The River Hawk family lost a vital member when Keith Vinci, Assistant AD for Sports Performance, passed away on November 17, 2022 after his second battle with Burkitt’s Lymphoma. His absence has been mourned deeply by past and present River Hawks around the country, which is a true testament to the coach, colleague, supervisor, mentor and friend that he was. River Hawk Nation will come together on Friday, December 9 at 4 p.m. in Costello Athletic Center to celebrate Keith’s life and to recognize the lasting impact that he had on our community.

“When we sat down and interviewed him for the position almost a decade ago, we knew immediately he was the guy,” said Director of Athletics Peter Casey. “He was enthusiastic and you could tell he was super selfless, always putting others before himself. He was a great staff member, he was hardworking and dedicated. He was a grinder and that was important to him. He epitomized who we are as a department and what we call ‘Mill City Grit.’” 

It is not often you encounter a person so genuine and true in their intentions that everyone who had a chance to interact with them, no matter the capacity, reiterates the same characteristics and impressions about them, time and time again, but that was Keith and that is what made him so special. 

“Keith was probably one of the least selfish people I ever met,” commented Head Sports Performance Coach and Keith’s officemate, Marcus Williams. “He was always so willing to put someone else before himself, which is something you don’t see a lot. He was always the person that, no matter what was going on, you knew that he was going to fight for you.”

Keith worked specifically with the men’s basketball program during his tenure at UMass Lowell.

“Keith was so knowledgeable about his field, but he knew the most important thing was the relationship with the players,” explained UMass Lowell Men’s Basketball Head Coach Pat Duquette. “He established that from day one. He won their trust. They knew that he cared about them, and they would do anything for him. Most importantly, they would let him challenge them and push them to their limits because of the strength of the relationship that he developed.”

“He tried to make sure he was involved with as many sports as possible, whether he trained you or didn’t, he knew who you were,” echoed Williams. “I think that's important, because he put himself out there for the student-athletes to know him and to ask him questions if they needed anything.”

Putting himself out there is what helped Keith’s relationships transcend sports, and how he touched so many lives long after the games were finished. 

“He wanted to see all of his athletes succeed, whether it was on the court or field, or not,  he wanted to see them all succeed in whatever their goals were in life,” added Williams. “Some things are bigger than sports and you can learn a lot about life in the weightroom. We spend a lot of time with the athletes and sometimes they want to talk with you about these things. Being able to be a sponge, listen to them, and learn from them and with them, Keith did that well. He wanted to see everyone succeed.”

In order to help his athletes and teams find success, Keith employed a unique style.

“A lot of us coaches expect you to meet us where we’re at and then go together, but not Keith. What I most admired about him is he absolutely met you where you were at, and he took you with him to get you where you needed to go,” described LeBlanc. “He didn’t force anything and I think that’s how he got the most out of people.”

The Milford, Conn. native dedicated his life to serving others from an early age. He spent eight years in the United State Marine Corps from 1995-2003 as a squad leader, marksmen and combat swimming instructor. 

“He just had a unique ability to make everyone happy,” related LeBlanc. “You couldn’t get mad at Keith because he only wanted the best for everyone. Even if he had to say no to you, you weren’t mad at him. He made things happen, shifted things around, he was so flexible and all the things that are really hard to be in DI athletics. All the way from the top athlete in a premier program, to a walk on kid in a non-premier program, he made everyone feel valued.”

Keith was always thinking of others before himself. He was at every practice, lift and game in-person when he could be. And when he couldn’t, he constantly wanted all the latest updates on his department and student-athletes, and even found ways to continue watching every game from the hospital during his treatments. 

“I remember the first time I met his wife,” shared Harring. “We met at a soccer game up at UNH. We were freezing and drinking hot chocolate, and he was just there randomly on a Thursday night supporting men’s soccer. And back on campus, he would spend time with the student-athletes in the dining hall, just talking to them and guiding them, seeing what they’re eating just to make sure that it was good enough and helping some kids along the way. He was a giver, he would always put everyone else in front of himself.”

“The thing that struck me was when I’d call to check in on him and he just wanted to talk about work,” said Casey. “He just wanted to be here. He would have a treatment and say, ‘I think I’m going to stop by on the way home.’ That’s who he was. He didn’t want the pity party.”

