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CLASS OF 2019 HONOREES
Jackie Robinson Professional Wing: CHARLIE MORTON (REDDING), HEATHER DALY-DONOFRIO (FAIRFIELD)
James O’Rourke Amateur Wing: PAT DUFFICY (TRUMBULL), ROGER HAGGERTY (STAMFORD), PETE TUCCI JR. (NORWALK)
Walter Kennedy Community Service Wing: the late JACK CASAGRANDE (NORWALK), GUY WHITTEN (WILTON)
For only the third time in the 15-year history of the Hall of Fame, there was a tie in the voting with three inductees selected in the amateur wing.
CLASS OF 2018 HONOREES
Jackie Robinson Professional Wing: A.J. MLECZKO GRISWOLD (NEW CANAAN), TRAVIS SIMMS (NORWALK)
James O’Rourke Amateur Wing: RASHAMEL JONES (STAMFORD), CLAIRE BETH TOMASIEWICZ NOGAY (WESTON)
Walter Kennedy Community Service Wing: JOHN KUCZO (STAMFORD), the late PAUL KUCZO SR. (STAMFORD)
With Tomasiewicz Nogay’s induction as the first Weston honoree, a total of 19 different towns are now represented in the Hall of Fame. With the Kuczos being enshrined it will be the first time that a father and son have gone into the HOF together. They join Tom and Jim Penders as the only other father-son tandem.
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The numbers alone would merit Jim Dolan’s selection to the Fairfield County Sports Commission Hall of Fame in the J. Walter Kennedy Community Service Wing. Try these on: A 411-89-39 record coaching boys soccer for 29 seasons at Joel Barlow High School in Redding, where he was the school’s first varsity coach. The Falcons won 13 league and six state championships during his tenure. When he retired in 2003 he had the second most soccer wins in state history. A 236-120 record in 17 seasons as Barlow’s baseball coach with three Western Connecticut Conference championships. A 102-76-1 record over 12 seasons as the boys golf coach, winning the SWC championship in 2010. That’s nearly 750 victories over his 37-year coaching career at Barlow. But to Michael Santangeli, Barlow’s current administrator for athletics and wellness, Dolan’s greatness extends far beyond the playing fields. “No one was more impactful on me as an athlete and as a person than Coach Dolan,” said Santangeli, who played baseball for Dolan at Barlow. The wins are impressive, but Dolan’s impact in the community is equally so. “He is part of the fabric at Joel Barlow High School,” said Santangeli, who was a teacher at the school for 11 years before getting his current position 10 years ago. “His impact on Joel Barlow is amazing.” Santangeli describes Dolan’s coaching style as intense. “He was tough, hard-nosed, he pushed you all the time,” he said. But at the same time, “You always played relaxed and were able to do your best. He was by far the greatest motivator I have ever been around. I don’t know how he did it.” Dolan continues to have an impact on Santangeli as a friend and mentor. They talk at least once a month. “I view him as a second father,” Santangeli remarked. “That’s the highest compliment I can give.” Dolan started his coaching career as a graduate assistant at the University of Bridgeport, where he coached JV soccer and baseball. Then it was on to Barlow. The list of honors that Dolan, who lives in Hull, Mass. where he coached freshman soccer at nearby Hingham High for three seasons, has accumulated over the years is indeed impressive. He was named the National High School Soccer Coach of the Year in 1995 by the National High School Coaches Association. And he is a member of four halls of fame. He was inducted into the Adelphi University Athletic Hall of Fame in 2001. He was a soccer goalkeeper and a baseball third baseman at the Garden City, N.Y., school and was named the outstanding athlete of the year in both 1968 and ’69. He was inducted into the Connecticut High School Coaches Hall of Fame in 2004, the Connecticut Soccer Hall of Fame in 2010 and the Joel Barlow Hall of Fame in 2014. “At the end of my career, if I can impact the community as much as Jim did, my career would be a success,” Santangeli said. 
