Yesterday afternoon, Diego Vega ’80 became the 39th member of our Athletic Hall of Fame. During his time as a Shrike, Vega distinguished himself on the field, court, and diamond, earning varsity letters in football, basketball, and baseball. He was named the 1980 League VIII Most Valuable Player in baseball, received the Swanson Award for being the best all-around male athlete at Stony Brook, and set three records for interceptions in a season (5) in football and walks (17) and games played (24) in baseball. Beyond his accolades, Vega was known as a leader on and off the field and a consummate teammate. For these and many other reasons Diego Vega has earned a place among some of the most distinguished names in Stony Brook history.

You played for some terrific coaches like John Engstrom & Thom Brownworth. What did you take away from each of them?

John Engstrom was the very first varsity coach that I ever played for at SBS and I played varsity football for him for three years. He set the standard that I held the others to. He was tough, yet fair, made us run a lot, and he ran a very organized and disciplined practice. I do not remember him as either a yeller or a screamer, as some football coaches tend to be, and he taught us the difference between being “hurt” and being “injured.”

I will never forget the pre-game speech that he gave us before the last game of my senior year. He told the seniors that for almost all of us, this would be the very last time that we’d ever have pads on in an organized football game. He told us to leave everything that we had on that field and to never regret the amount of effort that we would give in our final game. I was a wide receiver and defensive back, and I ended up catching seven passes that day, I was in on double-digit tackles, and I also intercepted a pass that day giving me five on the year.

But what I remember most was that it was indeed the last time I ever wore pads, I did give it everything that I had, and I felt like I could walk away feeling a sense of pride in accomplishing what the coach had asked. It felt good to have given that effort, and it still does today when I accomplish something that requires me to dig down and give something “extra.”

I played varsity basketball for Thom Brownworth for two years. What first comes to mind, was having to run “steps” inside of Swanson Gymnasium. Up and down and up and down until your thighs burned so bad that you could feel them pulsing. But what I take away from Thom, was more Thom “The Man” than Thom “The Coach.” We used to travel to play other small schools on the East End of Long Island by van and in some really nasty winter weather. I remember he’d always have a crazy story, or a funny anecdote, or a corny joke that helped make the time pass, and most of all, I felt safe. We were a close-knit team, we always looked out for each other, and it all stemmed from Thom’s calm and kind demeanor. But boy-oh-boy, did he have some corny jokes!

Of your three main sports—football, basketball and baseball—what memory stands out most from each?

Football

I have various memories from football, but aside from the game that I described above, the individual play that stands out the most was a play from my junior year, where I caught a 26-yard touchdown pass in a home game against Friends Academy while flying through the air and parallel to the field. It was especially memorable for me, because it was one of the last football games that my father ever saw me play, and doubly so because it was captured on film. Bruce Boyce, an SBS coach and avid photographer, overheard the play being called and positioned himself along the sideline where he captured the moment in full flight. The picture, which made the 1979 yearbook, shows me catching the ball just over the goal line and the defender in the picture beaten by about two yards.

Basketball

Besides the long, cold rides to and from the East End of Long Island during the winter seasons, including riding on the Shelter Island Ferry with ice all over the bay, the individual play that I remember the most was from a game during my senior year against Eastport on their home court. We were down by one with about eight seconds left to play, and Mr. Brownworth called a play where the ball would be in-bounded along the sideline to our point guard, swung to me near the top of the key, and I was to dribble-drive-and-kick it to one of the forwards coming across the baseline. For some reason the defenders collapsed on the baseline players, leaving me a wide-open look at the basket. I made the shot with four seconds left and we won the game, 65-64.

Baseball
My greatest memory from baseball (besides being named the League MVP) came during my senior year.  We were playing a home game against Center Moriches, which was in a higher league than we were, and I was playing 3rd base that day. Chris Matthews was on the mound and he had a no-hitter going into the last inning. We got the first two outs without incident and for some reason I sensed that the batter was going to try to bunt his way on to break-up the no-hitter (probably something I learned from Rob Marvin). I started to creep closer and closer towards home plate like Rob had taught me, and sure enough he bunted the ball right to me. I threw him out by several steps to help preserve Chris’ no-hitter and we celebrated like crazy.

You were the League VIII MVP during your 1980 baseball season. Can you tell us about that season?

I played mostly shortstop and 3rd base depending on who was pitching, and if I remember correctly, it was the first time in a long time that our baseball team made the Suffolk County playoffs. We were a League VIII team, and we had to play a League IV team–Half Hollow Hills (I think)–where we lost by one run in extra innings. Even with that loss, I remember it being one of the most enjoyable sports seasons ever, because all of my close friends were on the team as my teammates, and we did it together.