As a self-proclaimed “not good student,” he was a life-long learner for the betterment of others.

“He always came to me with ideas and at one point, he said ‘I really think we need a sports masseuse,’ and he offered to go to school to get certified,” said Casey. “You would’ve never known he was going to school all those nights because he was still here early and stayed late. He was that type of guy, always wanting to do what he thought was best for the student-athletes.”

His dedication to constantly enhancing his skillset and knowledge made him a leader in his profession.

“There are only a few strength and conditioning coaches each year that are bestowed with the honor of Master Strength and Conditioning Coach from the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association,” explained Williams. “It’s the highest achievement that you can get within our profession. You have to be a full-time strength and conditioning coach for at least 12 years to be eligible, and then Keith was selected based off his credentials, his experience and his knowledge in the field. He was going to receive the award at our national convention in May, but the CSCCA was great with helping us get that process going a little bit sooner because Keith was really looking forward to it. It was one of the things that he was always talking about and really proud of.”

Outside of his love for strength and fitness, his beautiful wife Carolina and all things River Hawk, Keith loved music, his motorcycle and food.

“He was someone that just enjoyed life,” Williams added. “He rode a motorcycle and he had a really long beard. If you wanted to try a certain type of food, he knew a place that you could do it. He loved going to concerts and he loved all types of music. You never knew what he was going to be doing, but whatever it was, he was going to enjoy it. He always said ‘I’d much rather use my money to enjoy experiences, seeing the world and meeting people, rather than putting it towards things.’” 

Even in his final days, Keith was full of his typical joy and humor, always looking to shine his light on others. "Why be sad for me,” he quipped. “I want to use these days to make somebody else's life better."

“To me, one of the things I respected most about him, was that he cared about everybody, but he would especially reach out to the people that needed him the most,” commented Duquette. “At the time when they were hurting the most or needed the attention, those were the kids that he recognized and sought after. Those were the kids he tried to impact. At the hardest moments, he was there and had their backs.”

“He saw the good in everyone. He literally found the good in every single student-athlete,” added Harring. “Even the kids that coaches might think are a little difficult, he would take the time to dig through the layers and find out more about them to help them. He was just a special person and he attracted people to him just by the way he was.”

Keith’s meticulous care for his student-athletes and department helped take UMass Lowell Athletics to new heights and laid a foundation that will be built upon for years to come. The River Hawk programs have seen unprecedented success throughout their first nine years at the Division I level and so much of that can be attributed to the steps Keith took to build better Lowell athletes. Under his guidance, the weightroom became a regimented workspace, the department created a fulltime refueling station for student-athletes with countless nutritious options, and a brand-new sports performance center is in development with every piece of equipment handpicked by Keith. 

“He built the sports performance department from the ground up,” said LeBlanc. “That area was barely functioning prior to his arrival. Keith came in and built it the right way, with the right people, with the right attitude, and brought everyone together as much as he possibly could because he really showed he cared about every single program.”

“When Keith arrived, the weightroom became a place of accountability,” Harring agreed. “It went from a place where I dreaded walking into and showing a recruit, to a place I was proud to show off because of what he instilled in the student-athletes and his staff. That weightroom where it is now, it’s a complete game changer for the student-athlete experience.”

From the athletic gains to the personal ones, Keith certainly created a lasting legacy within the UMass Lowell community and beyond.

“I think his legacy really lives on in people who he worked with,” stated Williams. “With the athletes, but also with employees and former employees who had the opportunity to work underneath him. I think that’s the biggest thing, how many people he was able to impact.”

“When you think about true River Hawks, he bled our colors,” Harring summarized. “His legacy to me is ingrained into every single person that he came across.”

River Hawk Nation was home for Keith and we are all better for it. 

“The thing that carries us through the immediate pain and grief is knowing he’s no longer in pain and sharing the great memories we have and the lessons that he taught us,” concluded Duquette. “Ironically, those are helping us get through this devastation that we feel. His long-term legacy with our staff, and all the student-athletes that he’s impacted in the last nine years, means he will never be forgotten. The memories, the lessons, the love will carry on forever.”

If you would like to make a donation to support Keith's family with medical and end of life care bills, please click the link below.