With the death on May 22, 2010 of Charlie Guy, Jr, a Tampa, Florida resident since 1955, a national assemblage of his family, friends, former teammates and players, ex-business associates, and community leaders are joining together to seek his induction into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame.
The Charlie Guy, Jr. LAX Fund
In addition to Charlie's lifetime support of the Navy lacrosse program, with his death in May 2010 and his extensive estate plans, his family has then been empowered to continue his financial support of several of his other favorite youth lacrosse programs through The Charlie Guy, Jr. LAX Fund. The primary goal of this Fund will be to provide matching funds in the support of the development of the youth lacrosse primarily in the Tampa Bay area through South Tampa Sticks Youth Lacrosse.
Additionally, selected Florida youth lacrosse projects nominated by US Lacrosse and located within other Florida areas served by the US Lacrosse Florida Gulf Coast Chapter may also be considered to receive matching funds.
Finally, the Fund, is also partnering with The Jack Murray Family of Tampa in the support of The Charles Guy, Jr. Dawning of UVA LAX Endowed Scholarship to support the University of Virginia’s lacrosse program.
South Tampa Sticks Youth Lacrosse (STS)
Their Mission is to promote and honor the amateur sport of lacrosse among the youth of Tampa Bay for the purpose of developing a love of the game through positive coaching, community among players, parents, coaches and officials, teaching life lessons beyond the playing field, recognition of all players, and participation regardless of ability, talent, or skill.
STS’s successful middle school programs (boys & girls) have provided the increasing supply of talented lacrosse players who have then helped create a very competitive Tampa high school lacrosse environment with teams at Plant High, Jesuit, Tampa Prep, and soon Robinson High. With a major financial contribution by STS, a new artificial field is now being installed at Plant High for use in 2010 by its football team and in 2011 by STS for their sanctioned lacrosse games.
In addition to developing and managing its youth feeder middle school programs, STS also has developed and manages the first ever varsity lacrosse team at Plant High. Their efforts were well rewarded when in 2006; Plant won the West Florida Lacrosse League Championship and the first ever Club State Championship. Complete STS History
Living in Tampa as Charlie Jr.'s son, Charlie 3, was developing in junior high school (in the 50's there was no Pop Warner football in Tampa) into a pretty good football player, youth lacrosse did not even exist. In his later years, though he was severely challenged by a rapidly deteriorating short term memory loss (He attributed this to the high number of sports related concussions that he had suffered.), Charlie, through a good friend and a great neighbor, finally learned that Tampa finally did in fact have a very successful emerging youth LAX program:
I had over the years known personally of Charlie’s passion for lacrosse, but it was only in 2006 that I realized that no one had ever fully shared with him how Tampa youth lacrosse was beginning to grow very rapidly, but desperately needed some additional financial support. When I explained the situation to him, he requested that I prepare a proposal for his financial support. Upon reviewing our proposal, he responded with a six-figure commitment to be paid over a multi-year basis that will now be continued by his family through The Charlie Guy, Jr. LAX Fund.
John Kamen, former Naval Academy LAX player, neighbor, and a board member of STS.
Charlie thus became a major financial supporter of this first ever Tampa youth lacrosse program. During several key times in STS’s development, he provided funds for such items as new field development.
The primary goals for the support of STS by The Charlie Guy, Jr. LAX Fund’s matching grants will be:
- Completion of the Anderson LAX Complex expansion plans
- Creation of annual scholarship opportunities for youths from financially challenged families
- Development of additional youth LAX Coaches by:
Creation of coaching clinics to attract, develop, and retain STS LAX coaches not only to become more knowledgeable in teaching and coaching of LAX skills, but also to be better able to provide the STS student athletes the opportunity for a positive, character-building experience.
Provide occasional financial support for financially challenged STS LAX coaches.
For More Info on South Tampa Sticks Youth Lacrosse (STS)
For the 1st $50,000 of donations to STS, The Charlie Guy, Jr. LAX Fund will MATCH dollar for dollar!!
Charlie & a friend at his grandson Keita's birthday party on 4/23/09.
University of Virginia Lacrosse
Jack Murray, Jr., Charlie’s long time business partner and closest friend, and Jack Murray, lll, ’85 UVA, through The Jack Murray Family of Tampa, is working in conjunction with The Charlie Guy, Jr. LAX Fund, personal friends, business associates, former UVA players and supporters to honor Charlie, Jr.’s coaching years at UVA by establishing within the University’s Athletic Foundation:
The Charlie Guy, Jr. Dawning of UVA LAX Endowed Scholarship
Purpose: To honor Charlie Guy, Jr., UVA’s 1st winning lacrosse coach & his 1949 & 1950 Teams
In later his years when the subject of his UVA coaching successes would be brought up, Charlie would always credit instead his teams and their very special key players. In an interview with him for Lacrosse Magazine, Editor Bill Tanton documented the following quote:
We won in lacrosse because I had some wonderful players. Bobby Proutt was my captain in 1949 and he was first-team All America. In 1950 Billy Hooper was my captain. He made first-team All America on attack. He became the first Virginia player inducted in the Lacrosse Hall of Fame (in 1975).
We, his friends, family, business associates, UVA former players and lacrosse supporters, wish to honor Charlie for:
his leadership qualities, his ability to motive his young players by effectively sharing his personal lacrosse experiences, and his toughness
his organizational and sports promotion skills
his humbleness in realizing the Dawning of UVA LAX could never occurred without the group exceptional young athletes on his ’49 and ’50 teams who were so willing to trust and give him their all!
We, therefore also wish to honor all the players on the ’49 and ’50 teams who took the chance and responded to Coach Guy with such enthusiasm and success that UVA lacrosse, from that point on, would always be one of the finest in the country!!
Finally, we wish to especially honor Charlie’s very special key players: Bobby Proutt and Billy Hooper. These two outstanding former St. Paul's School, (Brooklandville, MD) players, who could have attended on scholarship any of the country’s established lacrosse powerhouse schools, chose instead UVA and chose to also trust in their new young coach to thus help launch UVA winning lacrosse.
For more Info on Charlie's UVA Coaching experiences
For more info on University of Virginia Lacrosse
For the 1st $50,000 of donations to UVA, The Charlie Guy, Jr. LAX Fund will MATCH dollar for dollar!!
If you would like to personally honor Charlie with a gift(s) to EITHER OR BOTH of these organizations, please email Charlie Guy 3 or call either land: 727-894-5959 or cell 727-215-1385.