Dialog reporter
A celebration of the life of former Salesnaum School athletic standout Vinnie Scott is scheduled for Oct. 21 at 10 a.m. at the Chase Center on the Riverfront. Scott, an accomplished athlete who was a high school coach and teacher for decades, died Sept. 28 a few days shy of his 78th birthday.
Before he got into coaching and teaching, Scott, who attended St. Elizabeth School, starred in athletics. After graduating from Salesianum, he played football collegiately at the University of Maryland. There, in 1959, he became the second college football player in history to make three field goals in one game. His 48-yard boot that day stood as an Atlantic Coast Conference record until 1979.
He earned a tryout with the Baltimore Colts, but the team traded him to the Washington Redskins, and Scott decided to hang up his cleats to accept a teaching position at his alma mater, Salesianum.
“I began my career in 1961, and it has never mattered if I was the head coach or the assistant,” Scott once said. “I love sports and enjoy working with kids.”
He coached basketball at Sallies from 1964-67, Conrad from 1969-72, Glasgow from 1973-79, and McKean in 1979-80. In 1982, he took over as football coach at Delcastle, where he stayed until 1989. Two years later, he accepted the same job at St. Mark’s and was the head man there until 2004, compiling a record of 83-49-2. He led the Spartans to the Division I finals in 1999, 2002 and 2003.
Also at Salesianum, he was the swim coach for two years in the early 1960s and baseball coach in 1967. He was an assistant in multiple sports at Sallies, Conrad, Delcastle, Glasgow and St. Mark’s.
From 1986-90, Scott served as athletic director at Delcastle and also as secretary of the Blue Hen Conference athletic directors. He was basketball coach of the year in 1972 and Blue Hen football coach of the year in 1987. He is a member of both the Delaware Sports Hall of Fame and the Delaware Legends Basketball Hall of Fame.
He is survived by his wife, Deborah; daughters Suzanne Painter (Brian), Stephanie Antenucci (John Drych), Jacqueline Corbin (Christopher); son Charles Powers (Gwen); brothers Kevin and Raymond (Brenda); 10 grandchildren; and 12 great-grandchildren.
Donations in his name may be made to the Delaware Sports Museum and Hall of Fame, 801 Shipyard Drive, Wilmington, DE 19801; Delaware Legends Basketball Hall of Fame, 8 Green Meadow Court, Newark, DE 19711; Delaware Hospice, 100 Patriots Way, Milford, DE 19963; or the Boys and Girls Clubs, 669 South Union St., Wilmington, DE 19805.
