now, no one is thinking about the end. The Rockets play at Acton-Boxboro Friday, looking for their second win. David Fodera will do his part, just as his brothers have before him.

"We've had a lot of large families," said Fiore, "but seven boys, my goodness. It's been quite an experience having them on our team."

Main photo back row, l-r: Anthony, Giovanni, James, and Giuseppe; front row, l-r: Michael, Peter, and David.

Photos by Bob Holmes