There is a mural in Columbus, Ohio, near a soup kitchen honoring those that were lost on September 11th, 2001. The mural includes the face of Tyler Ugolyn, CC ’01, with a basketball and his favorite quote: “Yesterday was history, tomorrow is a mystery, and today is a gift from God.” It took a little over four years before the Ugolyn family could muster the emotional strength to go and visit the mural. When they did so as a family, they crossed the street to the soup kitchen and saw that the playground there had hoops that were tattered. They saw that there were potholes in the parking lot. At that very moment, they knew what Tyler would like to do if he was still there with them, and that moment gave birth to what would be called the Ugolyn Foundation.
Founded by his parents, Victor and Diane, and his younger brother Trevor, the Foundation was established in memory of the 23-year-old Columbia graduate who was employed at the World Trade Center as an investment analyst for Fred Alger Management on the 93rd floor of the first tower.
Ugolyn was more than just a NCAA athlete recruited to play basketball, though. He received letters from over 50 schools and was offered the chance to play for national powerhouse Kansas. When attending Columbia, he helped found a weekly basketball clinic for Harlem youngsters, while also spending time as a volunteer at a soup kitchen. He was a man of strong faith, being very active in the Catholic community at Columbia. He became a Eucharistic minister and helped found the Columbia Catholic Athletes group.
Besides being devoted to helping society at large, Ugolyn also had an impact on several individuals who were close to him.
“I think leaders are born, not made,” Victor Ugolyn, Tyler’s father, said. “He was always a leader in life no matter what he did. He was charismatic, had a wonderful personality, a wonderful smile. One of his close friends said he was the ‘centerpiece.’ When he walked into a room, everyone paid attention. People followed him.”
One of those who paid attention was Michael Merley, Ugolyn’s classmate and teammate from the Lions basketball team. He fondly remembers Tyler as a remarkable individual who lived his life to the fullest and inspired those around him.
“In times of death it is a natural response to make the person a superhuman—but Ty really was a remarkable guy,” Merley said. “For me the best way to honor Tyler’s memory is to make sure I realize what carpe diem means to me: seize the day because I don’t know how many I will have.”
Whether it was a 5:15 a.m. basketball practice after his sophomore season with the Lions, or pulling on his number 34 jersey for a coach at Ridgewood High School who was disliked by the rest of the team, Ugolyn always had a smile on his face and saw the glass as half-full. He has left an indelible mark on many around him, including classmates Jon Krug and Andy Kirwan, who both brandish a number 34 tattoo on their arms.
The Foundation seeks to carry on the various aspects of Ugolyn’s legacy: his love of the game, his passion for helping youngsters achieve their dreams both on and off the court, and his impact on those around him. The Foundation commits itself to supporting youth basketball, with a primary focus on refurbishing courts for and providing financial support to character-building educational programs and skills clinics for children in urban settings.
The Foundation is now officially part of the NCAA Final Four Men’s Championship Community Initiative which takes place during championship weekend. It dedicates a renovated indoor or outdoor court, “Tyler’s Court,” each year to the community where the Final Four championship game is held, combined with a motivational clinic for children there. Each of Tyler’s Courts bears a plaque that reads one of Tyler’s sayings, “I just love playing the game.” The Foundation has renovated courts in San Antonio, Detroit, Indianapolis, Houston, Springfield, and Ridgefield (where Ugolyn grew up), and next year will do the same in New Orleans. It has also remained close to Columbia and the Lions basketball program, sponsoring a scholarship in Tyler’s name at Columbia College. The Foundation hopes to someday renovate a court within Morningside Heights.
Paul Anderer, Columbia’s deBary/Class of ’41 Professor of Asian Humanities, was one of the faculty members closest to Ugolyn, and he remembers not only Ugolyn’s prowess in the classroom and on the court, but his concern for those around him. In July 2001, after Ugolyn had graduated and was about to start his job in the World Trade Center, Anderer, his son Pete—a rising sophomore on the Davidson basketball team—and Ugolyn found themselves on the same team in a Levien pick-up game. Anderer remembers how Tyler grabbed a defensive rebound and in a single graceful motion made a perfect outlet pass to Pete, streaking towards their basket. However, it was something that happened soon after that really made the occasion memorable for the professor.
“He [Tyler] and I watched, aghast, as Pete was dragged down from behind by a careless and brutal foul,” Anderer said in an email.
Anderer realized what was at stake as Pete lay on the ground, having sustained a serious knee injury, and was furious. But it was Ugolyn who ran out ahead of him, in defense of his teammate and friend.
“Tyler said things that I am sure stayed with the guy who committed that foul,” Anderer said. “I believe he never fouled anyone quite like that again. A month later, Tyler himself was dragged down, deliberately and tragically. We could do nothing to pick him up, but can only recall, with affection and gratitude, the wide smile, strong presence, and sense of honor Tyler shared with us in life.”
The Tyler Ugolyn Foundation is a tax-exempt, non-profit, charitable organization approved by the IRS under section 501(C)(3). EIN: 06-1632382. All contributions are tax-deductible. Contributions can be sent to: “The Tyler Ugolyn Foundation”/ 17 Cardinal Court/ Ridgefield, CT 06877
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