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07/03/2015 12:00 AMKeith Schlottman graduated from East Haven High School in 1992 after earning varsity letters in football, basketball, and baseball while recording several big accomplishments along the way. Keith continued with baseball in college, after which his focus shifted to his children’s athletic adventures. Now, though, Keith will get another chance to remember his time with the Yellowjackets as he recently learned that he will be inducted into their Alumni Association Hall of Fame this November.
“I was surprised to get the call because it’s been so long since I’d graduated,” says Keith. “The friendships I made throughout playing sports have lasted for years. My experience with sports taught me to be responsible. It was a life experience.”
Keith played baseball and basketball growing up and then joined East Haven’s football team as a freshman. An injury sidelined Keith from the gridiron for his sophomore and junior years, although the wide receiver/defensive back still lettered in his freshman and sophomore seasons.
Keith was a four-year letter-winner in basketball and captained the team as a senior. He earned three letters in baseball, batting .375 for his senior year, during which he was also a captain. Keith was also named to the All-Housatonic League Team, selected to the New Haven Diamond Club All-Star Team, and named All-State.
“Baseball was probably the sport I was best at, but I liked football the most,” says Keith.
Keith played American Legion baseball throughout his high school days and then continued his career in that sport at Quinnipiac University before competing in the West Haven Twilight League for 11 years.
“I stopped playing after my first child was about two,” says Keith, a network administrator for Regional Water Authority. “It was time to start letting them play and life became more about them.”
Keith has two daughters in a 15-year-old who plays volleyball and basketball at East Haven High School and a 13-year-old who’s involved in softball, dance, and cheerleading. Eight years ago, Keith and his wife adopted his niece, who attends Gateway. Keith remembers the years his father coached him when he was younger. Keith’s dad coached him throughout his youth and was even asked to help out the baseball team during Keith’s freshman year. When Keith’s daughters were growing up, he spent four years coaching their teams in Sal Tinari Biddy Basketball and softball, plus the Foxon Rec League before stepping aside.
“It was time to let me go and let other people coach and I felt the same way as my father did when my daughters got old enough. She needs somebody else to coach her because that’s how it will be in high school and in college,” says Keith. “It was time for me to watch them and not coach them. I’m glad I did that.”
Keith has seen the benefits of being involved in sports and tries to instill the life lessons that his father taught him to his daughters.
“Always be positive. Never answer a ref or umpire back. You never know who’s watching. People have different talents, but everybody has ability to hustle and play their hardest every time they’re out there,” says Keith. “Those are the things I try to portray to my kids.”
Keith, who still lives in East Haven with his wife of 17 years, is looking forward to the Hall of Fame induction. Reflecting upon his experiences with the Yellowjackets and now seeing what it’s like to parent a child who’s involved in sports has given Keith a whole new appreciation for what he had. Keith says he feels grateful that his parents had flexible jobs that allowed them to spend time with him at home and on the field.
“When I’m thinking about what I’ll say in my Hall of Fame speech, I am thinking you don’t realize how much your parents are doing while they’re doing it. I really didn’t realize how much they did until two years ago when my oldest was 13 and it really picked up,” he says. “You’re never home, but it’s all worth it. Six years from now, we’ll wish those times were still here, so we’re living in the moment now. It’s a lot of work, but it’s fun.”