Former Northville girls basketball coach Jim Zullo married Linda Zullo and shared four children.
Linda Zullo was born Linda Sawyer on April 26, 1950, in Gloversville, New York, to Dorothy Peck and Lawrence Sawyer.
After graduating from Gloversville High School and SUNY Morrisville, she spent much of her career at Niagara Mohawk Power Company, retiring in 2005 as a clerk.
Jim Zullo met Linda Zullo, the love of his life, and they walked down the aisle on October 1, 1977. The couple were married for 46 years until Linda’s demise.
Together, they built a tight-knit family of four members, including their living two children, Mary Swart and Sam Zullo. While their infant sons, Sam Zullo and Nick Zullo, passed away.
Their children, Mary and Sam, grew up immersed in the sport, with Sam eventually following in his father’s footsteps as a coach himself.
Linda found joy in baking, gardening, walking, reading, and playing pickleball outside of work.
She also sang very well and often performed alongside her sisters and mother at local events and with choirs from a young age.
One of her standout moments was her rendition of “Climb Every Mountain,” showcased at the Miss Fulton County pageant and later at the Miss New York State Beauty Pageant.
Linda Zullo Passed Away After Her Courageous Battle With Cancer!
Basketball coach Jim Zullo’s wife, Linda Zullo, took her last breath on January 14, 2024, at the age of 73, in the early morning hours after a courageous battle with cancer.
She was predeceased by her precious infant sons Sam Zullo and Nick Zullo, her parents, and her sister Cynthia Sawyer Kozel.
When Linda was diagnosed with cancer, her battle became a family affair. The Zullos moved to Northville, New York, to be near their daughter Mary.
Whereas, their son Sam made countless trips between Connecticut and Northville, trying to be with his mom continuously in what would be her final days.
Reportedly, he spent a couple of weeks commuting three or four hours between Northville and Connecticut.
Even in her final days, Linda was thinking about her family. Knowing Jim needed a purpose beyond her illness, she urged him to return to coaching.
Jim recalled in an interview with Tim Reynolds, saying:
She didn’t want me to sit here and just watch her suffer.
Jim Zullo
That encouragement led Jim, at 80, to take the helm of the Northville Central girls’ basketball team.
Sam, an all-time wins leader at Simsbury High in Connecticut, credits his mother for his own success.
“If not for her, none of this is happening,” he said, reflecting on a historic day in March 2024 when he coached in a Connecticut state championship game while his father led Northville in the New York semifinals.
For Sam, Linda was his biggest fan, just as she was for Jim.
In Case You Didn’t Know
- Jim Zullo, 81, was fired as Northville coach after pulling a player’s ponytail after a loss on March 21, 2025.
- Hall of Fame coach Jim Zullo has a career of over 40 years of experience and more than 500 career wins.
