MARK STOLL
*Retired May 31 from Springfield City Schools after 31 years;
*15 years as North High School AD, 27 as baseball coach;
*12 seasons as assistant boys basketball coach;
*25-year outfielder in men’s ASA and USSSA softball and member of three Class A national championship teams (named All-World twice);
*Brought regional-tournament baseball to Springfield;
*North High School Hall of Fame member;
*Clark County and Miami Valley Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Famer;
*Began work Aug. 1 as Xenia’s new AD
QUOTE: “I don’t play (softball) anymore — Lord, no,” Stoll said, chuckling. “I’m too beat up for that now. Danny (Dewitt) put me through the mill. I’ve had four hip replacements and two knee replacements. I basically played ‘til I dropped.”
It took only a few weeks for Mark Stoll to realize that retirement isn’t nearly as glamorous as AARP Magazine makes it appear.
Stoll’s moment of truth arrived on a hot, sunny day in June, when his grand kids staged a baseball walkout in his own back yard.
“Here’s how I knew it was time to go back to work,” the 58-year-old ex-coach said. “My two grandsons are big into baseball. They come over a lot. I’ve got a pitcher’s mound, a batting machine and a net.
“Day after day I would sit on top of this bucket, calling balls and strikes for the grand kids. Finally, one afternoon, the 8-year-old (Aiden) just up and quits on me. Then the 10-year-old (Jordon) follows.
“Aiden says, ‘It’s hot, papaw. I just want a Popsicle and to go inside and play Wii.’ “
Alone atop his bucket, Stoll realized he was taking the little guys’ departure too much to heart.
“It was like I’d just lost my two best playmates,” Stoll added,” laughing. “I’d become one of those obsessed grandparents I said I’d never be.”
Officially, Stoll’s retirement lasted just 61 days. He began as Xenia High School’s new athletic director on Aug. 1, hired to replace Matt Louis following his abrupt departure to Springboro, where he succeeded Rick Creager.
“It was a unique opportunity,” Stoll said. “I was just looking to teach a couple classes at a local college, but Xenia called. The more I talked with them, the more intrigued I was.”
Stoll retired from Springfield City Schools on May 31 after 31 years - 15 as North’s AD, 27 as the Panthers’ stalwart baseball coach, and five as AD of newly consolidated Springfield High.
Teaming with former South AD Greg Newland, Stoll was instrumental in blending rival athletic programs when North and South merged in 2008.
“It’s a good feeling,” he said. “They’ve always had good athletic programs at Xenia and they’re passionate about their sports. The challenges there are like all school districts when it comes to finances and things.
“I’ve been around a long time and there are some things I can do there to help. I’m not there to reinvent the wheel. They’ve got several good coaches in place and I have the utmost respect for the efforts they make.”
With veteran coaches Bob Delong (football) and Kent Anderson (boys basketball) anchoring an otherwise youthful but promising staff, Stoll’s mission is “to build on that and make it a comprehensive program for grades 7 through 12.”
Xenia won a Greater Western Ohio Conference title last year in boys soccer, went 6-4 in football, and sports a competitive basketball program. The Buccaneers also had Division-I state representation in both swimming and track.
“They want to be competitive year in and year out,” Stoll said, “and that’s all you can ask of any sports program.”
Stoll reflects on Springfield’s consolidation as a “very challenging time,” but cherishes the cooperation and friendship he forged with Newland.
“There will still be some growing pains with the consolidation, but things will run well,” Stoll said. “(Current AD) Mike Dellapina will do an outstanding job. His familiarity with Springfield, having grown up here, I have nothing but the biggest regard for him.”
Elected to the North High School, Clark County, and Miami Valley Baseball Coaches Association halls of fame with 400 career wins, Stoll also spent 12 years assisting veteran North basketball coaches Don Henderson and Eddie Ford.
“There were a lot of big wins and some losses (along the way), but as you get older, it’s the relationships you have with players (that matter most),” Stoll said.
“I’ve been fortunate to have received several coach of the year awards throughout the years, but the greatest award of all is that 30-plus years later, whenever I see grown men in their 30s and 40s who played for me, they all still call me ‘Coach.’ “
About the Author