If you are an athlete in Smithtown, you owe a debt of gratitude to Thad Mularz. If you are an athlete in Suffolk, you should remember the man's name. He made as much of an impact on local sports as anyone to come along over the last half century. Mularz died on Friday at age 81.

I had the pleasure to know the man. He was an ever-present figure at all the big sporting events, a fan to the end. I had the honor to write his obituary in the Sunday Newsday. Here's the link.

A word of advice to Smithtown AD Pat Smith, a good friend of Mularz -- bring back the Thad Mularz Trophy. The award went to the winning boys basketball team whenever Smithtown East and West met from 1973-91. But the trophy apparently faded into history when the two programs merged. Well, now that there's an East-West rivalry once again -- give the winner a trophy with a fitting name. Thad Mularz.

Posted by Jason Molinet at 05:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

The following is a note that Smithtown East football coach Jim Saladino asked us to publish. I can’t imagine a more important game all season.

Patrick Harmon, 26, coaches football at Smithtown East High School. Harmon graduated from SUNY Brockport last December with a bachelor’s degree in physical education. Unfortunately, his dreams of becoming an educator and coach have now been delayed.

On July 24, while working as a substitute teacher at Madonna Heights School in Dix Hills, Harmon began having severe headaches and blurred vision in one eye. He went to the school nurse and she checked his blood pressure. It was sky high. She told him that he needed to go to the hospital immediately.

Harmon, not wanting to bother anyone, somehow drove himself. A CAT scan found a large mass on his right frontal lobe of his brain. Doctors immediately scheduled him for emergency surgery two days later, when a malignant brain tumor was discovered.

Harmon not only has brain cancer, but no medical insurance. He is currently undergoing intense chemotherapy and radiation treatment.

The Smithtown community has been outstanding in helping raise money for Harmon. The Smithtown East football program recently held a BBQ fundraiser that raised over $20,000. Many athletic teams at Smithtown East have raised money on his behalf, from boys and girls soccer to the track program.

On Saturday, November 11th at 1 pm at Smithtown East, both East and West football teams will play in a fundraiser game to benefit Pat Harmon. All proceeds from the gate and concession stand will be donated to help offset his medical bills. The admission/donation will be $5 an adult and $3 a student or child.

Posted by Jason Molinet at 06:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)