By Jim Fenton
BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The fourth season in the history of Bridgewater State College football had reached its final game on Nov. 9, 1963.
The Bears and Coach Ed Swenson faced Brockport State of New York at Legion Field, not far from the college campus, on a Saturday afternoon.
Junior Marty Rizzo of Revere, a popular BSC halfback and defensive back who wore No. 30, was blocking on a kickoff return when tragedy occurred.
Rizzo, an elementary education major, was paralyzed on the play and was hospitalized in Boston. Two months later, on Jan. 11, 1964, Rizzo died of pneumonia at the age of 24.
The entire BSC community was stunned at what happened to a student-athlete who had served with the U.S. Army in Germany for two years and attained the rank of sergeant before attending college.
More than 60 years after his death, Rizzo's name is in the spotlight during the 2024 Bridgewater State University football season.
The No. 30 that Rizzo wore during his playing days has not been worn by a member of the Bears since freshman wide receiver Mathieu Araujo (East Freetown, Mass.) did so in 2011, but that has changed this season.
Coach Joe Verria and members of Bridgewater State teams from the early 1960s decided to put the No. 30 back in circulation to help highlight Rizzo.
The number will be worn each year by a player Verria chooses who exemplifies the qualities of Rizzo.
Senior Zachary Souza (Tyngsboro, Mass.), a two-time captain, is the first player selected to wear No. 30 in Rizzo's honor, switching from No. 31. Rizzo's initials are included on Souza's jersey.
"I think it means a lot," said Souza, a three-year starter on defense. "I'm incredibly honored and grateful to be the first one to do this.
"It adds another chip on my shoulder to represent Marty and his character. It's a huge honor as far as I'm concerned."
According to former Bridgewater State football coach Chuck Denune, a group of former football players approached him about having No. 30 not worn after 2011. It is believed that the number had not been used for some years after Rizzo's death but eventually returned to circulation in the early to mid 70s.
Verria approached some of the players who knew Rizzo earlier this year, meeting with them at a restaurant in Woburn.
With a roster of more than 100 players, Verria needed as many numbers as possible, and he proposed to them a way to return No. 30 while honoring Rizzo.
"I said to them, 'Wouldn't it be nicer to have that number out on the football field so you could watch it back in action again?'" said Verria, who played for the Bears from 1976-79 and has been an assistant and head coach since 1988. "They said, 'That's not a bad idea, coach.
"I promised them I would give it to a worthy kid, someone they would be proud of, and do it in the form of a dedication ceremony. I had a logo put on the No. 30 jersey with Marty's initials, MTR. It came out really nice."
The unveiling of Souza in the No. 30 jersey took place at a pregame ceremony on Saturday outside of the BSU locker room at Mazzaferro Field prior to the season-opener against MIT. Verria, Souza, former Bridgewater State players, President Fred Clark and members of the alumni department took part. There is a plaque honoring Rizzo outside of the locker room that players pass as they head to the field.
"We all thought it was a great idea," said 1965 Bridgewater State graduate Mike Hughes, a classmate and teammate of Rizzo. "We're really over the moon.
"The way we feel about it is the number was retired, but who knew anything about it? Now, it's kind of a living retirement almost. We're looking forward to future generations knowing that there's a special jersey out there with Marty's initials on it.
"We're in our 80s now. Now we've got the plaque dedicated to Marty outside the locker room. Every time they come out of the locker room for a game, they rub the Bear head and Marty's name is right there, too. We wanted to keep his memory alive and this does it."
Souza has played all 32 games since arriving at BSU in 2021. He was tied for second on the team with 44 tackles last season when he had four interceptions and was third with 49 tackles and first with five interceptions as a sophomore.
Souza has 10 career interceptions, five shy of the school record shared by Tom Glynn (1973-75) and Neil Crowley (1989-91).
"I picked Zach Souza because he's been a four-year kid, a great leader on and off the field, a two-time captain," said Verria. "He's obviously a very good example of what the Martin Rizzo dedication means.
"When I picked him, I didn't know if he'd do it. The guys love their numbers. I explained the dedication, the importance of it, the honor of it. He said, 'Coach, I've always wanted to wear 30.' He wore it in high school. It was perfect."
Souza said he took No. 30 in high school to honor his grandfather, who also wore the number when he played football.
"I was close to my grandfather, so I wanted to wear the number he did," said Souza. "Coach Verria said they wanted to bring Marty Rizzo to the field through his number and I said, of course, I'd love to wear No. 30. It was pretty cool.
"Coach Verria has talked to the team about Marty Rizzo before, about why we do the things we do here. It's an important part of our team, like a brotherhood."
Hughes along with teammate Bob Mason and others formed a Martin T. Rizzo Memorial Fund with proceeds helping the football program. A senior player is also presented with a plaque as the winner of the Martin T. Rizzo award.
Now the No. 30 is back being worn by a Bridgewater State player, just like Rizzo did.
"Marty was a little guy with a tremendous amount of speed and tough as nails," said Hughes. "We were classmates, teammates and fraternity brothers.
"I remember when he was in the hospital, a fund was started on campus. They put a table in front of Boyden Hall and asked students for a contribution, a dollar. When he was in the hospital, he was named co-captain for the next season with Bob Mason. Marty was so popular."