MONROE - The Monroe High School gymnasium will need to update the seating capacity sign outside of its doors. On Saturday, one seat ws permanently retired - or rather reserved - for one of the Cheesemakers' foremost fans.
Under the coordination of Dave Hirsbrunner, the school's new athletic director, the high school permanently retired the seat filled by Monsignor Thomas Campion, who died Nov. 12 at his home at age 79.
"When I took the job, that wasn't in the job description at all - take care of Father Campion when he passes away," Hirsbrunner said. "We had a lot of people helping out with stuff. And either way you do it, some people are going to like it and some people aren't. But I think it went over pretty well. It was cool to be able to do that, especially knowing T.C."
The bleacher seat, located on the first seat of the first row across from the visitor's bench, will have a "reserved" sign permanently sealed on top.
"He well deserves that spot. It's like a jersey, but it's a seat and it's permanently reserved," Hirsbrunner said.
Prior to Saturday's Monroe-Stoughton boys basketball game, Hirsbrunner announced the decision to the crowd and a brief moment of silence, then the lights were turned off in the gymnasium and a spot light pointed at the now-vacated seat.
"It was silent - I mean dead silent. I didn't hear a baby, I didn't hear somebody drop their keys or a cell phone. When it went down, it went down," Hirsbrunner said. "Even the people from Stoughton, when I was talking and looking around, even they were just as involved. I think the whole atmosphere of the place - the players and everybody were into it. It was touching."
Hirsbrunner said that he talked to all the people he needed to talk to in order to get it reserved and that a plaque may be put on a wall somewhere down the line to add to Campion's remembrance. Hirsbrunner also said that a football jersey with Campion's name and the number 1 may be placed on a wall or in the trophy case.
Campion, who has a plaque honoring yearly cross country awards, has been a mainstay at Cheesemakers home games for nearly every sport over the past 30 years.
Monroe basketball head coach Pat Murphy has his own memories of what Campion has meant.
"He (Campion) used to tell me, 'Murph, you show me a good loser and I'll show you a loser.' In my classroom I have a picture of him looking at me with his fist pumped and showing that you just have to keep battling," he said. "We all have special memories. I thought Hirsbrunner did a great job. To put it in perspective, how we're really playing for a lot of people and that basketball is a small part of our lives."
Earlier in the day, the entire boys basketball team, along with athletes from all different sports in the high school, volunteered at the annual Apostolate to the Handicapped Christmas Dinner at the high school, something Campion had run since the event's inception nearly 40 years ago.
"This is his (Campion's) favorite weekend. That first weekend in December with the Apostolate part - they faced adversity with the party with the snow and everything else, and T.C. would never let anybody quit. We'll just keep battling through and that's the lesson we're all going to take. Nothing is ever easy. He would have wanted our guys all there and that's what we want to do," Murphy said.
The coach said the spirit of volunteerism that Campion fostered in youth will continue.
"That will never change. These guys understand that there are a lot of things we want them to do in the community and we're going to keep looking for those opportunities. There's a lot of things to do other than basketball out there, and we can help those people that are less fortunate than ourselves. Everybody's included with that."
Under the coordination of Dave Hirsbrunner, the school's new athletic director, the high school permanently retired the seat filled by Monsignor Thomas Campion, who died Nov. 12 at his home at age 79.
"When I took the job, that wasn't in the job description at all - take care of Father Campion when he passes away," Hirsbrunner said. "We had a lot of people helping out with stuff. And either way you do it, some people are going to like it and some people aren't. But I think it went over pretty well. It was cool to be able to do that, especially knowing T.C."
The bleacher seat, located on the first seat of the first row across from the visitor's bench, will have a "reserved" sign permanently sealed on top.
"He well deserves that spot. It's like a jersey, but it's a seat and it's permanently reserved," Hirsbrunner said.
Prior to Saturday's Monroe-Stoughton boys basketball game, Hirsbrunner announced the decision to the crowd and a brief moment of silence, then the lights were turned off in the gymnasium and a spot light pointed at the now-vacated seat.
"It was silent - I mean dead silent. I didn't hear a baby, I didn't hear somebody drop their keys or a cell phone. When it went down, it went down," Hirsbrunner said. "Even the people from Stoughton, when I was talking and looking around, even they were just as involved. I think the whole atmosphere of the place - the players and everybody were into it. It was touching."
Hirsbrunner said that he talked to all the people he needed to talk to in order to get it reserved and that a plaque may be put on a wall somewhere down the line to add to Campion's remembrance. Hirsbrunner also said that a football jersey with Campion's name and the number 1 may be placed on a wall or in the trophy case.
Campion, who has a plaque honoring yearly cross country awards, has been a mainstay at Cheesemakers home games for nearly every sport over the past 30 years.
Monroe basketball head coach Pat Murphy has his own memories of what Campion has meant.
"He (Campion) used to tell me, 'Murph, you show me a good loser and I'll show you a loser.' In my classroom I have a picture of him looking at me with his fist pumped and showing that you just have to keep battling," he said. "We all have special memories. I thought Hirsbrunner did a great job. To put it in perspective, how we're really playing for a lot of people and that basketball is a small part of our lives."
Earlier in the day, the entire boys basketball team, along with athletes from all different sports in the high school, volunteered at the annual Apostolate to the Handicapped Christmas Dinner at the high school, something Campion had run since the event's inception nearly 40 years ago.
"This is his (Campion's) favorite weekend. That first weekend in December with the Apostolate part - they faced adversity with the party with the snow and everything else, and T.C. would never let anybody quit. We'll just keep battling through and that's the lesson we're all going to take. Nothing is ever easy. He would have wanted our guys all there and that's what we want to do," Murphy said.
The coach said the spirit of volunteerism that Campion fostered in youth will continue.
"That will never change. These guys understand that there are a lot of things we want them to do in the community and we're going to keep looking for those opportunities. There's a lot of things to do other than basketball out there, and we can help those people that are less fortunate than ourselves. Everybody's included with that."