In Memory of Stephen Joyce.

Words and photo by F LoBuono

Steve Joyce was a big man. Large in girth and mirth. If you were to call Hollywood's "Central Casting" to send up a typical hard living, hard drinking Irishman, Steve would have showed up. Simply put, he was hard to miss.

I first met Steve as a teammate on the Fort Lee High School football squad. He was a year or two ahead of me and had transferred in from another school. I recognized him as a player right away. Athletic for a big man, he was a force on the field (as he turned out to be in life, too). Unfortunately, he broke his leg early in the season and missed the entire year. It was a great loss for him and the team.

After high school I would see Steve on occasion as he dated my sister for a brief time. But, I eventually lost track of him until one, fateful day. I was driving a taxi trying to pick up some extra cash while at the same time launching a career in broadcasting when I got a call to pick someone up at the Plaza Dinner in Fort Lee. Sure enough, it was my old friend. We exchanged the usual greetings of "what's up" and "what are you doing with your life"? I explained that driving the hack was my way to support my fledgling broadcasting career. He replied, "well, you have a friend in the business. I'm the General Manager of small cable television station in Westchester County and we could use a sportscaster". He continued saying that, in the beginning, he couldn't afford to pay me anything but it would be a CHANCE to apply what I had learned up to that point in a commercial setting.

I jumped at the opportunity and began my career at a station so small that it doesn't even exist any more. I learned to work the camera WHILE I clipped a mic to my lapel and announced the games at the same time! It wasn't easy but I loved it and a learned a ton. But, after a time, it just got too difficult. I had to drive to the playing fields at my own expense. And, when I was doing them, I couldn't work my other job. It was literally costing me money to do them. So, I stopped.

After a few months, an entry level job came open at the station. With my friend Steve as the boss, I felt assured that the position would be mine. I was wrong. The job went to someone who was far more qualified than I was at that time. I was shocked. I shouldn't have been because that's how Steve operated. He was loyal and he was honest - sometimes brutally so. He told me that I hadn't earned it. Yes, I had volunteered to do a handful of games but that wasn't enough. I wasn't going to get by on just my good looks (pun intended). He told me that I would have to earn my way.

AND, still, he gave me another chance.

Steve was that way with his friends; honest and fair. If I met him half-way, he would do the rest. He went on to explain that he just took a job at a new station that was larger than the first. So, he could afford to pay me $25 for each game. At least that would cover my expenses. And, I HEARD him. It was a lesson that, to this day, I have not forgotten.  I would prove that I belonged. So, now, when he said "JUMP" instead of asking "why", I responded with "how high'?

And, it worked.

After a few months, another entry level position came open. I applied again. This time, I was hired. And, I never looked back. It was the humble beginning of a career that is still going after more than thirty years!

None of it would have been possible without Steve Joyce. He saw something in me that few others did and he gave me the chance to express it. In a sense, I owe a large part of my adult life to him. And, that, I will never forget and be forever grateful.

We saw each other on rare occasions after that. He moved on to other positions as did I. We remained friends but time and distance caused us to drift apart. Of course, when we did speak it was always with the idea to "get together real soon". But, as is so often the case, we never did.

I understand that Steve's health faded in recent years. Still, it was hard to believe that such a bear of a man could be just as vulnerable to age and disease as anyone. And, now he is really gone.

It would be impossible to forget Stephen Joyce under ANY circumstance. However, considering how much he affected my life in such a positive way, I owe him a dept of gratitude that can never be fully repaid except to offer  I was proud to call you teammate and friend. God speed. And, THANK YOU.