By STEVE KRAUSE
LYNN — Agganis Week, the five-day festival of athletic events and observances in honor of the late Harry Agganis, begins Sunday at 10 a.m. with an awards ceremony at Manning Field, followed by the all-star softball (noon) and baseball (2 p.m.) games.
Agganis is a former three-sport athlete who played for Lynn Classical, making his mark mostly in football. He went onto play at Boston University, where he took the Terriers to heights on the gridiron they hadn’t seen before, and haven’t seen since (BU dropped the program in 1997).
After graduating from BU, Agganis played for the Boston Red Sox. In June of the 1955 season, he took ill and was admitted to Sancta Maria Hospital in Cambridge, where he died on June 27 at the age of 27. His funeral is still the largest the city of Lynn has ever witnessed.
Upon his death, The Item and the Red Sox, at the behest of Lynn attorney Charles DeMakis, established the Agganis Foundation, with the mission of providing scholarships to worthy scholar-athletes in the Boston area.
The foundation has, to date, awarded $1,749,000 in grants to 927 students. For most of that time, the football game served as the principal fundraiser for the foundation. Twenty-two years ago, the foundation added baseball, and then softball three years later. Since then, Agganis Week has been expanded to include both boys and girls soccer, basketball and lacrosse.
At Sunday’s awards ceremony, five new members will be inducted into the Agganis Hall of Fame for their contributions to youth sports in general and the foundation’s endeavors in particular.
The awards are named for the following: Harold O. Zimman Foundation Award, named for one of the foundation’s pioneers as well as a former coach of Agganis; Paul Cavanagh Community Award, named for Paul Cavanagh, a late FBI agent and former president of the Lynn English Football Boosters Association; Dr. Elmo Benedetto Athletics Award, named for the former athletic director in Lynn whose philosophy was “there’s a college for every kid”; David C. Weidner Media Award, named for Weidner, whose promising career as a journalist was cut short by his untimely death in 1989 at the age of 28; and the Charles Demakis Heritage Award, given to a member of the Greek community who has furthered the cause of academics.
The week continues Monday with the 12th annual girls (6) and boys (7:15) basketball games at Classical High; Tuesday at Manning Field with the 21st boys (5:30) and girls (7) soccer games; and Wednesday at Manning with the fifth annual girls (5:30) and boys (7) lacrosse games.
Agganis Week concludes Thursday (7) at Manning Field with the 55th football game.
All athletes performing in the games are graduating seniors.