Stamford father starts fund to support athletes and honor late son

STAMFORD — Kevin Nizolek and his son, Justin Nizolek, who played multiple sports during his years in Stamford, spent a lot of time in the car driving to Justin’s sporting events. 

The two talked about professional sports, the highs and lows of Justin’s games and how to improve going forward. Kevin Nizolek said his son was a workaholic when it came to sports. That attitude paid off. His dad said Justin was frequently the victim of multiple intentional walks during baseball games, as pitchers were too scared to let him hit a ball. 

“He never got frustrated,” Kevin Nizolek said. “He just handled it as part of the game.”

Justin Nizolek played hockey and baseball in Stamford before he went to Indiana University, where he graduated with an economics degree. He then worked as an accountant for multiple firms in Stamford. 

“Once Justin graduated Indiana University, Justin did struggle with substance and alcohol issues, and sadly, it led to his passing,” in January 2024, Kevin Nizolek said. Kevin said he wanted the details around his son’s death to remain private.

Losing a child, Kevin Nizolek said, “changes you forever.” He said he goes through his life with a cloud over his head. 

“But at the same time, I’m determined to forge forward because I truly believe that’s what Justin would want from me,” Nizolek said. “To find happiness and move ahead.”
 
So, Nizolek moved forward and created The Justin Nizolek Memorial Athletic Foundation and Scholarship in December 2024. The foundation makes financial and material donations to the youth sports league in Stamford “to ensure that financial barriers do not prevent talented athletes from pursuing their dreams,” according to the foundation’s website.  

“I’m doing something constructive in the name of my son,” Kevin Nizolek said.
 
He said his son, an “exceptional pitcher and hitter,” made a name for himself in Stamford sports, so much so that eventually Kevin was simply known as Justin Nizolek’s dad. 

The two had a strong connection through Justin’s experience in sports. 

“Justin’s life, and that includes mine as well, revolved around sports and we just overlapped one season to the next and it really bonded us,” Kevin Nizolek said. 

He also said he can now keep Justin’s spirit alive by “opening doors for young athletes” and supporting local athletics programs. 

When he first created the fund, Kevin said he was overwhelmed with the donations the foundation received. He was getting donations between $20 and $1,000 from people in and outside of Stamford. 

Though Kevin Nizolek declined to say how much the fund raised in its first year, he said the foundation has already contributed to local organizations, including five scholarships, a lineman chute and lineman blocking sled for the Stamford Spartans Youth Football program, a private 501(c)3.  

“I want fathers and sons and daughters to have the same experience I had with my son,” Nizolek said. 

That equipment allowed Nizolek to do that for Paul Smyth and his son. Smyth is the eighth grade football coach for the Spartans, which his son is a part of. 

Smyth, also the Head of Fundraising and Public Relations for the Spartans, said he reached out to Nizolek on a whim to talk about partnerships and the two immediately bonded as fathers. 

“That was an immediate connection, putting everything to the side, even if there was no financial donation,” Smyth said. 

The coach was only hoping to ask for one or two player scholarships at most. Kevin Nizolek proposed the five scholarships, alongside the lineman chute and blocking sled. 

The Spartans have been unable to buy additional equipment because money that could be used for that is instead used for scholarships. More than 20% of the team’s kids are on full scholarships, Smyth said. The chute and sled, he said, will be used for years. 

The support allows Smyth to coach football, a sport he loves, which he said can also teach kids important life lessons and how to create support groups of people to support players during tough times. 

Smyth said he recently saw a player he hadn’t seen in more than 10 years who hugged him and told him “you were always there for me.” 

Kevin Nizolek, meanwhile, said he feels a sense of pride that he can give back to the community he grew up and lives in. 

“It keeps my son’s name and face alive,” Nizolek said. “That’s very important to me.”