Jamestown head football coach Tom Langworthy stood in the Red and Green locker room at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park moments after his team’s win over Williamsville North in the 2022 Section VI championship game.
During the celebration, assistant coach Richie Jolly reminded everyone that not one milestone was achieved that night at the home of the Buffalo Bills, specifically Langworthy’s 100th career win.
Nearly two years later, Langworthy has never forgotten it.
“We hugged each other and I said, ‘You were there for (all of them),'” he recalled Tuesday night before practice. “He gave me his blessing. … That’s just who he is. He’s a connector, a builder. He does things without asking for anything in return.”
By all accounts, Jolly has been Langworthy’s right-hand man for the past 19 seasons, 17 of which have seen him help orchestrate and build the program.
“As you get older, you appreciate the longevity,” Langworthy said. “We’re fielding teams that are competitive every year, we’re fielding teams that can win championships every year, but we’re also teaching character, teaching being a good teammate and teaching the fundamentals.”
“Winning is important, but winning isn’t the only thing that matters.”
Jolie epitomizes that.
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Jolly grew up in Bennington, Vermont, and was a two-year varsity player on the Mount Anthony Union High School football team. During his senior season, Jolly’s team went undefeated all the way to the state Class A championship. He was named the All-State Defensive Back.
So when I found out the 1994 team would be honored at Mount Anthony Union’s season opener earlier this month, I knew there was no way I was going to miss it, even if it was just a very short trip.
“They were celebrating the 30th anniversary of their state championship,” he said. “I literally finished practice (at Jamestown), came home, packed my bags and drove six and a half hours to Vermont. I stopped off at my mom’s house for a bit and then drove to the (football) field.”
When she got there, Jolie realized she’d never paid to attend a high school game before: Should she wait in line to buy a ticket, or would she end up being late for the festivities?
As luck would have it, the school’s athletic director and some of his former teammates from 30 years ago were standing nearby.
Problem solved.
“It was such a joy to be back on the field under the Friday night lights, reminiscing and playing with some special players,” Jolly said. “It was awesome.”
After the game, alumni of the football team went to what Jolly described as a “small get-together.”
“I arrived at my mother’s house at 2:57 a.m. and left at 5 a.m.,” he said.
Jolly had no time to sleep because the Red and Green were playing preseason scrimmages in Clarence, a suburb of Buffalo.
“I think we got there at 10:15am and left at 10:20am,” he said with a smile. “It was a 14-hour drive. It was a long journey.”
But every minute was worth it.
“First of all, our (scrimmage) schedule was on a Saturday, so I had the opportunity to go. It was an opportunity to carve out time. One of my (favorite) quotes is, ‘Live, don’t exist.’ I had the opportunity, so I had to grab it.”
Not surprisingly, he plans to take that message back to his team in Jamestown.
“I probably won’t remember the score,” Jolly said, “but it’s all the little things that happened in the locker room, on the bus, during the game that nobody saw from the stands. Those were the things (me and my high school teammates) laughed about. It was a really cool experience.”
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Jolie is no stranger to road trips, most of which he does with his family, including his wife, Sara, and teenage children, Cole and Peyton.
But what Jolly experienced the week before football practice began in August was a bit unique, to say the least.
We’ll let Langworthy explain.
“Family always comes first,” Langworthy said. “For our family, having Cole attend (Arizona State) was a big, life-changing event, a big milestone moment. Richie told me about a month beforehand that he might not be able to go to the first day of practice because they had to move Cole. Of course, I understood.”
But Jolly changed his “game plan” because of his commitment to the Red and Green program, where his father-in-law, Joe DeMaio, was an assistant coach for 32 years.
A week before the start of preseason practice, Jolly told Langworthy he’d booked a connecting flight from Arizona to Cleveland on Sunday. He’d arrive in Cleveland at 7 a.m. Monday, hop in a car at the airport, drive 2 1/2 hours to Jamestown, and park in the parking lot at Strider Field before Jamestown’s first practice was halfway through.
“I think it shows commitment and imagine the message it sends to the players,” Langworthy said. “He was half way across the country 12 hours ago and here he is, so I don’t think anybody’s going to be late to practice.”
Jolie added, “I think it’s important for our kids to see that. If we have to cut practice short or if Coach Langworthy has to go to his son’s game or if I have to go to my daughter’s volleyball game, we make sure we let our kids know that it’s a family obligation.”
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When asked why he goes to the literal extra mile to join the Red and Green program, Jolly admitted he was just following the instructions of his high school coach.
“I lived with my grandparents,” he said, “and my dad wasn’t really involved in my sports, so my coaches played a big role — picking me up, taking me to places, spending time with me. I think that’s a way of giving back, because a lot of our players don’t have that experience.”
Langworthy said, “Richie is one of those coaches who just goes out of his way for the kids, whether it’s driving them around or giving them encouragement during the day. He doesn’t just coach during the season, he coaches year-round and is a great mentor to the kids. Anytime you put the time into something, it’s always worth it. He’s been doing this for 20 years. He’s helped a lot of kids and done a lot for a lot of kids. It goes way beyond football.”