By Michael Letendre

Rich Klett is certainly a name you know in Bristol if your son has picked up a football, baseball, or basketball.

He’s coached everything in town from youth baseball, football, basketball and was a longtime freshman, JV, and assistant coach in all those sports scholastically at Bristol Eastern – working with some of Bristol’s all-time best coaches and mentors.

But Klett, who has worked for the Bristol Parks and Recreation department over the last 17 years, branched out a bit from the Mum City.

He’s currently an assistant coach for the Plainville football team and coaches JV boys basketball and baseball at Lewis Mills in Burlington.

And when the Spartans tangled with the Bristol Eastern baseball team on May 19, in what would have been a home game for the program in Burlington, Klett came up with an idea.

Why not change the home location between the schools from Lewis Mills High School to Muzzy Field in Bristol and play the Lancers under the lights?

That idea came to pass on Wednesday as a very vocal crowd watched Lewis Mills and Bristol Eastern square off in CCC South play.

“It’s a nice environment [at Muzzy]; they did the field over with new lights, new turf and a new fence. I wanted an opportunity for Lewis Mills to play here,” said Klett. “I went through the proper channels and everybody gave the thumbs up. It was a good crowd, a good game and it was great to see.”

The Spartans played both the JV and varsity contests at Muzzy, dropping two very hard-fought games to the Lancers.

Mills fell to Eastern by a 6-3 final in JV action while in the main event nightcap, the Lancers came from behind to topple the Spartans, 5-3.

And even as Klett was in the opposite dugout, the mentor and coach still has plenty of affection for the locals in Bristol.

“I still cheer for Bristol Eastern, that’s for sure,” admitted Klett. “I’m still blue and gray, but now my tides are blue and white for Lewis Mills.”

Eastern baseball coach Steve Gaudet is extremely familiar with Klett over the years.

Gaudet was one of many kids who have called Klett ‘coach’ when he came up through sports in the city as a youngster.

And he certainly enjoyed the showdown against Klett and his squad under the lights from Muzzy Field.

“I have nothing but respect for coach Klett,” said Gaudet. “I’ve probably known him since I was five years old. He’s done so much for the kids in the city of Bristol through basketball, baseball, or whatever it may be. It was awesome for him to get a game here.”

Don’t forget, over the years for the Bristol’s Parks and Rec’s department, Klett worked on the field at Muzzy – getting it ready for the next game or spreading Speedy-Dry on the infield in an attempt to restart a game during a rain-soaking thunderstorm.

He was always hustling as sometimes, he was the only worker out there on the field.

But in terms of coaching, Klett says he will be retiring soon and getting a game to coach in at Muzzy Field was certainly a treat and a huge deal.

“I can safely say I’m going to retire next year,” said Klett. “And once they did the field over, I wanted an opportunity to coach a JV game here and have a varsity game. Like I said, I went through the proper channels and they gave me the green light. It was a lot of fun.”

Coaching is in the blood and it’s going to be weird not seeing Klett on the field in some sort of capacity whenever that takes place.

But for now, Klett continues to help guide the players, watching those young men grow up, improve their craft and is having a great time doing it.

“I love it,” said Klett. “I’ve been coaching for a long time. I’ve been given an opportunity in Plainville for football and for basketball and baseball at Lewis Mills. It’s been a lot of fun. I’m still close with the Central and Eastern coaches and all the fans. I’ve been given a new life and a second chance and it’s a lot of fun.”

And while the outcome did not go the way Klett and Lewis Mills intended, everyone who knows Klett was certainly happy he was able to put this special event together in Bristol in front of so many people that he had a hand in coaching.

“He deserved this,” said Gaudet. “He’s a class act and he’s just done so much for this town and city.”