Historical Timeline
Welcome aboard our historical timeline! Get ready to embark on an exciting journey through our history.
You’ll start with a brief visit to the late 1800s when Fairport Schools first began. We’ll quickly transport you into the early 1900s where you’ll get to see the forming of our “First Team”. From there you’ll begin gliding through almost one hundred years of our story. You’ll hear great tales of our “Cagers” and “Quints”, positions like “Left Forward” and “Right Guard”, and great rivalries both old and new. You may wonder what might have been if it weren’t for that “carbuncle” in ’32 or the in-game measles outbreak of ’35? Be sure to take note of the uniforms as they ebb and flow with the fashion of the times. (Did they really wear those belts?) You’ll learn of our early legends like the Bramer twins, 6 foot 10 Levi Hallings, and the Slade brothers. They pave the way for future heroes like Downey, Masino, and all of the elite players that have earned the right to don the “Red and Blue”! You’ll also meet Fairport icons like Coach Joseph Cummings, who was billed as the “Original Raider”. Then we’ll stop and pause in the Winter of 1967 so that you can bear witness the birth of the Fitch Era! You’ll have a front row seat to the vastness of Jeff Fitch’s epic career and all nine of his Coach of the Year Awards! Then you’ll watch a young Scott Fitch blossom from team manager as a 5th grader, to an iconic player in the 80’s, and then to accepting the torch from his father to lead the Raiders into the 21st century!
This is our origin story. Fasten your seatbelt and enjoy!
In September 1924, Fairport High School was opened to students. The state-of-the-art structure, designed by O.W. Harwood and B. Dryer, and located on West Avenue, had two stories and was built at a cost of less than $300,000. The Fairport School District had been growing rapidly, expanding from a total student population of 500 in 1914 to over 1,000 just ten years later, so the new school meant that for the first time in several years, all students could attend full time.
The earliest team on record was formulated for the 1925-26 season. The team was coached by Walter Taylor (pictured in the top right). They had a record of 15 wins and 6 losses.
In his second and final season, Coach Walter Taylor and the Bramer Twins lead the team to a 23-5 record. They were crowned the "One Section Champion" here in Rochester. Fairport fans boarded a special train to Buffalo to watch them compete at a state level. They ultimately lost a hard fought game against Yonkers in the state semi-finals, but won over the hearts of Fairport fans. Read more about this special team and their journey here.
Colgate's own Howard Richardson comes aboard and wins the League Championship in his first season. Howard coaches the "Red and Blue" for 3 seasons.
Coach McWilliams begins his run of 4 seasons to kick off the 1930s. They win the League Championship in his first year. Hopes were high for a deep sectional run, but an untimely "carbuncle" takes out a star player and seals the fate of the Red and Blue.
Coach Tarbell coaches the '34-'35 season and Burton coaches the '35-'36 season. Everyone knows how competitive Fairport Basketball is today. It was no different back in the day. Our archives show that 72 young men tried out in '34 and 60 in '35. Credit Coach Tarbell for running an intra-mural basketball program for several years, allowing those who didn't make the team to experience the game.
Fairport legend Joseph Cummings begins his first coaching stint with the team. He leads the "Red and Blues" to two League Championships over the next 5 seasons.
Coach McGinn begins his three year his tenure with the team in the 1941-42 season. The team wins the League Championship in his first season.
Coach Brennan then takes over and leads the team from 1945-1947. Tommy Brothers scored 22 points in one game, which was near a county record for that time.
Coach Williams takes over for the first three seasons of the 1950's. The teams fought hard and steadily improved. Late in the third season, the squad took down the B champs (Rush Henrietta), the C champs (Penfield) and our rivals from East Rochester in succession!
Coach Wes Paddock takes over and commandeers the Red Raiders from 1954-1967, giving the program some much needed stability. Coach Paddock and his young Raiders will find success fast...
The date, Saturday night March 26, 1955. The location, Edgerton Park Sports Arena in Rochester, NY. Fairport edges Newark in an overtime thriller 64-61 to win the Section V Championship! The team was led by the county's leading scorer Bob Albrecht. Levi Hallings stood 6 feet 8 inches, and he was still growing! Read more about this amazing season here.
Coach Jack Quiggle comes to us from Detroit, MI. In his one and only season the team struggles to a 1-17 record. Things were looking bleak for the Red Raiders, but our fortunes were about to change in a very big way.
The Red Raiders catch the break of a lifetime and hire Jeff Fitch as their head coach. Jeff had an amazing career as a player and is now ready to try the game from a different angle. He begins a legendary coaching career that will span over 33 years and deliver over 450 wins to the Raider faithful.
Read more about our iconic Jeff Fitch here.
Coach Fitch leads the 1974-75 team to a Section V AAA Championship in style!
See more about that team here.
Jeff Fitch named Section V Coach of the Year for the second time.
That little guy on the far left is Scott as a fifth grader. He becomes the Varsity Team Manager for the next 3 seasons. This lays the groundwork for his immense future success as a player and a coach.
Scott plays his first year on the Varsity team as a Junior averaging 11.7 points.
Jeff Fitch named Section V Coach of the Year for the fifth time. Five times, and he is still going!
Scott plays his final season for the Red Raiders averaging 19 points per game. Scott is named to the All Greater Rochester Team. The team finishes 19-4 and makes it to the Sectional Semi-Finals.
Jeff Fitch named Section V Coach of the Year for the sixth time. Six times!
Jeff Fitch named Section V Coach of the Year for the seventh time. Seven times is amazing, but he isn't done just yet.
Scott serves as Assistant Coach in Jeff's final season. Jeff cherished coaching Scott during the '87-88 and '88-89 seasons. Scott wanted to be part of his father's final season and hopes to carry on the Fitch tradition in Fairport in the next season. (Spoiler alert, he does!)
As Jeff's epic coaching career comes to a close, Scott's legendary coaching journey begins. In his first year, he wins Section V Coach of the Year Award leading the Raiders to and 18-5 record and a spot in the Sectional Championship. The Raiders lose a hard fought game by 5 points, but it is clear that the "Fitch Legacy" will continue strong in Fairport.
The 2005-2006 team wins the Section V AAA Championship over Rush-Henrietta in a 52-50 classic!
Read more about these champions here.
The 2006-2007 beats Rush-Henrietta at Blue Cross Arena to repeat as the Section V AAA Champions!
See more about that team here.
After reaching the Section V Class AA finals four times in a row, the Raiders break through with a win against U-Prep! The 2016-2017 take home the Brick!
See more about that team here.
Thank you for taking a journey through our history. As a we approach our 100th year of Fairport Basketball, we pay homage to all those that came before us. We are also confident that our young Raiders will carry on the rich tradition of our program for another 100 years and beyond! Go Raiders!