Andrew Grimm ONE OF MANY MEMORIES — In this file photo, members of the 2018 Madonna softball team celebrate with coach Chris Conti after a May 8, 2018 sectional win that gave the veteran coach career win No. 300. Conti, after 28 years of being the Blue Dons head coach and 30 years coaching total, the Madonna Athletic Department announced last week.
WEIRTON — In sports, saying someone ‘bleeds’ the colors of their team is an often used phrase.
That saying, perhaps, does not apply to anyone more accurately than saying Chris Conti bleeds Madonna’s blue and silver.
Conti, who has been the head softball coach for the Blue Dons for the past 28 years — spending two as an assistant prior to that for three decades in the Dons dugout — will not be filling out a lineup card this spring as he recently decided to retire.
“It has been a great honor,” Conti said of coaching at Madonna. “My wife makes fun of me because all of my clothes are blue and grey, that’s it, that’s all I own are blue and grey clothes. I always have my Madonna hat on.
“I bleed the Madonna blue and silver. I always have and I always will.
“I just thought it was time to step back let someone a little bit younger take over. I’m going to be a grandfather for the first time and I want to be able to enjoy things like that and spend time with my family.”
Though he won’t be the coach any more, don’t expect Conti to stop bleeding blue and silver any time soon.
“For as long as I live, my heart will always be at Madonna High School,” Conti said.
Conti, his wife, their son, his siblings and his wife’s siblings are all graduates of the school.
“Madonna has been very good to my whole family and my wife’s family,” he said. “I feel that I wanted to give back to Madonna for everything they did for our families. They were great people to work with, all the parishioners, principals, the athletic directors that I have worked with through the years, they have been a very, very good influence on me.”
In the past 30 years, Conti’s teams have provided him some great memories that will last.
He reached the 300-mark in the 2018 sectional tournament, while under his guidance the Blue Dons have captured six Ohio Valley Athletic Conference titles and he has also been honored as OVAC Coach of the Year.
Conti, who is credited with building and maintaining the softball field, has also coached varsity golf, coached the Jr. Dons program, the freshmen football team and spent five years as a varsity assistant football coach at Madonna under Bob Kramer.
He is a member of the Blue Dons Hall of Fame.
“Meeting so many different players, families, meeting so many coaches and people across the Valley, I was blessed,” Conti said. “I have been blessed with a lot of very good memories.
“It has been very rewarding to me.”
For his successes, he credits the players and assistant coaches he’s coached and worked alongside through the years.
“I had so many great players that played for me at such a small school, what we have at Madonna High School,” Conti said. “What makes me proud is so many of these girls have gone on to play Division I, Division II and Division III softball at the college level.
“It was just a pleasure for me to be able to coach. I am proud to be affiliated with all these young female adults.”
Perhaps another lasting legacy will be the number of those former Blue Dons to go on to play at the college level.
“I want to thank all the parents over the years for trusting me with these young adult women,” Conti said. “I really appreciate them putting all of their trust in my hands, as many times as we traveled and things like that over the years.”
When the spring rolls around, he admitted not being in a dugout is going to be very strange.
“It is going to be very strange and very emotional,” Conti said. “It is going to be very emotional for me to go watch them play because it was life for so long. I gave it all of my heart and I really am going to miss it.”
Madonna High School is now accepting resumes to be the next Blue Dons softball head coach through Nov. 12. Interested parties can send their resume to Madonna Principal Jamie Lesho at jlesho@weirtonmadonna.org or Athletic Director Mike Arlia at michaelarlia@yahoo.com.
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