A daughter remembers her father’s legacy

When the Vandebilt Catholic High School Terriers play at home on Friday nights, giving their blood, sweat and tears for the love of the game as their fans cheer them on, it’s done at the center of Buddy Marcello Stadium — named after a coach whose impact reached far beyond the field. 

Lucas Joseph “Buddy” Marcello passed away on Sunday morning at the age of 95, leaving behind a legacy, which is sure to be honored in the many more years to come, and fond memories from everyone he came across. 

“My dad never met a stranger; he treated everybody the same,” remembered Gina Marcello Foret, Buddy’s daughter. “He just loved people.” 

Before he began his remarkable coaching career, the Houma native served his country by enlisting in the Navy in 1943. A member of the 112th Naval Construction Battalion (Seabees), Buddy helped build test fields for the atomic bomb. 

After three years of service, he attended Southwestern University (now the University of Louisiana at Lafayette), where he was a standout athlete, playing quarterback and first base. 

Buddy then carried his knowledge of sports back home and began coaching. 

In 1950, St. Francis de Sales High School, now Vandebilt Catholic, became his first stop. There, he not only built the football and baseball programs but also led them to tremendous successes. After having positive seasons but falling short in the playoffs, St. Francis was finally able to win the Class A title 1959, the first football title in Terrebonne Parish history.  

But his accolades at St. Francis don’t stop there. In baseball, Buddy led the Terriers to seven titles in just 11 years. 

After his historic career at St. Francis, Buddy decided to go to another local high school and build up their programs. He joined South Terrebonne High School when the school opened in 1961. During his time there, the Gators won 116 football games and were district champions three times and district runner-up five times, and he also coached the baseball team for 10 years. 

Buddy’s overall record was 205-105-12 in football, making him one of only 54 coaches in Louisiana to win 200 or more high school football games. His accomplishments led him to be named to multiple Hall of Fames in the state, among other well-deserved recognitions. 

The local legend influenced the countless athletes he taught, with many playing on the collegiate level and some even making it to the pros — while others found great victories off the field.

“I was reading a quote from one of his players who said he wasn’t lucky to be coached by my dad — he was blessed to be coached by my dad,” Foret shared. “They respected him so much because he was patient, he was kind. He was such a good coach because he was such a good teacher.” 

Retiring from coaching in 1981, Buddy’s impact on the community didn’t fade as he worked for Terrebonne Parish Recreation until he was 84 years old. 

He eventually moved in with his daughter and her husband, where he lived for ten years, following the passing of his wife of 56 years, Margaret “Irma” Marcello. 

Before his passing, he lived at an assisted living facility. Foret shared how Buddy brought his uplifting spirit to the facility, sharing stories of his time in the war and coaching. “He just kept them going over there,” she continued. “They loved him so much.” 

Foret, a single child, described a father who was kind, funny (jokes became known as “Buddy-isms”), thoughtful, positive, patient and full of love. “I never got a spanking,” she laughed. “He spoiled me.”

She continued: “He was just always there. I could count on him, always.” 

Buddy & Gina

Buddy is survived by Foret and her husband Jimmy; grandchildren, Jaime Lucas Cadle, Sharon Clifton and husband, Danny, and Jane Morella and husband, Murray; great-grand-grandchildren, Micah Joseph and June Elizabeth Clifton and Norah Jane Morella.

He was preceded in death by his wife; parents, Lucas Michael and Archangel Thibodeaux Marcello; and brothers, Ray Salvadore Marcello Sr., and Curtis John Marcello Sr.

Relatives and friends are invited to attend the visitation at Chauvin Funeral Home on Wednesday, Sept. 2, beginning at 6 p.m. until 9 p.m. Mass of Christian burial will be held at St. Francis de Sales Cathedral at 10:30 a.m., with burial following in St. Francis de Sales Cemetery No. 2.