Margaret Place back in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s was fortunate enough to have its own NFL team affectionately known as the Neighborhood Football League. The league was comprised of several robust teens and perhaps, in retrospect, braver pre-teens. Select members included local luminaries the likes of Robert Tete and brother Greg Tete (Wilson Ave.), Jimmy Gayle and Lee Leibendorfer (Grove St), Douglas Shearman, Christopher Baggett, Brian Reddin and brother Patrick Reddin (Park Ave), and myself.
Occasionally, other laddos would appear from other areas of the city and would be divided accordingly, usually by age and skill level. Wells Watson was one known to show (Shell Beach Dr) to lend skills at QB.
A popular gathering spot for the field of play was the empty west lot of my parent's home on Pithon St. where two rather large oak trees marked the endzones. Interestingly the east sideline boundary was the site of a brick-bordered rose garden with sharp bricks aligned on the oblique, and numerous incidences of orthopedic trauma occurred here as fate would have it.
The second most popular field of play was the expansive Petitjean grass lot on Harrison Ave. Usually, this site was reserved for holiday play or during summer when teams were larger.
In summary, I think the whole lot of players mentioned earlier would agree these times spent in their formative years were some of the most fun entertainment one could experience. And then the sun would fade in the horizon and all would hop on their bikes, skateboards, Big Wheel or go-cart and depart home planning the next game in a never-ending schedule.