As the month of August drew to a close, so did one of the longest tenures in UConn athletics, as men's golf coach Ron Dubois stepped down after 29 years of service.
Dubois, who announced his retirement in June, took on a variety of administrative and coaching roles throughout his career and spent the last five seasons with the men's golf team in one of the most successful stretches any coach has had with the program.
The Huskies took home three tournament championships under coach Dubois, most notably the 2004 New England Fall Championship, a tournament UConn last won in 1982. In addition to the achievements of the team under his guidance, seven players were recognized individually for their play under Dubois.
A graduate of Providence College, Dubois' coaching days were preceded by a decorated stint with the U. S. Army, which began in 1953. Dubois served honorably in Vietnam and attained the rank of Colonel prior to his arrival in Storrs, where he headed the state of Connecticut's U.S. Army ROTC program.
In 1978, he joined UConn's athletics staff as an assistant coach for the men's ice hockey team. Beginning in 1984, Dubois served as associate director of the UConn Athletic Development fund and from 1987-88, he was the assistant athletic director for Facilities and Finance. Dubois was named associate director of athletics for Operations and Facilities in 1988 and it was in this role that he was largely responsible for UConn's ascension into the elite class of institutions for collegiate athletics. Dubois spearheaded projects like the construction of Gampel Pavillion and the Freitas Ice Forum as well as renovations to Morrone Stadium and the Greer Field House. He was named head coach of the men's golf team in 2002, where he spent the duration of his UConn career.
Dubois will be remembered for the military-like enthusiasm he brought to coaching and for the emphasis he put on academic performance with his players.
Dubois' successor as head coach of the men's golf program is North Haven native Dave Pezzino who brings 12 years of coaching experience at the collegiate level.
A self-described "Northeast guy", Pezzino returns to Connecticut after serving as an assistant coach with the men's golf team at the University of Illinois last season. Pezzino coached for four years at St. Thomas University in Miami previous to another seven as head coach of the women's program at Florida International.
It was at St. Thomas where Pezzino played his collegiate golf and was met with a unique opportunity prior to the start of his senior season in 1996. When a head coaching vacancy had the team scrambling to find a replacement before the season began, Pezzino lobbied to take on the coaching duties while playing out his final season. Aside from a few quizzical looks from fellow coaches as he sat in on meetings, Pezzino's brief tenure as student-head coach went smoothly and he hasn't looked back since.
"They had to come up with a rule that required more than one member of thecoaching staff to attend meetings," Pezzino said. "My being there as a player created some confusion among the other coaches."
Among his accomplishments in four years at St. Thomas were back-to-back NAIA national championship appearances in 1998-99 and Coach of the Year honors in the Florida Sun Conference in 1998. Eight players were named to the All-Florida Sun Conference team under his tutelage.
Pezzino found continued success at Florida International in August of 1999 as head coach of the women's golf team in the form of four tournament wins and ten individual titles in the span of seven seasons. He took two of his teams to nationals, placing twelfth and sixteenth in those appearances.
Pezzino ventured to Illinois in 2006 to accept an assistant coaching position, but after one season he's excited about the prospect of coaching at UConn in what he sees as an ideal place to have success at the division I level.
"We have everything in place here to be successful, from a schedule standpoint, the area we play in, and the facilities we have at our disposal," Pezzino said of his new home. "We want to get better in everything we do, everyday. Whether it's academics, athletics, faith or family, we're a team focused on the opportunities in front of us."
Pezzino can be found on most days readying his team for the upcoming fall season with daily practice rounds. His wife Kristy is in Illinois with their twin sons, Joseph and Matthew, making the final preparations for a move to Manchester. Pezzino's team opens up the fall schedule with Hawk's Invitational at International Golf Club in Boston on Sept. 13.
Contact Chris Brodeur at
Christopher.Brodeur@UConn.edu.
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