University of Connecticut Athletics
Mark Sinatro: A Family Tradition of Supporting the Huskies
7/3/2014 12:00:00 AM | UConn Club
July 3, 2014
It's been said that when a member of the Sinatro family gets cut, they bleed Husky blue.
Growing up in West Hartford, Mark Sinatro's `88 passion for UConn was instilled from a young age. The youngest of six children to alums Pat Sinatro `51 and Josephine Sinatro '50 '55, Mark grew up surrounded by a family who bleeds blue. Mark and all five of his older siblings followed in their parents' footsteps earning degrees at UConn: (Tish Ehnot `81, My Morse '80, Margaret Haeflich '82, Trey Sinatro `84, and Steve Sinatro `86)
For Mark, some of his fondest childhood memories took place on the Storrs campus--from visiting his brothers and sisters on the weekends, to watching football games on the hill outside Memorial Stadium, to having dinner at Kathy-John's before getting ice cream at the Dairy Bar. The University of Connecticut has always played a big part in his life.
"So many great moments and memories have happened to my family thanks to the University of Connecticut," Mark said. "My parents met there back in the early 1950's. Since then, the family tradition of going to school at UConn has been passed along to me, my brothers and sisters and now many of my nieces and nephews are going to school here as well, which is really incredible."
The Sinatro family has a storied history with UConn Athletics. While attending school in the early 1950s, Mark's father was a letter winner on the varsity tennis team. Mark's older sisters continued the tradition by earning a varsity letter playing tennis.
When Mark arrived on campus as a freshman in the fall of 1984, he wanted to follow in his family's legacy of wearing the Husky uniform. For him, the challenge would be deciding which sport he wanted to pursue. Growing up he played football, basketball, baseball and tennis. That fall, Mark decided to focus his energy on playing tennis. Over the course of his career, Mark was a four year letter winner for the Huskies. As a senior, he was voted captain of the squad and his play earned him a place on the All New England team.
"My first day of tennis practice was so intense from a conditioning standpoint, I thought I was competing for a spot on the cross country team," recalls Mark. "I'm glad I stuck with it because being a student-athlete at UConn was an amazing an experience. I had the opportunity to travel across the east coast, compete for conference championships and I learned many valuable life lessons that are still with me today."
During his freshman season on the tennis team, Mark posted an impressive undefeated record heading into the Big East Championships, earning himself a spot in the starting lineup over a senior on the squad.
"The older guys on the team were not thrilled I took a spot in the starting lineup [as a freshman], but Coach Kirtland told them my record proved I deserved to be on the roster" Mark said. "That moment really taught me a lot. I learned that if you work hard, have a good attitude and produce, you will be rewarded. Years later, this lesson has continued to help me both professionally and personally."
In 2002, Mark was honored to be selected as a recipient of the Hartford Business Journal's 40 Under Forty Award. Each year, this award is presented to recognize outstanding young professionals in the Greater Hartford area that are excelling in their industries. Award recipients are driven by success, motivated by challenges and serve as role models for their peers. For Mark, these traits were instilled in him throughout his career on the tennis team at UConn.
"Being a student-athlete at UConn taught me a lot about the drive and determination it takes to be successful in life. I learned a great deal about integrity, teamwork and battling through adversity. By playing sports, I learned valuable skills that help make the world a better place."
In addition to learning valuable life lessons, Mark also had the opportunity to build relationships with his teammates, coaches and fellow student-athletes that have stood the test of time.
Director of Tennis Glenn Marshall has known Mark since before they were teammates at UConn. Growing up, the two were Connecticut high school tennis standouts that often found themselves matched against each other.
"Mark and I go way back, probably to when we were either 13 or 14 years old," said Marshall. "He was a really good tennis player. He was a grinder who wouldn't give up. It's been three decades, but we still remain very close friends. In fact, he and I got together a few weeks ago to play tennis."
UConn Head Men's Track and Field Coach Greg Roy first met Mark when they were enrolled in the same real estate course together 25 years ago. Through the years, they have continued to remain close. To this day, Mark still remains the same person that he has always been.
"Mark has always been positive, outgoing and energetic. To this day, those characteristics about him still hold true." said Roy. "Mark is continually looking to give back to UConn to make this place the best that it can be. I always look forward to seeing him throughout the year at various events."
