Where Are They Now?

Mike Zito, 1966-69

Football

As a student-athlete at the University of Connecticut, Mike Zito was extremely triumphant.  However, the football field is not the only place that the former Husky has accomplished great things.  With his strong core values, Zito has become the successful man he is today.

From East Haven High School, Zito lettered in football as a scholastic star and was a team captain. During his high school career, he won All-League and All-State awards, along with the Savitt Award.

Choosing to play football at UConn was not a difficult decision for Zito because of his family tradition.  John Toner, the UConn head coach at the time, also made it an easy choice for Zito.

“He did not let in-state talent go,” said Zito.  “He was a very convincing man.”

At the University of Connecticut, Zito was very successful.  He was an All-Yaknee Conference selection as a running back and held school record for most rushing yards in one game and longest punt return.

In his junior year of 1968, the halfback injured his ankle. Later that year during the off-season, Zito’s football career ended permanently after being hit by a car.  Zito had operations on both knees and suffered a head injury, but recovered well.

After the accident, reality kicked in fast for Zito. 

“My height was always a problem,” Zito said.  “But I wanted to prove people mistaken and that I had a place here.”

Aspiring to become a coach, he realized that he would no longer be able do this.  So, the coaching staff of the football team helped him get into the physical therapy department.  Making the change so late in his career was difficult, but his slate was clean.

After college, he worked for several years at a clinic in New Haven Hospital.  Realizing that he did not have a sufficient background in scientific method, he went back to school for his master’s at Ohio State.

“Going back to school influenced me to want to make a change in my profession,” said Zito.

So instead of going back to hands-on work, the former Husky decided to teach physical therapy, enabling him to aid students in receiving the correct educational background they needed.

Today, Zito is the Associate Professor of Physical Therapy in the Neag School of Education at the University of Connecticut.  His focus is the orthopedic curriculum.

Zito currently lives in Storrs, Conn., with his wife Susan. He has a daughter Nicole, 30, and a son Ari, 24.

--Naomi Smith