Tom Pardalis

Tom Pardalis

Tom Pardalis
(Coach, 1968)


While a member of the class of 1968, this inductee lettered in basketball and baseball, but it was the lessons that he learned from great mentors in the Danbury school system that led him to a distinguished coaching career, 2011 Hall of Fame inductee, Thomas Pardalis. Tom played basketball for Coach Harry Hyra and baseball for Coach Clayt Haviland. Tom continued his athletic and academic career at Dean Jr. College, playing both basketball and baseball. After his graduation from Dean, he went on to St. Leo College in Florida, starting at shortstop for the baseball team. After his graduation from St. Leo in 1972, Tom was drafted and served six years with the United States Army Reserve. Out of college, Coach Ed "Copper" Crotty hired Tom as a physical education instructor for the Danbury School system. Then in 1973 Tom was hired by the New Fairfield School system as a physical education teacher where he taught until his retirement in 2009 after a 37 year career. Tom coached boys' varsity basketball for 28 seasons at Bethel High, New Fairfield High, Ridgefield High and Danbury High. His combined record was 343- 295. While the boys varsity basketball coach at Danbury High (1996-2009), his teams won 166 games, making the CIAC tournament for all thirteen years he was there, and the FCIAC tournament for ten seasons. While coaching at Danbury High, the boys' basketball team won the News-Times Tip-Off Tournament from 2000 until it ended in 2005 and the Ridgefield Holiday basketball tournament in 1996, 1997, and 1998. Tom won a Class M state softball championship in 1999 as coach of New Fairfield High School. In 2006, Tom was an assistant to Bethel native Melissa Tucci when Marist College won the softball Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) and went to the NCAA tournament. Tom is currently the head softball coach at Manhattan College, where his teams have finished 4th in 2010 and 2nd in 2011 in the MAAC. Tom has received many coaching honors including FCIAC Coach of the Year for boys' basketball in 1990, 1992 and 1999. He has been News-Times Coach of the year for boys' basketball in 1999 and 2005. The old WCC (now the SWC) awarded him softball coach of the year in 1994 and 1995. Tom and his wife of 38 years, Rosemary have two children, Joel and Alison and daughter-in-law, Emily, a Danbury High social studies teacher, and grandchildren Kylie and Jacob Thomas.