Players from the Canton and Avon field hockey teams present plaques to the family of the late Nancy Grace at the dedication of the Nancy Grace Memorial Stadium on Saturday at Canton High. (Photo courtesy Terri Ziemnicki) More photos from the dedication ceremonies
In the coming years, there will be young athletes and their parents that will come to Canton High to compete against the Warriors and walk into Nancy Grace Memorial Stadium.
Many will have no idea who she was nor the impact she had on the athletes she coached, the students she taught and the friends she had in Canton and across the state.
But she was a legendary human being and those of us fortunate enough to have known her, played for her, worked with her and coached against her will never forget her.
On a beautiful fall afternoon before the Canton and Avon field hockey teams would take the turf to play, Nancy Grace Memorial Stadium was formally dedicated in her honor. Nancy passed away too soon at the age of 65 in 2024.
A nearby practice field was dedicated in honor of Cathy deSimas, who lived in Canton for 50 years with her late husband, Gerry, and served on the Canton Board of Education for more than a quarter century from 1973-99.
In 1999, there was a practice field on campus dedicated in Cathy’s honor but that field was torn up in 2013 when the new track and field and turf field was built and the parking lot was reconfigured.
And the school announced that the turf field inside Nancy Grace Memorial Stadium will be called Legends Field in honor of legendary Canton High coaches through the years.
We gathered together on Saturday to remember Nancy, Cathy and their impact on the community.
Shelley Grace, left, the sister of the late Nancy Grace and Cathy deSimas chat Saturday’s field dedication ceremonies at Canton High. More photos from the dedication ceremonies
Avon High field hockey coach Terri Ziemnicki recalls driving onto the Canton High campus in the 1990s with her team set to face the Warriors.
What did they see?
Welcome to Graceland spray painted on the side of the hill that overlooked the grass field.
That was an era when Canton High field hockey under Nancy was one of the dominant programs in the state, winning eight Class S state championships from 1985 through 1999 and earning the No. 1 ranking in the year-end state coaches poll six times.
That spray paint has long faded away but Grace’s legacy has not.
It was a fierce rivalry in those days. Both teams were members of the North Central Connecticut Conference (NCCC) and battled for the league championship. Twice, they met in the Class S championship game in 1995 and 1998 with Canton winning twice.
In three other years, Canton eliminated Avon from the state tournament including a Class S semifinal victory in penalty strokes in 1991 on the grass at Trinity College.
“Many of you here today remember the history between the Canton and Avon field hockey teams,” Terri recalled. “The intense battles, incredible skill, and the sheer determination that defined those matchups. When these two teams took the field against each other, you knew you were in for a great game. The competition was fierce, the passion was unmatched.”
Players from the Avon and Canton field hockey teams marched out across the field to begin the field dedication ceremonies Saturday in Canton. More photos from the dedication ceremonies
Terri and the Falcons knew what was in store when they came onto the Canton High campus to face one of Nancy’s teams in Graceland.
“We knew exactly what that meant,” Terri said. “You had better bring your best because you were about to play one of Nancy Grace’s teams. Nancy’s teams were well prepared. They were expected to compete with excellence, to rise to every challenge, and to give everything they had.
“Why? Because that was exactly what Nancy gave of herself every single day,” Terri said. “Nancy set high standards for herself and for everyone around her. Average was never good enough. Mediocre was never an option. When you arrived at Graceland, you knew you had to be ready to work, compete, and give it your all. You’re on Nancy’s field now, and you better bring your best.”
Nancy coached softball in Canton from 1990-99, leading the Warriors to their first state title in the sport (1991) and seven NCCC championships. She served as athletic director from 2005-10 and coached the girls golf team for a few seasons. She was a science teacher in Canton.
She coached field hockey for 20 years (1985-2004), won 295 games, 11 NCCC championships and led Canton to the Class S championship game 11 times. She was elected to the Connecticut Field Hockey Hall of Fame and Connecticut High School Coaches Association (CHSCA) Hall of Fame.
“When I think about Nancy, I think about excellence,” said Jordan Grossman, Superintendent of Schools in Canton. “I’ve often associated Nancy with what I call the Geno Auriemma theory, the relentless pursuit of excellence, never settling for good enough, and always pursuing and pushing people to achieve more than they thought that they could. That was Nancy Grace. She expected the best out of her athletes, her colleagues, and herself.”
Rebecca Truscio, a former player with Nancy’s field hockey program and a former colleague at Canton Intermediate School, talked about Nancy’s impact. Rebecca played on the 1995 state championship team that had about 18 players because the emergence of the new girls soccer program.
“Nancy Grace was the ultimate warrior,” Rebecca said. “She wore that (Canton) uniform one way or another the vast majority of her life as a player, a teacher, a coach and as an athletic director.”
Nancy graduated from Canton High in 1976, where she played field hockey, which had been started at the school just a few years earlier, and softball. After graduating from Springfield College, she was back in Canton within a few years as a teacher and a coach.
“She gave generations of students and athletes a place to belong a reason to work harder and someone to believe in them,” Rebecca said. “And now her name will forever be part of this place.
“Every athlete who steps on this field will be standing on grounds named for a woman who understood that sports are so much more that wins and losses — although those matter. They are about character, humility, perseverance, loyalty teamwork and believing that the people around you are capable of more that they believe themselves.”
Nancy was never one to mince words. She wasn’t shy about expressing her opinions to game officials, her players or her friends.
In fact, she probably would not have approved of her photo on the stadium banner.
Cathy deSimas at deSimas Field in Canton, once the home field for the varsity field hockey and football programs. More photos from the dedication ceremonies
Cathy deSimas – yes, she is my mother – served on the Canton Board of Education for 26 years and spent 11 years as the Chair of the Board from 1977-79 and 1991-97. She was the Board’s Secretary for 12 years from 1975-77 and 1980-91.
“I don’t think personally I made that big an impact. My continuity (on the board) gave me the ability to carry from board to board some consistency,” she said in a 1999 article I wrote for the occasion for the defunct Farmington Valley Post.
Cathy helped negotiate several contracts with the teacher’s union, the custodial union and school administrators. She was the lead negotiator for the board three times and helped hire three superintendents.
David Quattropiani, a former school superintendent in Canton said in 1999, “She always listened. She always analyzed and made the decision that was rational. I never remember any decision or position she took that was politically motivated. It was always for the kids.”
Cathy and Gerry raised five children who all graduated from Canton High. Now retired, Cathy now lives in Simsbury.
DeSimas Field was once the home of the varsity field hockey program in the late 1980s and early 1990s and was the home for the Canton High football program from 2007-18. The team played home games on the field from 2009 through 2013, although the final home game of the 2013 season against Lewis Mills was played on the new turf field.
Legends Field will allow the community to recommend past and current Canton High School head coaches to be honored and recognized for their dedication and skill.
Nominations will be reviewed by a committee on following key criteria: coaching legacy, student and community impact, professional conduct, lasting influence and cultural contribution.
Coaches selected to be honored will have their names placed on a plaque located at Legends Field to honor the dedication, leadership, and mentorship that generations of coaches have provided to student-athletes throughout the school’s history.
