Lindenhurst football coach Nick Lombardo retires
Lindenhurst football coach Nick Lombardo in 2021. Credit: Peter Frutkoff
Lindenhurst football coach Nick Lombardo has announced his retirement from the position he held for the past 15 years.
Lombardo, 57, who led Lindenhurst to two Long Island titles and coached Jets tight end Jeremy Ruckert, cited health concerns as the root cause for him to step down.
“I was injured on the sideline in the third week of last season,” Lombardo said Friday. “A player was tackled out of bounds, rolled up on my left leg and knocked me down. The meniscus and ACL knee surgery [performed after the season] went well, but the pain during rehabilitation was coming from other areas.
“I had an MRI that revealed serious back issues. My pain management doctor won’t clear me to return to coaching. I can’t do it anymore. It’s not the way I envisioned my final year of coaching.”
Lombardo, a business teacher in the district since 1996, previously had said he would coach one more season in 2024.
“It’s devastating because all I’ve ever wanted to do was coach kids and give them positive life experiences,” he said. “But this has become a quality-of-life issue. I couldn’t move my left leg without back pain, and I’ve had multiple epidural injections.”
Lombardo added: “I haven’t been back at work in the classroom since the end of November. I’m out on workers’ compensation.”
Lombardo led the Bulldogs to the Long Island Class I title in 2017 with a 40-23 win over Oceanside. He then guided them to the L.I. Class II crown in 2019 with a 14-13 win over Garden City. He was named Newsday’s All-Long Island Coach of the Year and the Bulldogs earned the Rutgers Trophy, presented to Suffolk’s top team, in 2019.
That 2019 LIC win has become more significant over time as it’s the last time the Trojans lost a football game. Garden City has won 42 consecutive games and three LI titles since.
“I’ve known Nick for 36 years since I was a 10-year-old in the Bulldogs youth program,” Lindenhurst assistant football coach Mark Frole said. “He’s been a mentor and a phenomenal coach my entire life. And as I worked my way into the teaching and coaching profession, he’s become more than a friend, he’s become family. We’re a very tight-knit community and he’s been a fixture here in Lindenhurst.”
Lombardo, who graduated from Lindenhurst in 1985, led the program to divisional titles in 2014, 2017, 2018 and 2019. He compiled a 103-44 career record with a winning percentage of .701.
The district posted the position Thursday and will interview candidates early next week. The first day for football practice is Monday and, according to Frole, practices are scheduled as the search for a new head coach commences.
“It’s a terrible way to end my coaching career,” Lombardo said. “I’ve enjoyed coaching so many great kids over the years. I can’t finalize what I’ve loved for 30 years on the sideline.”
Anthony Amesti, the director of athletics for the Lindenhurst Union Free School District, was unavailable for comment.
With Andy Slawson
Gregg Sarra is Newsday's high school sports editor and has been on the beat since the mid-1980s.
