Inside Lacrosse Correspondent
Earlier
this spring Rick Reilly, one of the nation's finest sportswriters, devoted his
back-page column to college sports' greatest tradition. In the article, he
detailed a touching ritual - several hours before kick- or tip-off, rookies on
the Middlebury football and basketball teams pile into their cars to pick up
Butch, a devoted fan who is sadly crippled by a horrifying disease.
After
reading Reilly's piece I, a Middlebury lacrosse alumnus, selfishly wondered,
"What does Butch do in the spring? And, why wasn't he at our lacrosse
games?" But then it hit me as unexpectedly as a well-disguised
cross-crease slide - we have our own tradition, rich in history and deep in meaning, that revolves around one charismatic and genuine
man.
Some
college freshmen might find it tedious to be responsible for ensuring that a
team's 70-year-old field manager arrives on time and in appropriate attire to
every function, but Panther rookies quickly learn that they are actually quite
lucky. For it is in this role, as the Keeper of the Kohn, that first-year
players are granted the opportunity to befriend a living legend. Though Peter
Kohn has never played lacrosse,
- except for his annual scoring jaunts
during Middlebury's Alumni Games
- his life has revolved around it
for some 50 years.
In
return for their efforts, these lucky freshmen get the chance to talk with Pete
and learn about life, love and loyalty, as well as baseball trivia, middle names
and train schedules.
You
see, Peter has a handicap that affords him a gracious view on life to which few
are privy- it is innocent and pure, uncorrupted by life's more gruesome side.
It also grants him the remarkable ability to recall even the most distant
baseball statistic. Ask him who were the starting pitchers in Game 1 of the
1952 World Series, and he will tell you, as he did to an awestruck bunch of
Middlebury rookies in the stairwell of London's Westminster Abby in 1995
(incidentally, the Brooklyn Dodgers' Joe Black pitched a complete game to beat
the New York Yankees' ace Allie Reynolds). He also has mesmerizing recollection
of middle names and nicknames. From famous baseball players to infamous Keepers
of the Kohn, from Harold Henry "Pee Wee" Reese to Richard Brandon Mollett (Middlebury '98), he can rattle them off without a
moment's hesitation. Furthermore, he has a near photographic recall of train
numbers and schedules. He may not have a driver's license, but if you need to
take Amtrack to LA via
Born
Myron G. Kohn in
From
Park, Peter took his talents to the club level to manage in
For
Peter, this was much more than a geographical shift. It was a chance for him to
find himself, to discover his purpose in life and to shape his destiny. The job
was not supposed to be permanent, but 26 years later Peter is still a fixture
on the sidelines for almost every Middlebury lacrosse practice and game.
To
some, scraping muddy cleats, filling empty water bottles, doling out fresh
towels and shagging errant lacrosse balls might not seem like a great job. But
for Peter, it's so much better than that. In his many years on the sideline, he
has met countless coaches, players and fans, and it is these relationships that
he truly cherishes. "The relationship that I had with athletic students
was a beautiful thing," he says. "I was so lucky that could
happen."
Ask
any Middlebury lacrosse alumnus about Peter, and he will undoubtedly crack a
knowing grin, shake his head for a minute and then spout off a laundry list of
enviable characteristics: selfless, humble, committed, giving, disciplined,
transcendent and devoted. In short, an inspiration.
But the amazing thing is that you could ask almost any lacrosse player anywhere
and chances are he would have a strikingly similar reaction. Peter's fans
circle the globe and span generations. His friends transcend race and gender.
His family, in the broadest sense, crosscuts all social classes.
Everyone
has a funny tale about Pete, an anecdote that is a surefire laugher at a
cocktail party. There was the time Peter loped onto the field at
Most
Middlebury students lead tremendously privileged lives, but it could just be
that meeting Peter is the greatest privilege of all. Despite his physical
handicap, Peter is more mentally grounded than most of us can dream of. He has
his priorities set simply yet correctly. "When we're all caught up in
day-to-day events and how serious our lives are, Pete sort of makes a statement
that is profound in its simplicity," says Middlebury head coach
To
wit, one of Peter's favorite comments is, "Don't take anything for
granted." This is a life lesson learned on the lacrosse field and taught
by the unlikeliest of professors.
Middlebury
has given Peter so much. It has given him a job and his first real taste of
responsibility. It has given him a lifetime of memories and pictures - wherever
he goes, a bevy disposable cameras and photo albums are invariably in tow. It
has even bestowed upon him championship rings and watches. But most
importantly, it has given him a chance to live out and fulfill his dreams.
"We all have skills," he says, "but unless you get into a
position where you can use it, where you can call your own shots, you're not
going to be able to do it. At Middlebury, I was, and I was able to bring it
out."
And,
in return, he has given so much back, so much more than cool drinks and pieces
of Juicy Fruit. So deep is the college's debt of gratitude that last year it
named its new turf field in his honor. But in his customarily humble fashion,
he eschewed the spotlight and asked that the stands be dedicated to his mother.
Although the plaque beneath the stands is directed toward her, it could just as
easily be applied to Pete. It reads simply, "For her unselfish devotion to
her children."
The
struggle for acceptance is one that we all grapple with, and in this, Peter is
no different. What does separate him from so many of us, however, is that he
has found his place. He has lived a rich and satisfying life and enjoyed a long
and productive career that has surpassed even his own wildest imagination.
"I've had such a wonderful career, a terrific career," he says,
"There’s nothing more for me. My dreams have come true."
When
he says this, it's hard to disagree. He has worked more North-South All-Star
games than most of us have fingers and toes. He has traveled all over the world
and represented his country countless times at the World Games. He was recently
inducted into the New England Lacrosse Hall of Fame.
Despite
all of this, Peter has been threatening to hang up his keys for good for many
years now. But every spring, as regularly as
The
truth is that there just is not much more for him to do, and this may well be
his last year. But even retirement cannot stop Peter from doing what he loves.
"If I retire next year," he says, "I will have the same
obligations - to give to others, to share with others."
Recently
the college and its lacrosse programs hosted a party to celebrate Peter's
retirement. But this unassuming man wanted so desperately to be by the side of
his dear friend Betty Crilley, who had recently
fallen ill, that he tried to decline the invitation. to
his own retirement party! This was no ordinary party, mind you. It was to
culminate a magical career that spanned three decades, to surround him by over
200 friends and fans and to feature the premier of The Fifth Quarter, a documentary
devoted to his life. But he was happy to give all of this up to be with Betty.
Kohn
stories could easily fill a book and probably spill over into a second volume.
David Donahue's just seems perfect. In 1991, Middlebury's starting goalie Matt Slauterback was killed tragically in a car accident. The
season went on, much in his honor, and culminated in the ECAC Championship
game. "I'll never forget watching Pete and Matt's dad, arms around each
other on the sideline, as we played," Donahue says. "Lots of tears,
Kohn in the middle of it all, helping us to grieve, to
remember, to celebrate and to move forward."
As he
moves forward, though, we must ask him one final time, "What time is it,
Peter?" It's time to stop taking things for granted. It's time to keep
giving. And, of course, it's time to beat Williams!
Many
of the quotations and pictures used in this article were borrowed from The
Fifth Quarter. For more information on this legend, or to order a copy of the
video, email info@middleburylacrosse.org.
Nathaniel
S. Badder
(607)
735-1998
(607)
735-1737 (work)
(607)
731-0305 (mobile)
nbadder3@yahoo.com