Vito Maida, Class of 1952, has been elected to the Northeastern University Hall of Fame for excellence in the sport of football.
Maida was one of the most tenacious down lineman of his era. He lettered at NU in 1948, 1949 and 1950. After a sterling football career at Chelsea High School, where he captained the team in his senior season of 1944 and was voted to a number of All-Star teams, Maida enlisted in the U.S. Navy. He saw service on the battleship U.S.S. Indiana as the men dodged kamikaze planes while shelling the mainland of Japan. He rose to the rank of third class Petty Officer.
With the end of World War II, Maida spent the academic year of 1946-47 at Coburn Classical Prep in Waterville, Maine. There he played guard and helped lead them to an undefeated season and the Maine Prep School Championship. He graduated with the highest scholastic honors.
In the fall of 1947, Maida enrolled at Northeastern and joined the freshman football team. The climate for the sport of football at postwar NU was not a healthy one. The administration was lukewarm about the sport and the previous three seasons had produced a poor record of 4-13-1. A young hotshot coach was hired, Joe Zabilski. It was his job to turn things around, or else. Maida and Zabilski were very much alike. Both were tough down lineman. Zabilski had been one of the stars of the great undefeated 1940 Boston College team that won the Sugar Bowl and Zabilski had also been an officer in the Navy.
That first year of varsity for Zabilski and Maida ended with a 1-4-1 record. However, in Maida'a junior and senior years the Huskies became respectable going 3-3 in 1949 and 3-3-1 in 1950. Maida started every game in his career on both offense and defense. He was a 60-minute man, and had, in the words of Zabilski become almost another coach. However, he was one in uniform.
With a solid foundation now established by the likes of Maida and company, the Huskies were able to go 16-4-1 over the next three seasons, a far cry from 4-13-1. The football program was now secure for the future.
After graduation Maida once again served his country as the Korean War escalated. He sailed on the heavy cruiser U.S.S. Macon in the Meditteranean Sea and finally retired as a Full Lieutenant.
Maida has enjoyed a prosperous business career. As a Dean's List student from the College of Business, he held high offices in many companies, including Star Market. Never forgetting his alma mater he has established two football scholarships at Northeastern.