Upon graduating from UConn in 1988 with his degree in communication sciences, Mark began working for the school that had given so much to him and his family. That summer, he accepted a graduate assistantship with the UConn Athletic Development Office working for the legendary Dee Rowe.
Working in the Athletic Development Office, was an incredible experience for the new graduate.
"I learned so much from working with Dee Rowe," Mark said. "The way he dealt with people and the passion he has for the school and its athletic programs is unbelievable. It seemed like every day I would receive a phone call from icons of the industry like Bob Knight and Lou Holtz. They all had an enormous amount of respect for Dee. I feel very lucky I had the chance to work with and learn so many valuable life lessons from him."
After a year, Mark decided it was the right time to join his family's insurance business, Sinatro Agency One LLC. Today, Mark is a co-owner of his family's agency.
Through the years, his passion and support for UConn has remained steadfast. Mark attributes his commitment to UConn to his parents, who from an early age instilled a philanthropic ideal to him and his siblings of giving back. His parents' goal was to provide UConn Athletics with the revenue to attract the best students-athletes and to provide them with the best experience possible. His father was actively involved with The UConn Club for many years and played a large role in the construction of Gampel Pavilion in the late '80s.
"A donation to UConn is an investment in the community. There are so many great things happening here that should inspire people to jump on board to support it," Mark said. "UConn is the gem of the state and serves as an economic engine. It is vital that we help it grow."
Mark remains committed to investing his time and resources to UConn. Currently he is a member of the Board of Directors for the UConn Foundation along with The UConn Club, where he serves as the chairman of the Annual Awards Dinner.
"All of Mark's contributions, both financially and with his time, to UConn are invaluable," said Roy. "As a coach, I am always looking to have a positive impact on the lives of young people and I believe the same holds true for Mark and his family. Their generosity has definitely impacted the lives of many of our student-athletes. I am very thankful for everything they have done. "
Created in 1988, the Sinatro Family Scholarship is awarded annually to a member of the UConn tennis team. To date, the scholarship has been awarded to 25 members of the UConn tennis family. By endowing a scholarship to support a student-athlete's education, Mark and the rest of the Sinatro family believe they are making an investment in a future leader in the community.
"The NCAA has a great commercial where they talk about student-athletes going pro in something other than sports," Mark said. "I firmly believe our next generation of leaders will be athletes. Anybody who plays sports at UConn is instilled with the traits to be successful in life. Being a former student-athlete, I believe it is my obligation to give back to help pave the way for our future leaders."
"When I first became the head coach here 22 years ago, we were a small, regional, east coast team. Back then, fundraising and endowed scholarship accounts were a game changer, and quite honestly they still are today," said Marshall. "Thanks to the Sinatro Family Scholarship and their other contributions to the tennis program, we have been able to thrive and go places we could never go before. We can travel to better tournaments, compete against a higher caliber of competition and recruit at a different level now. In large part this is thanks to the generosity of Mark and the Sinatro family. Their contributions to the tennis program are immeasurable and I can't thank them enough for everything they have done. "
The generosity of Mark and the Sinatro Family has had a huge impact on the life of Abby McKeon `13. Currently working for the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, McKeon was a member of the UConn tennis team from 2009-2013. One afternoon before the start of her sophomore season, she had a meeting with Coach Marshall that would change her life. During their meeting, he shared the news that she had been selected to receive the Sinatro Family Scholarship. For Abby, the fact that the scholarship came from a family who shares her love for UConn and the tennis program made the news even more special.
"The Sinatro Family Scholarship played a huge part in my life and I can't thank them enough for the opportunities they provided me," McKeon said. "The education I received and the experiences I had as a student-athlete at UConn mean the world to me. One day, I hope I am in the position to provide future generations of UConn student-athletes with the same type of opportunity that was given to me by the Sinatro family."
In addition to his contributions to UConn, Mark is a trustee for the Foundation for the Advancement of Catholic Schools and a board member for the Justice Education Center. He played a pivotal role in creating a national connection between UNICO, the largest Italian American service organization in the country, and Jim Valvano's V Foundation, which has helped raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for cancer research.
While this type of hands on involvement in the community and with the University keeps him busy, Mark wouldn't have it any other way. To him, making a difference in the lives of others makes this all worthwhile.
"This is a lifestyle choice," he said. "At the end of the day, I believe the most important legacy a person can leave behind is to make the world a better place for those who follow in our footsteps."
