Miller Bugliari Memory Book - Page 23

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There are many Miller stories, and we all have them, but the one that sticks out in my mind (and the one that I recounted in a speech at the party to celebrated Miller's 600th soccer victory), is as follows:

        Miller has an amazing facility for remembering something about almost every alum of the school. I never played soccer at Pingry, but I had Miller as my JV baseball coach along with Frank Romano. I had a strong arm but struggled with control as a relief pitcher. One particular afternoon early in the season on a cloudy and misty day, I went in to pitch batting practice. Suddenly, all of the mechanics worked, and I threw fastballs past everyone of the team, including (to his amazement) Frank Romano. Miller was nonplused and simply said "OK, Lavey, when it rains, you pitch." This event repeated itself several times during the course of that baseball season, and it became accepted that when it rained, I pitched!

        To this day, like clockwork my phone in the office will ring early on some rainy Spring morning and I will hear Miller's voice on the other end saying "Stu, it's raining. Are you warmed up and ready to pitch?"

        Miller demanding as a coach, and he expected us to be dedicated and to put out 100% at all times and to be the best that we could be. We learned how to win and to lose gracefully. Mostly we won that season, but Miller never let us get lazy. I remember the look of absolute amazement on the faces of the players on an opposing team that we had just drubbed as Miller made us run "three easy ones" around the bases at the end of the game.

Stu Lavey ‘63

This is one Pingry alum and soccer player for whom he was far more than a coach; he was an inspiration, a model, a teacher, a supporter, and one who always encouraged me, even though he often called me a dishrag, made me dribble five soccer balls home every night to get saddlesoaped, and made me run my laps with a weighted vest on. Other than my parents and family, he is easily the person who most influenced my life.

Alan Gibby, Class of '66, Captain of the '65 Soccer team.

My name is Ian Shrank, I graduated Pingry in 1971 and I was captain of the 1970 team.  This team shared both the County and State titles and was undefeated, with only two goals scored against us all season. 

I have tried to remain involved in Pingry for really only one reason - because of what Pingry did for me.  Although there were many Pingry teachers and coaches who contributed wonderfully to my education and maturation, Miller must be considered the first among equals in this category for what he taught me about myself and about life.  Having searched my memory, there is no one memory of Miller that I treasure more than the others - there are so many.  Here are just a few.

*  scared to death as a sophomore at my first pre-season practices.  Laps, then laps, then more laps.  Salt pills.
*  running laps when we win a game.  The other teams speechless.
*  Edison Tech - Opposite corner!  Opposite corner!  County championship finals loss.  Entire team speechless.
*  Westfield - reaching the end of my endurance in the fourth quarter and Miller quietly (he is never quiet) asking if I need to be taken out for a rest.
*  Hillside - losing 2-0 at the half in a regular season game at a time when Miller had not lost a regular season game for 7 years.  Pressure?
*  Lawrenceville - ball caught by goalie Bobby Stephens just outside goal (I was standing on the goal line), called a goal by a ref not in correct position, resulting in tie, not victory, for state championship.  I go berserk, and Miller (!) tells me to calm down and focus on the game.
*  Clark - County championship finals, double overtime.  Miller is so hoarse from coaching (screaming), he can only pound the ground and whisper "Give everything you have!"

Give everything you have
Do your best
Deal with pressure
Work harder to do better
Never give up
Soccer is just a game, it is the rest of life that counts
Give everything you have