LEGACY
Michael F. (Mickey) Lione, Jr.
In Fairfield County sports, his name is synonymous with success as both a player and a coach. Mickey played on three World Championship youth baseball teams for Stamford (1951-1953-1954) as well as coaching two Senior Babe Ruth World Championship teams (1968 and 1971). During his 37 year coaching career, he touched thousands of lives. He went on to coach six Connecticut State Championship teams at Trinity Catholic High School in baseball and hockey, for an extraordinary record of 731 wins vs. 413 losses. At the same time, as an Assistant Football Coach at Trinity Catholic and later at New Canaan High School he contributed to three Connecticut State Football Championships. Mickey was a two-time recipient of the Connecticut Coach of the Year Award and was posthumously awarded the prestigious New York Metropolitan Area Frank McGuire Award by the Frank McGuire Foundation.
The Stamford Advocate wrote, "…There are numbers to measure Mickey Lione's success as an athlete and coach and plenty of stories involving him, but it was his perspective on life that made this Stamford native so exceptional. Friends and associates said that his success stemmed in part from purity; he not only believed what he told his players, but he also lived it. His commitment to find time for anyone who needed it underscored his genuine nature. Yet, he was also a tough disciplinarian who relished competition. In a world of cliché' and artifice, Mickey Lione, Jr. stood as a welcomed contrast. Stamford is a better place because he grew up and made his life here."
To memorialize Mickey Lione's legacy, a group of family and friends led by Bobby Valentine, founded the Mickey Lione, Jr. Scholarship Fund for Youth Excellence. Bobby said, "Mickey Lione is one of the greatest coaches in Connecticut high school and amateur sports history. He never coached me, but he was always a big part of me. I played in a Little League named after his dad. There was no one I enjoyed talking baseball with more than him. He had such insight and experience. He had a presence, a special gift. It is a tribute to Coach Lione that in his 37 years of working with young people he earned the respect and admiration of those who competed against him, as well as those who played for him. I know the positive impact Mickey made on my life. The Mickey Lione, Jr. Fund for Youth Excellence is an effort to honor his memory by fostering in others the ideals he lived and taught, through his love of people, education, and coaching."
Dave Ruden is a longtime reporter/columnist at the Stamford Advocate and is a member of the Mickey Lione Jr Foundation board of directors.
1/21/07
Lione's legacy still lives onBy Dave Ruden
Staff Writer
When the Mickey Lione Jr. Fund was established in 2000, the intent was to help open doors and provide opportunities for Stamford's promising student-athletes in the memory of a beloved man who was the paradigm of coaching excellence.
Seven years later, Lione, through the help of a lot of good people, lives on. Last Monday night the fifth annual Bobby Valentine Celebrity Wine & Food Experience was held at the Greenwich Hyatt. It was a rousing success, though in the name of full disclosure I am a proud board member of the Fund. For many, the evening is about eating good food, sampling fine wine and getting to talk with a celebrity or two. It is the kind of event Mickey probably would have dreaded. He would have tried to find a corner to hide and trade treasured stories.
It is a great irony that a gala so un-Mickey-like would serve as the cornerstone of perpetuating all that he stood for. The expanse of Mickey's reach was wide. He touched everyone in so many ways, from the many close and uniquely talented friends who have helped put their stamp on making the Fund that bears his name flourish, to the many young athletes he molded in his classrooms: the baseball diamond, hockey rink and football field.
Mickey was fortunate that one of his closest confidantes was Bobby Valentine, because there is not a better person to have in your corner. It is funny these days that Valentine has been getting a lot of publicity discussing the influx of baseball players coming over from Japan, where he is currently managing the Chiba Lotte Marines. While Valentine is one of Stamford's favorite sons and a high-profile personality, much of his greatest impact is made behind the scenes, which is how he prefers it.
Few people are more giving of their time in philanthropic endeavors. Few people have a greater energy level or can get so much done in such a short period. Though Valentine's job keeps him away from Stamford for all but about two months each winter, when it comes to the Mickey Lione Jr. Fund, he blows into town like a benevolent hurricane whose wake leaves behind nothing but good. Some of Mickey's fondest memories during his final years were spent in Valentine's office when he managed the Mets. The two would spend hours discussing baseball strategy like a couple of generals devising battle plans. Mickey could hold his own talking baseball with anybody. That his name is not known outside of Fairfield County was by Mickey's own design; he was happy dedicating his life to shaping young athletes in the city where he grew up and excelled. That is why it is imperative to those of us who knew him to make sure that people in Stamford always remember the name Mickey Lione.
As someone actively involved in the world of high school athletics, it is of particular importance. Scholastic sports has devolved in many ways into a collection of fiefdoms ruled by self-interest. Too often it is about the individual, be it points scored, positions played or how to get showcased for scholarships. It is a philosophy that was anathema to Mickey. He would gladly rid himself of the biggest star if that person was an impediment to the overall development of the team.
Mickey's resume is considerable. As the head baseball and hockey coach at Trinity Catholic, he had a lifetime record of 731-413 and won six state championships. He was twice named state coach of the year. He played on three Stamford youth baseball world championship teams and coached two Senior Babe Ruth teams to titles. But in assessing Mickey's life, those are really just numbers. If you want to get a clearer picture of the man, go to a Trinity football game next fall. The head coach is Bryan Fox, and he is a living embodiment of Mickey's ideals. Fox's end game is simple: go 1-0 each week. Develop star people, not star athletes. Never disrespect the name on the uniform. If these thoughts sound like archaic bromides, perhaps it is because we have lost our way from the path that Mickey paved.
One of the most compelling discussions that inevitably arises these days is how Mickey's beliefs would play with contemporary teenagers. The feeling here: just fine. It may be subliminal, but young athletes still want to be given direction, a template for success. Mickey would still prove a trusty compass.
When Mickey passed away, his closest friends pledged that Mickey would not be forgotten. He has not been. His words and tenets still live on through a lot of good people he left behind. Mickey's wish might not have been for a celebrity wine and food tasting in his name. But last Monday night he again proved that in his own way, Mickey still knew how to work a room.
Dave Ruden can be reached at dave.ruden@scni.com
Copyright 2007 Southern CT Newspapers, Inc.
