Gridiron Pals Help Homeless Teammate

COURT HOUSE – In the Charles Dickens’ novel, “A Christmas Carol,” the Ghost of Christmas Past is the first of three spirits to haunt Ebenezer Scrooge, demonstrating the need for Scrooge to change his ways. 
The ghost appears to Scrooge as a white-robed, androgynous figure of indeterminate age; on its head a blazing light, it carries a metal cap made in the shape of a candle extinguisher.
While Dan Cappelletti and his college teammates didn’t wear robes or candles, they did represent a past of tight-knit friendships that came together to help a homeless classmate get on the road back to “perpetual recovery.” Cappelletti is a Court House resident. He owns several businesses and was a teacher and coach at Lower Cape May Regional High School.
“He just had no idea of his friends, no idea that there could be help,” Cappelletti said Dec. 19, barely a week since learning that his college football teammate, Harry Crosser, would soon be evicted from his apartment in Lewes, Del., becoming homeless again at 63.
Cappelletti was one-third of the way home, after taking Crosser to Indiana where he entered a year-long program aimed at transitioning him back into society.
“He’s in a place where he gets his meals, religion if he wants, chores, everything to get him back into society,” Cappelletti said. “He’s agreed to no alcohol, no smoking, totally giving it up to get back on track. After a year in the program, they’ll help him find a job and get him going again.”
Crosser’s journey since both men were in college in West Virginia was fairly typical: He finished his degree, had a family, a house, and vehicle; worked as a special education teacher, football and lacrosse coach, managed a service station and worked part-time for Lowe’s.
That was until alcoholism began to slowly replace and take away the things in his life that had meant the most, according to Salem College alumni Brenda Cooper.
“Having lost his only sibling in 2006 and his mother in 2007, both in December, it would take less than six years before he would be estranged from his wife and children,” Cooper said. “Now completely on his own, Harry was homeless with only his companion Sparky, his black lab, to travel the streets with him.”
According to Cooper, Crosser found protection where he could, which included homeless shelters on occasion, “although very few allowed his dog to stay and he seemed to find his things would disappear. His regular place of shelter was his vehicle until it was impounded,” she noted. “But he didn’t have money for the fines to get it released. That’s when Harry started staying in the shed behind a home in Lewes, where he would sleep four or five nights a week.”
The owners of the shed, Jean and Walt Palmer, eventually offered Crosser a stable residence in an apartment above their retail store. “Although Harry enjoyed carpentry,” Cooper said, “he was unable to do that kind of work because of an infection in his hand. But that didn’t keep him from going out and applying for jobs in the local area. Eventually Crosser found employment and was able to get his truck back and things seemed to be moving in the right direction.”
Unfortunately, the Palmers decided not to renew the lease on the building that held their business at the end of 2016, which meant Crosser was going to be homeless again, until a twist of fate would once more alter his life.
What Crosser didn’t realize is that he was a permanent part of a football family that had been reconnecting over the last 19 years through social media and the Internet, according to Cooper and Cappelletti.
Salem College ended football in 1989, but the group began having biennial reunions in 1997 to celebrate the once powerful football program of the small, West Virginia college.
“Harry’s old address was on the alumni list, but his Save the Date postcard came back,” Cooper recalled, “and that’s where the book turns another page.”
Cooper began looking for a correct address and instead found two articles that talked about a homeless man named Harry Crosser. She read the article and found it mentioned that this Harry Crosser had gone to Salem College. “This was our Harry,” Cooper said, “and that created a chain reaction that no one is going to soon forget.”
Once the articles were posted on the alumni’s Facebook page, the wheels started moving, she said.
Since Cappelletti was close by, he and friend, Mark Lare, went to visit Crosser and learned of his story and that he would soon be evicted.
“I played on the offensive line with this guy, in a national championship game,” Cappelletti said. “The whole team came together to donate money and clothes, and one of our alumni, who is a pastor in Indiana, offered him room and food and a chance to get back on his feet if he was willing to give up the alcohol and get on the road to perpetual recovery.”
Support came from across the country, including some of Crosser’s more recognizable Salem teammates such as Pittsburgh Steeler Jack “Hydroplane” Deloplaine and San Francisco’s “Orange Crush” Cornerback Larry Riley.
When former teammate and Pastor John B. Lowe II offered to help Crosser and his dog, Cappelletti said Crosser was given a few days to think about it. “He called me Saturday night (Dec. 17) and told me he was willing to do it,” Cappelletti said. “He came over on the Cape May-Lewes ferry, stayed the night with me and the next day; we got on the road to Indiana. He had been homeless for eight years, was estranged from his family, and never had seen his grandkids.”
Cappelletti said he received more help from a couple of local businesses when they learned of his and his teammates’ efforts to help Crosser. “Enterprise Car Rental gave us a Suburban and navigation, all at a discounted rate, to ensure that Harry and company would be as comfortable as possible and not need to worry about directions,” he said. “The Ferry gave us discounted fares to ease the cost of visiting with Harry as well.”
Although the men hadn’t seen each other in over 40 years, the next 24 hours spent in the car driving to Indiana was “like we had been together yesterday. We were side-by-side and able to talk about things,” Cappelletti added.
Another surprise for Crosser was a small re-union that took place along the way to Indiana with his former coach and several teammates “just to let Harry know that he had a football family, and he would never be alone.
Just like when Scrooge awakens on Christmas morning with joy and love in his heart, Crosser was able to feel the kindness, generosity, and compassion of his long-time friends who embodied the spirit of Christmas.
“I have family nearby in Indiana, so I’ll be able to see Harry a couple of times a year,” Cappelletti said. “Harry has a new lease on life. This shows that there is hope for everyone.”