RON FUSCO
QUEENSBOROUGH COACH
(HUNTER ’58)
“Team to me always meant camaraderie.
Playing and working with people, and interacting, has always given me a sense of fulfillment.”
-- RON FUSCO
By profession, Ron Fusco has been a pioneering college professor in the field of health education and a psychotherapist in private practice. A native of the Bronx, he gained his bachelors degree at Hunter (‘58), his masters at the University of Illinois and doctorate at Columbia.
Playing collegiate sports, he was a switch-hitting centerfielder in baseball, a backstroke and freestyle specialist in swimming, a javelin thrower in track and field. In the early 1960’s at Queensborough Community College, while teaching such courses as human sexuality, stress management, understanding behavior, addictions and dependencies, and the health concerns of a maturing population, he was asked to coach the school’s startup sports teams in soccer, basketball and baseball. His coaching career covered 1962-67. Fusco retired from fulltime teaching seven years ago, but continues as an adjunct professor at both QCC and Nassau CC. At 72 and still limber (“I can beat some ‘youngsters’ in tennis,” another sport he loves), he exercises regularly. Recently, he talked to us about a fascinating and varied college and professional career.
Q: What inspired you to play college athletics, and later to coach college athletics?
Ron Fusco: I grew up with a ball in my hand, any kind of ball. The Bronx was Yankees land. I was inspired. My hero was Joe DiMaggio. I was two years younger than most kids in school, having skipped grades, so I had to try harder to make teams. I wanted to play baseball in school and in the sandlots. The majors were always a dream. Playing for a college team (Hunter) was a natural continuum of my sports endeavors. I was athletic and even excelled in most sports I played. I never thought much about coaching college athletics while I was in college. But, my role models, my coaches, who I am still in touch with to this day, were an inspiration to me. Their professionalism, devotion to the students, their lifestyle of teaching, coaching and being among stimulating young people was appealing to me. And, I guess I never wanted to leave the wonderful atmosphere of the college campus.
Q: Why did you choose to attend CUNY (Hunter), and then the one (QCC) where you taught for so long?
RF: My folks could not afford the standard college tuition at that time, and CUNY was free. I chose Hunter College in the Bronx (now Lehman) because I lived in the Bronx and the campus was attractive. The good fortune of being hired to teach at Hunter after finishing my Masters (at age 21) was a dream come true. The move to Queensborough occurred when two of my professors and coaches --- Frank Egan in track and field, Joseph Santora in swimming --- convinced me to join them at QCC two years after they transferred over. I was a little reluctant going from a four-year college to a two-year college … however, when your salary doubles in one year it is difficult to refuse, and promotions would come faster at a new institution.
Q: Can you tell us a single standout moment, while you were coaching college baseball?
RF: Truthfully, the thrill of putting on the uniform and coaching my first game (in 1962) at Alley Pond Park had to be my standout moment.
Q: Tell us about your greatest or most memorable coaching achievement in any of the sports, and does it still resonate with you today.
RF: Having an outstanding team in soccer each of the three years I coached (that sport) at Queensborough was the most memorable. I had three All-Americans on the team: Irv Williams from Jamaica; Paul Engle from Austria and John Rappanaro from Italy. I had talented players and they made me look good.
Q: How were your baseball teams?
RF: We weren’t too bad; around .500 or a little over. I certainly wasn’t a tough coach. I had a good rapport with the kids. I was able to help most of the players. I played quite a few positions, and I knew the game.
Q: How would you sum up the influence your own college coaches have made on your life?
RF: These men --- Frank Egan in track and field, Joseph Santora in swimming, Charles Irace in baseball, Mike Fleischer in basketball --- were the best role models a young man could have for their professionalism, integrity, diligent devotion to their students and the values they lived by in their personal lives. I will always admire them.
Q: How did being a student-athlete help you in coaching?
RF: I was a student of the sports I played, and the coaches I played for were very knowledgeable. I would take notes on suggestions they would make to improve my sports skills. The rapport my coaches had with us was exceptional. The proof is evident to this day. I am still in regular contact with all my coaches, except Frank Egan, who is deceased.
Q: Talk about being on a team, and what it fosters.
RF: Team to me always meant camaraderie. Playing and working with people, and interacting, has always given me a sense of fulfillment . . . Some of my closest friends to this day are guys I played with, going back to when I was just 10 years old. Annual baseball reunions and swimming reunions ever few years still bring together teammates from all over the country (Fusco is attending the latest Hunter swimming reunion on April 24.)
Q: What advice would you give to current student-athletes, as they look forward to their next chapter in life?
RF: Learn good time management skills . . . Don’t waste these precious years of exposure to knowledge. Very few of you will become professional athletes, but many of you can become professionals in a variety of careers. Be realistic, and without missing out on the values sports participation teaches you, concentrate on classes and the co-curricular experiences college provides.