When it comes to high school coaches, Bob Young could be among the most prolific Nassau County has ever seen. For 30 years he has coached, without fail, three teams every year.

"He certainly put his service into Mineola," said Mark Miller, Young's former assistant for varsity high school lacrosse and now the head coach. But aside from his longevity, what is most remarkable about Bob Young is the positive impact he has had on his players, his fellow coaches and on the Mineola athletic program itself.

A Mineola alumnus himself, Young displayed his talent for sports from an early age and spent nearly all of his high school athletic career on football, basketball and lacrosse teams, earning 11 varsity letters during his four years. After graduating from Adelphi University, he became a physical education teacher at the Hampton Street School, where he remained up until his retirement.

Young began coaching for Mineola as soon as he became a teacher and quickly worked his way into a yearly regimen of three sports. This began with high school football in the fall, middle school boys basketball in the winter and high school varsity boys lacrosse in the spring. It was a trio that saw little alteration for three decades, changing only when Young switched from coaching basketball to high school bowling for his final six years in the district.

Leading a perennially strong lacrosse team that achieved numerous playoff berths and coaching under Dan Guido a football team that went to the Nassau County Championships twice (in 1989 and 1999), Young has enjoyed many successes during his career. However, none have been so great as his success in instilling within his players a sense of honor and sportsmanship. For Young this was a credo that transcended competition and he adhered to it even when it meant sacrificing a win.

"He was just a good guy, always stuck by the rules and he wouldn't let people get away with un-sportsmanlike things. Sometimes our players didn't like it when he would discipline them and not let them get away with things. But in the long run they all respect him for it. We lost some games that we probably never would have lost but we were doing the right thing," said Guido, the head varsity football coach at Mineola whom Young had assisted as defensive coordinator since 1987.

Young's main concern as a coach and authority figure was relating to his athletes the lessons that they could apply to more than just sport. This sentiment was expressed by Tony Gulli, the Mineola school district director of health, physical education and athletics who worked with Bob for 14 years. "Bob has been a very successful coach here. He's touched a lot of kid's lives. At his retirement dinner, there were a lot of his former ballplayers there who spoke very highly of him, how he influenced them not only on the field but also off the field as well. He was a solid figure in the community," he said.

Gulli continued his praise for Bob in saying, "As much as he would discipline the kids, you would always see him on the sideline with his arm around the kid talking to him not only teaching them lessons on the field but how they apply to lessons in life. That was one of the things that made him a very unique individual."

What also stood out among Bob's many fine attributes was his unselfishness. When given the opportunity in 1987 to again become the head high school varsity football coach, he relinquished the position to Guido and opted instead to become an assistant. What made this arrangement so special was that Guido himself had been coached by Young from the age of 9 and throughout high school. It was an apprenticeship that continued when Guido entered the district, initially becoming Young's assistant for lacrosse.

"He taught me how to play and then we kind of had a role reversal where I was really like the boss and he was the assistant. But we got along really well. We think the same. Just all those years were a great time for us," he said. "Actually I wanted him to be the head football coach. I asked him to take the job so that I could be his assistant. But he didn't want to do that. He wanted me to have it."

Two years ago, when the Mineola varsity football program was looking at a championship run, Young made the sacrifice of stepping down to coach the junior varsity team so that he could develop a promising young quarterback. "Even though he knew we were going to have a chance to be in the championship, which he wanted to be a part of, he was going to do what he thought would be better for the program in general and so he stepped down. He did a great job and this kid is now going to be our starting quarterback for next year. He wouldn't be as good as he is if Bobby hadn't taken the time and practiced with him," Guido explained.

This type of foresight and selflessness that Young displayed, combined with his commitment to not only help coaches along, but give them the opportunities to be in charge of the teams has had a profoundly beneficial impact on Mineola's athletic program.

Of the countless athletes that Young has worked with, many have experienced success at the collegian level and beyond. This is especially true in lacrosse, where Young has coached over a dozen players who went on to become NCAA Division I All-Americans. A select few have even won national championships including the Lowe brothers and Alex Rosier who are also currently trying out for the World Lacrosse Team. "He knows what makes players tick," Miller explained. "He also has great insight on the younger kids coming up, what kind of potential they have."

When asked to reflect on his career in the district, Young related fond memories. "They have been great years. I worked with great kids and I worked with great people. What more could you ask for in a career than that? I loved every minute of it. All the coaches I've worked with were great people," he said.

Young is retiring to Florida but promises to be back for yearly Mineola alumni lacrosse games.