By Michael Letendre
When Bristol Central baseball coach Bunty Ray helped guide the program to a 4-3 win over Farmington last Thursday, the longtime mentor tallied his 200th career victory.
The outstanding coach has been involved in sports in the Mum City since the 1980s – helping to guide and craft several student athletes in Bristol over the years.
And he’s turned into one heck of a successful coach.
Ray was a soccer and baseball standout at Bristol Eastern and many of his coaches and mentors still help guide him today.
Under the Learning Tree
Ray was quick to praise his coaches at Eastern which has fueled him to become a very good teacher – in and outside of the classroom.
His soccer coaches of Bill Sweet and Mike Greene, his baseball mentors of Mike Giovinazzo, Jim Ziogas, and Spec Monico and head coach Bill Holowaty at Eastern Connecticut State University were instrumental in his player and coaching development.
Other coaches who have guided Ray along the way includes Coach Ron Jones, Coach Bob Friemuth, and Ray’s brother Jay who also excelled in several sports at Bristol Eastern.
And Bristol Central mentors Tom Moylan and Phil Pirog can’t be left out either.
“I sent a text out to Coach Sweet, Coach Giovinazzo, Jim Ziogas, Bill Holowaty, all the guys that coached me,” said Ray. “I watched how much they loved coaching and how it affected me. Everything I do is an extension of someone else. I had a great experience with all those coaches, and I love Bristol so much being at both schools, with the Bristol Armory, the Bristol Park and Rec, and the Boys Club.”
“I just love the light bulb that goes off sitting in the sandlot over all those years with those kids.”
200 in a flash
Ray got to 200 wins rather quickly as the coach needed just 305 games to get there.
And many of those players from days gone by that helped Ray get to that milestone still communicate with Ray – sharing their ongoing experiences with the sport and beyond.
“There’s tough days but when the scoreboard lights up at the varsity level, when you get a text from Noah Plantamuro on the way home from a loss – just a random text” makes it worth it said Ray. “We just got walked off in a game against Plainville [last Monday] and I get this text from Noah telling me how excited he is about his season, it’s like ‘wow.’”
Silver Lining
Ray had tremendous success out of the gate with the Central baseball team, going 76-14 over his first ninety games – including a couple 20-win campaigns, earning a spot in the state’s final top-10 poll in 2010 as the Rams were on the cusp of returning to the state finals.
On June 8 of that year, No. 4 Central battled No. 8 Xavier of Middletown in a Class LL semifinal showdown from Municipal Stadium in Waterbury.
A couple deep long balls, lost in the bright setting sun, saw Central trail from the onset, dropping a tough 3-1 decision to end an amazing 20-4 campaign.
Those things happen to even the elite programs.
And then there’s the flip side with rebuilding and growing teams that Ray is helping to reestablish at Eastern.
Ray continues to aid Sweet on the boys soccer front and is the head coach at the boys basketball program, going 4-16 overall during a bit of a COVID ridden campaign in 2021-22.
Both those teams did not qualify for the postseason but there were bigger elements in play as a mentor for those two programs.
Wins and losses don’t always define what goes on in the gym or on the field.
The life-long friendships and invaluable lessons the student athletes establish along the way is the real juice that fuels Ray.
“Coaching to me is not about all the good things. It’s a struggle, every day” admitted Ray. “In basketball this year, I think I probably had one of the most enjoyable seasons I ever had I guess in what you would call a losing season. But records are records and I’ve been fortunate enough to have talent to win. But there’s years that have been tough years that are probably more rewarding.”
“For me, I love coaching so much because 10 years from now, you’re going to see something go off in a kid that might be ‘hey I got a great job’ or ‘I learned a lesson.’”
Again, spending time under the learning tree with coaches like Sweet, Green, Giovinazzo, and Ziogas helped provide Ray with copious amounts of clarity.
A 20-win campaign is special in baseball but getting a call from a former player asking advice about a job or getting invited to a wedding are just as priceless.
“I spent a lot of time really thanking my assistant coaches as they were thanking me and congratulating me,” on the 200th win said Ray. “I said this is bigger than me. Coach Giovinazzo taught me that a long time ago and he had 600 wins. He taught me a long time ago what this is all about. This isn’t just about the wins. It’s about everything.”
Again, Ray could live in all the good moments, like the 18-0 record he carries against Bulkeley in baseball or the 11 straight years the Rams have reached the state tournament.
But Ray knows that wins and losses aren’t life or death.
The teaching moments, even after losses, truly satisfies the outstanding coach and mentor.
“I’ve been fortunate enough to be able to coach all the seasons, sixty some-odd seasons as an assistant or a head coach or whatever, and just being able to effect change” is important said Ray. “Again, it doesn’t always look the way it’s supposed to look. We all want to have that perfect season. But I think a less than perfect season really makes it worth it.”
We’ll have a third installment of this story in TBE on Wednesday.
