Kyle Fitzgerald earns prestigious Scholar-Athlete Award

Kyle Fitzgerald capped off his CHS career with 2 TD’s in the 2019 Thanksgiving Day game. (Kim Levis photo)

Canton High School senior Kyle Fitzgerald has been named one of 33 scholar-athletes in Massachusetts by the Jack Grinold Eastern Mass. Chapter of the National Football Foundation. The award recognizes excellence on the football field, in the classroom, and in the community.

Former CHS head football coach Dave Bohane, who nominated Fitzgerald, believes he is the first modern-day Bulldog player to receive the prestigious honor.

The Jack Grinold Eastern Mass. Chapter is one of 120 NFF chapters across the country. The selection committee includes retired and active football coaches, college administrators, and media members. The annual awards banquet to honor this year’s class of scholar-athletes, originally scheduled for May 17, had to be postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Bohane wrote in his nomination that when Fitzgerald decided to attend Canton High School it was a great day for him and for the school. “I knew what we were getting on the playing field,” he said. “He won at every level: in both football and basketball. Kyle’s reputation as an eighth grader was a kid of high character who excelled in the classroom as well as the playing fields. I was nervous because the private schools wanted him. He was close with his friends, and to my good fortune he attended CHS! He was every coach’s dream right from the start. Teachers raved about his character and academic accomplishments. His leadership skills were on hand from day one, and as a sophomore he was the leader of the football program. He was on a mission to be the best he could be, and it showed immediately.”

Bohane said Fitzgerald continued to make high honors in his classes and by his junior year, he had moved into all Advanced Placement classes. “The GPA continued to climb,” he said. “He worked hard away from school to prepare for the SAT’s.

After a phenomenal junior year on the football field, Fitzgerald drew serious interest from a number of top colleges, including Dartmouth, Cornell, Trinity and Colby. He ultimately chose Cornell and will play football for the Big Red next fall.

Bohane said Fitzgerald will leave CHS as the most decorated football player in the history of the program. In his final season, he rushed for over 1,000 yards and had 13 touchdowns while leading the Bulldogs to a 10-1 record. He was named the Boston Globe Division 5 Player of the Year and Hockomock League Davenport Division’s Most Valuable Player. He also took home Boston Globe, Boston Herald, and Patriot Ledger All-Scholastic honors and was named to the MassVarsity All-State team as a defensive back.

Under his leadership the Bulldogs won Hockomock Davenport titles in both 2018 and 2019 and advanced to the Division 5 south finals in both years while combining for a record of 18-4. He was a team captains as a senior and Bohane said there was “no doubt” who the leader of the team was. “When he spoke, our players listened,” he said.

Fitzgerald was also a two-year captain on the CHS basketball team and helped lead the Bulldogs to back-to-back Davenport Division titles in 2017 and 2018.

Bohane said Fitzgerald has played an active role in the Canton community, particularly with the youth outreach program at Saint Gerard’s Church. He played a leadership role in the popular Kids Camp program and has volunteered for programs such as Christmas in the City and My Brother’s Keeper.

Bohane completed the nomination by saying, “Kyle is the most well-rounded athlete we have ever had here at CHS. I admire his humbleness through the whole experience, as he has deflected the credit to his teammates and parents.”

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Posted by Mike Berger on May 8 2020. Filed under High School, Sports. Both comments and pings are currently closed.