November 11, 1978, was the date of the 56th Deerfield Day. Little did everyone know, it was also the date of one of the biggest games in Choate football history — the day of the “Miracle Pass.”
Coming off a single point loss against Lawrenceville in their previous game, the Choate football team came out ready to fight. From the beginning, it was clear that this game wasn’t going to be an easy win for either team.
The first points of the game came from Deerfield on their first possession, when Chris Grennon hit a 21-yard field goal. Deerfield would not score again.
The first Choate points came in the second quarter, when Jamie Walter ’80 drilled a field goal from 22 yards out. After that, the game was tied, 3-3.
The same tense back-and-forth struggle continued throughout the third and fourth quarters. The turning point for the game was when the Blue and Gold defense stopped the Big Green offense on downs, Deerfield being just one inch shy of tucking away the game with minutes left on the scoreboard.
During a last-second timeout, quarterback William Millard ’79 discussed game play with his head coach, Mr. Doug James. Then, on the field with only seconds left on the clock, Millard dodged a Deerfield defender and threw a 50-yard desperation pass.
In a crowd of three Deerfield defenders, wide receiver Bobby Galvin ’79 was there to come down with the ball as Deerfield stumbled away. Galvin turned and ran to the end zone for a walk-off touchdown, winning the game for Choate with a final score of 9-3, as the crowd erupted into cheers.
