Ken Fairben's emotional day ends in victory for Floral Park

The first plane had crashed into the World Trade Center’s North Tower, and so Ken Fairben called to check on his son, Keith, a paramedic who had responded to the frightful scene for New York-Presbyterian EMS.

“Yeah, Dad, I’m down here,” Keith said. “I can’t talk. Be safe. I’ll see you tonight at dinner.”

He didn’t make it home for dinner in Floral Park on Sept. 11, 2001.

Seven months later, his dad, the former fire chief for the all-volunteer Floral Park Fire Department, was working at a Williston Park funeral home when his wife (Diane) and Keith’s boss arrived. They had news.

Keith’s remains had been found.

That night, Ken and one of the funeral home directors took a hearse for a heartbreaking ride to the New York City Medical Examiner’s facility to get Keith, who graduated from Floral Park in 1994 and was a 24-year-old lieutenant with the village’s fire department.

His dad was told that Keith had been discovered with one of the injured in his arms.

So now it’s 25 years later. Floral Park football coach Ron Pickett and his staff wanted to have a tribute game for this special anniversary, honoring the heroes and victims from a community that got hit hard on that terrible day.

The pregame ceremony was pushed back a week due to bad weather. But it took place Saturday before Fairben made the coin toss at midfield, followed by the Knights beating East Rockaway/West Hempstead 42-21 on Homecoming Day.

“It’s emotional,” said Fairben, now 78 but still volunteering with the department, driving fire trucks and ambulances. “My wife and I hope that the memory is still alive. … By this [ceremony] and the school honoring Keith as well, it’s very significant.”

Several Floral Park players ran out before the game holding American flags or those representing responding agencies and military branches. They formed a big circle at midfield.

There were words of remembrance over the PA. There was a moment of silence.

There was a touching rendition of taps. There was the anthem with everyone facing a flag raised high atop a fire truck's ladder beyond one end zone.

Soon four Knights came out for the coin toss with two holding a red No. 19 jersey that had “FOR WELLES” on the back. That was in honor of Welles Crowther, a 9/11 hero from Rockland who worked in the World Trade Center and died there after saving nearly 20 people. He wore No. 19 at Nyack High and Boston College.

“It’s a special number for us [and] everybody in New York and America,” said senior receiver/safety Ryan Terwilliger, who held that jersey, then returned an opening onside kick attempt 52 yards for a score.

All the Knights wore special jerseys with the words “STRENGTH,” “HONOR,” “COURAGE” or “LOYALTY” in place of the name on the back — four characteristics that defined Crowther.

“It means a lot,” said junior quarterback Danny Ring, who had “HONOR” on his back. “It shows the fight for our town and our country.”

By halftime, Ring had thrown for 162 of his 200 yards and his three touchdowns. His final one, a 22-yarder to Terwilliger, was followed by the fifth of Andy Chen’s six PAT kicks. That gave Floral Park a 35-6 lead at halftime.

Then 16 former Knights players and the representative of another were introduced on the field during the break. They were from Floral Park’s last Nassau championship team, in 1976.

So this was a 50th anniversary ceremony.

“There were no superstars,” said Gregory LaCour, then a starting linebacker and backup running back and now 67, retired and living in Maryland. “Just a bunch of good athletes willing to pay the price.”

The team was coached by LaCour’s brother, Bob, who couldn’t attend from North Carolina but met up with some of his former players at a Mineola bar last month.

“I told him when we saw him at the bar, I said, ‘Your speeches were so inspirational, they made me cry,” said Stephen Angelella, then the starting tight end and now 67 and a retiree living in Miller Place.

Could this current Floral Park team claim the program’s first county since then? The Knights are 3-1 overall and 3-0 in Nassau IV.

“Everybody has a chance at the end of the day,” Pickett said.

East Rockaway/West Hempstead fell to 1-3 overall and 0-3 in the conference.

“We’re in a good spot still,” coach Russell Pajer said. “We’ve got to refocus.”

Floral Park had a chance to focus on the 9/11 tribute, the 1976 ceremony and a big win at a happy Homecoming.

As Pickett put it, “It was just a great day to be a Knight.”