Longtime Springdale Little League baseball coach Bob Robustelli received the coveted Wellington Mara Youth Coaching Award from The Mickey Lione Jr. Fund last night to honor his decades of service in teaching, supporting and motivating Stamford children through sports.
“It has been a pleasure being associated with the Springdale Little League for all these years. I am honored to receive this award that is linked to two men who exemplify what life means and have been a major part of my life. It is truly and honor,” said Robustelli, 61, a Stamford native who has coached Springdale for more than a quarter century.
Robustelli captained or co-captained varsity teams in three sports at Stamford Catholic (now Trinity) Catholic High School, where Lione served as a highly successful coach for decades until his death in 1999. The award is named after the late owner of the New York Giants for whom Robustelli’s father, the late NFL Hall of Fame defensive lineman Andy Robustelli, played the bulk of his pro football career.
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Along with the award, Robustelli received a check for $2,500 to donate to Springdale Little League, a 61-year-old baseball organization that this year merged with North Stamford Little League to form Stamford Little League.
"Bob is one of the many volunteers that have given decades of service to the youth of our area that have also built the foundation for generations to come as we enter into our next phase as Stamford Little League," said Jon Hoch, the league's co-president and an alumnus. "The Mickey Lione Fund recognizing Bobby for his many years of service is an honor for all of us who have had the pleasure to work with Bobby over the years and those who were lucky enough to have played for him. Bobby has coached for nearly 30 years and never had one of his own kids. He does it because he loves the kids and the game. He is a great example for all youth coaches."
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Robustelli is the second Springdale Little League coach to win the Mara Award. Joseph “Junie” DeLeo, now finishing his 48th season coaching the league’s Clairol team, won the award in 2010.
Robustelli previously worked in the corporate travel and sports marketing business, where his responsibilities included promoting American football internationally over the years. In 2012, he published an international sports/spy thriller novel, “Teamwork.”
The Mickey Lione Jr. Fund is a 501(c)3 public charity, established in 2000, in memory of the legendary Stamford youth coach who by his instruction and example, taught and encouraged young people to strive for personal excellence and to use their strengths to make a positive impact on their peers, their community and the world around them.
