An Unwavering Loyalty
By Max smith
John van Kleek’s living room is a shrine to Marist Athletics. The walls are laden with team portraits of the baseball team. A framed jersey from the 2017 MAAC Championship team with signatures from every player is proudly displayed alongside the MAAC Championship ring the 2017 team gifted him, which will always hold a special place in his heart.
For more than 30 years, van Kleek, affectionately nicknamed “Kleek,” has been a die hard supporter of Marist Athletics.
Kleek works at the Hyde Park Stop & Shop six days a week, collecting carts in the parking lot from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. When student-athletes or coaches see him at Stop & Shop, they’re never hesitant to offer him rides home. That’s the type of lasting impact he’s had on Marist over the last three decades.
Pre-COVID, if Kleek was unable to hitch a ride to Marist for a sporting event after work, he would often make the three mile trek from Stop & Shop to campus on foot.
He hasn’t taken any time off from work during the pandemic. “I have people depending on me,” Kleek says. When asked where he spends his vacation time, he spouts “Marist College” without a second thought.
The pandemic hasn’t been an easy time for Kleek. He hasn’t been able to support his beloved Red Foxes in person for over a year. While he may have been physically distant from Marist for the past twelve months, Kleek has made sure to keep his relationships intact. Kleek calls various coaches every day, talking them up about their team’s outlook for the upcoming season, along with more personal matters.
He stays up-to-date with all-things Marist, watching games online when he can and always keeping up in the newspapers. However, it’s not the same as being there in person. “It’s not easy,” Kleek shares. “I miss being around Marist.”
Kleek has formed some of his closest relationships within Marist’s Baseball program. A lifelong Yankees fan, Kleek has always had an affinity for baseball. When he occasionally takes a vacation to a place not named Marist College, he’ll visit his father in Florida to watch the Yankees Spring Training in Tampa.
Head baseball coach Chris Tracz will never forget the first time he met Kleek. It came in the early 2000s, when Tracz was a player at Marist. “There was a guy outside of our dugout screaming and yelling for 16 innings on a Saturday,” Tracz recalls. “He’s been there every off day from work and any home game he could get to for the last 20 years.”
Tracz says, “He's a bombastic personality but underneath it, he really just loves our guys.”
Those involved with Marist Athletics value Kleek’s unwavering support. In 2017, when the baseball team took home the MAAC Championship, Kleek was awarded an honorary ring from Tracz. “It was just a kind of a ‘thank you’ for always being there for us,” Tracz says.
“I didn’t know anything about it — I cried,” Kleek admits.
Illustration by Madeline Pastan
This season, Kleek has high hopes for the team. “I think they’re going to win the MAAC,” he says confidently. Like any loyal fan, Kleek has these expectations every year. “He wants us to go undefeated and win a national championship every year,” Tracz says.
Kleek also has a strong relationship with Men’s Lacrosse coach, Keegan Wilkinson. The pair first met in 2008 when Wilkinson was hired as an assistant coach for the team. The two would often watch Marist Basketball games at McCann together, with Wilkinson treating Kleek to a soda and hot dog. From there, their relationship has continued to grow. “He's the one consistent guy over my entire 13 years here that he's always been there,” Wilkinson shares.
When asked about Kleek’s best quality, both coaches responded without hesitation: “Loyalty.”
Wilkinson and Kleek talk every day, often repeating similar conversations over and over. “It's literally almost like ‘Groundhog Day,’” Wilkinson says, “It's the same conversation every time.”
Kleek asks about three topics like clockwork: Wilkinson’s wife and kids, the next time they’re going out to lunch, and the wellbeing of former assistant coaches. Kleek will also let the coaches know if he ever spots any of their athletes buying alcoholic beverages at Stop & Shop, which always gives them a good laugh. If Wilkinson is busy and doesn’t pick up, Kleek will call him upwards of ten times in order to get him on the phone.
He does the same thing with Tracz every day. “It’s a daily check-in to make sure everything’s good,” Wilkinson says. “We end it with an ‘I love you’ and it’s on to the next day.”
Despite his decade-long relationship with Coach Wilkinson, Kleek has yet to make it to a Men’s Lacrosse game. “It’s a running joke at this point,” Wilkinson says. “We’ve been friends for 13 years and he’s never been to a lacrosse game.” Kleek has since promised to make his long awaited debut in the stands at Tenney Stadium in the near future. “When the fans come back, I’ll go,” he told Wilkinson.
One day, Wilkinson saw Kleek walking down the hill towards Tenney Stadium, just 30 minutes before a critical game against Stony Brook, who was ranked top-10 nationally at the time. He got excited, thinking Kleek would finally get to his first Men’s Lacrosse game. However, just minutes later, Wilkinson saw Kleek walking back up the hill towards Route 9. Wilkinson yelled out saying, “I thought you were coming to the game!” Kleek retorted. “Oh hell no! I only go to baseball games!” To this day, that’s the closest Kleek has gotten to a lacrosse game.
Before COVID-19, coaches from various Marist athletic teams would take Kleek out to dinner at local establishments. Some of his favorites are the Eveready Diner and Giacomo’s. Kleek is anxious for the tradition to return and has already scheduled their next in-person dinner: September 22, 2021.
Wilkinson sees his meals with Kleek as an opportunity to get away from the stress of the season. “You know, it gives us an hour and a half to just unwind,” he admits. “Kleek is a big part of that.”
When Kleek is finally able to return to the Marist campus, he’ll be the first one back at baseball practice. “I’m looking forward to seeing everyone again,” he says. Maybe Kleek will even get to a lacrosse game.
FOR THE RECORD UNCUT
OBJECT PHOTOGRAPHY
Photography by Bobby Oliver
For this year’s project, we asked our Changemakers to bring items that had meaning to them to the shoot.
“The MAAC Championship ring is my most prized possession. It was given to me during half time of a Mens Basketball game at Marist when the Baseball team was presented their championship rings after winning the 2017 MAAC Championship. I had always wanted to get a championship ring so to be surprised by the Marist Baseball team with a ring after years as a loyal and dedicated fan, was one of the greatest days of my life. I wear it to any major occasion in my life and hope to get another soon!
My Marist Baseball hat is an extension of his body at this point haha. I wears this hat every day and it is a way for me to show his support for the athletes and coaches at Marist. I wear it every day to work and I get more comments and have more conversations at work with people about Marist which always puts a smile on my face. This is my favorite hat but always loves when former players or coaches from Marist send me gear when they move on to new jobs or from their professional playing experiences.”