Yes, my friend Keith Larsen and I did lose Ed Fennelly’s dog. But first let me backtrack.
During the late 1960s, 1970s and part of the ‘80s, Fennelly was a hugely important guy. He was the commissioner of the West Catholic Athletic League, the best high school sports league in Northern California.
Before that he was a basketball star at Santa Clara University, he was a US Marine and then joined the first faculty at all-boys Archbishop Riordan High School in San Francisco in 1949. He coached football, basketball, baseball and track.
But the cool thing is, Ed was also our neighbor. He lived right down the street from my family in San Bruno. And a kinder, friendlier man you will never meet.
My parents and the Fennellys were tight. One night they came to our house for dinner and everyone was chatting. The topic turned to desserts and for some reason my dad launched into a rant about much he disliked Heidi’s Pies.
“Oh, that’s too bad Jim, because that’s what we brought for dessert,” Nancy Fennelly, Ed’s wife, said with a laugh.
Now, the dog story. The Fennellys had a poodle which I’ll call Fluffy. I was about 19 and living at home and the Fennellys hired me to care for Fluffy while they were on vacation.
Problem was, that same weekend I was hosting the Murphy Invitational Tournament, a tennis tourney I inherited from my brother. Well, the post-tourney bash was at our house and Fluffy the dog was there. I guess things got a little out of hand because Larsen and I lost the damned dog – just ran out the front door.
Long story short, we found Fluffy at 2 a.m. when we heard it barking from the garage of Ed’s next-door neighbor. Um, our bad.
Despite losing his dog, Ed did not lose faith in us. He deemed Larsen and me responsible enough to take his 14-year-old daughter Geri and her classmate to the SNACK Concert in 1975 at Kezar Stadium. Actually, it was the Fennellys and my parents who arranged it all.
The concert was a Bill Graham affair. Bob Dylan, The Band, Neil Young, Santana, the Jefferson Airplane, Jerry Garcia and Friends, Joan Baez and others played.
I’m pleased to report a good time was had and that we did not lose Ed’s daughter. Got her home safe and sound.
Ed Fennelly passed away in 2009 in Paso Robles. Great man.
Main Street Dog 
I remember Ed Fennelly as a very nice man and a good coach. We will always remember Ed as a good man.
We had many good teachers at Riordan. Many good memories from the 60’s.
Phil Daley Class of 65
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