Touchdowns, triumphs and a tribute to fathers

Unless the Boston Red Sox were in the playoffs or the World Series, we weren’t much of a sports family growing up—with two notable exceptions.

Garo Yepremian, an Armenian-Cypriot American, was a standout NFL placekicker who played 15 seasons, most notably with the Miami Dolphins. A two-time Pro Bowler and All-Pro, he led the league in scoring in 1971 and helped the Dolphins win two Super Bowls, including the historic 1972 season—the only perfect season in NFL history. He also played for the Detroit Lions, New Orleans Saints and Tampa Bay Buccaneers before retiring in 1981.

But the real G.O.A.T. in our family was my grandfather’s younger brother, George Kasparian. No matter where or to whom, whenever the topic of sports came up, my dear grandfather beamed with pride as he bragged about George’s accomplishments as an athlete. George rose to fame as captain of the junior varsity football squad at the esteemed all-boys Catholic high school, LaSalle Academy in Providence, Rhode Island. When his talents were discovered, he was immediately promoted to first-string right tackle on the varsity team, where his teammates unanimously voted him captain of the 1946 varsity football squad.

Flash forward 30-plus years to when my brother attended LaSalle Academy—Uncle George’s name, listed as a three-time all-state football player, was still prominently displayed in the school’s trophy case, reigniting a new generation of bragging rights.

But that’s just the beginning.

Uncle George went on to play professional football for the Providence Steamrollers and the Jersey City Giants! His athletic presence is unmistakable in the iconic 1949 “Boys of Douglas Avenue” photo, preserved by Azarig Kooloian, featuring first-generation young men from Douglas Avenue gathered on a Sunday afternoon after church. 

All these memories came flooding back during a recent visit to the RI Armenians in Sports: Past and Present exhibit, currently on display at the Armenian Historical Association of Rhode Island (AHARI). This exhibit is the second installment of the Establishing Roots – Enriching Rhode Island series, highlighting how Armenians have strengthened neighborhood bonds, enhanced school spirit and achieved excellence.

According to AHARI, Rhode Island Armenians have been active in sports since the early days of immigration—competing at all levels, from sandlots to schools, universities to organization-sponsored sports and beyond, all the way to the Olympics and professional leagues. Over 300 Rhode Island Armenians have been identified in sports including baseball, football, track and field, winter sports, wrestling, soccer, lacrosse, hockey and swimming. 

Of those 300 athletes, Uncle George’s photo was featured in two places—his LaSalle Academy yearbook and a re-enactment of the 1949 “Boys of Douglas Avenue” photo taken years later. His yearbook noted a ‘certain way about him’ that made him well-liked by everyone he came in contact with. He was a man of integrity and character. 

Although Uncle George was just 16 years younger than my grandfather, Ardashes Kasparian, their first 16 years of life couldn’t have been more different.

Born in 1911 in Palu, Ardashes tragically lost his entire family in the Armenian Genocide and grew up as an orphan. At age 15, he was miraculously reunited—through the efforts of the Near East Relief—with his father, from whom he had been separated while his father fought as an Armenian Legionnaire. Ardashes was welcomed to his father’s home on Douglas Avenue, along with his new wife and two young daughters. George was born a year later and grew up admiring his big brother Ardashes, who had competed—and won—in a very different game: the game of life.

In my family, that legacy lives on—in my grandfather’s proud stories of Uncle George, in the photos at AHARI, in the trophies at LaSalle Academy, and most of all, in the example set by the men who showed us that true strength isn’t measured by trophies, but by the lives they touched with kindness, compassion and love.                                                                                                                      

This Father’s Day, let’s continue to share the stories of the greatest victories built on and off the fields. 

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Victoria Atamian Waterman

Victoria Atamian Waterman is a writer born in Rhode Island. Growing up in an immigrant, bilingual, multi-generational home with survivors of the Armenian Genocide has shaped the storyteller she has become. She is an active volunteer of Soorp Asdvadzadzin Armenian Apostolic Church in Whitinsville, MA and chair of the Armenian Heritage Monument in Whitinsville, MA. She is the author of "Who She Left Behind."

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