Bernie "Chico" Labute. Photo provided by St. Clair College.Bernie "Chico" Labute. Photo provided by St. Clair College.
Windsor

St. Clair College baseball pioneer Bernie 'Chico' Labute mourned

St. Clair College and the local baseball community are mourning the passing of one of their luminaries.

Bernie "Chico" Labute is being remembered for his wealth of baseball knowledge and his warmth. Labute, a member of the athletic department faculty at St. Clair College, died suddenly late Wednesday night, according to the college. He was 54.

Baseball was a lifelong passion for Labute, having been an accomplished catcher as a young player for youth teams in Tecumseh and east Windsor, before moving on to Canada's Junior National Team. He played collegiate baseball for Western Kentucky University and won additional provincial and national titles with the Windsor Chiefs. He also played baseball in Michigan.

Labute coached for years with the Tecumseh Thunder organization and for St. Clair College as an assistant coach. Longtime head coach Dave Cooper is feeling the loss.

“Chico was a bigger than life baseball character who loved the game and whose life was consumed with it. Local baseball has suffered a big loss,” said Cooper.

Labute was on the minds of those at a media event Friday at the St. Clair College SportsPlex to launch the efforts leading up to the annual Polar Plunge on February 15. College spokesman John Fairley said Labute was a big part of the plunge.

"Chico was someone who did a lot quietly, who served our college quietly, who served our college in many, many ways," said Fairley.

Labute became an administrator with the college's athletic department six years ago, and he was also instrumental in getting the St. Clair Green Giants, the college-owned Summer Collegiate league baseball team, off the ground for its first two seasons. St. Clair President Patti France said it was Labute's compassion and baseball pedigree that prompted the college to promote him to administration.

"What we soon came to appreciate, especially after he became our Manager of Athletic Events and Advancement in 2013, was that we had someone who everyone at the college would cherish as a friend and as a mentor," said France in a media release. "Not just our baseball players but all of our athletes regarded him as a father figure who would advise and assist them, both with academic matters and personal problems."

Funeral arrangements for Labute are pending.

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