REMEMBERING JOHN ORSINO, FDU KNIGHTS HEAD COACH 1970-’76, 1980

John Orsino, a former standout who has the second most career wins as Head Coach for the Knights recently passed away at the age of 78. Leading the Knights from 1970 to 1976, and returning in 1980 for one season, Orsino recorded 119 wins, second only to Dennis Sasso’s 340 victories. Orsino, who grew up in Fort Lee, played with the (1961-62), (1963-65) and Washington Senators (1966-67), hitting .249 with 40 home runs and 123 RBI.

John’s obituary reported that “The 6-foot-3, 215-pound ’s best season was 1963, when he homered in his first five spring training games with the Orioles and went on to bat .272 with 19 home runs and 56 RBI. Orsino was part of a record-tying home barrage in a 12-run ninth inning by the Giants in a 14-0 win at Cincinnati’s Crosley Field on Aug. 23, 1961. Orlando Cepeda and Felipe Alou consecutive home runs, Jim Davenport had an inside-the-park homer, Willie Mays went deep and Orsino capped the burst with a three-run homer.”

Orsino became head coach at FDU in 1970, and in the next 6 seasons led his teams to 110 wins, including a hot streak from ’73 to ’75 when the Knights racked up a 62-39 record, including an amazing 35-12 record in the rugged Metro Conference. Orsino left FDU after the 1976 season to take a major league coaching position, returning to FDU in 1980 for one more year as head coach.

During his tenure with the Knights, Orsino coached five future FDU Hall of Fame members; Steve Dembowski, Joe Rigoli, Bob Droste, Lou Turco and Tom Gattoni. In addition, nine of Orsino’s players went on to play professional baseball.

“He was a total professional who was fun to be around.”

When the news of Orsino’s passing reached the Knights who played for him there was an immediate outpouring of affection and respect from his players. Steve Dembowski, who as a freshman played for Orsino in 1976, remembers that Coach Orsino gave him a chance to play after fall tryouts when he was cut from the team but refused to go away. “He cut me,” Steve recalls, “but I came right back the next day to try again. When Coach realized how determined I was to play, he put his hand on my shoulder and told me that I would be his leadoff batter. To get that kind of respect from a man who was an eight- year major leaguer blew me away. He gave me a chance and changed my life.” Since his years with the Knights, Steve has always subscribed to Orsino’s philosophy, “Don’t ever look back, just keep moving forward.”

For Bob Droste it was Orsino’s respect for the game that most impressed and motivated him. “He was a total professional,” Droste tells. “He taught us how to perform and behave in a professional way. He also helped me develop as a hitter. He fine-tuned my swing, and he showed me how to take command at the plate. Really, playing for him was like going to a professional batting clinic every day.”

Danger in the On Deck Circle

Bob is quick to point out that “While he took the game seriously, Coach was fun to be around, always telling stories about his major- and minor-league years.” Bob’s favorite story is Orsino’s description of a minor league incident in which John was buzzed by a pitcher while he was still in the on deck circle. “That season, Coach had the bad luck of batting behind a huge power hitter (who might have been the gigantic Frank Howard) who was tearing up opposing pitchers with a barrage of home runs. After every , when Coach came to bat he knew that the pitcher was going to be throwing at him. This one time, after another long dinger, the pitcher was pulled for a reliever, so Coach thought he would be safe. But as the frustrated pitcher walked from the mound, he fired a parting shot at Coach while he was innocently kneeling in the on deck circle. Coach said he didn’t realize what was happening until he heard the ball buzz past his head.”

Bob also chuckles when he recalls Orsino’s patented response for opposing coaches who complained about strikes and balls when the Knights were . “He’d call, ‘you’ll know it’s a strike when you hear the crack of the bat.’ He especially loved to do that when I was at bat.”

Glen Passamonte (1970-’72) recalls that Coach almost always kept his cool. “He knew how to turn mistakes we made into learning opportunities,” Glen says. “And he also had a sly sense of humor. This one time we had a third base coach who held the job until the day he waved three runners home and all were thrown out at home plate, including two in one inning. Coach never said a word about it that day. But, at the next game when Mal headed for third base, Coach stood up and gave him a STOP sign. That was the end of Mal’s third base coaching career.”

Not Necessarily Legal Pitching Hints

Ask Lou Turco about Johnny Orisino and he can go on for hours. Lou recalls that “He treated us like men. He was only a year away from the bigs, but never had an attitude. After games he’d take us to dinner, or for pizza in his office on Friday nights. We laughed a lot in those sessions. Of course, when you screwed up he’d let you know it, but in a positive way. He’d say ‘You’re better than that. You know you can do better.’ He made sure we were always trying to do our best and to improve.”

Turco also recalls that John was studying for a college degree just like his players. “We took classes together with him and many times we all studied together. Just as John always told us to work at doing better, he worked at that himself. He was an easy guy to admire. A great role model.”

Johnny Orsino’s presence at FDU made the Knights baseball program a strong draw for outstanding local ball players. “We had some stacked teams,” Lou says. “We were loaded with All County and All State players from all over North Jersey and New York, and because Johnny had such a good reputation in professional baseball, there were always well-known scouts at our games.”

Most of all, Lou treasures the lessons he received from his coach. “He gave me all the tools of the trade, including a few hints for ‘controlling’ the ball in not necessarily legal ways. This guy was a major league catcher in the trenches with icons like Juan Marichal and Jim Palmer. The things he taught me really helped during my time with the Yankee organization. Johnny was one of the most important men in my life”

Nearly forty years have passed since John Orsino last coached for the Knights. But when his players talk about him it seems that it could have all happened yesterday. Johnny Orsino deserves to be remembered and honored as one of Fairleigh Dickinson’s greatest coaches.