New Rochelle's Pat Swift Honored with Service to Youth Award

Pat Swift has been around New Rochelle for the past 25 years. He began his career as an educator in the South Bronx teaching social studies. When his teaching days ended, he was likely to be found coaching lacrosse or swimming at New Rochelle High School. He spent the better part of ten years as the head lacrosse coach and assistant swim coach.

In 2000, he was married to his wife Jacki and began a new chapter in his life as the assistant principal at Port Chester Middle School, where he still is employed, but is now the school principal. As he ventured into administration, he had to give up coaching at NRHS.

In 2001, Pat and Jacki purchased their home in New Rochelle. Their son Michael was born in 2011 and when he became of lacrosse age Pat and a small group of parents huddled at City Hall with the idea of starting a youth lacrosse program. We started that year with about seventy children and now are approaching 300 players having a Fall and Spring season. His motto has always been, “It’s all about the kids.”

Shortly after the program began we saw the need to start a scholarship program, to ensure we could make it affordable to everyone in New Rochelle. We chose to name this the “Eric Tutera Youth Lacrosse Scholarship Program”. Eric Tutera, played lacrosse for Pat Swift at NRHS, he was a former captain of the New Rochelle High School lacrosse team. As a varsity player Eric was the epitome of a team player. He was respected by his teammates, coaches and opposing players. Eric tragically passed away in an accident in the spring of 2008. Pat coached Eric at NRHS and with the blessing of his family the program has blossomed.

Pat quotes, “we are dedicated to benefiting the youth of New Rochelle through our “needs blind” philosophy which pledges to make lacrosse affordable to all children regardless of ability to pay.”

As mentioned, Pat is married to Jacki who serves on Webster’s PTA and is also the team manager for the boys New Rochelle Youth Hockey League. Pat and Jacki have four children, Michael 14 (NRHS), Kali 11 (ALM), Grace 10 (Webster) and Matthew 8 (Webster). He has also served on the board of New Rochelle Lightning Hockey and coached there as well. Somehow he finds time to coach Holy Family basketball and some swimming for the Iona Gael Aquatic Club. During the summers when not in Port Chester or at the Davenport Beach Club Pat has spent the past 25 years coaching swimming at the Country Club of Darien where they named the pool area in his honor five years ago. dCtVMQikV