A remarkable family tradition in CYO sports continues

By John Shaughnessy

The evening had already been a memorable one for Kevin Kirkhoff.

He had just received the highest honor that the archdiocese’s Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) gives—the St. John Bosco Medal. Still, what happened later on May 13 made the honor even more special to him.

After the CYO’s Volunteer Awards Ceremony at SS. Peter and Paul Cathedral in Indianapolis, Kirkhoff celebrated by having dinner with his daughters Sydney and Aubrey, his four siblings—Jeff, Marni, Mike and Mark—and other family members. And during the celebration, the siblings naturally thought of their parents, Bob and Susie Kirkhoff.

“One of my brothers made the comment that Bob and Susie would be happy tonight,” Kevin recalls. “We talked a lot about their service and how important it was to them. Dad coached CYO for close to 25 years. Mom was very involved in the parish and school [at St. Jude in Indianapolis].

“It was what you did. You get involved and you try to make the parish community a better place to be, and better for the kids.”

The family connection grew in another way that evening as Kevin joined his dad, Marni and Jeff as recipients of the St. John Bosco Medal.

Each earned the honor in their own way, with Kevin leaving his impact on the athletic program at Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ Parish in Indianapolis. For the past 20 years, he has served at different times as a coach, basketball coordinator, gym scheduler and athletic director for the parish.

His 12 years as a coach offer the best insight into the way he has strived to make a difference to children and youths.

“I tried to adopt the CYO model,” he says. “I tried to make it fun for everybody, tried to point out life lessons that the kids could take from sports—you’re not going to win every game, and not every day is going to be your best day, but you still can show good sportsmanship, do your best and work to get better. In this day and age, we sometimes lose sight of the fact that sports are supposed to be fun.”

He also set a personal goal for each season.

“I thought one of the measures of whether or not it was a successful year was when it was time to sign up for that sport the next year. Hopefully, everyone wanted to play again because they enjoyed the previous season.”

One of his favorite memories from coaching is also telling.

“When I coached fourth-grade boys, we had a boy on our team who had Down syndrome. He had more fun than anybody. Often, late in the game, we’d set it up with the opposing coach that if the outcome of the game wasn’t in doubt, we’d get it set up where we made sure he was able to get a shot off. I remember the first time he scored a basket. Both teams erupted. It was a great moment.

“I see him to this day now, and he says, ‘Hi, Coach.’ It summarizes what it’s supposed to be about.”

While continuing to serve as the gym scheduler at Nativity, Kevin has worked the past two years as a staff member of the archdiocese’s CYO, as the boys’ athletic director. A 1986 graduate of Roncalli High School in Indianapolis, he views the CYO as an extension of the Catholic schools’ focus on values and faith.

For him, it’s also an extension of a family tradition. His parents were still on his mind during his celebration of the St. John Bosco Medal with his siblings when he made this comment:

“We saw what they did and how they made a difference, and we followed suit.” †

Related: CYO recognition highlights volunteer efforts of adults and youths