CHS football scrimmage honors former Bulldog great

On Friday, September 6, at Memorial Field, the Canton High School football program will celebrate one of its greatest living legends with a special intra-squad scrimmage and charity event in honor of Billy Cravens, a 1976 graduate and former standout halfback who was recently diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

Billy Cravens in a newspaper photo from 1975

Organized by head coach Dave Bohane, who is a friend and longtime admirer of Cravens, the event will feature an exhibition-style “green vs. white” game that will serve as the final tune-up before the start of the regular season next Thursday, September 12, at Abington High. Bohane said every available player, freshmen through seniors, will suit up for Friday night’s scrimmage.

The team will charge admission and there will also be concessions and a 50/50 raffle. All proceeds from the fundraiser, which has been dubbed “Billy Cravens Night,” will go to the Cravens family to help with Billy’s fight against ALS — a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that is often associated with the famed Yankees slugger Lou Gehrig.

ALS, according to the Mayo Clinic, is a serious and debilitating disease that causes muscle weakness and eventually impairs one’s ability to move, eat, speak and breathe. The disease progresses rapidly and the prognosis in most cases is poor. There is currently no known cure.

“We’re all just in shock,” acknowledged Billy’s wife, Rosey, herself a CHS graduate, who is assisting Bohane with the planning for Friday’s fundraiser. “We can’t believe it. No one even knows why people get this disease.”

Bohane said the entire Canton football community was devastated by the news of Cravens’ diagnosis and felt that a fundraiser was the least they could do for someone who has meant so much to the program over the years.

“Billy, like his father, and the Cravens family in general, have been big supporters of Canton High School sports,” said Bohane. “Billy is just dynamite with the kids. His heart’s really in it and he’s just a super guy.”

Bohane, who grew up in Canton, recalled a time when Billy Cravens was the biggest name in Canton sports. To this day he is considered one of the greatest football players to ever come out of Canton High School, earning numerous accolades during his four-year run along with a scholarship to Elon College in North Carolina.

He later returned to his hometown and took a job with the Recreation Department, settling into a comfortable life with his wife and their family and friends.

Now, at age 55, Billy finds himself bracing for the fight of his life, and he does it, Rosey said, with his trademark sense of humor.

“He says [having ALS] is like having Walter Payton on one side and Jerry Lewis on the other,” said Rosey, laughing. “I mean, what are you going to do? It is what it is, unfortunately.”

Rosey said her husband’s outlook is “incredible” considering the circumstances, and together the two of them are doing their best to take things “day by day” and not get too far ahead of themselves.

Then again, Rosey fully admits that she “went berserk” upon learning of Billy’s diagnosis in mid June. By that point they had figured that something was wrong, as Billy had lost “tremendous amounts of weight” and started walking with a noticeable limp.

He was also experiencing muscle pain on one side of his body, and when he finally went to the doctor in early May, his primary care physician warned him that he had many of the classic symptoms of ALS.

“That first month, it was really, really hard,” recalled Rosey, who accompanied her husband to various specialists, including a neurologist, a rheumatologist, and a cardiologist, among others.

Eventually, Billy had an EMG (electromyography) test — which examines the electrical activity produced by the muscles — and the Cravens’ worst fears were confirmed.

“I’m dealing with it better now than I was in the beginning,” said Rosey of the diagnosis. “I still have my moments, but I’m trying to take it one day at a time right now.”

Billy now takes Riluzole, the only drug approved by the FDA for treatment of ALS; however, it merely slows the progression of the disease and its effectiveness varies from patient to patient.

He also recently agreed to try another experimental drug, and he signed up to give regular vials of blood at Mass. General Hospital in order to help researchers better understand the disease.

“We’ll try anything,” said Rosey. “I mean what have you got to lose?”

Rosey said their primary focus at this point is to delay the symptoms for as long as possible while holding out hope for a miracle cure. She said that Billy’s doctors have even advised them to go on trips now and to savor the time they have together.

“He misses his job — that’s the toughest part,” said Rosey. “He likes to go visit the guys at the shop whenever he can.”

For now, Billy’s biggest challenges are fatigue and muscle weakness. Rosey said he also uses a BIPAP machine at night to assist with breathing — mostly as a way to get used to it when the muscles in his throat begin to deteriorate.

And yet despite all of the obstacles that inevitably lie ahead, Billy knows he won’t have to face them alone, thanks in large part to his many friends and supporters in the Canton community.

A group of kids held a lemonade stand fundraiser for Billy Cravens. Pictured above (not in order) are Joe Bates, Erin Devine, Steven Burbank, Sean Gleason and Caitlin Gleason.

Already, there have been multiple fundraisers planned, including tomorrow night’s scrimmage and a girls’ hockey skating event planned for mid October. And just last week, a group of Canton kids who heard about Billy’s condition decided to set up a lemonade stand in his honor. One of Rosey’s friends got the word out on Facebook, and after seven hours of selling lemonade, the kids arrived at the Cravens home with a get-well card that had $300 inside.

“I thought that was just incredible,” said Rosey. “I just can’t believe how much the people in this town have done. We’re just so grateful because we know we have a long road ahead of us.”

In the meantime, both Rosey and Billy understand that there will be good days and bad days. Fortunately, they have countless supporters to lean on as well as Billy’s wonderful sense of humor.

“He is so awesome,” Rosey said of her husband. “He says there are a lot of other people, especially children, out there who are worse off than him.”

Rosey said that even when he was first diagnosed, he thought of Lou Gehrig and quipped, “Hey, if you’re going to go out, I’d rather go out like a hall of famer.”

The inaugural Billy Cravens night will kick off Friday, September 6, at 6 p.m. at Memorial Field. The event will be followed by an after-party at the American Legion Hall (behind Canton High School). Those who are unable to attend but would still like to donate can contact Billy’s sister, Carol Duggan, at cduggan26@aol.com.

Short URL: https://www.thecantoncitizen.com/?p=22178

Posted by Jay Turner on Sep 5 2013. Filed under Features. Both comments and pings are currently closed.