Legends of Xavier

 

At last count, Xavier had 115 state and New England titles in sports. A book could be written on the athletic program. That’s 115 chapters right there.

 

One of its best soccer players in history became famous in baseball as Jeff Bagwell had a Hall of Fame career with the Houston Astros. One of it basketball coaches was one of its all-time best baseball players. Rich Magner spent nine seasons in the Los Angeles Dodgers farm system and has a World Series ring. He came back here and coached baseball and basketball, another sport he played here. The baseball field is named after him.

 

Ryan Preece is a NASCAR driver and Tim Boyle an NFL quarterback. Amari Spievey and Phil Murphy played in the NFL. Nick Greenwood played Major League Baseball.

 

Former cross country and track coach Bob Michalski and former football coach Larry McHugh are in the Connecticut High School Coaches Association (CHSCA) Hall of Fame.

 

Xavier grad Sean Marinan coached the football team to three consecutive state titles and four in five years (2010, 2011, 2012, 2014). Known almost since its inception in 1963 as a football power, Xavier's run under Marinan was incredible.

 

The list of great Xavier athletes and coaches is long, but if we were to build a Mount Rushmore of Xavier athletic figures we’d have to start here: Artie Kohs, Larry McHugh, Bob Michalski, Tony Jaskot and Rich Magner.

 

Michalski coached here from 1967-2005. His cross country teams dominated the landscape, running away from the opposition to the tune of 17 Class championships, 10 State Open titles and five New England championships.

His outdoor track teams won six State Open titles and 169 consecutive meets from 1974-1985. His indoor track teams also won six State Opens. Between cross country, indoor and outdoor track, his teams won 65 Class, State Open and New England titles. The track at Xavier is named after him.

 

The father of football here was McHugh. He was the first coach when the doors opened in 1963. When he stopped coaching Xavier in 1983, his record was 152-36-6. His teams were unbeaten in 1971, 1972 and 1974. At one point Xavier won 34 games in a row. After McHugh left he was inducted into the CHSCA Hall of Fame in 1984 and a year later was given the highest honor by the Connecticut Sports Writers Association, a Gold Key. The football field on campus is named after him.

 

There is not a sport at Xavier that has not had its countless memorable moments and participants. Yet, through all those names and all that history, you only need to remember two names who oversaw all that success for 56 years.

Artie Kohs was the first athletic director and Tony Jaskot, who retired at the end of the 2018-19 school year, was the second.

 

Kohs was the first hire in the school’s history. The building was not even here yet. He had his interview at St. Pius Church in Middletown. He started the athletic program and coached many sports, most notable basketball. The gym is named after him.

 

Jaskot took over for Kohs as athletic director. He had been on the staff for years. Jaskot was the first star quarterback at the school and went on to play at Southern Connecticut. He came back to Xavier and was on McHugh’s staff and then took over for McHugh when McHugh left Xavier. The weight room is named after Jaskot.

Magner took over for Kohs as basketball coach in 1979 after Magner's baseball playing days ended. He coached the team for 21 years. He also coached the baseball team from 1995-2014. The baseball field here is named after him. He retired after the 2019-2020 school year after many years as a teacher, guidance counselor and then Director of Guidance.

 

So there you have it. We guide you to our monuments to success: Kohs, McHugh, Michalski, Jaskot and Magner.