Newtown 'Gentle Giant,' Coach Kenny, Will Live On in Hearts of Special Needs Kids

A “gentle giant” whose smile was contagious has left an indelible mark on the hearts of all those he touched. Ken Ayles, affectionately known as “Coach Kenny,” was the Newtown Hoopsters special needs basketball coach. On Aug. 21 he passed away from a brain tumor.

The Hoopsters basketball team and their families gathered at AMC Lowes 16 Theater in Danbury on Sunday to remember Coach Kenny and watch a special viewing of When the Game Stands Tall, the inspirational true story of the De La Salle High School football team’s 151-game winning streak. A few days before his passing, Patch was honored to have named Ayles as the winner of Patch’s “Everday Heroes” contest, sponsored by Sony Pictures.

The qualities embodied by Coach Kenny are why Laura Nowacki nominated him for the contest. “Coach Ken stood 6’10” and had a heart just as big,” Nowacki said. Her ninth grade son Johnny has Down Syndrome and said, “I will miss him. He was the best coach.”

Ken Eagleson’s son Charlie is one of “Coach Kenny’s Kids” and echoed Nowacki’s sentiments.

“He was so big and tall, which normally would scare kids, but these kids would just gravitate towards him. He really was a gentle giant.”

Another one of Coach Kenny’s players, Kevin Eckler, is visually impaired and uses a cane to walk. “The other people needed my cane to tap the basketball hoop so I could hear where to shoot,” Kevin explained. “He was the only one who could reach the basket without my cane because he was so tall.”

The “gentle giant” made an impact not only on his players, but on their siblings and parents as well. Margaret Keayes said even though Coach Kenny was her son Zach’s coach, he held a special place in the hearts of all five of her children.

Zach grinned from ear to ear as he showed the special “duck” handshake they would do each time they saw each other. Waving his hand behind his head and making his arms flap like a chicken, Zach used his body to show how happy Coach Kenny made him feel. Zach’s younger brother Wes said, “he was really funny.” His sister Victoria said “he was really good with kids and really nice.”

The stories about Coach Kenny all shared the same message-- he was kind, funny and will be missed tremendously.

Nowacki shared in her nomination letter how, in a tearful goodbye speech, Coach Kenny sat the team down in center court, knowing this would be his last season.

“With tears in his eyes, he just told the kids how much he loved them. He is a gentle giant and reminded us that love is what really matters. My son wears his Hoopsters shirt every single day. He is so proud to be one of Coach Kenny’s Superstars.”

Photo: Wendy Mitchell