Bob Zito, former Newtown High School state champion football coach, and athletic director at NHS, this fall was chosen to be inducted into the Connecticut High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Zito will be honored in the spring.

Zito led Newtown to a Class MM State Championship, a 14-6 overtime win over Ledyard in his first campaign, 1990. The Indians, as the Newtown teams were known before a switch to the Nighthawks a handful of years later, then were runner-up to Ledyard in 1991 before reclaiming the title with an 18-0 win over Windham in the 1993 championship game.

“It’s awesome. I didn’t expect it but it’s very gratifying,” Zito said of being selected for the Hall of Fame.

It all started with Zito, a former St Joseph of Trumbull player, deciding during his playing days as a linebacker at Central Connecticut State University.

“I knew what I wanted to do when I was going to college. I wanted to come back at some point and become a coach,” said Zito, who returned to his high school roots at St Joseph as an assistant before taking on his first head-coaching role in Newtown.

His Newtown tenure kicked off with a season-opening loss, which had Zito questioning his coaching and what might be ahead.

Then came a win. And another, and a run all the way to the pinnacle. Winning became a tradition for Newtown, especially in the early 90s. Zito continued to win in the regular season throughout the decade.

“I was so blessed to have great assistant coaches around me, and great kids. Great kids make you a great coach,” Zito said. “It was my first head job and the kids were great, the support was great — it was a lot of fun.”

Zito coached Newtown from 1990 through 1999 and was the NHS athletic director for his last three years. He then went to Weston High to coach four years before the coaching job in his then hometown of Meriden, at Maloney High, opened up. Zito’s coaching career ran all the way through 2013.

“It was a great run,” said Zito, who is also in the Connecticut Softball Hall of Fame.

Gregg Simon, associate executive director for the CIAC, coached girls’ basketball at Newtown High while Zito was the NHS athletic director. Simon, who followed in Zito’s path and served as the NHS AD for 17 years, notes that Zito is a coaching legend in town.

“Bob Zito is one of the most successful coaches in the history of Connecticut high school football. His success at Newtown in the 1990s was incredible. He took over a program that was struggling and turned it into a state power. The entire town traveled to see those teams play in state championship games. More important was the mentorship that he gave to so many student-athletes during his time in Newtown,” Simon said.

Steve George, who was part of all three of the those state finals teams and who later coached at Newtown, first as an assistant and then as the head coach, from 1999 to 2017, notes that Zito’s legacy continues in the form of other coaches who followed his path.

“His coaching inspired me to be a coach. I really enjoyed playing for him. He was a great motivator — made things really simple for you and he always cared about you,” George said.

John Pavia, who played for Zito on the 1992 championship squad, also went on to coach. Pavia is on the current Newtown High staff and is head coach of the NHS freshman team after having coached his son’s teams from second through eighth grade.

“He was the best. He was one of the reasons I got into coaching. He’s a great guy, a great influencer,” Pavia said.

“My philosophy was treat the kids like you want to be treated,” said Zito, who said in his playing days he had some coaches who unnecessarily admonished athletes.

“I wanted to make the game fun. You’ve got to work hard at it but you can do it in a manner you don’t berate the kids. You treat them well,” Zito said.

Zito, who will turn 70 in February, currently resides in Myrtle Beach, S.C. He works at a golf course, in charge of the carts, a couple days each week and hits the course to tee off a few days each week.

“It keeps me busy. It keeps me in contact with people. It’s amazing how many people from Connecticut are down there,” Zito said.

Sports Editor Andy Hutchison can be reached at andyh@thebee.com.