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Sussman Taught Students A Lot

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By JOEY JOHNSTON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 20, 2008

Kier Cooper, who has an engineering firm in St. Petersburg, is nearly 28 years removed from the days when he roamed Dad's Stadium as a defensive back for the Plant Panthers. It seems like a long, long time ago. But in some ways, it was yesterday.

That's why Cooper knew where he needed to be on Monday afternoon. Vince Sussman, once his defensive coordinator at Plant, was retiring after 36 years with the Hillsborough County School District.

In recent years, Sussman, 59, was better known as Plant's beloved principal. The community rallied around him in 1997, after he fell off his roof and became a quadriplegic. For the last eight years, he has been the district's director of resource management.

But to Cooper, who hadn't seen Sussman since 1982, the man was known only one way.

Coach.

Cooper entered the room, filled with Sussman's wife Meg, his family, friends and colleagues. All these years later, he felt compelled to introduce himself.

Sussman smiled.

"I know who you are."

It was that kind of day. Stories flowed freely. There was laughter, even a few tears.

Former players spoke about initially being intimidated by Sussman's powerful presence, his bellowing voice.

"He never needed a megaphone, trust me," said Darlee Nelson, a member of Plant coaching staffs with Sussman throughout the 1970s and early 1980s and now a student intervention specialist at Armwood.

Lee Pitisci, a Tampa attorney and former Plant receiver, remembered Sussman's attention to detail as the coach in charge of equipment and locker-room protocol.

"You actually wouldn't start in a game if your locker was not set up to his satisfaction," Pitisci said. "Even your socks had to be laid across your chair perfectly. He taught us all a lot about discipline."

And loyalty.

When Sussman was injured, former players flocked to his side. When he was released from the hospital - before going home, he went to his office at Plant - he was escorted by a virtual entourage of men who once played for him.

As Sussman arrived in the building, some kids who played basketball nearby came in to see him.

"Hey, we don't wear hats in the building!" Sussman told the kids.

And with that, as if on cue, each former player reached for his head, making certain he wasn't the offending party.

Sussman, even after his injury, ran the school with a firm hand, operating from a motorized wheelchair and working with a voice-activated computer.

"I think the thing we'll always remember was how big he was - not literally, but figuratively," said former Plant lineman J.D. Dowell, now a Tampa attorney. "You couldn't imagine how much in awe we were of Coach Sussman. There are so many little things to remember, so many life lessons."

"The memories are even bigger for the coaches," Nelson said. "What has it been? Thirty-five years? And it seems like it goes by in the blink of an eye. You spread out a little bit, you lose track of people. Then you get back together and it's like yesterday."

Sussman usually gave fiery locker-room speeches. One favorite, used to inspire teamwork:

"Eleven horses pulling the wagon!"

Plant players heard it so often.

"Eleven horses pulling the wagon!"

Cooper, who would later attend Dartmouth College, spoke up one day, offering a gentle reminder.

"Coach, it can't be 11 horses pulling a wagon. It has to be an even number."

Oh.

Sussman, whose last workday was Friday, said he's looking forward to retirement, but not anticipating much inactivity. He'll find some way to occupy his mind and energy.

And as usual, his former players won't be far behind.

The 12th annual Vincent J. Sussman Golf Tournament, organized by former Panthers to help with Sussman's medical expenses, is set for Jan. 23 at Rocky Point Golf Course, 4151 Dana Shores Drive. It's a nine-hole scramble with sign-in at 12:30 p.m. and a shotgun start at 2. Cost Is $85 per player. For information, call Jimmy Kalamaras at (813) 247-4711, Ext. 17, or e-mail bigsuss@aol.com.

Reporter Joey Johnston can be reached at (813) 259-7353.

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