Charlie Jr's Lacrosse Bio
Charlie was born in Pittsburgh, PA on February 5, 1924. He attended New Trier High School in Chicago, IL, where he was an outstanding football player.
Severn School
In 1941-42, as further preparation for his admission into the Navy Academy, he attended the Severn School (U.S.N.A. Prep School) in Severna Park just outside of Annapolis, MD, the home of the Naval Academy. In the spring of 1942, after co-captaining the football team in the fall and wrestling in the winter, Charlie first experienced lacrosse:
I had never seen the sport before, but I was looking for a less boring way to run in order to stay in shape for my upcoming plebe (freshman) football year at the Naval Academy. When I saw that I could run, play a competitive sport, AND hit people with a stick, I decided to give lacrosse a try. (As told to his son, Charlie lll)
Severn introduced me to a sport I had never heard of, coming from the outskirts of Chicago, a sport I am still playing. [Coaches] Paul Kesmodel and Parker Lindsay must have done a pretty good job presenting it to our group of neophytes, since some of the other [Severn] boys (All Americans) had also never seen a lacrosse game. I guess it proves that Severn’s lacrosse coaches before and after WWII were probably excellent coaches because they took untrained players and did a pretty good job, as indicated by subsequent results.
The Bridge, Severn School, Spring 1997, p 5.
In this first year of lacrosse, he did, however, make the All-Maryland School Lacrosse Team.
The US Naval Academy
During World War II, the usual four year educational program at the Naval Academy was compressed into three years in order to accelerate the Midshipmen’s availability to serve in the war. In addition to playing lacrosse, Charlie, during his three years at the Naval Academy was a standout football player as an offensive end and also competed on the wrestling team.
It was lacrosse for which Charlie would demonstrate a deep passion and an exceptional ability. In his plebe lacrosse year, Charlie played 1st team defense on Navy’s 1943 National Championship Team. His next year, he was then chosen as a member of the 1944 All American 2nd Team .
Charlie, as captain of Navy’s 1945 National Championship Team, was named 1st Team All American and was also the first ever Navy lacrosse player awarded the William C. Schmeisser Award as the nation’s most outstanding defenseman in men's college lacrosse. He was also awarded Navy’s Stuart Oxnard Miller Memorial Lacrosse Cup as the team's most valuable player.
Deployed To The Pacific
Upon graduation from the Naval Academy, Charlie, for his Naval duty service was deployed to the Pacific (Honolulu, Guam, & Kwajalein) where he served as a Naval Officer on Landing Ship Medium and Landing Ship Medium (Rocket) watercrafts. He was also one of the very first Naval Academy graduates to ever serve in the Navy’s Underwater Demolition Team (UDT was the precursor to the Navy SEALS.) While serving his country, he also found time to play semi-pro football in the Pacific Coast League for the San Diego Bombers, Seattle Sea Hawks, and the Hawaiian Warriors.
Coaching
Bullis School, Annapolis, MD 1947
In 1947 upon returning from his World War II deployment in the Pacific Theater, Charlie was offered not only a contract to play football for the Baltimore Colts and but also a coaching job at Duke University to the coach lacrosse, freshman football, and wrestling teams. He returned instead to the Annapolis, MD area to coach football and wrestling while teaching geometry, algebra, and mechanical drawing at the Bullis School.
University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 1948-1950
Wishing to again become more involved with lacrosse as Bullis lacked such a program, Charlie became the University of Virginia’s first paid lacrosse coach. Although UVA had fielded teams since 1925, they had never experienced a winning season and produced few nationally recognized players. Many longtime and current UVA lacrosse supporters believe that Charlie’s 1949 and 1950 teams represent the Dawning of UVA Lacrosse.
In addition to his efforts in coaching lacrosse, Charlie also served as the UVA assistant freshman football coach and the head freshman wrestling coach. In 1950, both teams were undefeated -- football for the first time in two decades. His commitment to UVA sports caused the sports editor in The Cavalier Daily on March 23, 1950, to lament Charlie’s departure to become the head football coach at Johns Hopkins:
Johns Hopkins is indeed fortunate to have obtained Charlie Guy. He is extremely capable and vigorous, and is perhaps the best man on the UVA payroll.
Post War
Facing the post World War ll financial challenges of raising a young family (children: Charlie lll and Kathy), Charlie in 1951 was forced to leave his passion of coaching young men and begin to earn a living using his salesmanship skills discovered and honed by selling Encyclopedia Britannica’s door-to-door in the summers while coaching at UVA. After spending several years in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, in a sales position, Charlie then moved in 1955 to Tampa, FL, to become a sales manager for a local industrial service firm, Tampa Armature Works.
During his initial years in Florida, Charlie still maintained his sports passions through his part time weekend work as one of the country’s first football scouts starting with his initial client, the University of Miami. These efforts led him to coaching one last time when in 1959 he joined Tom Nugent, head coach at the University of Maryland, as head scout and head freshman coach.
Once again family financial pressures resulted in Charlie finally giving up his dreams of coaching. In 1960, he started his life insurance career. He quickly obtained his Charter Life Underwriter (CLU) designation and specialized in business and estate planning services. Although Tampa based, his practice was national in scope and included some the nation’s most successful individuals such as George Steinbrenner, Jeno Paulucci (Chung King and Jeno’s Pizza Rolls), Coca Cola heirs, and Peter Firestone. In 1969, he was one of the country’s leading producers having placed the world’s largest single life insurance policy on the life of a successful New York City business owner.
