Armory News - July, 2006

Louis Vazquez, Jr.

“Mr. HS Track and Field”

Long time Armory mainstay takes position at Randall's Island

by Tim Fulton

        If you’ve been at The Armory over the last ten years there’s little doubt that you’ve seen one of the hardest working men in track and field – Lou Vazquez, Jr.  Vazquez has been Special Events Manager at The Armory since 1998, though he was involved in various ways before that.  His duties included being the meet director for the biggest HS indoor meets in the country - The Hispanic Games, which he co-founded, and the New Balance Games, along with numerous other duties and responsibilities.

            Vazquez was there along the way as both The Armory and track and field have undergone a renaissance and Lou has been a huge part of that.  Most people realize how hard Vazquez worked at making The Armory and Eastern track that much better, but his contributions to track and field started much earlier in his life.

He ran for Xaverian HS and was coached by Frank McCarthy, graduating in 1978.  He even competed at The Armory back then.  Lou went to Brooklyn College where he qualified for DIII Nationals in XC and outdoor track.  He was a major player on the road race circuit in the 80’s running for The Athletic Attic and The Prospect Park Track Club, among others  He ran 1:08 for the half marathon and 2:36 for the Marathon.  Word is that if you’re ever in China Town and find an old poster of Grete Waitz, Lou is in the background.

Lou coached at Bishop Ford HS from 1980-1998 and left his mark on both NYS history and the national scene.  He led Chris Gonzalez to the Footlocker (Kinney) Finals twice, in 1991 and 1992, and then had William Arnold qualify in 1994.  Bishop Ford is one of only five schools in NYS history to ever send two different athletes to the meet.  At the same time he was at Ford he was coaching in the college ranks at LIU.

Lou’s Bishop Ford team also set the current NY State Indoor Championships meet record in the 4x800m relay back in 1992 when the squad ran 7:51 at Cornell.  That same year at the National Scholastic Championships  on the Carrier Dome's slow track, his DMR ran 10:17.38 and 4x800 7:48.98, both times still ranking 8^th best in NY State history.  Lou is amazed that his squad’s Millrose Games 4x800m meet record of 7:53.36 still stands.  That’s right – Ford ran 7:53 on the Garden’s old track, not the new Mondo surface.  Imagine how fast they would have run on The Armory's new banked Mondo track.

To show you what kind of guy Lou is, when he had those Footlocker qualifiers back in the early 90’s he never went to San Diego to watch his athletes run.  Why?  He was doing what he does best, directing an alumni race back east.

Lou has been an active member of the CHSAA Coaches Association for years and is still the CHSAA cross country chairman. Along with being the NYC Empire State Games Track and Field Coordinator, Lou has been the Northeast Region Director of the Nike Team Nationals for the first two years proving he has had an impact locally, regionally, and nationally.  He has been race director for numerous road races, including Coogan’s Salsa, Blues, and Shamrocks 5K.

Vazquez was the director of the HS races at the Armory Collegiate Invitational when Syosset, NY broke the National HS record in the boys 4x800m relay in 2005.  He was also meet director of the New Balance Games when Alan Webb made history as the first ever prep runner to break 4 minutes indoors back in 2001.

While Lou was a part of these record breaking performances at the Armory he is just as comfortable with both little kids and the average athletes.  Lou directed The Armory Youth Jamborees the last few years that have seen thousands of youngsters get introduced to the sport.

Vazquez has left The Armory on a full time basis and taken a position with the Randall’s Island Sports Foundation.  He will remain with The Armory on a consulting basis, though in exactly what role is yet to be determined.  You can bet he’ll still be at many indoor meets and will most likely remain the meet director of a few of them, including the Hispanic Games.

Dr. Norbert Sander, JR, MD, president of The Armory Foundation, had this to say about Vazquez.  "This new position as Sports Director for all of Randall's Island is a great opportunity for Lou and richly deserved  He will oversee one of the most important sports and recreational centers in all of the Northeast.  Lou played an enormously important role in the renaissance of The Armory and it goes without saying that he is one of the elite meet directors in our sport.  Lou assures me he will continue on at The Armory and we can expect his first class approach for several of our leading meets this winter. We wish him our very best for continued success at Icahn Stadium and Randall's Island."

Tom Cuffe, head coach at Monsignor Farrell and a long time friend of Lou, said the same thing.  He called him “Mr. HS Track and Field” and talked about everything he has accomplished as an athlete, coach, and track and field administrator.  Cuffe remembered the old days when Lou would come out to Staten Island to run with great fondness.

In talking with fellow coaches, friends, and colleagues, one theme kept coming up.  People look at Lou as “Mr. HS Track and Field”.  Syosset coach Bart Sessa, who has accomplished quite a bit in his own right and has his hand in many aspects of the sport, called him “an inspiration to be a great coach and a great person.  If you ever have a question, you just call Louie.  He’s my role model.”

Jim Mitchell, the legendary Bronxville, NY coach who was inducted into the National HS Coaches Hall of Fame last winter, talked about the job Lou did.  "Lou was always immediately responsive to the needs of the athletes, whether they be stars or pack runners. Whenever you needed a favor, Lou came through. If you were late with an entry, Lou took care of it for you. Lou was the perfect person for the development of Armory Track and he is very responsible for the greatness that Northeastern Indoor track has become over the last few years."

From running to coaching to managing meets, ages young and old, Lou Vazquez has been an inspiration to all.  What he has done for track and field can never be measured.  Please join us at The Armory in thanking Lou for years of service and wishing him good luck with his new position.  We look forward to seeing him and his familiar blue shirt back on the track this winter.