Many coaches would be happy with 146 career wins. Laddie Lawrence has won 146 championships. The longtime Staples High School cross country, indoor and outdoor track and field coach’s resume includes 73 FCIAC division, 32 FCIAC, 39 state class or open, and two New England titles. Lawrence has coached 32 undefeated teams — which helps explain his phenomenal record of 1,824 wins, 395 losses and 2 ties. Among his many athletes are eight national champions and 28 All-Americans. But that’s not what the nationally recognized coach is proudest of. In a career spanning 49 years, Lawrence has introduced thousands of boys and girls to running. Their continued joy in the sport — evidenced through the number who return for alumni races, or the summer series he oversees in Westport — is his true mark as a coach. Lawrence (whose real name is John, though he’s been “Laddie” since he was a lad) has spent virtually his entire career at his alma mater, as coach and physical education teacher. After graduating from Staples in 1964 — where he earned state open championship honors in the 600 and 4×220 relay — Lawrence became a two-year captain as a full scholarship athlete at Southern Arkansas University. He earned an undergraduate degree in physical education and biology, then added a master’s in administration from Fairfield University. Lawrence’s first head coaching job was with Southern Arkansas’ cross country team in 1968. He was hired as head coach of Staples’ boys indoor track team in 1970 then soon added cross country and outdoor track. For many years he coached the girls teams as well. Lawrence’s list of honors is almost as long as his wins record. Among his most prestigious awards are: NHSACA Hall of Fame (2015), Connecticut Sportswriters’ Alliance Gold Key (2013), National Coach of the Year, Men’s Cross Country, NHSACA (1990) and — from the FCIAC — Ralph King Distinguished Coach (2017) and Hall of Fame (2002). He has received the FCIAC Coach of Excellence Award an amazing 63 times. Outside of Staples, Lawrence has coordinated Westport Parks and Recreation Department’s Road Runner program since 1966, and their age group track and field program since 1976. He serves on many FCIAC, state and national committees. In 2000, the Pequot Running Club established the Laddie Lawrence Scholarship. Each year, the organization awards $10,000 in college tuition to qualified Staples track graduates. Lawrence and his wife Katie — a former runner — live in Fairfield. They have three adult children — Katherine, John and Andrew — and four grandchildren. 
Henry has established himself as a successful PGA tour pro over the past 19 years since making his professional debut in 1998. He has three tournament wins to his credit, including his first victory right here in Connecticut at the Buick Championship in 2006. His other two tour victories came in 2012 and 2015 at the Barracuda Championship in Reno, NV. The Fairfield High graduate also has five second place finishes to help boost his pro earnings to over $15 million. Henry represented the U.S. as a member of the Ryder Cup in 2006. Prior to becoming a touring pro, Henry had an outstanding amateur career playing out of the Patterson Club in Fairfield as he was a three-time Connecticut State Amateur Champion (1994-95, 1998). He was undefeated in high school play (76-0-2) and was a four-time all-state selection. In 1998, he was a first-team
Williams played six years in the WNBA from 1998-2003 and rose to All-Star status in 2001 with the Indiana Fever. She began her pro career when she was drafted in the first round and 13th overall by the Washington Mystics in 1998. After two seasons with the Mystics, she was traded to the Fever, where she became the first all star in franchise history when she led the team in scoring (11.9 points per game) assists and steals. She later played for the Houston Comets and the Seattle Storm. The Brien McMahon High grad had a stellar career at the University of Connecticut for three years, the last two as a starting point guard. As a co-captain her senior year, she was named the Big East Championship Most Outstanding Player in 1998 and is 10th all time in school history in steals with 248. Williams was elected to the FCSC’s UConn Wing of the Hall of Fame in 2009. At McMahon she was a Parade Magazine All-American and led the Senators to the 1994 Class L state title. After high school she played one season at Mitchell College and was a first-team junior college All-American
Bol was not only a one-of-a kind basketball sensation, but also spent much of his life as a humanitarian and political activist in the civil war that divided his native country of Sudan. Bol’s one-season (1984-85) at the University of Bridgeport created the most excitement in the school’s sports history. The 7-foot-6 center averaged 22.5 points, 13.5 rebounds and 7.1 blocks per game that year. The Division-II Purple Knights, which previously drew 500-600 spectators, routinely sold out their 1,800 seat gym when Bol was on the court. He was drafted in the second round and 31st overall by the Washington Bullets in 1985 and went on to play for four different NBA teams over the course of a 10-year career. He was one of the best shot blockers in league history, setting the rookie shot blocking record in the ’85-’86 season. Bol finished his NBA career with 2,086 blocks and is the only player to have more blocks than points scored (1,599). He passed away in 2010 at the age of 47.
