Wreckers honor Lawrence
WESTPORT — For the man who has done thousands of victory laps in his coaching career, this was the ultimate loop.
An event that was two years in the planning, Staples High School held a surprise celebration Saturday for cross country/ indoor- outdoor track coach Laddie Lawrence.
Hundreds of former Wreckers, former assistant coaches, former high- school rivals and friends from Westport gathered in the Staples’ cafeteria to pay tribute to the remarkable career of a Hall of Fame coach.
“When I walked into this cafeteria I was overwhelmed,” Lawrence said. “This reinforces to me that the most important thing in coaching are the relationships you forge. That’s the most important part.”
A committee of eight ( Anne Parise, Dave Parise, Nancy Kondub- Harris, Alice Addicks, Steve Landowne, Jim Gerweck, Ray Prescott and Laddie’s wife of 43 years, Katie Lawrence) made this event a reality. And kept a fairly tight veil of silence on it in this digital age.
“Trying to keep it secret from Laddie was a feat. I do admit he had inadvertent hints about it in the final 48 hours,” Katie Lawrence said. “We used the excuse that a pole vaulter needed to get into the indoor track fieldhouse as a ruse to get Laddie here. But then he saw the incredible number of cars parked.”
Lawrence, a Westport native who was a member of the Staples’ track team under equally legendary coach Paul Lane, began his Staples’ coaching career in 1968 after returning from Southern Arkansas University, which he attended on a track scholarship.
Lawrence has been inducted into the National High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame ( in 2015), the FCIAC Hall of Fame, the Fairfield County Sports Hall of Fame and the Connecticut High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
He will be inducted into the Southern Arkansas University Sports Hall of Fame in October.
On Saturday, Lawrence received a proclamation from Westport First Selectman Jim Marpe as well as a copy of a letter acknowledging his 50 years of coaching that was read into the Congressional Record.