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Fred Cambria

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Alumnus reflects back on Major League Baseball career, which began at Saint Leo.

Before he ever took the mound as a starting pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Fred Cambria ’70 was a high school athlete with no prospects to play in college.

Cambria, a self-proclaimed “late bloomer,” attributes much of his growth and success in baseball, business, and life to his time at Saint Leo.

He learned about Saint Leo from a friend. Having limited options after high school due to poor grades, Cambria found that none of the big schools were willing to take a chance on him, even though he was a talented athlete. He recalls praying to St. Jude, the patron saint of desperate cases and lost causes, to give him an opportunity. Fortunately for Cambria, Saint Leo University (then a college) ended up being the answer to his prayers.

“Nobody was interested in me,” Cambria said, reflecting on how he lost confidence in himself when no college baseball programs were interested in him.

Fred CambriaCambria’s faith and perseverance motivated him to try out for Saint Leo’s baseball team. In the spring of 1967, Norm Kaye managed Saint Leo baseball. Pete Mulry ’67 was the team captain. Both men were instrumental in Cambria’s development on and off the field, helping to build his confidence and inspire him to succeed.

When Bill Meyer took over as the baseball coach in 1968, Cambria and his teammates further developed their talents. Their team-centric approach helped them beat some of the most talented NCAA Division I programs, including the University of Florida and Florida State University. Cambria had extra motivation to defeat these teams as they were some of the programs that did not give him offers after high school. These victories put Saint Leo on the map and marked the start of a rich baseball tradition at the college.

“You never know who’s watching,” Cambria said, recounting the day that led to his eventual drafting into Major League Baseball.

In a fortunate stroke of luck for Cambria, Tom Butters was watching.

Butters was the head baseball coach of Duke University when they played Saint Leo College. Duke, a collegiate baseball powerhouse, came down to Florida to beat us up, Cambria said.

Unfortunately for Duke, on that day Fred Cambria was pitching for Saint Leo, and he had something to prove.

Cambria capitalized on this opportunity to prove his doubters wrong, pitching a lights-out performance, striking out many of the batters he faced. He even added two home runs to the box score.

After witnessing the stellar performance firsthand, Butters called Joe Brown, the Pittsburgh Pirates’ general manager. Butters recommended Brown take a chance on Cambria in the MLB draft, and he did.

Fred Cambria Pittsburg PiratesCambria became the first Saint Leo athlete to be drafted in a professional sports league when the Pittsburgh Pirates selected him in the third round of the 1969 draft.

During the time Cambria was on the team, Pittsburgh boasted a star-laden roster featuring Hall of Fame players such as Roberto Clemente, Willie Stargell, and Bill Mazeroski.

Cambria recalls that the team’s superstars were better men than  athletes. They took the 22-year-old rookie Cambria under their wings and showed him the ropes.

He had achieved a feat that most young athletes can only dream of, pitching professionally, yet he remained humble and did not lose sight of his future. This personal drive motivated him to return to Saint Leo to complete his degree in 1970.

Cambria was just as proud of his academic successes as those he had on the mound. While he may have struggled with his high school grades, he made the Dean’s List four out of the eight semesters he attended Saint Leo.

Cambria’s collegiate years helped him develop good habits. He knew that he had to buckle down, and the hard work he put in would pay off later in life.

“Saint Leo gives people the opportunity to succeed and face the challenges of the real world,” Cambria said. “Saint Leo is unique and blessed to have professors who work with you hands-on. They want you to achieve on a personal level. That is what makes Saint Leo special.” 

Cambria was part of the first class of the Saint Leo University Athletic Hall of Fame inductees in 1987. He would return to Saint Leo once again to coach the baseball team from 1990-1991.Even now, Cambria remains a dedicated and supportive alumnus. He serves as an “ambassador” to prospective students in the Long Island area and looks forward to the next time he can return to his beloved alma mater.

“When you go through Saint Leo’s gates, you can feel that it’s a special place,” Cambria said. “It is like walking into Yankee Stadium. So many great people have gone there.”

In appreciation for the impact Saint Leo has made on his life, Cambria has joined the James J. Horgan Heritage Society. The society honors alumni, parents, and friends who have provided a visionary gift for tomorrow’s generation by including Saint Leo University in their estate plans.

Cambria’s father, who was his mentor, would tell him, “when you give, it comes back tenfold.”

This lesson, along with those he learned during his time at Saint Leo and beyond, proves that through hard work, determination, and faith, anyone can make a significant impact on the causes most important to them.


Returning to the place where it all happened.

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Fred Cambria played on the then Saint Leo College baseball team from 1966 to 1969 as a pitcher.


Join the James J. Horgan Heritage Society

Our community is grateful for lifelong learners like Fred Cambria, who continue to invest in the university that has given so much to them. If you would like to join Cambria in becoming a member of the James J. Horgan Heritage Society by making a bequest intention, please contact John Agnello at (352) 588-8450 or planned.giving@saintleo.edu.

Seven alumni were inducted into the Saint Leo University Athletic Hall of Fame during homecoming weekend in November. Since 1986, the athletic hall of fame has honored former students, coaches, and administrators who excelled in Saint Leo athletics throughout the university’s history. Please join us in congratulating the following alumni.
 

