Legendary East Haven coach Crisafi dies at 95

This past week, high school coaching legend Frank Crisafi was bombarded with texts and visits from many friends and former players at Yale New Haven Hospital while battling a heart and kidney condition.

From the 1940s to 1980s Crisafi, 95, won many battles in a combined 84 seasons in football, basketball, baseball and golf at East Haven. His son Ed Crisafi, the longtime softball coach at East Haven High, confirmed Frank Crisafi lost his battle with the heart and kidney condition and passed away on Saturday at 1 p.m.

“He’s been sick for a while and it started with a urinary tract infection,” Ed

Crisafi said. “His heart was at 40 percent and his kidney was functioning at 50 percent. This past week was incredible, it’s just so remarkable all the lives my dad touched over the years.

“He was getting so many texts from so many people. A lot of people made visits at the hospital. My sister (Sue) and I have been bombarded

by texts all afternoon.”

Crisafi accomplished many milestones while coaching. One of the most impressive is a winning streak for the East Haven boys’ basketball team that lasted for 77 games (including four wins against alumni or college freshmen teams). The streak began in December 1953 and ran through March 1956 when the Easties lost to Stonington in the Class M state final.

The streak stood as the longest in state history until 1978, when Middletown won 80 straight from 1975-78.

East Haven’s streak also included two of the school’s six state championships: a 55-36 win over Gilbert in 1954 and a 54-32 win over Wilcox Tech in 1955, both in Class M.

All told, Crisafi led East Haven to all six of its titles and nine trips to the state final. The last came in 1980, beating Bullard-Havens

in Class L.

East Haven also won the New England Class B invitational championship in 1954. In 33 years (1947-80), the Yellowjackets went 525-196 under Crisafi.

He coached the only undefeated football team in school history (1952) and finished with a 181-63-8 record. The field at the school is named in his honor. The baseball team went 66-20 in nine seasons under him.

Crisafi was also the

school’s athletic director from 1963-83 and held the position on an interim basis in the early 1990s. He also was an assistant basketball coach at Hamden Hall after his retirement.

Ed Crisafi said funeral arrangements will be held at East Haven memorial Funeral Home at a day and time to be determined.

“I remember two things about my dad,” Ed Crisafi said. ”He was a great coach, but he was also a great dad.”

Crisafi