June is Meet a Dad month and we are starting it with Fairfield U’s Men’s Head Basketball Coach Chris Casey. He attended grammar school in Queens NY, attended HS in New Fairfield, CT, then attended College at Western CT State University where he played Basketball from ’81-’85 – Received his Master’s Degree from Central CT State
University. This upcoming season will be his 40th year coaching college basketball! Meet Chis Casey….
Where are you originally from and how long have you been in Fairfield?
I was born in Brooklyn NY and raised in Brooklyn and Queens. I have been at Fairfield
University for 6 years. The town of Fairfield is a special place as is Fairfield University.
Everywhere I go people are friendly, helpful and welcoming. So many young families, it’s
energizing to be around!
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Tell us about your Family!
I have been married to my wife, Hope for 26 years. She is from the state of Nevada in the
Southwest. You’ll see her often at our men’s basketball games and other events at Fairfield.
We have 2 daughters. Our oldest, Lauren received her undergraduate and graduate degrees
from Mercyhurst University where she captained the women’s soccer team and played 5
years. Lauren was an all-conference player and played in the 2022 NCAA Tournament. Lauren
is currently working in the Athletic Department at Fairfield University as an Assistant Director.
My youngest daughter Jordan attended Steven’s Institute of Technology where she received
her undergraduate degree and will be finishing her MBA in the fall. Jordan also played for the
Women’s soccer team at Stevens. Jordan will be attending some Business classes at Fairfield
University in the fall to further her business resume.
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One thing people would be surprised to know about you?
-I ran the NYC Marathon and various Iron Man and middle-distance triathlons.
-I also recently took a cooking class while on vacation with my family in New Orleans where
we cooked a Cajun meal and Bannas Foster for dessert!
-My favorite Poem is ‘If’ by Rudyard Kipling
-My favorite quote is ‘The Man in the Arena’ by Theodore Roosevelt
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One thing you wish someone would have told you about fatherhood?
To just handle 1 day at a time. Most of what you worry about never happens anyway.
What’s your favorite thing about raising a family in Fairfield?
I live in Milford but our family spends a lot of time in Fairfield with our work at the University
and the many community events happening around town. We always enjoy the variety of food
in the many restaurants in town. Any one of the beaches are a great day spent. Spending
time downtown is always enjoyable, where we’ve attended various music events.
Best dad hack that makes your life easier?
Don’t sweat the small stuff.
Tell us about your job, when & why you decided to start in this field?
I started coaching in 1986 as a graduate assistant at Central CT State University. My
undergraduate degree was in Business Management with concentrations in Computer Science
and Marketing. I had an internship during the spring of my senior year in a business
environment and really didn’t like the idea of an office setting every day. I always loved the
game of basketball and had done some coaching in the summers with my old High School.
After a long talk with my father, I decided to put all my energies into pursuing a coaching
career.
What do you love about your job? Challenges you face?
I love the competition, the teaching on and off the court, and working with young men and
watching them grow as players and people. I enjoy being a small part of all their successes
on and off the court. I also enjoy the recruiting, evaluating potential players for our program.
A lot goes into that and it’s not only about the physical talent of playing basketball but also
the personal make-up of the talent. You win and succeed with good people in any endeavor.
The biggest challenge is to stay as even keel as possible. The nature of the profession
produces a lot of ups and downs. Things can change quickly in both directions. It’s
important to have the same consistent approach each day no matter what the day brings.
If you weren’t working in this industry, what do you think you would be doing today?
I need competition and challenge so I would possibly be in the Finance industry or some type
of law enforcement. Maybe even would of had a military career.
Best advice for dads who experience the inevitable guilt handling a career and
helping support a family?
That is aways difficult, as you often feel the pull of many directions. I think having patience at
home would be my advice. Most of the tension in that area will come at home, especially
when raising young children. Always try to remember the “big picture” makes it all worth it.
Patience and understanding from Dad keeps families strong and together.
Who has most influenced you to be the father that you are today?
My own father. We lost him in 2017, and I miss him just about every day. For the most part I
believe you are a product of your environment, and he provided so many lessons for me. He
guided but also let me succeed and fail on my own, knowing it would teach strength and
perseverance. And no matter what he was there for me. I also watched him work hard and
place his family first.
What advice would you share with a new dad or other dads?
Enjoy every minute as much as possible because it goes fast. My daughters are grown and
pretty much on their own at this point and it feels like they were born just yesterday.
We love supporting local businesses – favorite places in Fairfield to…
Have Dinner with Family:
Sophies for dinner
Chips for Breakfast
Grab a Drink with Friends:
The Sinclair
Have a Date Night:
The Warehouse at FTC
Spend time together as a Family:
Colony Pizza
Outside Activities:
Attending Fairfield University athletics events.
For you Young Families – Join the Lil’ Stags – Great membership perks for your kids at
Fairfield University Athletic Events – Contact Sarah Ratchford at [email protected]
Grab coffee:
Circle Diner
