Former College of Staten Island men's baseball coach, women's softball coach, and Intramural Director Sonny Grasso died earlier this week after a long illness at his home in New Port Richey, Florida. He was 81. A veritable jack-of-all-trades while at CSI, Grasso was a longtime campus and community activist, whose love of sports and the Staten Island youth guided him to great success as a member of the CSI campus community.
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 the team spread 31 victories over that time, gaining a 23-9 overall record in CUNYAC play. Before the conference adopted a playoff championship format in 1981, CSI won baseball titles in both 1979 (Co-Championship) 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.
"He was a great person and a doer," said current CSI baseball coach Bill Cali in an interview with the Staten Island Advance earlier this week. "There was nothing Sonny felt couldn't get done."
Indeed, when CSI head softball coach Rich Gilberto left the team several 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 softball championship for the first time in four years with a 9-8 win over Hunter College. The win made him the first and only CUNYAC coach to win a championship in both baseball and softball.
Grasso ended up coaching one more season in 1997, leading the team to what was then their third-highest win total in team history (19).
Despite the rigors associated with head coaching, Grasso built a reputation on helping others succeed in the world of intercollegiate athletics. CSI Head Athletic Trainer John Nostro, who was hired in 1990, remembers Grasso as a guiding light within the department.
"He was a big help when I started because he took the time to show me the ropes of the program," tells Nostro. "Coming out of grad school, it was a great advantage for me to have him there. He cared a great deal about the players on all the teams and the staff."
CSI associate athletic director and sports information director David Pizzuto was hired by Grasso as a student-assistant in 1995.
"He insisted we call him Sonny, and he treated us like family" said Pizzuto. "Sonny always preached to us to stay involved, no matter what we did. For intramural events, he insisted that we go out and play with the others while he stayed behind and tallied up the scoresheets. You learned how to be a class act by watching him."
Of course, Grasso's commitment to those around him didn't just begin at CSI. He entered the United States Army in 1944. A World War II veteran, he was the recipient of the Bronze Star for meritorious service while stationed in Japan.
Upon his return home, his tremendous playing career garnered him a signing with the National League's Boston Braves, who would later move to Milwaukee and then to Atlanta. He played two seasons with the Braves' Kitty League team, hitting .356 and .325. His career was unfortunately cut short due to a shoulder injury, but it did not stop him from making an impact on other aspiring athletes.
He served as baseball coach at the now-defunct Augustinian Academy from 1966 to 1968. In his first season, the other Island coaches voted him coach of the year for the New York Daily News Staten Island All-Star team. He then became the junior varsity baseball coach at Moore Catholic in 1972 and 1973, and varsity coach at Moore from 1974 through 1977.
His community activism had a sports accent, but it wasn't limited to sports.
A parishioner of Sacred Heart R.C. Church in West Brighton, he was a member of its Holy Name Society and a charter member of the Sacred Heart Youth Council. 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.
He coached Knights of Columbus youth baseball until three years ago, when illness made it impossible for him to continue.
Grasso is survived by his wife of 58 years, the former Teresa Rigor; his four sons, Eugene, Gerard, Jeffrey Mark and Jaime; his three daughters, Judith Trancucci, Jodette Grasso and Janis Grasso; two sisters, Rose Will and Lillian Gargano; seven grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his grandson, Jason Grasso.
The funeral will be today from the Faupel Funeral Home, New Port Richey, with a mass in St. James the Apostle Church. Burial will follow in Florida National Cemetery, Bushnell. A memorial service will be held on Staten Island at a later date.
