National Football Foundation

For more than 35 years, Bob Bacewicz has been devoted to the advancement of the game of football and education in Connecticut.
 
After graduating from Enfield High School in Enfield, Conn., Bacewicz earned his bachelor’s degree while playing offensive guard and as a punter at the University of Connecticut from 1970-72. After graduating in 1973, he began a 36-year tenure with the Groton School District, serving as a teacher and assistant football coach at Fitch Senior High School. Bacewicz also continued his education earning a master’s in education from UConn in 1978 and a sixth year professional diploma in administration and supervision from the University of Southern Connecticut in 1984.
 
At Fitch, Bacewicz served as a social studies teacher and department chair before becoming assistant principal in 2000 and then principal in 2006. He was part of the football coaching staff for 19 years, focusing on the offensive line and special teams and helping lead Fitch to an undefeated state title season in 1976. Before retiring as principal in 2009, he helped complete a $45 million renovation of the school.
 
A member of the NFF Southeastern Connecticut Chapter’s executive board since 1982, Bacewicz has helmed the chapter as president since 2003. He serves as emcee of the chapter’s outstanding scholar-athlete dinner, which is partially supported by, and held at, the Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Conn. The Southeastern Connecticut Chapter honors more than 15 scholar-athletes each year while also recognizing successful coaches, media representatives, civic leaders, educational administrators and football officials.
 
“I have been incredibly fortunate to work with a few tremendously dedicated people on the executive board for our chapter,” said Bacewicz. “It is through our combined efforts that we have been able to recognize some of the finest young men and athletes in our area over the last 35 years. We take great pride in honoring all of them for their accomplishments on the football field, in the classroom and in their communities. The joy and pride we see in them and their families every year makes our efforts all the more worthwhile.”
 
Bacewicz and his wife, Deborah, live in Ledyard, Conn., and have two children and one grandson. An avid golfer, he still attends UConn football games.