Alfred Zaloski
Class of 1947
(1929-2013)
Alfred “Sonny” Zaloski was a classic three-sport athlete in an era when football, basketball and baseball reigned at New Milford High School and throughout the northwestern corner of Connecticut.
His exploits as a speedy quarterback with an accurate throwing arm and defensive stalwart helped lift the Green Wave to two Housatonic Valley Schoolmen’s League titles in six-man football. A two-time captain, Al fired a fourth-period touchdown pass vs. Ridgefield as a sophomore to clinch the 1944 HVSL title. He returned an interception 64 yards for a touchdown vs. Morris as a junior and led the Green Wave past Newtown, 34-14, for the 1946 league championship.
On the basketball court, Al was the Green Wave’s playmaking leader for three seasons and showed his versatility by ranking as one of the all-time top scorers for NMHS. He’s one of the elite Green Wave players who averaged in double figures for each of three seasons, peaking as a senior at more than 20 points per game, nearly half of his team’s production. A 33-point explosion vs. Woodbury in 1947 stood as the school’s scoring record until the 1950s.
Al was equally impressive on the baseball diamond, starting for four seasons at shortstop and developing into a standout pitcher during his final two seasons. He capped his sophomore season with a plus. 350 batting average, stroking two hits as NMHS outplayed Washington, 6-1, to clinch the HVSL championship. During one stretch over two seasons, the Green Wave won 22 straight games.
By his NMHS graduation, Al’s leadership and athletic ability, displayed at Young’s Field and the East Street high school gym, as well as throughout northwestern Connecticut, had assured he will forever hold a lofty place in Green Wave sports annals.
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