Doc Malinoski

OBSERVER Staff Report

Francis “Doc” Malinoski, a man whose athletic influence in Mayville spanned decades, will join 10 other inductees at the sold-out Chautauqua Sports Hall of Fame’s 36th annual banquet, which will be held Monday, Feb. 20 at the Lakewood Rod & Gun Club. Joining Malinoski in the Class of 2017 are Paul Cooley, Jake Ensign, Charlie LaDuca, Sammy LaMancuso, Deb Palmer, Bob Patterson, Dave Polechetti, Sam Restivo, Mike Sayers and Maceo Wofford.

A 57-year resident of Chautauqua County, Malinoski left his biggest imprint at Mayville Central School where he was a teacher, coach and athletic director for 27 years. During his tenure, he pioneered 11-man football for Class C schools in 1960; coached his football teams to five league championships and his basketball teams to two league titles; and captured eight Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Athletic Association and six Section VI titles in track and field, a sport in which his team claimed 49 consecutive dual-meet wins.

The Mayville Lakeside Park recreation director for 31 years, Malinoski also had the Mayville Central School gym named in his honor in 1983. He passed away in 2014.

“As a physical education teacher, you spend most of your time coaching,” Malinoski said during an interview nearly 40 years ago. “You don’t coach for money, you coach for the love of kids. You can’t justify it. You don’t belong in high school coaching for the money.”

He added: “You should never take credit for the gifted athlete. It is for watching improvement. You receive many rewards for coaching. I wouldn’t change a thing … I’d do it all over again the same way.”