Moran’s impact felt throughout community

The death of legendary Cornell University men’s lacrosse coach Richie Moran on April 24 is one that is felt throughout the Ithaca community. He was a figure defined by much more than just his outstanding accomplishments in sports, having a philosophy and attitude that all could admire.

Moran brought three national titles to Cornell in the ’70s, coaching from 1969 through 1997 and remaining in Ithaca afterward. Following his death, Cornell referred to him as “the greatest of ambassadors of Cornell men’s lacrosse, Cornell University and the Ithaca community.”

His autobiography, “It’s Great To Be Here,” was named after his famous saying, which was developed during an especially cold practice. The book was co-written by longtime local sports columnist Steve Lawrence. Lawrence was able to see Moran’s impact over the years firsthand.

“I’ve been with him with a former player who’s a retired four-star general, another guy who was the head coach of the U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team, a few guys who are CEOs, captains of industry, guys who’ve gone out and become great leaders themselves,” Lawrence said. “They will all tell you that they were decent enough athletes to play D1 and they were good enough students to get into Cornell, but right there was the guy that taught them how to be a leader.”

Lawrence went on to detail a part of developing the autobiography that stands out in his mind in his memory of Moran. It was a chapter that dove into Moran’s battle with depression while he was the ultra-successful coach at Cornell.

“He included that as a chapter in his book in great detail,” Lawrence said. “There was a lot of vulnerability and a lot of transparency about what that was like. That shocked people that he had gone through that because people thought he’d be the last person in the world to go through that. Then, in typical Richie fashion, at the end of this chapter, knowing that thousands of people are going to read this, he puts his phone number in there in case anybody wants to call to talk to him. That tells you something about Richie.”

Award-winning ESPN personality Jeremy Schaap was first introduced to Moran through his father, Dick Schaap, a former Cornell lacrosse player prior to Moran’s coaching tenure. Jeremy later got to cover Moran as a student at Cornell and the sports editor of the Cornell Daily Sun. He has since referred to Moran as “the ultimate coach.” Jeremy further detailed his thoughts on Moran.

“Richie is somebody who was just so much love,” Jeremy said. “Love that he gave, love that he got in return. That warm presence. I didn’t play for him, so I’m sure there was another side too, the player side, his assistant coaches and opponents. But when I think about Richie, I think about that relationship he had with his players, the devotion so many I know still feel for Richie and have always felt for Richie. He was just one of these larger than life, gregarious, upbeat, positive people.”

One man who was able to feel the relationship Moran had with his players is best-selling author and speaker Jon Gordon, who played under Moran in the early ’90s. Moran gave him the opportunity to become the first in his family to attend an Ivy League school, and that meant the world to Gordon.

“He exposed me to a whole new world,” Gordon said. “I learned about culture and teamwork and leadership. This coach, Richie Moran, the legendary coach, believed in me. … I’d venture to say I would not be doing what I’m doing today [without him]. I’ve written 26 books. They’ve sold millions of copies, and I’ve really been able to impact people around the world. It was Richie Moran who really paved the way for me to do that. I owe him my life.”

Gordon has been brought in to speak to many professional and college sports teams. The groundwork of his work comes from Moran. Gordon recalled a story in which Moran told him, “We don’t talk this game; we play it,” in response to Gordon coming to him while struggling as a player in his freshman year. That lesson has stuck with him and is one that he has passed on to other athletes.

“He taught me that the talkers talk and the doers do and it was about doing,” Gordon said. “Yes, he loved you, but you had to go out there and be a doer and work hard and get results. Great coaches bring out the greatness in you. To be great, you’ve got to be willing to be great, willing to listen to feedback and willing to get better. Coach did that for me in one of those moments.”

Another figure who was able to experience Moran’s impact closely is Barry Leonard, the play-by-play voice of several Cornell sports, including lacrosse. Leonard’s tenure began a few seasons before Moran’s retirement from coaching, and he talked about what he saw on the field.

“He just had a unique ability to push the buttons of players when needed,” Leonard said. “He knew when to be gentle. He knew when to be tough. He was a master motivator. He could X and O with the best of them. But I think players would, as the expression goes, run through a brick wall for him because he just touched their lives personally. He would needle them during practice and make fun of certain stuff, but on the other hand, he could be gentle and sympathetic to players.”

Moran was more than a coach, though. He was an avid supporter of the athletic pursuits of his grandsons Ryan Sposito, who currently plays lacrosse at Division I Army West Point, and Chase Sposito, a senior football and lacrosse player at Ithaca High School who is committed to play football at Ithaca College.

Steve Lawrence was in the press box with Moran on April 16, when Moran’s grandson Ryan had the best game of his career with a hat trick against the Cornell Big Red. Lawrence touched on Moran’s support of his grandkids

“Notice how far away he sat from everybody else,” Lawrence said. “He did not want to be the guy who would be in the coach’s ear about ‘you should do this’ or ‘you should do that.’ That was not his role. He was there as a grandpa. He would never be the guy to second guess anybody.”

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