What was your greatest win as a Shrike?

I would say either the no-hitter that Chris Matthews pitched or my basketball shot with four seconds left.

Did other teams give us grief about being the Shrikes?

I don’t think that a lot of people knew that we were the “Shrikes.” We didn’t really have a public mascot and most of the newspapers and other teams just called us “The Brookers.” The “Yikes Shrikes” cheer came about during either my junior or senior year at one of the pep rallies, when one of the coaches, John Kenney, decided to do a crazy skit involving the cheerleaders. He had somehow dug up in the archives that at one time we were known as the Shrikes and suddenly the “Yikes Shrikes” cheer was born. The cheer involved some funky hand movements, the words “Yikes Shrikes” and I seem to remember some screeching. It wasn’t pretty, but when Coach Kenney, who was a big, athletic man, was dancing around doing his thing it became legendary.

What does it mean to you to enter the Hall of Fame, joining the likes of Marvin Goldberg and the Lockerbie brothers?

I’ve thought about this answer for quite some time, and I truly can’t find the proper words to describe it. I know that I will have to come up with something for my acceptance speech, but I can tell you that the AWE (maybe it was fear) that I had for Mr. Goldberg still gives me chills. I ran cross country for him in 7th grade, and I remember that he had a way of motivating you where you just didn’t want to disappoint him. And he had a way of turning logic inside-out that defied reason. It was never criticism, he would ask you if you did your best, and before you could answer him, he would tell you that he didn’t need an answer, that I knew the answer inside and that the only person I would be disappointing was myself if I hadn’t given it my all. I was 12 or 13 years old and was being given life lessons by one of the wisest men I have ever met.

The Lockerbies were not only great athletes, they were also fac-brats from the legendary Bruce & Lori. Their running style reminded me of Greek gods from mythology with their runners physiques, chiseled chins, fair skin, and long flowing hair, and boy were they fast. As a 7th-grader, I looked up to all of the seniors (Class of 1975). They were my athletic heroes, and I was thrilled that Donnie, a senior, even knew my name. And I still remember Kevin as one of the fastest sprinters I’ve ever seen both on the track and on the football field. Rob Gustafson told me a funny story when I was on Campus this past spring.

Apparently Rob was talking to Kevin about coaching him in football at SBS, and that apparently Kevin was “all-speed” and “no-hands.” He mentioned to Kevin that with his “speed” and Diego Vega’s “hands” that we would have been one heck of a good football player. I don’t know if the story is true or a funny tale from a dear friend but it made me feel like even though I may not have been the fastest, or swiftest, or strongest, or highest jumper, or whatever it takes to be “great,” that I somehow was remembered for contributing something to all of the teams that I played on.

Looking back after 30 years, what was your favorite part about being a Stony Brook athlete?

Wow, thanks for not asking me any “tough” questions. This is another one of those questions that I will be considering with much more thought as I prepare my acceptance remarks. I will tell you that as many memories that I have of running, and swimming, and golfing, and doing various activities with various balls on various fields and various courts, the one thing that I loved doing more than anything else was competing side-by-side with my friends and teammates.

I love that SBS gave me so many opportunities to represent the Blue and White, and I can assure you that my memories would be blank if I didn’t have so many names and faces to go along with all of the highs and lows of being a competitive athlete. I could never do the list justice, but I have vivid memories of competing alongside fine athletes like Jon Davis, Chris Stephens, Steve Biasetti, Dean Borkowski, Pete Leftheris, Frank Bruno, Chris Matthews, and the Whitney Brothers, and it is their names, and many others, that I think about when I look back on my SBS athletic career.

Did you play any sport at the college level?

I went to Colgate University and played varsity baseball and ran winter track.

Where has life taken you since you left campus?

I could take pages to answer this question and still never do the answer justice. The literal answer is that I live in Miami, Florida, but I’ve taken a circuitous route to get here, both literally and figuratively. The short answer is that I have been married for 16 years to my wonderful, kind, caring, and beautiful wife Nicole, and I have literally lived and traveled all around the world (US, South America, Caribbean, Europe, Asia). I have seen things in person that I first learned about in history books, and I have been fortunate to have made many friends along the way that I’ve been able to keep near and dear to my heart.

As I told the 2010 senior class during a talk I gave to them last winter, I left SBS not knowing where my journey would take me, nor exactly what “Character Before Career” meant, and yet I’ve found myself defining and re-defining its meaning many, many times along the way. I actually get it now, and I know that without God in your life, and without Character in your heart and as a part of your being, you are destined for failure. Although many chapters have been written, there’s a lot of my life’s journey still to be taken (I hope).

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