Justin Nizolek on the ice and pitcher’s mound
For years, Justin Nizolek left his heart on the playing field as a member of Stamford teams in hockey and baseball. Now, two years after his passing, a foundation established in his memory will help many more young athletes from Stamford do the same.
The Justin Nizolek Memorial Athletic Foundation aims to honor his legacy by making a positive impact on local youth sports. One of its primary goals is to ensure that financial barriers do not prevent talented athletes from pursuing their dreams.
Justin’s father, Kevin, started the foundation. “I considered a traditional scholarship, but there is so much need,’’ he says. “It ended up snowballing. One of the many challenges parents face today is expenses and high league fees that create barriers for kids.”
The foundation helps underprivileged children in the Stamford area step onto the playing field. It has funded 10 scholarships for children to play soccer and football. In addition, it has donated equipment for a local football league, added to an existing scholarship program for Stamford Babe Ruth and sponsored scholarships for the Stamford Stars softball team. The foundation supports nonprofit youth-focused initiatives based in Stamford.
Nizolek died in 2024, after a struggle with addiction issues. He was 27. While athletically gifted, Justin’s leadership and on-field feistiness distinguished him throughout his athletic career.
“He was the kind of guy you wanted to go to war with,’’ says Billy Santora, who played hockey with Justin for a decade. “You always knew he would have his teammates’ backs. He was the spiritual and emotional leader.”
Justin brought his best every time. Whether it was a routine practice or a stage with bright lights, he went all-out.
“Justin took a lot of pride in his game,’’ Kevin says. “He was forever in a batting cage or in the driveway pitching.”
One of his coaches said he was the hardest-working player in the Stamford American Little League, a hard-nosed scrapper who would always put his game face on.
Mike Zarrilli, a long-time hockey teammate with the Stamford Sharks and Stamford High School, says Justin showed a different side when they weren’t competing. “He loved animals,’’ Zarrilli says. “In his neighborhood, he would feed wild turkeys. When they saw Justin pull in, they’d all come over. He had the biggest heart.”
Santora and Zarrilli maintained their friendship with Nizolek after their playing careers ended. They both expressed shock when they learned their friend had died at such a young age.
“It’s one of those things where you read something, and it doesn’t feel real,’’ Santora says. “He was such a larger-than-life person. It sent a shock wave through our friend group. You don’t think something like that could ever happen to him.”
Justin’s passing hit his father the hardest. “We spent some of the best times of our lives together,’’ Kevin says. “Not only on the ball field, but in the car or when having dinner together. It was the best time of my life. And reflecting on that, Justin told me he had a wonderful childhood, and it was the best time of his life as well.”
Kevin hopes the foundation established in Justin’s name will keep his memory alive and provide a launching pad for Stamford youth who need a helping hand to reach their full athletic and personal potential.
“The foundation would be his baby,’’ Zarrilli says. “He would make sure he was at every event, and he would make sure it would generate more money than ever. He’d be behind it 1,000 percent.”