Remembering Mike Malet

We were saddened to hear the news of the passing of longtime coach and athletic administrator Mike Malet last week, at age 74. Mike was affiliated with the Marist football program from its inception – first as an assistant coach and then as its head coach. He was also the men’s lacrosse coach for many years. And he was an assistant athletic director, in charge of the business operations. I knew Mike in all three of those capacities, especially the latter, after I was hired as coach in the spring of 1991. Mike commanded respect. I learned a lot from Mike. He was a tough administrator, but fair and we always got along quite well. He used to have a sign in his office: “Lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part.” I always liked that, and it’s a line I still use to this day. He held you accountable to that mantra, and that was exceedingly fair. Mike was an old-school coach, gruff and demanding, and again, commanding respect. The outpouring of love at his funeral service on Sunday afternoon was a testament to his effectiveness as a coach and a mentor. Mike left Marist Athletics in the mid-1990s and embarked on a long career as a school administrator in the Poughkeepsie area, where he positively impacted many more lives as well.

Indirectly, Mike is one of the reasons I was hired as a coach at Marist. We were at a function in Poughkeepsie back in 1990 – I honestly don’t remember what the occasion was – and he saw me and said something to the effect of, “Hey, Pete, Rich Stevens is leaving as men’s cross country coach because we’re adding back track and he only wants to coach cross country. I know you have always been interested in coaching. I think you would be great at it. You should throw your hat in the ring.” The fact that Mike Malet thought it would be a good idea so moved me that I did, in fact, throw my hat in the ring. I submitted my resume (which, of course, lacked any formal coaching experience), figuring that maybe I’d snag a low-level assistant coaching position for whatever legit coach they hired for the job. Well, perhaps you know the rest of the story. The applicant pool was pretty shallow – heck, for all I know, it may have consisted of just me! – and they hired some sportswriter with a mullet and no formal coaching experience. As the head coach. Not the assistant (pffft, there were no assistants!). Well, 31 years later, here I am still. Thanks, in large part, to Mike Malet. A good man, gone too soon.