|
|
Pennies to Heaven
Crowd honors life of beloved teacher, coach
By Ryan Chalk
Article Launched: 10/05/2008 07:25:38 AM PDT
The family that plays together, stays together.
Nowhere else could that saying be so true than Saturday at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Vacaville as more than 1,000 friends and family gathered to celebrate the life of longtime Vacaville High School football coach and teacher Tom Zunino, who died Sept. 26.
After coaching 37 seasons, Zunino quite possibly became the most well-known figure in Vacaville, and his influence on players and fellow coaches was evident.
Heavily attended by alumni and former coaches, nearly half of the room stood up to take part in a ritual the coach started early in his career - the penny award.
|
|
In the early 1960s, Zunino began the practice of awarding players a coin after a game. The coins became some of the most coveted awards players received from their coaches. At the request of his son-in-law and current head coach Mike Papadopoulos, those players were all asked to give a penny back.
Tears flowed as a line formed up and down the rows of seats as current and former coaches and players walked down the center aisle to deposit their coin at the base of the altar decorated with pictures of Zunino.
For a little more than two hours, nothing in the outside world mattered as family members and colleague's took turns eulogizing the man known to most simply as "Z."
Family was important to Zunino.
Inside the sanctuary, a slideshow of photos was displayed as attendees funneled into the pews.
Aside from a handful from his youth as a standout football player at Vallejo High School, or of him golfing in such locales as Palm Desert, nearly every photo showed Zunino spending time with his family. Zunino is survived by his wife of 48 years, Bernie; his son, Mark; his daughter, Karen; and two granddaughters, Jessica and Nicole.
Father Daniel Looney led the service in prayer along with kind words for the community.
"Today we grieve with the city of Vacaville who has lost one of its finest citizens," Looney said.
Former Vacaville City Manager John Thompson spoke to the audience about Zunino's life and their ultimate friendship, one that they shared professionally as well as on the golf course.
"He was a loyal friend to many, as this large turnout indicates," Thompson said. "He was a remarkable man who led a remarkable life."
But there was also tremendous joy in remembering Zunino. His daughter, Karen, told the standing-room-only crowd about little-known facts about the man who took his game so seriously.
Not only is there a locker at Sacramento State University named after him, Zunino was an accomplished musician and enjoyed singing, his daughter said.
"He used to send welcome notes to all of the families of big baby boys at VacaValley Hospital," she said with a smile.
Vacaville High School teacher and freshman football coach Mike Sullivan fought back tears as he remembered his former coach turned colleague.
"With 'Z,' what you saw was what you got. Everything was on the table with him," Sullivan said. "I'm a teacher today because of Tom Zunino. I'm a coach today because of Tom Zunino."
|
|
Copyright©2008-2010 by Vacaville High School Bulldog Football