Police Athletic League Was a Family Affair for West Pasco Player

Eric Vitale grew up playing football for the Pasco Police Athletic League. He started playing as a child and ascended to quarterback the New Port Richey area PAL varsity team in his adolescence.

Long-term commitment to the league, which is managed by the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office, ran in his family. His older brother played for PAL. His sisters were cheerleaders. His mother Dolores, better known as "Lori", was heavily involved as a volunteer for more than 20 years.

“I was born into PAL, basically” said Vitale, who is now 16 and aged out of the program.  

Vitale’s mother died this year on Jan. 19, Vitale’s birthday. She had cancer.  Vitale’s father died in March after suffering a heart attack.

Now the Pasco Police Athletic League is raising money for Vitale, who currently lives in Hudson with his uncle, and his family. The vehicle for doing so is the first-ever Pasco Police Athletic League Football and Cheer Camp on Saturday, June 16, in Land O’ Lakes.

Part of the proceeds from the camp will benefit the Vitale family. Tim Couet, executive director of PAL, says the league hopes to net $10,000 for the Vitale family. 

Vitale lived in the Port Richey area with his parents before their deaths. He started out in the league's jr. flyweight division, which is for for 5-, 6-, and 7-year-olds.

His mother was there for him. She was also there for the whole New Port Richey area team, which is called the New Port Richey Buccaners.

Lori had a passion for sports and lent fire to the league, said Ron Katz, Eric’s former PAL coach. She was a board member for the New Port Richey Buccaneers. She was a gatekeeper at games, making sure people had tickets. She drove players around when needed.

“Her value was immeasurable,” Katz said.

It got hard for Vitale to play football after her death.

“Because she was always there,” Vitale said.

There was one thing she couldn’t do by herself: make her son care about his grades.

That’s where Katz stepped in.

Vitale said that he was a C and D student. When he was in eighth grade, Katz, who has coached the New Port Richey Buccaneers PAL team since 2004, decided to have a conversation with him after his mother talked to him.

“He really emphasized to me that school is more important than football,” Vitale said.

Katz said that Vitale since made the honor roll in eighth grade, ninth grade and 10th grade. He also led his PAL team to three consecutive league Super Bowls.

Vitale is a student at Fivay High School in Hudson and quarterbacks for the Fivay Falcons. He enters his junior year in the fall. He wants to eventually play football for USF and study sports medicine there.

Although Vitale no longer plays for PAL, Katz, who lives in New Port Richey and is a partner in a telecommunications firm in Tampa, still looks out for him. Both he and Vitale described him as a surrogate father.

“The biggest thing I can do for Eric is to make sure he knows I’m there for him,” Katz said.  

Want to go to the camp and contribute to a good cause? Here's what to know.

The Sheriff's Office is teaming up with Dick's Sporting Goods for the first-ever Pasco Police Athletic League Football and Cheer Camp.

The camp will be Saturday, June 16, from 9 a.m. – 4 p.m. at the Land O’ Lakes Recreation Complex, located at 3302 Collier Parkway, Land O' Lakes. Youths age 5-15 can participate. The cost is $10 per camper, but spectators watch for  free. Pre-sale tickrets are $8 for campers and available online at www.pascopal.org.

On-site registration begins at 8 a.m. Saturday at the rec center.