College of Staten Island Athletics

Never wavering when asked to take on multiple roles within the college, Grasso began coaching within the intercollegiate program in 1978, when he was asked to become the first-ever head coach for the CSI men’s baseball program.   Grasso stayed with the program for an entire four-year recruiting cycle and won baseball titles in both 1979 and 1980.  From there, Grasso etched a place within the CSI athletic department, predominantly as the Intramural Director at the school’s Sunnyside, and later, Willowbrook campuses.  Along the way he assisted in almost every parameter of CSI athletics, from scheduling and advising, to working with clubs and campus life.

Indeed, when the CSI softball team was left with a coaching vacancy just weeks before the 1995 season, the administration called on Grasso to guide the unit.  He took the job, and two years later, CSI won the CUNYAC championship.  The win made him the first and only CUNYAC coach to win a championship in both baseball and softball.  That marked Grasso’s final season as a coach, leading the team to what was then their third-highest win total in team history. 

A World War II veteran, he was the recipient of the Bronze Star for meritorious service while stationed in Japan.  A baseball playing career with the National League’s Boston Braves was unfortunately cut short due to a shoulder injury, but it did not stop him from making an impact on other aspiring athletes.  He also was a member of the Staten Island Baseball Oldtimers Association, Staten Island Baseball Umpires Association, Staten Island CYO Basketball Officials Association, CYO Sports Advisory Board, board of trustees of the Greater New York Sandlot Alliance, First Friday Club, American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars.  The CYO recognized his years of selfless service in 1993, when he received that organization’s Lifetime Achievement Award, and in 2003 he was inducted into the Staten Island Sports Hall of Fame.