Gilmore was a four-sport letterman at New Canaan High, but it was in basketball that he made his name as one the legendary players of his era. He led the Rams to three consecutive state titles (1956-58), scoring a school record 697 points as a senior. While also earning varsity letters in track, golf, and football, Gilmore was heavily recruited for basketball by many college programs after being named all-state for three years. The 6-foot-6 center took his talent to the Big Eight Conference where he became a three-year starter at the University of Colorado, leading the Buffaloes to two straight conference titles in 1961 and 1962. Those same teams went on to the NCAA Elite Eight only to lose to eventual champion Cincinnati in both appearances. Gilmore averaged 14.7 pointe per game for his career and is in the school’s top 30 all-time scoring list. After being drafted by the St. Louis Hawks in the 14th round in 1962, a knee injury curtailed his professional basketball career hopes. He passed away at age 53 in 1993. 
Breslow is currently in his ninth year in the Major Leagues and has become one of the top left-handed set-up relievers in baseball. He was a key member of the 2013 Boston Red Sox World Championship team, pitching in 10 post-season games and winning one in the AL Divisional Series. After a standout career at Yale where he was team captain, Breslow was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 26th round in 2002. He made his pro debut with the San Diego Padres in 2005. The Trumbull High graduate, who pitched the school to a Class LL state championship in 1998, also has pitched for Cleveland. Minnesota, Arizona and Oakland. He was second in the American League in appearances by a pitcher in both 2009 (77 games) and 2010 (75 games). 
Chu’s 14-year hockey career as a member of the U.S. National team has been filled with major accomplishments and honors. The Fairfield native, who attended Rosemary Choate during her high school years, is a four-time Olympian and four-time world champion. She has been one of the leaders of the women’s hockey program and has won 3 silver medals and a bronze in the Olympics. She received one of the highest honors a U.S. athlete can receive when she was named by fellow Team USA members to lead the team as flag bearer for the closing ceremonies of the 2014 Games in Socchi. Chu won the Patty Kazmaier Award in 2007 as the best female collegiate hockey player during an illustrious career at Harvard, where she finished as the NCAA’s all-time points scorer at the time. 
Domond was one of the state greatest girls basketball players, scoring 2,300 points in her four-year career at Central High, which is still 6th best all-time in Connecticut. She was a four-time all-state player and a Parade All American and one of the five players selected for the USA Today All-USA team in 1994. She led Central to a 27-0 undefeated season and a Class LL state title as a senior in 1994. Domond played for four years at the University of Iowa and as the starting point guard led the team in assists and steals as both a junior and senior (96-97, 97-98). She was the 19th pick of the 1998 WNBA draft as a second rounder for the New York Liberty. She was elected to the New England Basketball Hall of Fame in 2003. 
Connolly is touted by many as the greatest overall athlete to come out of Norwalk. He was a five-sport high school star, with football being his ultimate focus. He played football at Boston College for legendary coach Frank Leahy and was a key player as a sophomore in BC’s undefeated 1940 national championship football team and played in two bowl games. He also played hockey and baseball at BC and turned pro briefly in the All-America Football conference for the Brooklyn Dodgers before an injury curtailed his playing career. Connolly, who is a member of the Boston College Hall of Fame, then went on to become a successful high school and college football coach and administrator. He passed away in 2006. 
Chacurian was a longtime college and amateur team soccer coach and a youth soccer leader throughout the state, as well as being a standout player. He coached at the collegiate level for 10 years at Southern Connecticut as an assistant and then worked for five years at Yale for both the men’s and women’s programs. After serving as a men’s assistant for six years (1983-88) at the University of Bridgeport, he became the head women’s coach at the start of that program for 5 years. Chico also managed the nationally-known Vasco da Gama amateur team in Bridgeport from 1974-80. Chacurian was a legendary player in Argentina before coming to the U.S. to become a U.S. National Team player (1953-54). He is a member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame (1992), also CT Soccer HOF (1999).
Laureno was a longtime baseball, basketball and football official for over 40 years, as well as a highly successful youth coach in Stamford. He was one of the founders of Stamford’s Babe Ruth league baseball and led his teams to seven World Series appearances, winning the first three Babe Ruth national titles from 1952-54. His teams won 45 straight games in New England Babe Ruth tourney. Laureno was inducted into the Babe Ruth League Hall of Fame (1975). He also coached the Stamford Boys and Girls Club to two state titles in his five years leading that program. Sharkey, who was also one of the founders of the Shoreline League, the premier softball league in the county, was elected to the CT ASA softball Hall of Fame in 2003. He passed away in 1987. 
