Legendary North Haven Baseball Coach Bob DeMayo Dies, Mourned By Community

NORTH HAVEN, CT — The North Haven community and beyond is mourning the death of former legendary baseball coach Bob DeMayo.

“Coach Bob DeMayo passed away,” North Haven Athletics posted on social media on Thursday morning. “There will never be another coach like him. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Bette, and his family. May he rest in peace.”

DeMayo coached the North Haven High School baseball team from 1958 until his retirement in 2022. He is the state leader in career victories with 937 and won five state championships at North Haven.

The CIAC announced last month it was dedicating the baseball state championships to him.

Sheehan girls basketball coach Mike Busillo, who was an assistant baseball coach at North Haven, described DeMayo as his mentor and said he was sad to hear of his passing.

“It was one of the great pleasures of my life to stand next to him in the dugout for 10 years while an assistant at North Haven,” Busillo wrote in a post on X. “He taught me the game but the lessons he taught me went far beyond the field. He taught me how to build a program the right way, about setting expectations, being demanding and being able to instill confidence in your players. I will miss our days on the golf course and miss the conversations we had. They meant the world to me.

“I got to talk to him about life, about family, about how he grew up. Coach gave me so much more than I could ever give him and I frequently think about how he influenced me in so many ways.

“He was a father figure to so many and I know there are many others who feel the same way. My thoughts are with his wife Bette. I’m not sure there has ever been a better ‘coaches wife.’ Rest easy Coach and thank you for all you did for me.”

In addition to the five state championships, DeMayo led North Haven to 19 Housatonic League championships, two Southern Connecticut Conference championships and numerous division titles.

“I have tried to teach my players the many levels of this marvelous game – fine-tuning their skills for the basics and, when possible, introducing the intricacies which can result in a victory when you have no right to the win,” DeMayo said at the time his retirement was announced in 2022.

See also:

• Legendary North Haven Baseball Coach Bob DeMayo Retires
• CIAC Baseball State Championships Dedicated To Legendary North Haven Coach