Ernie Robinson ’68 was a dual-sport athlete, competing for the men’s basketball and baseball programs as a Monarch at Saint Leo. During his senior year, Robinson was voted as the J. Barthle Scholar-Athlete of the Year for carrying a 4.0 grade point average in the classroom. He was the 1968 captain with a .335 lifetime batting average on the baseball team where he caught for Saint Leo Athletic Hall of Fame pitchers Thomas Crosby, Fred Cambria, and Raymond Korn. Today, Robinson is retired from a 33-year teaching career in New York. In 1973, he was named teacher of the year in New York where he helped bring several cross country, basketball, and baseball championships. He was a founder of a baseball camp, which gave free instructions in baseball and life skills for 41 years in New York.

Brian Dayett ’78 was a member of the 1978 NCAA tournament baseball team and a two-year student-athlete, where he led the team in multiple categories. In two seasons, Dayett logged 197 total bases, 78 runs batted in, 26 doubles, 11 home runs, and 10 triples. During his sophomore season, in which he played every game, Dayett put together a .311 hitting percentage. He followed with a .381 average his junior season. In 1978, the New York Yankees selected Dayett in the 16th round of the draft. In 1982, he was named the AA Southern League Player of the Year, with 96 runs batted in and 34 home runs—a Nashville Sounds single season record that still stands today. In 1983, he was named New York Yankees Minor League Player of the Year. After playing five years in the major leagues with two clubs (the New York Yankees and Chicago Cubs), Dayett played in the Japanese Pacific League before beginning to coach in 1997.

Pierre Augustin ’90 remains as one of the top all-time leading scorers in Saint Leo men’s basketball history, competing for the Monarchs for two seasons during which he amassed 1,037 points. His highlight night was against the University of Tampa. On January 25, 1989, he scored 40 points—the program’s first ever win over the Spartans. While competing on the hardwood for the Monarchs, he played in 53 games with a .483 shooting percentage and a .417 three-point percentage. Augustin hauled in 272 rebounds in two seasons and dished out 126 assists. He was the executive secretary and founding father of the Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity chapter at Saint Leo. Following his time at the university, Augustin started Universal Distributor Inc. in 2003.

Eusebio Herrera-Montoya ’09, who was named a National Soccer Coaches Association of America All-American as a senior, was a four-year member of the Saint Leo men’s soccer program. He ranks third in the Saint Leo record book for career goals with 46, and career points with 115. He was a three-time All-Sunshine State Conference (SCC) honoree, including a pair of first team nods, and the 2005 SSC Freshman of the Year, helping the team win its first championship and No. 2 national ranking. As a sophomore, he received the Personal Improvement Award at the Saint Leo athletic banquet. Herrera-Montoya works at Saint Leo as a Financial Aid manager.

Ashley Urbanik ’09 enjoyed a strong four-year career with the softball program, both at the plate and inside the circle. A two-time All-Sunshine State Conference selection, Urbanik ranks among the top 10 in 10 career categories inside the Saint Leo record book, including seventh as a pitcher and third as a hitter. She sits in second for career homeruns; third in wins, shutouts, strikeouts, and appearances; fourth in runs batted in (RBIs) and complete games; fifth in innings pitched; and sixth in earned run average and at bats. She helped lead the team to a pair of NCAA tournament appearances in 2006 and 2008 and ranked among the top in NCAA Division II in 2008 in her earned run average, wins, hits allowed per seven innings, home runs per game, and strikeouts per seven innings.

Kyle Marceau ’10 is the first Saint Leo men’s lacrosse student-athlete to enter the university’s athletic hall of fame. Despite only playing for three seasons, Marceau put his name all over the Saint Leo record book. He scored 77 career goals in just three seasons, while dishing out 53 assists. He still ranks among the top 10 at Saint Leo in points, goals, assists, shots, shots on goal, and man-up goals. He was named the Saint Leo Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year as a senior and was also a United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) Academic All-American that season. A 2010 US Lacrosse All-American, he was a two-time, Deep South Conference first team selection and was named to a pair of Deep South All-Tournament teams. He was Saint Leo’s first representative for the USILA North/South All-Star game following his senior campaign. Marceau works for Lincoln Financial Group in Concord, NH, and is an assistant lacrosse coach for Concord High School.

Kaitlin McKenna ’11 was a four-year standout on the Saint Leo volleyball team and holds the career records for attack percentage and block assists, while ranking in the top 10 in four other categories. She is second in total kills, total blocks, and games played, and seventh in solo blocks. She posted the best single season attack percentage in program history as a freshman at .452. As a junior, she was a College Sports Information Directors of America Academic All-District First Team selection for her prowess in the classroom and on the court. In 2007, McKenna was named the American Volleyball Coaches Association South Region Freshman of the Year and the Sunshine State Conference Freshman of the Year. She is also an honorable mention and two-time All-Sunshine State Conference selection and three-time NCAA South Region All-Tournament Team honoree. McKenna works for Ernst & Young in Detroit.