TOM FLYNN Mooney baseball coach retires

His final team finished tied for the SVC championship.
By BRIAN RICHESSON
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
YOUNGSTOWN -- A wave of nostalgia hit Tom Flynn as he was sitting through Cardinal Mooney High's baseball banquet.
Then reality set in.
"All the Mooney people were there; so were the kids," Flynn said. "Just the atmosphere of the banquet brought it home to me that I was retiring."
For the past 15 years, Flynn has been a staple inside the Mooney dugout. But his expanded duties as admissions director at ITT Technical Institute forced him to make a decision.
Stepping away
"I knew it [retiring] was a good possibility going into the season," said Flynn, 60. "Halfway through the season, it became a reality for me. I couldn't devote the same time to coaching, and that's not fair to the program."
Flynn is leaving as a winner.
Mooney (13-12) was one of three teams to tie for the Steel Valley Conference title, and the Cardinals did it the hard way. They had to sweep a doubleheader from Boardman, which also shared the top spot with Austintown Fitch.
"It was one of the better moments I've had in my 15 years," Flynn said of his title team. "The kids did an outstanding job that day, and they made it a little easier to retire."
Mooney chose Flynn, a Solon native, as coach in 1989. Over the next 15 years, his teams won seven SVC championships and eight sectional titles, and they made five regional appearances. He finished with a 197-128 record.
"Just being part of the Mooney family," has been his most rewarding experience, Flynn said. "It's hard to explain to someone who's not there. It's a tremendous experience."
Memories
Flynn is taking a load of memories with him, including his first regional appearance (1990) and his first SVC title (1994), when the Cardinals won at Boardman in the last inning.
Leaving the competition and members of the coaching fraternity, Flynn said, will make his retirement difficult.
"When we got on the field, you went 200 percent to beat the other guy," he said, citing meaningful relationships with Wayne Zetts of Campbell Memorial, Mike Popio of Chaney and Matt Giambattista, the former coach at Ursuline, among others.
"As soon as the game is over, you have a bunch of guys who have a mutual respect for one another."
Looking ahead
Flynn plans to spend much of his free time with family and the athletic endeavors of sons, Tom Jr. and Ryan.
Tom Flynn Jr. is the baseball coach at Wabash College in Crawfordsville, Ind., while Ryan Flynn is a senior lineman on the University of Maryland football team.
Their collegiate careers should keep their father busy and his mind off coaching. But don't expect Flynn Sr. to forget the game that has defined the last 15 years of his life.
"Obviously, baseball is in my blood. It has been all my life," he said. "I can't stay away from it."
richesson@vindy.com