Isabel Hetherington
Sports Editor
While most high schoolers were still struggling to find what they wanted to do in life, football head coach Lou Marinelli had his future figured out. “When I was growing up in kind of a rough neighborhood and a rocky family situation, the only people that helped me along were my coaches,” he said. “I knew from around seventh to eighth grade what I wanted to do.”
It was the influence of his own coaches that inspired Mr. Marinelli to become a coach himself. “The only place I really felt like I was accomplished at anything was on the playground,” he said. “Coaches helped me out and pointed me into the right direction.”
Now having coached at NCHS for 32 years, Marinelli recently received the National Lifetime Achievement Award from the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) for his time with the program. According to Athletic Director Jay Egan, “The Lifetime National Football Coaches Association lifetime achievement award has to do with the participation of national high school coaches conferences and committees. It’s a national level recognition of coaches who have long-standing commitment spent on a high school level.”
After becoming a part of the organization as a coach at Boston College, Mr. Marinelli has continued to go to the national convention each year to learn more about the game and shaping the character of players. “It’s an organization I’m proud to be a part of and has helped tremendously in my career,” he said. “Not only have I gotten a lot of technical football information from them but a lot of strategy and techniques on better ways to help your players.”
In addition to his AFCA award, Mr. Marinelli was recognized by the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame with the Distinguished Service Award and will be inducted into the Fairfield County Interscholastic (FCIAC) Hall of Fame this spring. In response to his induction, Marinelli commented, “It’s certainly been an honor, I don’t do this to get awards. I’ve been in the league 32 years and to be chosen by your peers in the FCIAC, certainly it’s an honor.”
According to Mr. Egan, it was the mix of his coaching and his success with the Rams’ football program that brought Marinelli this honor. “Not only is he one of the longest coaches serving in his position, but also one of the most successful,” he said. “This combination makes it well deserving given his record of excellence and longevity.”
With his arrival in 1981, Mr. Marinelli helped to reinvigorate New Canaan’s decrepit football program. In his second season at the high school, he led the struggling Rams (with a past season record of 0 wins 29 loses and 1 tie) to win the State Championship. “Marinelli changed the program around really quickly. He had a lot of experience and it was really incredible how quickly he turned everything around. He worked hard to really change the whole culture of football which had deteriorated in New Canaan over the previous years, when things weren’t going well,” Joseph Ditolla, who coached with Marinelli for 32 years, said.
Since then, Mr. Marinelli has gone on to lead the Rams to a total of eight State Championships and four FCIAC Championships as head coach. With a total career record of 283 wins, 96 losses and 7 ties, he is second for number of all time wins among active Connecticut coaches.
Mr. Egan attributes Marinelli’s success with the program to his blatant love for the game. “His really genuine interest and love of the game of football shows in all the ways he does his job,” he said. “He gives a lot of hours and has been consistent in doing so over all the years he’s been here.”
In addition to his passion for the sport, Mr. Marinelli has strength in the adaptability of his coaching. “While most coaches are sometimes reluctant to try new things because they don’t want to change their ways, he’s just the opposite,” Mr. Egan said. “I would say nine years ago he became interested in a new style of offense. He went out and learned about it. He opened up a whole new level of offensive football in the FCIAC and pretty much the state of Connecticut. We were one of the first teams to create that style of offense.”
From listening to his players, it’s evident that Mr. Marinelli has been able to gain the admiration of his team. According to senior football captain Louis Hagopian, “Coach Marinelli was a great coach who strove to mold great men through a culture of hard work and continued success,” he said.
Looking ahead, Mr. Egan sees the next step for Marinelli is to have him establish his program for generations to come. “I think one of the things that Coach Marinelli already started to do to and continues to do is to mentor young coaches so that he can have his program perpetuated through the next generation of coaches,” Mr. Egan said. “It’s important to him that whenever he decides to stop, his program won’t stop.”
