Vicini able to walk away from football and not look back
Gone fishing. That might be the sign you’ll find at Gary Vicini’s house these days in Spring Valley.
The former Hall Red Devil coach is spending his fall away from the football field for the first time since his playing days at Ottawa High School and loving it.
If he’s not on one of his many fishing trips, he’s playing golf.
If he’s not golfing, he’s working around the house.
But what he’s not doing is missing football.
He has been to home football games at Hall, but has not gone to any road games or any other area games.
“To be honest, it is something I really don’t miss,” he says. “It’s something I was ready for, as far as football being over. If I want some football, I can turn on the TV all day Saturday, and if I don’t like it, I can turn it off.”
He said the biggest change came in his first summer away from the job.
“I’d be more out of the school AD work or coaching in the month of June. Once I got out of that routine, that really helped. It didn’t take long for that,” Vicini said. “I see all windows and doors are still up at Hall, so they’re getting by (without me).”
The old coach has done a little substitute teaching, once filling in for longtime assistant Steve Smith at Hall. He’s also played bus driver, though he hasn’t driven Hall kids around.
He says his wife, Lisa, really likes him around the house more to get all the honey-do’s taken care of.
They’ve even got to go out and play golf and go out for dinner on a Friday night, something they haven’t done in the fall for a long, long time.
While one former Hall coach has been able to walk away and not look back, former Lady Devil volleyball coach Demi Salazar hasn’t been able to go cold turkey. He’s been helping out Henry volleyball coach Rita Self where he works as the school’s tech man.
Salazar helps out at practice and games whenever his son, Isaac, a Princeton sixth-grader, is not playing youth football games back home. He walked away from the Hall job after seven years to make himself available for his son’s activities.
“I love watching Isaac, so I can’t say it is a bad choice. Wish there was a different time warp that I could do both,” he said. “I found I miss the Hall kids tremendously. Seems like you never get over watching a freshman class lose every game then win a sectional or regional when they are seniors.”
Salazar calls the serves and directs hitting style and defensive adjustments in the varsity games for coach Self, and initiates a system at practice. He says it’s been a great partnership.
He says he’s seeing much improvement from the Henry girls, who don’t have the benefit of playing club ball like his girls at Hall did. Where the Lady Mallards were making 17 unforced errors a game, they are now making only 4-5 a match, he says.
• Hall of Fame calling: St. Bede Academy will open the doors for six new members of the Academy’s Athletic Hall of Fame during Homecoming weekend at noon Saturday.
The class of 2009 includes: the late William Pelkey, class of 1934, posthumous award; brother George Matsuoka, a monk at the Abbey; Col. John F. Gaughn II (ret.), Class of 1970, the son of former Bruins coach, John Gaughn; Joe Liesse, class of 1977; Walt Manijak, class of 1978; and Lauren (Gidcumb) Mingus, class of 1999.
My colleague, Jim Dresbach, a former L-P Cavalier, says he played against Manijak back in the day and remembers the Bruins pitching ace “could bring the heat.”
Manijak, who was also a good quarterback, outdueled L-P’s Randy Happ, an uncle to big leaguer J.A. Happ, 1-0 in battle of the crosstown rivals.
The public is invited to attend the hall of fame ceremonies prior to Saturday’s Homecoming game kickoff at 2 p.m.
• Speaking of Hall famers, Princeton native Bruce Vickrey was recently retired in the Rochelle Athletic Hall of Fame. Vickrey retired in 2001 after a 28-year teaching career at Rochelle, where he served as athletic director, assistant football and basketball coach, shot and discus coach and PE teacher.
He still teaches drivers-Ed part-time at the school.
Vickrey is a 1964 graduate of Princeton High School, where he played football, basketball and ran track for the Tigers. His parents are the late Charles and Margaret Vickrey.
Kevin Hieronymus is sports editor at the BCR. Contact him at khieronymus@bcrnews.com.
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