The 2013 football season marked the end of an era as longtime head coach Steve Marino ’71 announced his retirement.
“Steve Marino has been synonymous with Westfield State football for 24 years,” says Athletics Director Richard Lenfest. “He’s a class act who put in an enormous amount of time and effort to make Westfield State football a successful program, and you don’t see a lot of coaches stay at one institution for 24 years.”
“He has set the standards for our program and has recruited and coached players who have written and re-written our record books,” Lenfest adds. “It’s been a real pleasure to work with Steve for the nine years I have been at Westfield State, and I want to wish Steve, his wife, Betsy (Gilrein) ’71, and his family the best going forward.”
“I can’t believe it’s been 24 years; the time flew by,” says Marino. “It was a hard decision, and I am going to miss coaching, especially on Saturdays, but it’s the right time for me to do it. I am looking forward to spending more time with my family and grandkids.”
Marino, 64, had the third longest tenure among active coaches in New England Division III football, trailing only Springfield College’s Mike DeLong (31 years) and Worcester State’s Brien Cullen (28 years). The Owl mentor roamed the sidelines for 24 of the 32 years that Westfield State has fielded a varsity football team. He coached 235 games with a record of 119-115-1, highlighted by three consecutive New England Football Conference championship game appearances in 2001, 2002 and 2003.
In total, Marino’s coaching career spans 41 years. The 1967 graduate of Springfield Classical High School coached football at Ludlow High School for 16 years, including an eight-year stint as the head coach from 1979 to 1986. He served as defensive coordinator at Western New England University in 1987 before returning to Ludlow as an assistant in 1988. He was named Westfield State’s head coach, a part-time position, in the spring of 1990.
Tim Brillo ’92, a reserve quarterback during Marino’s early years at Westfield and an assistant football coach for the Owls from 2000 to 2006, says, “Coach Marino was the face of Westfield State football.
“He took a struggling program and built it into one of the most respected programs in New England,” Brillo adds. “Westfield State football is successful because Coach Marino was a teacher of the game and its life lessons, but more importantly, he genuinely cared about his players.”
Rick Vittum ’94, a standout offensive tackle who was inducted into the Westfield State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2010, also had high praise for his college coach and mentor.
“Some of my fondest memories of Westfield State were playing football for Coach Steve Marino,” says Vittum. “He did not tolerate or accept anything but the best in players and staff. And what I will remember most was he wanted us to build on the small successes, never to dwell on the mistakes but to continue to make strides and focus on the positives. I continue to practice these values in my profession as a teacher today.”
Marino guided the 2001 Westfield squad to its first and only perfect regular season, a 10-0 record. The Owls won the New England Football Conference championship and qualified for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Tournament.
During the special 2001 season, Marino was selected the American Football Coaches Association Northeast Region Coach of the Year, the New England Division II/III Coach of the Year and the Gridiron Club of Greater Boston Division II/III Coach of the Year.
Matt Yvon ’04, a record-setting wide receiver during Westfield State’s championship seasons, says, “Coach Marino was not just a great football coach but a great teacher. He taught me lessons both on and off the field, lessons that have shaped me into the person I am today.”
Yvon remembers Coach Marino correcting him when he declared that “practice makes perfect.”
“He said ‘it’s not practice that makes perfect, Matt. It’s perfect practice that makes perfect,’” Yvon says. “He believed that with the right preparation and game plan, we could win, no matter who our opponent was. There was no one more committed to making the Westfield State football program successful than Coach Marino.”
Marino received his bachelor’s degree in 1971 and master’s degree in 1978 from Westfield State. He taught English at Ludlow High School for 29 years before taking an administrative post as dean of students at Ludlow for six years. He retired from his full-time job in the Ludlow school system in June 2006.
“I loved coaching at Westfield State,” says Marino. “I am going to miss the kids, and I am going to miss the coaches.”