Roos retired in 2012 after 40 years of coaching with the most victories of any hockey coach in the state with 536. During his long coaching career he shaped two of the state’s elite programs in Fairfield Prep and Notre Dame of Fairfield. In 1971 he became the first coach at Prep, where he won 265 games and four state titles in 19 seasons. Roos spent 21 years at Notre Dame starting in 1991 and helped the Lancers move from Division II to a DI annual competitor, winning a state championship in 1999 and adding another in 2006. He won a Gold Key in 2011 and is a member of both the CT State HS Coaches (2009) and Notre Dame High HOFs. The CIAC state hockey tournament is named for Roos. 
Blake, who is still active as a professional tennis player, turned pro in 1999. Since that time he has won 10 ATP singles titles, his first in 2002. In 2006, his career skyrocketed with five tour victories and he reached his top world ranking at No. 4. Blake played seven years on the U.S. Davis cup team and helped lead the squad to the 2007 championship. The Fairfield High graduate is currently ranked 87th in the world and has close to $8 million in career earnings. He had a successful collegiate career at Harvard. 
Hirschbeck was a Major League Baseball umpire for 16 years from 1988-2003. When the Stratford native made his big league debut, he joined his brother John to become the first brothers to umpire together in MLB history. He worked in the National League from 1988-1999, and then in both leagues from 2000 until his retirement after seven games in 2003 due to a hip injury. Hirschbeck earned two World Series assignments (1998 & 2001), six postseason appearances and umpired the 1993 and 2000 All-Star Games. 
Rioux was one of the greatest female athletes to come out of Stamford and the county. A three-sport standout in softball, basketball and field hockey at Westhill High from 1976-79, she then focused on softball and made a name for herself as one of the nation’s top players. After an outstanding collegiate career with one season at Rhode Island before transferring to the University of Massachusetts where she was a second-team All-American shortstop her senior year, Rioux joined the Raybestos Brakettes. She spent 10 years with the Brakettes as a second baseman, winning five nationals titles and finishing runner-up four times. She was the MVP of the 1985 National tourney. When she passed away in 1989 at the age of 27, she was 8th in career games played and in the Top 20 in hits. Rioux is a member of the National Softball Hall of Fame (2009), CT ASA Hall of Fame (1989) and the UMass Athletic HOF (2002). 
Cook dedicated 50 years to college athletics and was a fixture in the county for most of those years. He was the baseball coach at Fairfield University, his alma mater, for 19 years and the athletic director from 1971-86. After moving upstate to the University of Hartford where he was AD from 1986-92, he returned to the town of Fairfield as the athletic director at Sacred Heart. Cook guided the Pioneers into Division I and expanded the athletic program from 12 to 31 varsity teams before retiring after 20 years in 2013. He was awarded a Gold Key in 1999 and is a member of the Northeast Conference (NEC) Hall of Fame. 
Lavery was one of the state’s storied high school football coaches at Fairfield Prep from 1965-1992. During that time he never had a losing season, won 230 games, which at the time he retired was a state record and is now seventh all-time in Connecticut, and his .801 winning percentage is also seventh best. He won three state titles, coached four undefeated teams and won 15 MBIAC titles. Lavery, who was an assistant football coach at Prep for nine years before becoming head man, also served as the Jesuits’ athletic director from 1970-72 and had short stints coaching golf and track. “Duke” was elected to the CT High School Coaches Hall of Fame (1991) and won a Gold Key from the CT Sports Writers Alliance in 1996. 
Matthews played nine seasons in the NBA, earning two championship rings with the Los Angeles Lakers in 1987 and ’88. He was the first round draft pick of the Washington Bullets in 1980, the 14th selection overall. His rookie season produced a career-high 12.4 points per game and 5.2 assists, split between Washington and Atlanta. The speedy, 6-1 guard also played for the Philadelphia 76ers, Chicago Bulls and San Antonio Spurs, where he had a career-high 6.3 assists per game in 1985-86, before concluding his NBA career in 1988 with a 7.9 points per game average. The Harding High great also played professionally overseas for several years. Matthews was a standout at the University of Wisconsin, averaging 18 points per game in three seasons there. His son Wesley Jr. plays in the NBA for the Portland Trail Blazers. Matthews coached the Jersey G-Force in the International Basketball League last season.
