Bud Knittel, 80, Cubs draft pick became high school coach
October 26, 2023
Henry Thomas Knittel Jr. of the Tradition Club, a former educator and coach, died Oct. 14 after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease. He was 80.
Known as Bud, he was born March 4, 1943, in Astoria, Queens, N.Y., the oldest child of Victoria and Henry Knittel, who was also known as Bud. He grew up in Franklin Square, Long Island.
Young Bud was an extraordinary athlete and a fierce competitor, and he earned a basketball scholarship to St. John’s Prep. He was named to the 1961 All-New-York-City Basketball Team and accepted a basketball scholarship at Holy Cross, where he also played baseball. While at Holy Cross, he pitched in the famed summer Cape Cod Baseball League, and was reputed to have pitched balls at 95 mph.
He earned a bachelor’s degree in English from Holy Cross and was drafted by the Chicago Cubs, where he pitched in the minor leagues for one year.
When his oldest child was born, he left the Cubs to start a long career that included his love for sports, coaching, teaching and counseling.
Mr. Knittel took a job as English teacher and basketball coach at LaSalle Military Academy on Long Island. He and his first wife, Janice, then moved to Fairfield, Conn., where they raised their four children.
Mr. Knittel worked as a guidance counselor and basketball coach at Bassick High School in Bridgeport, Conn., and led his team to win the MBIAC Basketball Championship in 1976. He then became a guidance counselor and basketball coach at Andrew Warde / Fairfield Warde High School in Fairfield, Conn., where he finished out his career.
Mr. Knittel was a thoughtful and empathetic counselor to generations of Warde students and was passionate about helping them find their best fit in college and in life.
Over the course of his career, he also earned master’s degrees in English, counseling and special education.
Mr. Knittel was a scratch golfer for much of his adult life and a two-time club champion at H. Smith Richardson Golf Course in Fairfield.
He and Kathy Kenny were married in 1996. They retired to Pawleys Island in 2004 and Mr. Knittel got his long-awaited golden retriever, Harvey. They had many long, happy walks together.
Some of his other joys included lingering over long meals with family and friends, lasagna (he made it every week), red wine, chocolate, a good cup of coffee, reading every newspaper he could find, watching golf on television, buying golf clubs on eBay and quoting passages from Shakespeare.
A life-long Catholic, he found meaning and comfort in his faith.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by his sister, Jackie (Chuck); his brother, Richard; his children Christie (Charles), Robin (Howard), Marcelle and Gary; his grandchildren, Jack (Ivy), Matthew, Kate, Max, Tucker and Isabella; and his nieces, Kim, Kristen, Casey and Katie.
A funeral mass will be held Nov. 11 at 11 a.m. at Precious Blood of Christ Catholic Church.
Memorials may be made to the Parkinson’s Foundation or to Precious Blood of Christ Catholic Church.
