One constant, unassuming figure has lended his support to the St. Joe’s men’s basketball program over the past 24 years.
That figure was Phil Martelli Sr., the father of Head Coach Phil Martelli. Martelli Sr. died on Feb. 6 at the age of 87. A presence synonymous with the men’s basketball program, Martelli Sr. was better known by his simple but powerful title, “Pops.”
From 1995 to 2017, Martelli Sr. attended every Hawk men’s basketball home game, every home practice, every road trip game and every away practice.
Whether it was a win or a loss, a good practice or a bad practice, on the road or at Michael J. Hagan ’85 Arena, before he left any venue, Martelli Sr. personally thanked every member of the program. He waited until each person passed him in the hallway, so he could express his genuine gratitude for being able to watch the game he loved.
Martelli said his father’s simplistic thoughtful and selfless personality is what made his constant presence one of the most powerful to ever pass through the St. Joe’s basketball program.
“It was about the purity of the journey for him, he wanted others to feel uplifted by his presence and he never failed at that,” Martelli said. “It was always about everybody else, it was never about him.”
Geoff Arnold ’86, an assistant men’s basketball coach, met Martelli Sr. in 1985 during Arnold’s senior season for St. Joe’s. That same year, Martelli was hired as an assistant coach for the Hawks.
Arnold said that just by looking into Pops’ eyes, you could feel his genuine and pure nature.
“To have history recited to you, you can have it read to you, but [since Pops] lived it you could see it in [his]eyes,” Arnold said. “You felt that from Pops, you felt everything from him.”
Phil Martelli Sr. raises his fist in Hagan Arena showing his support for the St. Joe’s men’s basketball team. PHOTO COURTESY OF SJU ATHLETICS
Martelli described a similar aura, characterizing his father’s eyes as a passageway, that exhibited a pure and genuine spirit.
“When you looked in my father’s eyes he had joy being around the program, pride in what we were able to accomplish,” Martelli said. “His heart enveloped everybody. It wasn’t about a starter, a manager, a Hawk, a championship team, when you looked in his eyes, there was pride and true gratitude.”
Don DiJulia, former director of athletics, said it was that same gratitude that left him puzzled during his first encounter with Martelli Sr. Pops shook DiJulia’s hand and thanked him after a game, leaving DiJulia questioning what he was being thanked for.
“After the first few times he thanked me, I remember thinking, ‘What did I do?’” DiJulia said. “It was just him, saying thank you to everyone he met for just being who they were. Whether it was the coach, the athletic director, a manager, a walk-on player or a star player, there are so many duties and tasks that he carried out quietly with pride, his presence was always there.”
Martelli said that he could never fully understand the extent of his father’s gratitude.
“I don’t know what made my father so gracious, I asked him multiple times, [but] he was appreciative that he got to enjoy the game that he loved at a school, in a city, that he loved,” Martelli said.
David Duda, an assistant men’s basketball coach, experienced Martelli Sr.’s same gratitude when he played high school basketball at Bishop Kenrick. Martelli was the head coach at the time, and as a result Pops attended every single game. Pops never changed and never wavered in his loyalty, Duda said.
“Pops used to come to my high school games, put his fist in the air and shake all the players hands,” Duda said. “It’s been unique to know that he’s never really changed. He maintained the same personality through the love he had for his son.”
Martelli Sr.’s passion and energy is one that needs to be passed on to future players in the program, according to Mark Bass, an assistant men’s basketball coach.
“Guys are still going to envision Pops and his support in the stands,” Bass said. “Hopefully players will share that with future guys that are coming in, to show what [Martelli Sr.] meant to them. ”
While Martelli Sr. will be well remembered for his presence in the stands, Arnold said it was the time he spent with Pops away from the court that he will remember most.
“If you were ever able to travel with us, everyone from players to managers to coaches [knew] he was a soup aficionado,” Arnold said. “For some reason he always yelled out to me, ‘Hey Geoff, have you tried the soup?’ Before I could even answer, he would say ‘tremendous.’ If you got there after he tried it and asked, ‘Pops, how’s the soup?’ he would say, ‘highly recommended.’ I look back on that as one of my fondest memories.”
Martelli Sr. has arguably attended more home and away games, has been in more arenas and has known more coaches than anyone else in the history of college basketball, according to DiJulia.
DiJulia, along with all three of the assistant coaches, agreed that Martelli Sr.’s genuine smile is a trait that struck them to the core.
“He’s one of those people where if he said, ‘How are you doing?’ he actually meant to get an answer,” DiJulia said. “His caring attitude to everybody will never be forgotten.”
Martelli said that his father’s final message was that every person had the responsibility to impact others each and every day.
“To think at the end of the day, people being able to say, he’s a good man, he left me better for each and every conversation that I had with him, that’s extremely difficult to do,” Martelli said. “[His constant presence] meant the world to me, and it will be one of the pleasures of my job that I will miss forever.”
