It all started with my father. He was a very strict man. He did not say much, but if I misbehaved or didn't follow through on chores, there were serious consequences. I remember going to play basketball, which I loved, without having finished my chores and my father came to the field and looked at me in this way that I knew it was time to leave. My father believed in discipline and education.
I went to school in Providence. I graduated from Gilbert Stuart and came to Central. I automatically enrolled in the business course and I was in the top 10% of my class when I graduated.
I graduated in the 1960s and got a job at the Industrial National Bank with a salary of $55 per week, and after eight months it went up to $65. While I was working at the bank, my old basketball coach from Central called me and asked if I was interested in playing basketball for Roger Williams Junior College.
Basketball opened up the door for me to go to college. I did have to take algebra to meet the college admission requirements because I hadn't taken it at Central. I was tracked into business and I wasn't college bound. But I had really good preparation in business with Dr. Carter, and I did very well in accounting and business management because of that.
I am not a desk person. I really wanted to teach, but because of my business training, I ended up getting a degree to teach business. I also became a basketball coach. When I came to Central as a teacher and coach, the school was winning state championships but most of the students on the team did very poorly academically.
When I took the job, I took the risk of saying that every student on the team will have to be in good academic standing to play and if not, he would not be allowed on the team. This was a really controversial decision and it did not go well with students, and the whole community was unhappy with me.
There was a terrible backlash and everyone was mad at me and Central lost state championship that year and the next year. I put in place academic and personal standards for student athletes. I persevered in spite of criticism and a few years later I build a team of 8 students who had good grades, good attendance, and all graduated on time and moved into many different professions.
And by the mid-1980s Central begun to win state championships again. Central players were now great athletes and good students and they had the discipline necessary to make it in the world. It made me really happy that I did not give in to the pressure and quit, but instead stayed with the program. I stayed for 30 years, and build a great disciplined basketball team.
I still remember an article in the Providence Journal written by Paul Kenyon titled "When Isn't Life," talking about my cause and how sports and education must go hand in hand. I am happy that I was able to prove that you can have good students and a great team, and that you can move from failure to victory by not giving up on yourself and others.
Yes, today people do look up to me. I am being inducted into the Coaches Hall of Fame after 30 years in education. Going to college was a rare chance in those days. That was a huge thing for me. And when you do well you can open the door for others. And you should never quit when the going goes rough. Remember that!
I am a deeply religious man, and I try not to forget the teachings found in Matthew that remind me that I will not be judged by God for my work as a State Senator, Coach or Vice Principal, but by what I do for other people.
Cyndi Rodriguez>>
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