Date: Fri 30-Jun-1995

Publication: Bee

Author: TOMW

Illustration: I

Quick Words:

urban-resigns

Full Text:

tony urban resigns

At the conclusion of the 1995 school year, last week, Tony Urban ended a

13-year run as head coach of the Newtown High School baseball team when he

tendered this official letter of resignation to NHS athletic director Bob

Zito.

Urban, who coached the game of baseball for the past 25 years, is spending the

summer in England and was unavailable for comment.

"He just said he was tired," said Zito. "He said that it was starting to take

too much time away from his teaching."

Urban took over as coach of the Indians in 1983, after a few years of coaching

the jayvee squad.

By 1985 Urban had built what would become a perennial Western Connecticut

Conference power going on to win WCC titles in 1985 and 1990 while finishing

runner-up in 1987, 1989, and 1993.

Urban's Indians compiled winning records in eight of his 13 years including

six-straight from 1985 through 90 in which the team played to a record of

82-43.

The coach's most successful teams were those conference-champion teams of 85

and 90. The 85 team went 17-6 overall, winning the WCC and advancing to the

Class L state championship game before finishing runner up to North Haven.

The team of 1990 was 17-4 overall, winning the conference but falling in the

first round of the state tournament.

Under coach Urban, the NHS baseball team has qualified for the state

tournament in all but three years, including ten of the last eleven.

In his 13 years as skipper, Urban compiled a career record of 148-113.

He was inducted last November into the Softball Hall of Fame for his exploits

on the playing field.

Urban's resignation will become official after being formally accepted by NHS

principal Bill Manfredonia and the Newtown Board of Education.