Fitch High School renaming baseball field, gymnasium for Harvey, Ellis

Groton — On Monday, Sept. 23, the Groton Board of Education passed motions to rename both Fitch High School's baseball field and main gymnasium in honor of former baseball coach Ed Harvey and former football coach, Mike Ellis Sr., both of whom left lasting marks on Fitch athletics.Ellis, who will have the gym named after him, began his football career at Fitch as a sophomore in 1961 and started five varsity games that same year. At the end of the season, he was selected as the team captain.After high school, Ellis' jersey was retired at the Fall Sports Academy. From there, he attended Southern Connecticut State University and played football and baseball. He received the award for Excellence in Physical Education.After being hired by East Lyme High School to teach physical education in 1967, Ellis entered the Army in 1968 and served as a leader for a Mobile Advisory Team for Military Advisory Command in the Vietnam War.After his service, he returned to teaching physical education at Fitch and was named chairman of the physical education department in 1982. He coached football for 21 years and served as head coach for 15. Ellis retired in 2003 after a 32-year career at Fitch. He was honored with a lifetime achievement award for football at the Governor's Cup All-Star Game."I am absolutely honored by the gesture," said Ellis, who also served as Fitch's athletic director. "I'm the kind of person that goes along with their career … (the work) is my reward, so to get something on top of that is really special."Still a volunteer assistant football coach — his son, Mike Ellis Jr. is now the head coach — Ellis had advice for the current Fitch football team."I think that the thing that they have to do is that they have to start believing — in themselves, (and then in) their teammates and in their coaches — that they could all come together with the oars rowing in the boat the same way," he said.While Ellis handled football, coach Ed Harvey was a significant fixture in Fitch's baseball program and will have the baseball field named for him.Harvey, a member of the Fitch class of 1969, played football, basketball and baseball. During his time at Fitch, Harvey earned nine varsity letters and became captain of the football team. He played a crucial role in each sport: in football, he was a defensive back, a forward in basketball and an outfielder in baseball.Harvey began coaching Fitch baseball as the head coach in 1979. This started a momentous career, with Fitch winning three state titles, eight Eastern Connecticut Conference titles and more than 400 games under Harvey.With these achievements, Harvey made a name for the Fitch baseball program.He taught his players to play with grit and to let their performance on the field do the talking.Harvey's son is former Major League Baseball player Matt Harvey, who pitched for five teams during his career, most notably with the New York Mets. Harvey coached his son from 2003-07, guiding him to become a better player and prepare for a professional career."(He) was a tough guy (and a) tough coach who believed in his craft and coaching style and wanted things done the right way," Matt Harvey said of his dad. "He wanted tough players. He wanted me to be tough. Being around that from a young age helped develop my style of being a tough professional."Even with the accomplishments and impact Ed Harvey achieved during his time at Fitch, he doesn't think about the legacy he left."All coaches don't think about their legacy. I don't think (about mine). There were a number of my past players that pushed for (the renaming) to happen," Ed Harvey said.Even though he doesn't think about his legacy, he is still very honored by the renaming. Fitch athletic director Marc Romano said there will be separate ceremonies to celebrate the renaming of both the gym and the baseball field."Obviously it's a great honor and I'm humbled by (my former players') success and the backing of the Groton Board of Education and the administrators presently and Fitch. Awesome, to tell you the truth," Harvey said.Applying his experience to the current Fitch baseball team, Harvey offered a piece of advice to the players:"Listen to the coaches you have presently. They have background and experience in the game. Prepare yourself through hard work with individual development in your game and the fundamentals to become confident that you can succeed in any situation. Personal responsibility leads to teams winning games and having the success they all aspire for."Matt, who witnessed his dad's coaching and experienced it firsthand, believes this honor is a "no-brainer.""Having the field named after my father, in my opinion, is beyond deserved," he said. "He loved that team. He loved that field and he was beyond the best thing that program and field ever saw. He's a legend."Overall, both Ellis and Harvey left lasting legacies on Fitch athletics and the renaming of these fields is a token of gratitude for their accomplishments and years of dedication to Fitch, their teams and their sports.Occasionally, The Day will publish sports stories by local high school journalists.Avery Horan is a junior at Fitch High School and is a staff writer for the Falcon Press where her main focus is sports and Fitch news. She also plays softball for the Falcons, is on the school's debate team and plays the violin for the Eastern Connecticut Symphony Youth Orchestra. Camilla DeBell is a junior at Fitch and also a staff writer for the Falcon Press, where she writes about events at school and in the community. DeBell is a part of the Fitch debate team and a team member at Dancers Ink.