Teams: The Athletic Markoskis

This week’s #52Ancestors theme is Teams, and when I think of teams, I think of sports.  No one in my family tree exemplifies sports more than my grandfather Bruno Markoski and his brothers Robert and Charlie.

The star athlete was Robert, who is often listed as Raymond Robert or R. Robert and who later changed his last name to Marr by 1940.  Robert and his sports career (as best as I can tell):

• Holyoke High School, Holyoke, MA (mid-1920s):  football, basketball & baseball (third base)
• Williams College, Williamstown, MA (1930-1935):  baseball (3rd base), football (halfback & quarterback), basketball (captain, forward & guard)
• Parazard A.C. football team, Holyoke, MA:  coach
• Atlantic & Pacific Team of Triple A league baseball (3rd base)
• Vermont Academy, Saxtons River, VT (circa 1940-1952):  athletic director
• Deerfield Academy, Deerfield, MA (1952-1959): football coach
• Winchendon School, Winchendon, MA (1963-1965) (headmaster 1961-1973): varsity football coach

It seems that Robert also attended Deerfield Academy (I assume between 1928-1930), but I don’t have any information on his time there.  I’m sure he stayed involved in sports.

I don’t have any family sports photos, but found this baseball picture from Holyoke, which counts! Courtesy C.R. Wilhelm Collection, Holyoke Public Library.

Next up was my grandfather Bruno.  His career was strictly in high school, and it was a concussion he got while playing football.

• Central High School, Springfield, MA (1931):  football 
• Riverhead High School, Riverhead, NY (1933):  baseball (3rd base)

Finally was youngest child Charlie, who changed his last name to Markham sometime between 1938 and 1944:

• Riverhead High School, Riverhead, NY (1933):  baseball (“middle position”)
• Deerfield Academy, Deerfield, MA (1934):  basketball
• Tabor Academy, Marion, MA (1944-1955):  football coach, (1953): baseball coach
• Turner Falls High School, Turner Falls, MA(1955-1956): football coach
• Brown University, Providence, RI (1956-?):  freshman football coach
• Winchendon School, Winchendon, MA (1965-1967):  director of athletics; (1968) varsity football coach

Charlie also attended Williams College between 1935-1938, but I couldn’t find anything regarding his playing any sports there.  I wouldn’t be surprised if he did!