Congratulations, Tony Fucillo

Induction into Coaches Hall of Famea well deserved honor

We want to join the community of Winthrop in congratulating Tony Fucillo on his induction into the State Football Coaches Hall of Fame. The distinguished honor, the highest that a coach can achieve, is certainly a much-deserved one for Fucillo, who year in and year out put a competitive team on the gridiron even though Winthrop has the smallest enrollment in the Northeastern Conference.

Tony Fucillo is universally regarded as one of the greatest schoolboy coaches in the history of the Massachusetts. Winthrop football followers were able to watch him develop into this amazing coach over a 35 year period. Tony began his football career at Winthrop High, went on to play college football at Xavier of Ohio, and returned to join the staff of his mentor, Bob DeFelice. When DeFelice left after a successful reign that included three consecutive undefeated seasons, Tony Fucillo took over the mantle and carried forward the tradition of Viking excellence for the next two decades.

But more important than the on-field success of the teams that Tony coached (and the 2006 Super Bowl championship season was written like a Hollywood script with the great coach going out with a blaze of glory in his final season with his son as the star quarterback), there were the life lessons which his players took with them. Countless young men whom he molded as student-athletes went on to play college football and to become outstanding and successful citizens as adults.

Tony Fucillo taught his players the important values of hard work and teamwork that extended well beyond the football field. Those who played football for Tony Fucillo and saw the incredible dedication he put into his job, became inspired themselves to do the best job of which they were capable.

We know we join with countless of our fellow residents in offering our congratulations to Tony Fucillo for running such an outstanding football program and bringing joy and a sense of pride and accomplishment to all the young men whom he coached in Winthrop.