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COLONY – Mike Ambrosio’s mind may have despised the Garnet Raiders since his untimely death in 2019 at the age of 64. But from now on, the teams will also play on a field named in his honor.

And, the team won their first game playing on Ambrosio Field in an exciting way, coming from behind to beat Saratoga 13-12 just hours after a touching dedication ceremony naming the field in honor of the former coach.

“If he was here now, he would say ‘no, it’s not for me. It should be for children. But no one deserves this more than Mike Ambrosio, ”said Kevin Halburian, longtime Colonie baseball coach, recently retired, and golf coach and former physical education teacher, who knew Ambrosio from his early days. at Colonie High as a first year football coach. in 1988.

Ambrosio was a physical education teacher at South Colonie from 1985 to 2017 and he coached wrestling, track and field and lacrosse in addition to what he is best known and known for, football. For 33 years he coached at all levels and from 1997 to 2011 he was the head college football coach of Colony High where he led his team to three Super Bowl finals and won 12 of 14 Colony Cups in as a head coach.

“I was his office colleague for 30 years and the discussions we had will always be dear to me, on family, education, coaching, religion. He made me a better coach and a better teacher than four years of college ever could and a better person, ”said Halburian. “A lot of coaches, teachers and people crave attention, but Mike was never like that. He cared about the program and the children. They always came first. He always said “the kids do the program, the coaches don’t do the program. God bless Mike. God bless his family. I miss him.”

In 2020, the South Colony Board of Education received a request to commemorate the college football pitch in honor of the coach and teacher. In March 2020, in accordance with board policy, the board opened for public comment for 30 days and received nearly 2,000 responses with an overwhelming majority in favor of recognition.

On Friday, September 15, before the first home game of the season, an arch unveiling ceremony designating the college football field as Ambrosio Field was held. Dozens of people attended the event, including former and current Colony High teachers, administrators, coaches and players, the Ambrosio family and even some of his Cortland State football teammates.

Ambrosio was widely known as a family man and a fierce competitor who always found time to work with everyone, the coaches and the kids.

“For Coach A, training wasn’t about the ball and it wasn’t just about sport or winning or losing. Coaching was about instilling a set of values ​​in your players so that we were better kids and better people, ”said Mike Morelli Jr., who played under Ambrosio from 1998 to 2000.

He said the coach was talking about having quiet confidence, when you didn’t have to scream and scream the loudest or the loudest.

“You’re going to get knocked over and the guy could be twice your size but he taught us to get up because there are guys on the team who are counting on you,” he said. “These values ​​he taught us – resilience, perseverance, confidence – these are not football values, they are life lessons and a whole generation of Colony athletic children have been shaped by these values. I know I’m a better person because of Coach A, and I know we’re trying to teach them to the next generation of kids, if we do that, Coach A’s legacy will live on for a long time.

Former sporting director Joe Guardino came out of retirement to host the event but had been working on getting everything in place since late last year. He said he should review all comments to the Board of Education regarding the dedication. He said those from soccer players, of course, were positive, but so were comments from lacrosse players, driver education students and health classes, cheerleaders and even female players. of basketball.

“A comment echoed from a parent. He said: “Coach A was a kind man and a real human being that we want our children to emulate, which I found revealing of the impact he had not only on the students but on the parents. student athletes “. They trusted him, ”he said. “Children may not always remember what we are trying to teach them, but they will always remember who you are. They may not remember what Coach A tried to teach them, in particular, but they certainly remember what he was talking about. “

Current football coach Greg Bearup said he coached with Ambrosio for 25 years.

“I was asked to come here and talk about what it was like to coach alongside Mike Ambrosio and that’s an easy question. It was awesome, “he said.” He was an exceptional line coach and he knew how to get the most out of the kids and he genuinely cared about his players. However, it wasn’t always about X’s and Bones. He saw the Colony football program as an extension of his family. For 25 years, fun to coach alongside Coach And for the rest of my career it will be a pleasure to coach on Ambrosio Field .

Ted Zurgatis, Ambrosio’s roommate in Cortland, said football was important but family was his top priority.

“It was the most important thing for Mike. He was a loving husband and a devoted father, ”he said. “He was a great role model and a great coach, a mentor and above all a great friend. One thing I learned from Mike in teaching or whatever you do, you always try to do the right thing and when you try to do the right thing you can never go wrong.

William Roemer, who is in his first season as sporting director after taking over from Guardino but has been involved in Colony sports for years, said Ambrosio was leading by example.

“Coach Ambrosio was everything coaches ask their own players to be. He was selfless, hardworking, respectful and the ultimate team player,” Roemer said. “Dedicating the pitch in his honor will remind us no only his contributions to South Colonie Athletics, but our future generation of athletes will now feel forever connected to the games and memories shared on Ambrosio Field. ”

Ambrosio’s son Mark and daughter Bethany were in attendance, as was his wife of 40 years, Vicky.

Mark Ambrosio thanked a number of people and everyone present before he, his sister and grandchildren removed the blue tarp from the Bold Arch declaring the Colony High Ambrosio football field.

“I know he considered himself lucky to call Colonie home and that he considered himself lucky enough to come to work at a place he called home every day,” said Mark Ambrosio. It’s hard to put into words what this gesture means to us, but may his love for Colony football and athletics endure in the athletes and coaches who will tread this field for years to come.

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