A MESSAGE FROM OUR PRESIDENT
Welcome! Welcome to our website and, if you are new to the area, welcome to New Canaan.
The New Canaan Men’s Club was founded in 1977 by a group of men who met regularly at the YMCA to play racquetball. While the Club has grown since then, providing friendship and fellowship to members remains a core mission of our Club. We meet on Friday mornings in Morrill Hall at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, but we are nonreligious, nonpartisan, as well as a non-profit community organization 501(c)(3). Each Friday meeting has a speaker covering interesting and timely topics that entertain, educate and inspire us.
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Next Meeting – August 21th, 2026
10:00 am at St. Mark’s Church
111 Oenoke Ridge, New Canaan, CT 06840
Michael Eck
Author, Strike Season
- Michael Eck had always been captivated by his father’s love of Notre Dame football. Now, they were recruiting him to play quarterback. But just two games into his high school senior season, his teachers went on strike, and the coaches followed. With the season canceled and their college dreams in jeopardy, Michael and his three co-captains had a daring idea: What if we coached ourselves?
- Secretly thinking this gave them leverage in negotiations with the union, the school board shockingly agreed. Facing the roar of picket lines and corralling adrenaline-charged teammates, the Mt. Lebanon Blue Devils became more than symbols of defiance—they were unwitting pawns in an adults’ game. Every play carried weight; every practice and victory risked unraveling into chaos. And as scouts watched and headlines chronicled their season, Michael and his teammates navigated the unprecedented responsibility of holding the team together, winning without coaches, and chasing their dreams.
- Strike Season is a poignant memoir about the lengths young people will go to achieve their dreams in the face of overwhelming odds. It is also the story of a boy desperate to make his father proud, a coach wrestling with his loyalties, and a young social studies teacher fighting for his union. At once thrilling and inspiring, Strike Season captures a moment in sports history when youth and courage collide, forever changing a group of young men and the game they loved.
- Michael Eck is a founder of the nonprofit STEER for Student Athletes, which provides mentorship support to high school student athletes from challenging circumstances. Proceeds from book sales will be donated to STEER. He was interim CEO of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Village and had a forty-year career on Wall Street. He holds an MBA from Northwestern University and a BS from the McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia, where he played quarterback on the football team and was an Academic All American.
Future Meetings
August 14th – No Meeting
August 21st – Mike Eck, Author of Strike Season
August 28th – No Meeting
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Select event for details
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