Going Out as a Champion: Robinson Leaves a Legacy After 34 Years

His friends tease him about his impending retirement, rubbing it in with comments about the next Brett Farve, Roger Clemens, Michael Jordan and most recently Andy Pettitte.

What do these famous athletes have in common with Naugatuck resident Scott Robinson? They have all walked away from a game they love, only to change their mind and come back for yet another encore.

 “I have taken a lot of flack about my retirement since this won’t be the first time,” said Robinson, after a recent Little Pal basketball game.

Robinson’s association with the Little Pal, the borough’s youth recreation basketball league, began as a player in 1976. After the 1977 season he began to help out coaching at the age of 13 years old.

He was the assistant coach of Rotary along side head coach John Geletka. He went on to coach in the Friday Night League for the Naugatuck Police team.

There were coaching stints with the Christopher Columbo team in the YMCA Little Pal morning league and he would help out in the afternoon league with Bob Sullivan and Brad Erickson.

During his senior year of high school Robinson took over as head coach for the K of C in 1982 and has been at the helm ever since. The head coaching position turned into director of the morning league, director of the afternoon league and before he knew it director of the entire Little Pal organization.

Two years ago Robinson stepped down and turned the reigns over to Bill Carson. But six months later Scott was back on the job after Carson had to leave due to obligations with his job.

 “It’s no where near the amount of time I once spent at it,” said Robinson. “When I first started as league director there were days that began at 7:30 in the morning right up until 6:30 at night.”

In the past 34 years, Robinson said he hasn’t gone anywhere from October until March.

“I only missed one game in that time and that was because of a scheduling conflict,” he said. “I had paid for a trip to go to Georgetown to see UConn play and our schedule got changed due to a weather cancellation. I had already booked the trip and couldn’t change the plans. That is the only game I have missed.”

There have been numerous memories over the years and countless players who have gone on to become prominent members in town. But the memories that Robinson cherishes the most are the championship years.

K of C is one of only three teams in the past 20 years that can boast back-to-back league championships. 1990 and 1991 K of C was the league champion, along with a third championship in 1993. But the first one brings back a flood of memories.

 “That was the first year my brother Dale was coaching,” said Robinson. “My brother had Josh Ruccio on the team but it was also the first year that my team went undefeated. From a personal standpoint that was the most satisfying championship. The following year we went on to beat Bob Burns and his assistant Gene Massa.”

In the last championship Robinson’s team won was against his longtime friend, Dave Yachtis, who is now the boys head basketball coach at Pomperaug High School.

Robinson and his wife Debbie are preparing for life after Little Pal. A move out west is in the plans where the couple have friends in North Las Vegas.

There will be a lot of friends here back home that will miss the good old days of Little Pal basketball where Robinson received the YMCA Volunteer of the Year award in 2007.

 “That was a very humbling experience,” said Robinson. I never expected something like that and that is hardly why I chose to due this job.”

“Certainly going out as league champions one more time has crossed my mind. But we are just trying to make the playoffs at this point.”

Robinson said he hopes the YMCA will give consideration for the league director job to his assistant coach, Bryan Cottrell, who has been with him the past 12 seasons.

“I will miss it but I’m ready to move on,” Robinson said. “I would have to say I definitely got more out of it than I put into it. It has been a great run and I have memories that will last me a lifetime.”