More than a t-shirt

Written in 2011.?

This weekend Coach Cosenza retires from his position as Athletic Director at Fitchburg High School.?

Last week, Coach Ray Cosenza announced that he is stepping down from his position as head football coach at Fitchburg High School after 30 years of impacting many students’ lives. From North Carolina, I learned about his retirement in the same way I discovered many of the happenings in my hometown, through social media. That morning over a cup of coffee, I scanned the many posts his former players shared, often thanking him for his impact on their lives.

In the late summer of 1986, I enrolled as a junior at St Bernard’s High School and became one of the many young men in Coach Cosenza’s family of players. On that first day of practice, I was handed a bright gold team t-shirt with a large blue football and these four words: Spirit, Pride, Love, Togetherness. With the wisdom of a 16-year-old, I thought, “Are you serious? Spirit…Love…Togetherness…This is a football team, right?”

Spirit, Pride, Love, and Togetherness. Spirit and Love, are not the words most high school boys associate with the physical and rough sport of American Football. By the time they reach high school, many teenage boys have lost their ability and interest to share feelings. The idea of having “love” and “togetherness” on the t-shirt representing your team felt weird. Yet that day, I realize that Coach Cosenza and the staff chose four words to reflect elements of being a team that transcends the gridiron.

I had aspirations of going to college, but few models of how that could be possible within my family. What was certain was that my mom couldn’t afford college and I’d have to figure out how to fulfill the financial obligations. As I listened to classmates discuss their ambitions and how conversations played out in their homes I wondered what I would do.

In the spring of 1987, Coach Cosenza drove me to Fitchburg State College to interview for a large academic scholarship. Doubling as our guidance counselor, Coach identified the Christian Herter Memorial Scholarship. I qualified for two reasons, first, my family was poor, and second people at my high school believed investing in my future was a wise decision. Their belief resulted in me feeling loved at school, this enabled me to take risks academically, push myself, and get decent grades.?

As we moved through the application process Coach pushed me to revise my responses and complete the pieces on time. One component of this scholarship was an in-person interview. I was nervous about this part of the process. Sensing my unease, Coach talked me through what he anticipated would happen in the interview. He prepared me to answer questions and helped me figure out how to relax in this moment and respond to what they asked honestly, sometimes with details. I focused on being clear and concise, and recognizing when to stop talking.

The interview went well and despite my confidence, I promptly put it in the back of my mind to avoid potential disappointment. Months later, surrounded by peers in a smelly weight room, Coach Cosenza announced that I had won the scholarship. He gave me a strong handshake and a hug. His pride in me getting this scholarship was clear and I think I’m safe in saying that his pride in this achievement was far greater than anything I’d accomplished in sports.

When I think about this moment, I can’t help but think back to those four words on the t-shirt: Spirit, Pride, Love, and Togetherness. Coach understood the necessity of those four things in building our team, working with students to create new opportunities, and fostering pride in ourselves and our community.

Congratulations Coach Cosenza on all of your successes as a football coach and positive influence in many young men’s lives! I’m proud to call myself one of your players. I am looking forward to learning about all of your future successes.

Dominick Shattuck, PhD

Christian Herter Memorial Scholarship (recipient)

St. Bernard’s High School ’88, #72, Tackle/Outside Linebacker