Entrepreneurship
In 1970, Charlie and two very close friends, Jack Murray and Trevor Smith, started Plan Services, Inc. This Tampa, FL based company was the first in the state of Florida to provide small employers (3-9 employees) with guaranteed issue/no heath questions asked group health insurance. This company was later purchased by Dun & Bradstreet in 1978 where Charlie served as Chairman of Dun & Bradstreet Plan Services.
Retirement (Charlie's version)
His retirement in 1986 from Dun & Bradstreet Plan Services allowed him to then concentrate all of his entrepreneurial efforts in developing his own venture capital firm, Guy Corporate Partners Group. His investment efforts resulted in 6 companies sold to public companies, 3 IPO’s, 1 private sale, 3 failures, and 3,000+ new jobs created. He would often remark: My favorite way of keeping score in business is by the number of new jobs created.
A Competitive Club Player
His successes in his prior businesses and during his retirement also allowed him to devote again the time and financial resources to his passion, lacrosse:
In his Youth: Mount Washington Lacrosse Club, Baltimore, MD, 1947-1948
In Senior Tournament Play: At age 69, he returned to active competitive lacrosse as the sport's oldest ever player.
- Severn School Odd Even: 1994
- Navy Old Goats, Vail, CO : 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998, & 1999*
- Tampa Bay Thunder LAX Club : 1995 & 1996
- US Naval Academy Odd vs. Even : 1996, 1997, & 1998
- Grand Master LAX Game: Baltimore, MD : 1998
*In Charlie’s last game at age 75, he was assessed a 1 minute penalty for unnecessary roughness!
Youth Lacrosse Development
Returning to the passion instilled from his University of Virginia lacrosse coaching days, Charlie used the fruits of his personal financial successes to then support the development of new young lacrosse players.
South Tampa Sticks Youth Lacrosse (STS) [1]
Their Mission is to promote and honor the amateur sport of lacrosse among the youth of Tampa Bay for the purpose of developing a love of the game through positive coaching, community among players, parents, coaches and officials, teaching life lessons beyond the playing field, recognition of all players, and participation regardless of ability, talent, or skill.
STS’s successful middle school programs (boys & girls) have provided the increasing supply of talented lacrosse players who have then helped create a very competitive Tampa high school lacrosse environment with teams at Plant High, Jesuit, Tampa Prep, and soon Robinson High. With a major financial contribution by STS, a new artificial field is now being installed at Plant High for use in 2010 by its football team and in 2011 by STS for their sanctioned lacrosse games.
In addition to developing and managing its youth feeder middle school programs, STS also has developed and manages the first ever varsity lacrosse team at Plant High. Their efforts were well rewarded when in 2006; Plant won the West Florida Lacrosse League Championship and the first ever Club State Championship. Complete STS History. With Charlie’s death in May 2010, his family was empowered to continue his major financial support of STS through The Charlie Guy, Jr. LAX Fund, created by his family. The primary goals of this fund will be:
- Completion of the Anderson LAX Complex expansion plans
- Creation of annual scholarship opportunities for youths from financially challenged families
- Development of additional youth LAX Coaches by:
- Creation of coaching clinics to attract, develop, and retain STS LAX coaches not only to become more knowledgeable in teaching and coaching of LAX skills, but also to be better able to provide the STS student athletes the opportunity for a positive, character-building experience.
- Provide occasional financial support for financially challenged STS LAX coaches.
John Kamen, former Naval Academy LAX player, neighbor, and a board member of STS:
I had over the years known personally of Charlie’s passion for lacrosse, but it was only in 2006 that I realized that no one had ever fully shared with him how Tampa youth lacrosse was beginning to grow very rapidly, but desperately needed some additional financial support. When I explained the situation to him, he requested that I prepare a proposal for his financial support. Upon reviewing our proposal, he responded with a 6 figure commitment to be paid over a multi-year basis that will now be continued by his family through The Charlie Guy, Jr. LAX Fund.
US Naval Academy
During his lifetime, Charlie was a substantial and consistent financial supporter of not only the lacrosse program, but also football and to a lesser degree wrestling. His single largest lifetime contribution was, however, a leadership contribution for the Hall of Players and Coaches wing of the recently completed Bilderback-Moore Navy Lacrosse Hall of Fame. Upon his death in May 2010, Charlie will continue to support the Naval Academy with the largest portion of his substantial estate being directed to their sports programs: lacrosse, football, and wrestling.
University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
Jack Murray, Jr., Charlie’s long time business partner and friend, and Jack Murray, lll, ’85 UVA, through The Jack Murray Family of Tampa, is working in conjunction with The Charlie Guy, Jr. LAX Fund and personal friends, business associates, former UVA players and supporters to honor Charlie, Jr.’s coaching years at UVA by establishing within the University’s Athletic Foundation The Charles Howgate Guy, Jr. Endowed Lacrosse Scholarship.
Charlie's Other Community Interests
College Football
Charlie was very active in the University of Tampa’s football support group: The Sword & Shield Club.
Pro Football
Charlie was the co-chairman of the committee to raise the funds needed for the initial feasibility study that was to later lead to the building of the 1st Tampa Stadium that positioned our community to later attract the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Palma Ceia Presbyterian Church
Charlie was a very active member of the church and attended the men’s prayer group, Followers of the Way, for nearly 20 years. Over the years, he personally recruited many of the current members to this Monday noon gathering.
Homeless Families
Charlie was a very active financial supporter of Metropolitan Ministries who have been helping the Tampa Bay Area for over 35 years by offering the homeless shelters and volunteer work.