Football

Marrone draws off experiences to encourage Bronx kids during Yankee Stadium ‘chalk talk’

Andrew Renneisen | Staff Photographer

Syracuse head coach Doug Marrone speaks to his players and children from the Kips Bay Boys and Girls Club.

By Chris Iseman

NEW YORK – Doug Marrone looked at the children from the Bronx staring back at him and saw younger versions of himself. Next to them were his players from the school he played at and dreamed of coaching. He spoke to all of them on the field at Yankee Stadium in his home borough of the Bronx, the home of the baseball team he grew up watching.

Snippets of Marrone’s life sat in front of him.

The Syracuse head coach held a “chalk talk” with his players and about 100 kids from the Kips Bay Boys and Girls Club at Yankee Stadium on Friday. He spoke to both groups, preaching the importance of education to the kids while commending his players for their accomplishments. When it was over, Marrone said it was one of the greatest moments of his career.

“Probably all the events that you do throughout the year or all the events that you do throughout the years, it’s probably the one that hits home the most, as far as being personal,” Marrone said. “I was just like these kids.”

Like all of those kids, Marrone grew up on the streets of the Bronx. He told them that through sports and education, he was able to earn a scholarship to Syracuse. Marrone spoke from his experiences and about the importance of being a part of a “good crowd.”



Once Marrone finished speaking, the SU players broke off into groups by position and spent time tossing footballs around with the kids and teaching them about the game. Orange offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett coached some children who were taking snaps from quarterback Ryan Nassib and passing to their friends.

Marrone walked around the field and spoke to kids and signed some autographs. He couldn’t escape the irony of being the head coach at Syracuse, coaching his team back in the Bronx.

“So it’s probably out of all the things that I’ve pretty much done in my life, I would say from a standpoint of sports… probably for me the greatest moment personally,” Marrone said. “Because it’s life coming full circle.”





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