Tom Neidl, the man who spent nearly four decades with the Cazenovia High School football program and in a quarter-century as head coach led the Lakers to a long string of Section III and league championships, passed away Wednesday night at the age of 60.
It was Neidl’s son, Terry, who made the announcement of his father’s death on his Facebook page. He said that Tom was diagnosed with cancer a year ago, and kept his diagnosis as private as possible to protect his family.
“Yes there will be tears,” said Terry Neidl. “For we have lost someone who has improved our lives. But there is also love, because he is reunited with his mother and father without any more pain.
“These feelings will never change. He will always be Coach Neidl. He will always be my Mom’s blue eyed high school sweetheart. He will always be Hunter’s Papa. He will always be my hero. And he will always be watching over us.”
To most of the Cazenovia community, he was, indeed, “Coach Neidl. For 36 years, his name was connected to Lakers football, starting with an 11-year stint as an assistant under coaching greats Sam Volo and Paul Stoecker.
Then, in 1990, Neidl took over as the varsity football head coach. Almost immediately, his teams started winning, and didn’t stop in the rest of his 25-year tenure.
Neidl’s Lakers won 178 games, lost just 54 and tied 1, the 178 wins eighth-most in Section III history, and Cazenovia would claim seven sectional championships.
Many things changed during Neidl’s long tenure, including league and class affiliations. Cazenovia bounced between Class C and B, but no matter who it played, the results were usually the same – Laker victories.
This was especially true on Saturday afternoons at Buckley-Volo Field. One of Neidl’s greatest marks was initiating a streak where Cazenovia won 52 consecutive home games.
In addition to his success on the football field, Neidl was also a long-time coach for Cazenovia boys track and field, with many students taking part in both sports under his tutelage. He also taught elementary school physical education for 32 years.
A large measure of Neidl’s success was the continuity in the Cazenovia program. At the varsity, JV and modified level, coaches stayed for decades, not years, and the winning done at the highest level spread down to the other Laker teams.
It surprised many when, in March 2015, Neidl announced he was stepping down while the program remained one of the best in Central New York. Long-time assistant Jay Steinhorst took over and, that fall, Cazenovia finally won its first state championship, repeating as sectional champions a year later.
A couple of weeks ago, Cazenovia held its annual football banquet. Neidl, despite his illness, attended the event and watched as an award named in his honor was handed out. Now, he is mourned as more than just a coach.
“We are all so very blessed to have had the opportunity to know such an amazing man, ‘said Terry Neidl in the Facebook post that announced his father’s passing.
“He loved his family, his friends, his coaches, his players, and everyone loved him. He was loyal, and cherished those who were loyal in return. He taught and coached with character and morality, traits that are timeless and honorable.”
