BY MICHAEL GRIFFIN
Kennedy High’s gymnasium may not be the city’s biggest or fanciest venue among several high school sites. But its opening more than half a century ago served as a landmark for Waterbury sports that helped spark a transition from the storied Armory era into the modern age for high school basketball in Waterbury.
The gym was officially dedicated on Dec. 6, 1965, with a ceremony involving Waterbury dignitaries prior to the annual Waterbury High School Jamboree that included teams from Crosby, Kennedy, Sacred Heart and Wilby.
Among the many fans in attendance that opening night was the man whose name is now synonymous with the gymnasium. Jack Taglia, who would go on to coach for 31 seasons at Kennedy and lead the Eagles to three NVL titles, was a Sacred Heart sophomore and member of the Hearts’ junior varsity team at the time.
against Kennedy during the city jamboree
on December 6, 1965, the first event
staged at the Kennedy High gym.
“I was certainly there for that jamboree and I remember that the Kennedy gym was state-of-the-art compared to the Armory,” says Taglia. “Because the four city teams played there, there was a game almost every night of the week. Since I lived within walking distance to Kennedy, I was there for many of those early games.”
The following season, Sacred Heart, playing most of its games at Kennedy, was NVL champion and produced a memorable run through the CIAC tournament to claim a state title in 1967. The 6-7 Don Sasso, Paul Zorsky and playmaker Joe Summa led a deep Hearts team under coach John Gilmore that finished 20-3 and defeated Fairfield Prep for the Class L crown.
“The one game that does stand out that year was when we beat Hillhouse High at Kennedy in the first game of the season,” says Taglia. “I don’t ever remember from the Armory days that a Waterbury team ever beat a New Haven team.”
Kennedy would continue to host most city contests through the mid-70s (prior to the new Crosby being built).
And the Eagles did claim one NVL title over that time, when guard Chuck Giorgio and 6-5 sophomore Bill Eason – who would go on to enjoy a solid collegiate career at Providence College – led the team to a 12-2 record in NVL contests to finish atop the 1971-72 standings.
That team was coached by Marty Sweeney, who Taglia replaced as head coach in 1977. “And in my first couple of years, wins were hard to come by,” admits Taglia. “I coached because I loved the game and I loved working with my players and watching them evolve into a team.”
The dedication and perseverance would pay off a decade later, when Kennedy claimed three straight NVL titles between 1989 through 1991, marking the first time that any school had accomplished that feat in nearly 30 years.
“The most memorable game that I ever coached was when we beat Wilby in the last game of the year in front of a standing room crowd for my first league championship as a coach. I had been coaching 12 years up to that point and I had my doubts that I would ever be involved in a league championship,” says Taglia. “Playing in a state championship game certainly is right up there, but winning the first league title was really something special.”
the 2013 ceremony to rename the
Kennedy High gym in his honor.
Two more NVL titles would follow, along with an appearance in the Class M title game in 1990, with Jerome Malloy, Malik Williams and Garnett Petteway leading his most talented team. Taglia would go on to guide the Eagles through the 2007-08 season.
In January 2013, the Kennedy High gym was renamed Jack Taglia Gymnasium.
Among the speakers at the ceremony to honor Taglia was retired Torrington coach Tony Turina, who provided some historical perspective on the venue – mentioning that when city basketball moved out of the old Armory and into the newly built Kennedy High gym, “it was like Madison Square Garden. The new gym took the place of the Armory, and it was the beginning of the future for NVL basketball.”
A number of others also offered kind words to honor Taglia, who thanked many family, friends, colleagues and former players during the ceremony. “And I was fortunate to have my wife, my father, and my brother and sister there,” he says.
“The dedication of the Kennedy gym in my name was by far the most humbling honor I’ve ever received as a coach. It is not something that ever crossed my mind or that I aspired to while I was coaching,” adds Taglia.
And surely not something that crossed his mind 55 years ago, the first time he entered the Kennedy High gymnasium, to attend its opening event.
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