An adored local football coach was recalled with tears and cheers when the youth group he helped lead for more 40 seasons revered his memory with a ceremony in Sheepshead Bay.
Ralph Marotta, founder and coach of Kings Bay Youth Organization American Football, was delivered the posthumous touchdown during a tribute at the Kings Bay ball field, 2665 Coyle Street.
The honorably-discharged Korean War veteran, a married father of four and grandfather of eight, was remembered as one who gave “so much love” and taught his young charges “to work hard and have fun.”
Fellow coaches, alumni and organization officials eulogized the beloved leader, who passed away this summer, as a pioneer of local sports, who also reserved time for other area youngsters by teaching catechism at St. Edmund’s School, Ocean Avenue and Avenue T.
One of his former charges, Turkish Federation of American Football Coach James Faraguna, credited Marotta for motivating him to purse the sport after he left Kings Bay with “good skills,” which Faraguna used at Brooklyn Technical High School, followed by a three-year stint in Istanbul, Turkey for the Istanbul Cavaliers at Sabanci University.
“Last year, when I got stuck, I called Ralph and he sent me a bunch of football playbooks, which I used in Turkey,” says Faraguna.
The memorial featured the retirement of Marotta’s “72” jersey, which will grace the wall of the Kings Bay Youth Organization, 2670 Coyle Street. In addition, his initials will grace players’ football helmets as a reminder of the late coach’s devotion to the organization and its young athletes.
