Legendary Norwood Athletic Director Andy Scafati Retires After 33 Years to Launch Sporting Goods Career-October 28, 1972

60-Year-Old Administrator Transitions from Managing High School Sports to Equipment Sales in Dedham

After dedicating 33 years to coaching and athletic administration—including the last 11 years as the official athletic director at Norwood High School—Andy Scafati is not fading into obscurity. At age 60, Scafati has retired from public education to embark on a brand-new career as a sporting goods sales representative based out of Dedham, his birthplace and the town where he launched his legendary athletic career.

As reported by Patriot Ledger sports correspondent George Bankert, Scafati embarked on his first sales road trip Tuesday, visiting high schools across Eastern Massachusetts to display athletic equipment and reconnect with long-standing colleagues. “I’m not really retiring,” Scafati remarked. “Because this is a full-time job and I’ll be going around regularly to all of the high schools in Eastern Massachusetts. I’m just getting out of one line of work and going into another… Now I’m in something I think I know something about; the friendships will keep me close to athletics.”

Scafati’s qualifications in equipment purchasing are unquestioned. Over his tenure, he managed all gear and apparel for Norwood’s sports programs, which expanded from just three traditional offerings—football, baseball, and basketball—when he arrived in 1946 (following 30 months of military service during World War II) to more than 20 varsity sports today.

A Storied Coaching Career and Dominance Over Archrival Dedham

Scafati’s coaching journey began a decade prior in 1936 at Dedham High School, his alma mater. After serving as assistant football coach and head basketball and baseball coach in Dedham, he crossed town lines to archrival Norwood, where he coached baseball, basketball, and football while supervising physical education.

Among his fondest memories were his battles against his former school and his mentor, late Dedham coach Jack Heaphy: “Being able to beat our rivals, Dedham, and my former boss, Jack Heaphy, has to rank as my biggest thrill as a coach… The finest moment was when we beat Dedham the first time, but then there were more as we went on to beat them 11 straight years from 1951 through 1961.”

Scafati stepped away from coaching football and baseball in 1961 (having relinquished basketball duties in 1954). While boasting remarkable career winning percentages—roughly 80 percent in baseball, 75 percent in football, and comparable marks in basketball—his personal favorite sport remained baseball. An accomplished first baseman, Scafati starred at the University of Notre Dame, where he led the Fighting Irish in batting during his senior year with a .352 average and assisted head coach Elmer Layden in coaching the freshman football squad. He played professional baseball for one season in the Boston Braves farm system in Columbia, S.C., before accepting a teaching position in Dedham, subsequently starring during summers in the Cape Cod League for Harwich and across New England circuits.

Art Gulla Succeeds Scafati as Norwood Athletic Director

Stepping into the massive vacancy left by Scafati is Art Gulla, former Norwood football coach who played and coached under Scafati for years. Praising his successor, Scafati noted: “He’s going to do a good job. It will take time, but he’ll make it. After all, Norwood has one of the largest athletic programs around.” That expansive program stands as a direct testament to three decades of visionary leadership by Andy Scafati.

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Patriot Ledger