Love football? Love/hate the Patriots? Upset with college football’s realignments? Die-hard fan of your high school football team? Take a break and let 70-year-old Torrington resident Paul Denza, still a giant of a man, carry you back to the ‘70s when the Patriots gave this former lineman a chance to confront NFL Hall of Famers Gene Upshaw and Art Shell together at the line of scrimmage; when schools in the Ivy League often ranked with national football powers; and Torrington High School football enjoyed glory years under legendary coach Bruce Kasinetz.

The retired elementary school teacher spent an afternoon last week on his deck reliving a football life of triumph and disappointment in the kind of story today’s players still dream of telling their grandchildren one day. “Baseball was my first love and I tried basketball as a sophomore,” began the 6-foot-2½ (“They wouldn’t let me say 6-3”), 230-pound 1974 Torrington graduate.