Our varsity football team looked a little different last month at its first home game of the season.

If you weren’t looking for it, you might not have even noticed it, but on the back of our players’ helmets was a small sticker in the shape of a signal pole bearing three initials: F.D.E.

The initials belong to Floyd Dana Ellsworth while the sticker’s shape was a nod to Ellsworth’s longtime service on the chain crew at Avon’s home football games. 

Ellsworth died unexpectedly in March. He was 53 years old and left behind three sons - Shane, Colin and Brady, a senior at Avon High School. 

The Hawks’ Sept. 26 game against Attica, a 49-21 homecoming win, was the first Avon home game to take place without Ellsworth manning a chain on the sideline for at least a decade, said Head Football Coach Andy Englert. 

“Floyd was such a big part of our program for so long, it was certainly a change for all of us - the boys, the coaches, myself - to go out onto that turf and compete without him there on the sideline,” said Englert. “All three of his kids played for me, played for the program so we wanted to do something as a team to carry him with us, have him there for the game with us in spirit, even if he couldn’t be with us in person.” 

The Hawks are next in action tonight - Friday, Oct. 17 - against York/Pavilion. Game time is 7 p.m. at York. 

Photos courtesy of Danette DeNoto