In the history of Norwich sports, Salvatore "Toots" Mirabito is on the short list of the greatest athletes ever produced by the Purple Tornado.
Mirabito died June 20 at the age of 95 due to complications from Alzheimer’s Disease. When you talk about Norwich's greatest teams, the unbeaten and unscored on 1937 football team is forever etched as the standard by which all other Norwich teams are measured. Eight teams tried, and eight teams failed. Failure not only in beating the Tornado, but even crossing the goal line a single time.
In fact, the only points surrendered by the Tornado varsity that season was to the second team squad in an Oct. 26 intrasquad scrimmage won by the varsity starters, 13-6.
Mirabito was the unquestioned leader of that Norwich club. He called the plays on the field, scored 19 of his team’s 38 touchdowns, and had 114 of his team's 251 points.
From high school, Mirabito surely had many college suitors, but chose to stay close to home to attend Syracuse University following a year at the Manlius School. Mirabito was a prized recruit in football and boxing, and was named Syracuse’s most outstanding freshman following his maiden college year.
Back in the late 1930s and early '40s, boxing stood among America's most popular sports along with baseball, and Mirabito took his perfection on the football field to the boxing ring.
Over three varsity years of boxing, Mirabito won all 82 of his matches without a defeat, and won three straight national titles in the heavyweight division.
New York's daily publication, Newsday, also took notice of Mirabito's passing compiling a tribute to a man who was revered for his post-athletic career as a teacher, coach, and administrator in the Sewanhaka school district on Long Island. The link to that story is available online at http://www.newsday.com/long-island/obituaries/renown-sewanhaka-coach-teacher-administrator-salvatore-mirabito-95-dies-1.8607877.
Mirabito's brother, Frank, 98, spoke about his younger brother's exploits in the boxing ring. "He had the power, and he'd knock you out if he hit you," Frank Mirabito said. "But (outside of the ring), he was a humble guy, and he never forgot where he came from."
Following a distinguished collegiate athletic career, Mirabito served three years for the Army Air Force in World War II from 1943-1946. Mirabito returned to Syracuse University after the war to complete his master's degree in medical training, and then moved with his wife Ruth to Sewanhaka High School taking a job as a physical education and health education teacher
From that point, Mirabito was best known for his coaching exploits leading the 1955 Sewanhaka football team to the Triple-A championship.
In the Newsday article, Mirabito's assistant football coach, Marc Matone, said he and Mirabito were like brothers, and to his students, Mirabito was a father figure.
"(The students) would take Sal and I out to lunch," Martone said. "(Sal) was held in high esteem by the athletes."
In 1957, Mirabito accepted the job of athletics director at Sewanhaka, and in 1969, was appointed assistant principal, a position he held to his retirement in 1979.
Accolades for his athletic achievements followed Mirabito over the last 40-plus years of his life. In 1973, Mirabito became the first Norwich athlete, coach or contributor inducted into the Section IV Athletics Hall of Fame, eight years ahead of his high school football coach, Kurt Beyer. Five years later, Mirabito was inducted into the Syracuse University Letterwinners of Distinction, and in 2011, Mirabito was a member of the first Norwich High School Sports Hall of Fame induction class.
Mirabito is survived by his sons Richard, 60, Bruce, 56, and Gary, 53; along with his two brothers, Frank and Fred, 91, and a sister, Concetta, 93.