51-year-old amputee now playing for Worcester area college

WORCESTER, Mass. — From the dugout, Paul Landry looks like a coach and he is but not at Quinsigamond Community College.

The 51-year-old is a player for the college’s baseball team.

“It’s pretty exhilarating. It wasn’t even a dream of mine until Coach Paganelli put it in my head a few months back,” said Paul Landry.

Landry started taking classes at Quinsigamond after a traumatic injury back in 2019.

“A landscape trailer had run over my foot,” he said.

After being in a cast, the COVID-19 pandemic hit delaying surgery and options. Doctors advised him to consider an amputation of his lower right leg.

“We decided that was the route to go,” said Landry.

Paul could no longer drive a truck so he went to college where he ran into a former rival coach, now assistant coach for Quinsigamond, Kyle Paganelli, who asked him to play ball.

“He was joking around saying he had two years of eligibility and I said Wy don’t you come join the team?’ And he thought I was joking,” said Kyle Paganelli who is the assistant baseball coach.

But Coach Paganelli was serious. So Paul talked it over with his family and joined the team.

Tuesday was his first at-bat. He tried to bunt, took a strike, and foul-tipped a ball before sending one down the third base line.

And that’s when his teammates went wild!

“It was the loudest I’ve heard the boys the entire year. Everybody was up screaming. They were screaming ‘Landry, Landry,’” said Head Coach Corey Coleman.

Cam Marques now plays with and used to play for Paul. He says the players are thrilled he’s now part of the team.

“Oh, I think it’s really cool. I mean we love having him and he’s having a blast too! He loves it,” said Marques.

Paul says he’ll play whenever the coaches will let him. And they tell Boston 25 that Paul is an inspiration to the younger players.

“Life is about turning corner and you never know what’s around the corner until you get there. And you deal with it as it comes,” said Landry.

Landry lives that and by doing so shows others and he says that no matter what happens – “Never give up!”

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