Freeport high school and Clarion State College graduate Guy Conti passes away yesterday (Tuesday, October 13) at the age of 84 in Florida. Conti is remembered by many as a beloved coach, but also one of the key reasons baseball great Pedro Martinez had a chance to become a Baseball Hall of Famer.
After graduating from Freeport as a multi-sport athlete, Conti attended Clarion State College (now Clarion University) and early in his career there, he was offered a contract by the Houston Colt 45’s. An injury would derail his professional career as a player, so he returned to Clarion and completed his education. He was now ineligible to play sports there because of his professional signing, but transitioned into coaching. After graduation, he began teaching and coaching for Albion High School (now Northwestern) south of Erie. He left Albion for Edinboro to coach baseball, and where he also became an assistant football coach, and eventually the head basketball coach. Conti went on to win 140 games as at the roundball coach for the Fighting Scots, and was eventually inducted into their Athletics Hall of Fame (1997).
In the 1980’s, Conti began part-time work in Major League Baseball and eventually was hired as a full-time scout by the Los Angeles Dodgers. When the Dodgers sent him to the Dominican Republic to scout a group of youth, he spotted Pedro Martinez for the first time. He recognized he talent the young Martinez had, and worked with him on mastering a “change-up” pitch. The two became close and Conti even had his wife Janet educate Pedro on English skills.
Eventually, Conti worked his way into an MLB coaching role, becoming the bullpen coach for the New York Mets when former Yankees great Willie Randolph was their manager.
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