Lahiff's departure bemoaned
Mike Lahiff hadn't even tweaked his resume since he landed the Stoneham High athletic director's job in 1994, returning to the school where he'd started his career as a teacher and coach two decades earlier. But after Stoneham officials announced that a failed property tax increase might force them to cut sports and eliminate his position, Lahiff began looking elsewhere this spring.
"I just had to do what I felt was right for my family," said Lahiff, who has two daughters in college, and another daughter and a son in the tuition pipeline. So he interviewed for a job at Middlesex League-rival Watertown, accepting the position in late May.
Last week, voters in Stoneham rejected by a vote of 2,936 to 2,699 a $3 million override of the property tax-limiting law Proposition 2 1/2 , and the School Committee proceeded with the plan to slash high school sports.
Officials and parents are scrambling to find ways to restore lost programming before school starts in September. But even if they succeed, they'll be without Lahiff, a popular administrator whose departure stunned the school community.
"It was like somebody kicked me in the stomach," said Sharon Chapman , who teaches health and coaches varsity girls' soccer at Stoneham High. Lahiff was her boss on both fronts, as he served as director of athletics, health, and physical education for the K-12 district. In Watertown, where he started work this week, he'll focus strictly on high school athletics, like most area athletic directors .
Chapman described Lahiff as a passionate educator and evenhanded administrator whose critiques made her a better teacher and coach. Despite his long hours and multiple roles, he was always ready to lend a hand, give advice or defuse a tricky situation, she said .
"He's a great listener, and he's a great role model. Whenever you needed Mike, he would be there."
Assistant principal Ed Russo, Chapman's husband, said Lahiff got along well with students, teachers, and parents. He also remained perpetually upbeat and worked to provide a well-rounded education in Stoneham even after his staff was roughly halved during his tenure, because of a series of budget cuts.
"Mike did it all," said Russo, a longtime friend. "He put his whole heart and soul into everything that he did in Stoneham."
Lahiff, 50 , grew up in Somerville, the oldest of 10 children in a working-class family. He learned early the positive role sports can play for children of all backgrounds; today he adamantly opposes athletic user fees, which he sees as a barrier to participation. (Stoneham, like most schools, already relied on $250-a-sport fees to defray the cost of its athletic program; Watertown does not charge user fees.)
Standing a lanky 6 feet 4 inches, Lahiff played center for the boys' basketball team at Matignon High , a school he chose in part because it was the alma mater of two influential Somerville educators, coaches, and recreation organizers, Fran Connolly and Dave Powell . By the time he was a junior, Lahiff knew he wanted to be a teacher and coach. He went to Springfield College, where he majored in physical education, with a minor in health education and a concentration in coaching; he also played enough college basketball to advise his similarly sized younger brothers to switch to guard or forward.
Lahiff arrived in Stoneham in 1979 as a health educator and multisport freshman and junior-varsity coach. He later took over the varsity basketball program at Matignon, where he coached his youngest brothers and won a state title in 1989 . That same year, he left Stoneham for Somerville, to gain administrative experience in his home city. He returned to Stoneham when the director's job opened five years later.
Though demanding, his job has been consistently rewarding, Lahiff said. "I've enjoyed coming to work every single day. I love my job, I love people, I love kids."
Lahiff, who attained two master's degrees, often could be found on the sidelines or in the stands at Stoneham games, freshman through varsity. He emphasized participation, pride, and community; his legacy includes starting the school's Hall of Fame and creating all-sports banquets for each season, to bring students together for a night of recognition.
"He really cares about his athletes and his teams," said Meghan Flynn , a three-sport athlete who graduated this year and plans to study athletic training and hopes to play volleyball at the University of New England this fall. Flynn read a speech in honor of Lahiff at the last all-sports banquet.
"Whether it was scheduling out-of-league volleyball games, making sure our late track bus was actually coming, or simply showing up to watch, Mr. Lahiff has always been behind us 100 percent," Flynn said that night, when past and present coaches, athletes, and boosters recognized Lahiff's contributions.
Even as he learns his role as the successor to the retiring Elaine Paradis in Watertown, Lahiff remains engaged in Stoneham, where he wants to help the community restore athletics.
"I hope that everybody will step up to the plate and not deny kids an opportunity that every kid in Stoneham has had in the past," said Lahiff, who lives in neighboring Melrose with his wife, Ann, and four children. Though he wishes the circumstances in Stoneham were different, he said he feels nothing but fondness for the students, coaches, and parents he worked with, as well as appreciation for their devotion.
"I don't want people to think I'm going out negatively. All I have is positive memories about Stoneham and the Stoneham public schools."
Eric Moskowitz can be reached at emoskowitz@globe.com. 
