The Joe Coppola Story

by Sean Radu

Like many collegiate catchers, Joe Coppola starts the game by introducing himself to the home plate umpire.  When he does it, however, the message is quite different from others.

 "Hi, I'm Joe," says Coppola, matter of factly, "and I'm deaf."

 After four years behind the plate at Johnson & Wales University, Coppola is well-known by the core group of umpires who work the Wildcats' games.  To them, he's your average Joe; he's polite, likeable, and solid behind the plate. 

To his teammates, he's always been a leader, and this year, was named a captain by his peers.  That's a fact not lost by anyone who has seen Coppola play since his freshman year.  To his coaches, he's one of the hardest-working players ever to wear a JWU uniform.

Born deaf on October 3, 1989, he underwent cochlear implant surgery when he was three years and two days old.  His second surgery was done when he was ten.  Fortunate to have the opportunity to regain partial hearing, Joe still knew from an early age that his hearing deficit could hold him back. But he never took “no” for an answer. He was determined, unwavering, and focused, and, in his mind, there was nothing he couldn't accomplish.

He fed off his natural athletic ability, leaning on sports, specifically baseball, to guide him. With an uncommon drive and passion for the game, he reached a level that many do not have an opportunity to reach. It began, innocently enough, at home. “As long as I can remember,” he says, “my dad used to play catch with me all the time.”

Baseball came naturally to Joe, although his coaches may not have understood his unique abilities. “Some of my club team coaches had trouble with me, he says, ”I think they felt like, 'How am I going to coach a deaf kid?  Does he need special attention from me? Is he going to be able to hear on the field?” There were dozens of questions that would come up in a coach's mind while coaching a deaf player.

But he was quite adaptive to the situation.  “I try my best to hear like a normal person and play like a normal person. I don't need any special attention,” he says, adding with a chuckle, “Johnson & Wales definitely doesn't give me any special attention.”

A multiple-sport athlete at Ridgewood (NJ) High School, he was very much at home on the diamond, and played several positions.  “I used to play shortstop and I pitched a little,” he says, “I played first base and outfield, but I didn't like it, I was bored. I wanted to stick with catching since I was about nine years old. I've been a catcher all my life”.

Everyone in the Wildcat dugout has learned from him.  Now in his final year at JWU as a captain, Coppola's focus is on winning a conference championship and improving his teammates—especially his pitching staff.  “It is a long schedule but a quick season, a lot of games in a short period of time,” he says of the Wildcats' 40-game, seven-week schedule.  “There will be a lot of wear and tear on our bodies, and we have to deal with the weather conditions, too. We try to get our team in the best physical and mental condition to prepare for the season. I have a lot of confidence in the team”, he says.  He also focuses on pitchers who, in his words, “look amazing right now. Right now we are talking more about pitch sequences and speed, and the different approaches to batters, whether they have a closed stance or are real close to the plate. We are always talking about how to beat the batter and being smart about our pitches. We don't always need to blow a fastball by the batter. We want to beat the batter and get the out, to minimize scoring plays and keep the game close to give our offense a chance to score runs.”

He also takes pitch communication with LaRose in a similar matter-of-fact style.  ”It's just basic communication between me or our other catchers and Coach, “he says”, “I relay our normal signs back to the pitcher. It can be confusing and your eyes always move. The game moves really fast and I always have to be aware of the signs and runners on base. I have talked to the pitchers and sometimes they have to wait a little longer than normal for a sign to be relayed back to them, so I can look for the right pitch”, he says. Proud to mentor the team's newer players, he has earned the trust of his coaches and his teammates.  “They have confidence in my ability to call a game.  Skip jumps in to help me out, but I have a lot of confidence that I can beat the batter by being smart and using pitch sequences. I catch a lot of bullpen sessions so I can learn everyone's pitches, their mechanics, and the way their ball moves.”

