The nickname "Lucky" was given to Stephen Mallonee by his mother when he was born in 1944, and that's exactly how Park School's longtime lacrosse coach is feeling these days.
After 48 years of coaching (he also coached soccer) and teaching at the school he graduated from in 1962, Mallonee will retire at the end of the school year.
"My biggest reward is having the oportunity to be with the kids," he said. "I've had the opportunity to be with a lot of young people for the last 48 years and I might be old in body, but I think I'm young in spirit."
With a 13-11 win over Annapolis Area Christian School in the Maryland Interscholastic Athletic Association B Conference quarterfinals on Friday, Park will play at Archbishop Curley in the tournament semifinals at 4 p.m. Tuesday.
The Mallonee family has been a quality fixture at Park School since the late 1920s. His parents met there as teachers and married in 1932. The entire school was invited to the wedding.
Lucky Mallonee attended Park from kindergarten until graduation, then -- like his father -- attended Johns Hopkins University, where both were All-American lacrosse players.
He returned to Park in 1966, teaching middle school social studies and physical education in addition to coaching.
"I've had the pleasure to deal with some very nice people," Mallonee said. "I think Park School has the right handle on sports. In too many places sports becomes the tail that wags the dog. Here, it's part of the curriculum, a very important part of it, but it's still just part of the curriculum. The pressure is not so much to win, but to put a quality product out on the field and have kids enjoy the experience and learn from it."