JOHN MAGNANI

 

John Magnani has been involved in Windsor Locks sports since meeting up with Coach Dan Sullivan when he was in the fourth grade in 1963.

While watching the Windsor Locks varsity baseball team practice behind Union School, he was asked by Dan Sullivan to become the batboy for all home games.

In 1964 he added the high school soccer and basketball teams to his agenda as the assistant manager for all of the home games.  The following year, in 1965, Dan Sullivan made John the full time manager for all three sports teams, home and away games.

“Mags” as he was called, graduated from Windsor Locks High School in 1971.  He received the Jimmy Downs Memorial Sportsmanship Award and the Windsor Locks Lions Club Award that year.  It has been said by many, that John and Coach Sullivan should write a book about the many behind-the-scenes stories during their nine years together.

In 1971, John and a few friends received permission to use the Union School gym on Saturday nights.  The Windsor Locks Indoor Hockey League was born.  He served as the W.L.I.H.L. President during the majority of the seventeen years that he was with the league.  In 1987 the Heneghan Cup, which was symbolic to the W.L.I.H.L championship was renamed the Magnani Cup and awarded to John for his long time commitment to the league.  He was with the league from 1971 to 1987.

In 1997 he started coaching his son, Jonathan’s T-Ball team in the Windsor Locks Little League, and he continued coaching Jonathan’s teams through the 2003 season.  For the next seven years, John and Jonathan continued to coach Swede’s minor league baseball team.  During John’s fourteen years with the Windsor Locks Little League, he has served in many capacities. John is currently the Vice President and Director of the Minor Leagues for the Windsor Locks Little League.

 

Since 1963, the coaches and athletes in Windsor Locks have known they can count on John Magnani.  They are forever grateful.