What about those umpires?  Coppola converses with them habitually.  At first, though, there were some problems. “Before every game I let the umpire know I am deaf, and most umpires have been very nice once they find out I am deaf.”  There was one incident on a very windy day during his freshman year, though, when he recounts, “I was catching and during warm ups the umpire was trying to talk to me. I couldn't hear him and he turned to the dugout and said, 'What is he, deaf?' Next thing I know (assistant coach) Jeff (LaRose) came out of the dugout and screamed at him and told him I really was deaf and he was being disrespectful to me. After that incident that umpire turned out to be one of the sweetest umpires we have had. I do let them know I have cochlear implants and they turn out to be nicer and they work with me”.

Coppola's relationship with the coaching staff is very special.  Sometimes calm, sometimes not, he admits to turning his hearing on or off when he chooses.  “I've done it many times,” he says with a laugh, “I screw up sometimes—no one is perfect!”  But no one ever, ever questions his work ethic or his heart. 

A superior student, Coppola majors in robotics and electronic engineering, and is currently engaging the job market.  “I have been trying to send out my resume and get interviews with a couple of different companies,” he says, but there's also baseball.  “I know some people who may be able to help me try out for a few minor league organizations or international teams, just to give myself a shot at playing baseball at another level”. Unwilling to give up on his dream, he still will not let anything get in the way of his success. Coaching may also be in his future.  “As a catcher you gain a lot of knowledge, learning other positions and their responsibilities on all of the plays. We also work with all of the pitchers, too, so you gain knowledge of the whole game and learn from the coaching staff. It is something I have thought about,” he says.

His teammates love him, and the respect is mutual.  “The team is just amazing.  We're 32 different personalities, 32 different types of people, but we all get together and we all get along.  We listen to different music or like different games. Sometimes we will get together to watch football games and have fun.” Do they respect him more?  “I don't really know how I influence them because of what I have overcome,” he says,”but I just feel like they treat me like a normal person and I appreciate that”. 

Coppola is, indeed, as normal as any other college student.  He loves sports, food, movies, and music, especially loud music, he says. Simply put, he fits in.  “Socially, some people do feel weird around me because I have a cochlear implant. I can always see it. It doesn't bother me, but I can tell. I can see it in their face. In class teachers don't realize I have a cochlear implant. I am always sitting in the front row, the seat right in front of the teacher. The only problem I have is when the teachers play videos that do not have closed captions. I have to meet the teacher after class to talk about the video”, he says.

Make light of his disability, though, and Coppola says he's not as sensitive as his closest friends and his teammates are.  “Only they can make jokes about my hearing, 'he says. “ Over the summer I got a nickname from a restaurant that I worked at, they called me DJ, standing for Deaf Joe. There was another Joe that worked at the restaurant and the nickname has now stuck with me. My teammates joke around with me and call me DJ. When I send out text messages or emails to the team, I'll always get a response, “The deaf kid has informed me that we are practicing outside today.” It is all in good fun. My teammates always joke around about my hearing, but if they ever hear anyone else talk about it, they would flip out.  It is a good relationship and I feel it loosens everybody up. It doesn't bother me”.

Coppola holds an equally special bond to another hearing-impaired Johnson & Wales student.  “It was actually an awesome experience. He tried out for the team last year, but he dislocated his shoulder and didn't make the team. He has exactly the same implant as I do and he loves baseball just as much. I still talk to him every day and we have fun. Some of the guys call him my deaf brother, it is fun”. Until you have walked through their shoes, it seems difficult to understand the connection the two friends share.

Looking back over his collegiate career, Coppola realizes what he's accomplished, and the wide respect he's earned from the entire university community.  “I feel I have come a long way to play at the college level and to become a captain. When I first came here, I was terrified about how the coaches might react, but I could not be happier anywhere else. My teammates, my coaches, and the whole school have been great.  I'm very thankful for what I have”.  The Wildcats are equally thankful for their not-so-average Joe.