Norwood’s Gulla Stepping Down After Two Decades-This Day In Norwood History-May 28, 1971

Art Gulla, a football fixture at Norwood High for two decades, is leaving the coaching ranks. The head football coach for the past nine seasons, Gulla has announced his resignation “for personal reasons.”

“I was reappointed for next year, so that was no problem,” Gulla said yesterday. “Everything was amicable and my relations with Norwood were happy, rewarding and challenging, but, for personal reasons, I’ve decided to step down. Being involved in football so long it was a hard decision, but one that had to be made. I had good years (one of which resulted in a Bay State League co-championship) and bad years; everyone goes through it.”

“I love Norwood and the people here, and I always will,” added Gulla, whose Mustangs were 3-6 in 1970. Gulla became head coach in 1962, after having served eight years as an assistant to Andy Scafati, who is now athletic director at Norwood. Rated one of his school’s all-time great running backs – and playing under Scafati – Gulla graduated from Norwood in 1949. He went on to Georgetown University, graduating in 1953.

Gulla will stay on at Norwood High as a physical education teacher, but has no plans to coach any other sport. “I haven’t even thought about it,” he said.

Applications for the football position will be accepted by Scafati at the high school until June 21. With Gulla’s exit, the Bay State League lists only three head coaches who were on the job in 1962: Natick’s Dan Bennett, Framingham South’s Bob Jachowicz and Milton’s Tom Brennan. Gulla was only the third head football coach at Norwood since the school adopted the sport on an official basis. Scafati and Bennett Murray preceded him.

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