PERSPECTIVES

By Matt Duncan, CSFM

How can the worst thing that has ever happened to you also be the best thing that has ever happened to you? This is a question I ask myself when reflecting on more than three decades in the turfgrass industry.

The year was 1995. I was a sophomore majoring in Sociology and Criminal Justice at Lock Haven University in Lock Haven, Pennsylvania. Then, in April of that year, my life took a turn I could have never expected.

On April 6, 1995, I went to the doctor back home in Williamsport and was told I had bronchitis with an infection in my lungs. He put me on some medicine and told me to go back to school.

After the appointment, two of my friends and I went to the Old Lycoming County Jail in downtown Williamsport to see the prison. As we walked around, my friends were a little ahead of me. I looked into one of the cells, and jumped back. There was a priest standing in the cell. He had a black suit with white collar, was carrying a Bible, and wore glasses. Not expecting to see anyone in there, I made a bit of small talk then caught up with my friends. I looked back and the priest was gone. I asked friends where he went, and they said there was no one in the cells— they were empty and locked.

I was still not feeling well when I went to bed on April 7, and I didn’ t wake up for a couple of weeks. I had fallen into a coma, lost the ability to breathe on my own, had a tracheotomy, was placed on a respirator, and lost brain activity.

30 SportsField Management | May 2026 sportsfieldmanagementonline. com