Waterford – They were making a video to commemorate the occasion Friday afternoon, a pensive Warren Swanson walking about the lawn he once cleared to make what’s known as Spera Field.

The Godfather of Soccer in our corner of the world walked here and there over the melting snow, later moving inside to talk about his life and the two things that run like a current through his veins: his family and the game he loves.

Warren Swanson gets his day early in 2019, the winner of the Honor Award from United Soccer Coaches. The award celebrates “a distinguished career, tremendous service to the association and exemplary contributions to the coaching profession and beyond.”

Swanson will be presented at the annual Awards Banquet Jan. 11, 2019, in conjunction with the 2019 United Soccer Coaches Convention in Chicago.

Even better: Swanson’s friends get to celebrate him later this week, from 4-6 Friday at Filomenas in Waterford (come one, come all), where the stories will flow like Bud in the bleachers.

Is there a sports figure among us who has devoted more to his or her sport than Swanson? Probably not. He’s 82 now, having amassed a resume that’s worth reviewing:

Swanson enrolled in Irv Schmid’s soccer coaching course in 1957 while at Springfield College and joined United Soccer Coaches as a student member for $5, beginning a 60-plus year affiliation with the association. He led Mitchell College to four straight National Junior College Athletic Association finals, two national championships, a 99-32-4 record and started the National Junior College Soccer Coaches Association.

Swanson was chairman of the United Soccer Coaches NJCAA All-America Committee from 1963-68, a member of the Executive Committee from 1967-73. He was the youngest president and only junior college coach to serve in that capacity in association history, when he served in 1972 at the age of 36.

Swanson started the Connecticut Soccer Coaches Association in 1972. Following his tenure at Mitchell College, he coached at St. Bernard, Ledyard and Waterford. He coached within the Connecticut Junior Soccer Association for 16 years and never had a losing season.

He was awarded a Letter of Commendation by United Soccer Coaches in 1974. He was inducted into the Mitchell College Hall of Fame in 1991 and the CJSA Hall of Fame in 2000. He’s in every Hall of Fame soccer recognizes.

“I think what I remember most is my dad coaching in tournaments out of state,” his son, Gregg, a former team MVP at Boston University (other son Gary was BU’s Scholar Athlete in 1986), was saying Friday. “He didn’t care if you were black, white or purple. He didn’t care what you had or didn’t have. He just wanted you to play. He would pick up kids at various exits and make sure everyone had something to eat after the game.”

A ham sandwich.

“One piece of ham per sandwich,” Gregg Swanson said, having learned sandwich artistry from assistant coach Al Bell.

And maybe that’s the best way to illustrate what Warren Swanson has wrought on the game he loves. He took the time to make ham sandwiches. Perpetually. Schlep to the store, buy the supplies, expect nothing in return, construct the sandwiches, go coach somewhere, drive everyone home.

Rinse.

Repeat.

Because he loved the game that much.

Makes you wonder: Think about your own life. Is there anything we love that much?

Maybe that’s why Swanson will get what amounts to a lifetime achievement award.

Warren Swanson left Mitchell in 1975 to join the Federal Government, where his administrative career centered on overseeing evaluation of instruction and testing related to the Navy’s submarine corps. He later joined General Dynamics as director of curriculum development for the Carter class of submarine.

Through it all, he kept coaching. His children, other people’s children, all eating ham sandwiches and learning the vagaries of soccer.

Warren Swanson gets his day Friday at Filomenas and early next year in Chicago. Here’s hoping he gets his own ham sandwich. Maybe even with two pieces of ham.

This is the opinion of Day sports columnist Mike DiMauro