Lahiff resigns from Athletic Director's job
Published on May 30th, 2007
STONEHAM, MA - It wasn't a decision reached lightly or easily, but after a 13-year run as Athletic Director at Stoneham High School, Mike Lahiff announced last week that he was resigning from his position at SHS and would join up with Middlesex League rival Watertown High as their Athletic Director - effectively replacing the retiring Elaine Paradis.
"This was something I thought a lot about and to be honest things got a little emotional the other day when I looked out at the fields and thought of all the work that I'd done to improve the fields and keep them up," said Lahiff. "I look all around me here at Stoneham High and think of the work that I've done here and the great people I've interacted with, and I thought to myself 'do I really want to leave this?'
"But the last couple of years of worrying about whether the funding was going to be there for the athletic department really took a toll on me," added Lahiff. "There's a group of people out there that seem to want to defeat the override on June 9 and then make sure that trash fee gets voted down as well, and if both those things happen then there's no athletics office, no athletic director and no secretary...so I had to do what was best for my family."
The worry about the athletic department's continued existence, SHS's status as the highest user fee system within the Middlesex League and the reliance on student-athletes to raise money for the programs were a few of several reasons listed by Lahiff in deciding to depart, as was the departure of Dr. Tom Ryan as high school principal.
"We were definitely on the same page as far as what we had in mind for the high school principal and that was definitely a factor," said Lahiff. "People have said that they wanted a change...well I guess there's going to be some changes.
"Watertown doesn't have any user fees and the athletic program really isn't in any danger of going anywhere, so it's a good opportunity for me and a challenge to try to raise the level of participation in sports programs across the board," added Lahiff, a Melrose resident whose son is playing football, basketball and baseball for the Red Raiders. "I'm going to miss kids like the Brunos and Christina Izzicupo and Emily Nardone, and kids that I really got a chance to interact with and joke with in the halls. People like that and the staff here at the high school made things so enjoyable for me."
The girls' hockey program and girls' swimming program both came to fruition during Lahiff's tenure and the Spartans became a soccer powerhouse under the leadership of the SHS AD. Lahiff intends to split time between Watertown and Stoneham through the summer in order to keep things going in Stoneham and get up to speed in his new job, and he hoped that his replacement could keep things moving in the right direction.
"I'm not really sure how things are going to shake out with a new hire because I think a lot depends on the override vote, obviously, but I would advise the next person to continue to do what's best for the kids and the school," said Lahiff. "I gave 100 percent of myself to this job and I'm embarrassed to say that I sacrificed time with my family in order to do it. They may even decide to cut down the job responsibilities and change exactly what the AD does in Stoneham. It's really up to the powers that be now."
As the longest-serving athletic director in the Middlesex League, Lahiff began his tenure in Stoneham in 1994. He served as a past president of the Middlesex League and was its treasurer at the current time.
Lahiff serves on the MIAA Basketball and Baseball Committees, and was the recipient of the 2006 Massachusetts State Athletic Directors Association President's Award of Merit. In 2003, he received the District B Athletic Director of the Year Award. As a basketball coach, he was named the Boston Globe Division 3 Coach of the Year in 1989, as well as twice being named the Massachusetts Basketball Coaches' Association Division 3 Coach of the Year in 1986 and 1989.
Lahiff holds a bachelor of science degree in physical education from Springfield College, a master of education degree in education/physical education from Boston College and a master of education degree in education/school administration from Salem State College.
From 1979 to 1989, Lahiff was employed as a health and physical education teacher in the Stoneham school system, and served as department chairperson for health and physical education from 1989 to 1994 for the Somerville Public Schools prior to taking over as the AD in Stoneham.
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