By RANDY SEAVER | Editor
Marsh Gray was just 13 years old when he lost his mother, Gloria, to cancer.
Gloria Gray was a 1972 Biddeford High School graduate, and according to her son she was “full of Tiger Pride and spirit.
Today, Marsh Gray is the head coach of the BHS boys’ lacrosse team, and on Thursday afternoon – he stood on the high school’s front steps surrounded by his players and all the members of the girls’ lacrosse team.
Everyone was wearing pink shirts. Everyone in that posed photograph is a member of ‘Gloria’s Warriors.”
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Gray’s wife Jen participates in Maine’s annual Tri-for-A-Cure fundraising event to help fund research and cancer treatment. The name of Jen’s team is “Gloria’s Warriors,” in honor of her husband’s mother.
This year, Gray’s players and their female counterparts decided to get in on the action as a way to honor their coach and make a difference in their community.
Collectively, the two teams raised $3,419.45 for a donation to the oncology department at MaineHealth.
“It is an incredible gift,” said Deborah Mayerson, leadership gifts officer for MaineHealth. “What these students have been able to do will be incredibly impactful in our work to help families dealing with this awful disease.”
Mayerson explained that the word Greek word Philanthropy is rooted in the phrase “Love of Mankind.”
According to BHS Athletic Director Dennis Walton, the student athletes used a three-pronged approach in their fundraising efforts.
During a joint game earlier this year, the students did a bake sale and other fundraising activities. They also put emphasis on using online resources such as the Give Butter fundraising platform and Venmo cash transfers.
Gray said he was honored by the commitment shown by his players and the members of the girls’ lacrosse team.
“It means a lot,” he said, pausing and staring across the field where his players were practicing for an upcoming game.
Gray, a 1997 graduate of Thornton Academy, has been coaching for 25 years, including several years at the college level.
In the wake of the COVID pandemic, Gray decided to move back to his hometown and took a job as a teacher and coach at Biddeford High School.
“My mom loved Biddeford,” he explained. “That’s what inspired me to come back and work at the school she loved.
When asked about his team, Gray said he is proud of their enthusiasm and hard work.
But this year’s 27-member lacrosse team is in a building year, with only seven seniors and 12 freshmen.
“Our team is so young that we need car seats and permission slips when we have an away game,” he joked.
“I am a process-focused coach,” he explained.
“We’re drilled down on competing with spirit and improving each day,” he said.
There are three more games left in the season. Regardless of the outcome, Gray said it would be impossible to be any prouder of his players.
“This is a great team,” he said. “They have a lot of heart.”
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