FROM THE BENCH : Pagnozzi serves Northwest Arkansas with a ‘charitable’ heart
Posted on Sunday, July 13, 2008
FAYETTEVILLE - Ask retired University of Arkansas head baseball coach Norm DeBriyn to talk about his passion for America's Favorite Pastime - baseball - and his words are overflowing.
Ask the 33-year coaching veteran to reflect on his personal relationship with Tom Pagnozzi and his face lights up.
Pags, according to DeBriyn, is a man with a giving heart.
"He will go out of his way to help others," DeBriyn said.
As the President of Pagnozzi Charities, the former St. Louis Cardinals Golden Glove catcher (Pagnozzi ) believes that the youth of Northwest Arkansas should have every opportunity to participate in sports.
"Our mission is to open the door of athletic experience to disadvantaged youth," Pagnozzi said in the organization's Youth Sports Scholarship Program brochure. "Our goal is to advance the well-being of youth by giving them the same opportunity as their peers and introducing them to positive life experiences."
Founded in 1999, the charity was conceived by Pagnozzi and DeBriyn as a way for "Pags"to give back to the program that launched his professional career.
What began in 1991 as the Razorback Foundation's Celebrity Golf Tournament and Auction, eventually evolved into the Tom Pagnozzi Charity Golf Tournament, Banquet and Sports Memorabilia Auction.
Currently, in its 16 th year, the annual event continues to be a gateway of support for Pagnozzi Charities to meet its charitable goals.
DeBriyn, who took a chance on Pagnozzi in 1983, saw a determination and hard work ethic in the Arizona native that has carried over into the business world.
"Tom is very adamant in his views, not a pushover by any means," De-Briyn said. "He'll hire anybody that needs a job."
The same charisma that Pagnozzi brought to the clubhouse, remains true to this day as he continues to serve Northwest Arkansas from his Downtown Fayetteville office.
"He was always the first one to practice and the last one to leave," De-Briyn said. "Tom approached baseball like a job. He had a set routine on how things were going to be done, and that's when I knew, this guy is down the road."
DeBriyn added that Pagnozzi's goal was to always play professional baseball.
"Once he got there, he climbed the ladder pretty fast," DeBriyn said. "The thing he did in the minors that got him to the next level was he could hit, really hit."
Blessed with a champion's heart, Pagnozzi has allowed his baseball background to act as a way to mentor to others.
"Tom is so personable," DeBriyn said. "When you talk to him, he listens to you and has a sincere interest in you. It's a unique quality."
The Pagnozzi Charities Youth Sports Scholarship Program was established to help disadvantaged children participate in sports related camps and lessons, seasonal sports recreation programs, monthly instructional programs, purchase of equipment necessary to play a sport and game tickets for families to Razorback games.
According to Pagnozzi, this program supports children in grades K-8 in the state of Arkansas, with emphasis on the Northwest region, including the areas of Fayetteville, Springdale, Bentonville, Rogers and Siloam Springs.
"Our primary focus is we want to level the playing field and give every kid an opportunity," Pagnozzi said.
DeBriyn said that Pagnozzi's ability to give and help those in need is one of the many attributes that sets him apart from others. "Tom would give the shirt off his back if it meant bringing happiness to a kid less fortunate."
(Tim Ritter is the sports editor for the Siloam Springs Herald-Leader. He can be reached at 524-5144 or by e-mail timothyr @ nwanews. com. )
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