Merz was a member of the U.S. Women’s National Hockey Team for 13 years from 1990-2002. She was a defenseman on the U.S.’s gold-medal winning team in 1998 and also won a silver medal in the 2002 Olympics. In the ’98 event she scored a goal and five assists in helping the U.S. to its first and only Olympic gold. The Greenwich High graduate has six World Championships’ silver medals to go along with her Olympic awards. Along with her teammates, the 1998 team was voted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame in 2009. Merz played college hockey at the University of New Hampshire (1990-94) and also played overseas in Switzerland. She was a member of the Connecticut Polar Bears team that won the 1990 USA Hockey Girls’ Midget National Championship.
Finnegan is one of the most decorated and greatest softball players of not only the county, but our state and nation as well. His 50-year career continues as the 70-year-old is still active in playing around the country at the highest levels of competition in senior softball. Finnegan led Stratford High to the 1959 state baseball championship—playing for coach and fellow 2012 FC Hall of Famer Jim Penders Sr.—by turning in a herculean effort that saw him pitch four games and 39 innings in a week’s span. After a couple of major league tryouts and two years of a varsity baseball scholarship at the University of Bridgeport, he turned his efforts toward slow pitch softball and began one of the most illustrious careers in the sports’ history. In 1962, he started at shortstop with the Avco Lycoming team and went on to lead Avco to multiple national championships as well as earning five national MVP awards, the first in 1968, the last in 1990. Finnegan also played nationally with County Sports of Long Island and had a two-year stint (1978-79) in the American Professional Softball League. He continued past his 50th birthday to play with his current team the New York Statesmen, winning seven more national titles and five additional MVPs. He was elected to the Connecticut and National Softball HOFs in 1993 and the Senior Softball Hall of Fame in 2003.
Jensen’s basketball career is sometimes defined by one game on the national stage, but it was much more than that. From 1981-83 he led Trumbull High to two FCIAC championships, was a two-time Class LL all-stater and became the school’s all-time leading scorer with 1,375 points. He moved on to Villanova University and as a sophomore in 1985 played the “perfect game” in leading the Wildcats to an upset victory of Georgetown for the NCAA national title. As a key reserve, he scored 14 points in that game, shooting 5-for-5 from the floor and went 4-for-5 to help clinch the game at the free throw line, earning a spot on the all-tournament team. He was a two-year starter, all-Big East 2nd team selection as a senior and a two-time first team Academic All-American, concluding his career with 1,155 points. Drafted in the 6th round of the 1987 NBA draft by Cleveland, Jensen continues to live in Philadelphia and is a member of the Villanova Athletics and Big Five Hall of Fames.
Penders was a four-sport coach at Stratford High, but was best known for his highly successful baseball program that he led for 23 years. He retired in 1968 with 282 wins and four state titles, including his final season, and never had a losing record. He was also the longtime track coach at the school from 1932-45 and his team lost only two dual meets during that time. After retiring from coaching, Penders served as Stratford’s athletic director and then became a fixture in the town’s recreation department. He was one of the county’s top football officials for nearly 30 years and a premier basketball referee for over 25 years. Penders is a member of both the National High School Coaches Association and Connecticut High School Coaches Hall of Fames. His family coaching tree is one of the nation’s most remarkable. The patriarch joins his son Tom, one of college’s basketball’s all-time great coaches, in the FC Sports Hall of Fame. His son Jim, also a member of the National High School Coaches HOF, just retired after a legendary, 40-plus years’ baseball coaching career at East Catholic High School and his grandson Jim is the head baseball coach at the University of Connecticut. A complex of sports fields at Stratford’s Longbrook Park is named for Penders.
Strong coached six different sports at Masuk High, but his strong suit was girls’ basketball and no one in the state of Connecticut ever did it better. He retired last year after 35 years as head coach with a state record 704 victories and an .819 winning percentage. His teams made the state tournament every year since 1974, won three state titles, 19 league championships, had two undefeated seasons and a 93-game regular season win streak. As one of the deans of state girls basketball and with that kind of successful track record, he has been recognized for his accomplishments at all levels. He is enshrined in the Connecticut High School Coaches Hall of Fame (2000), New England Basketball Hall of Fame (2002), CT Women’s Basketball HOF (2004) and inducted to the National High School Coaches HOF in 2009. During his long tenure at Masuk, Strong also coached boys basketball, boys’ and girls’ tennis, softball and cross country.
Bagley played 11 seasons in the NBA, the first five with the Cleveland Cavaliers, who made him their first draft pick and the 12th overall in 1982. When the 6-foot point guard was traded to the New Jersey Nets in 1987, he left as the Cavs’ all-time and single season assist leader, as well as averaging a team record 9.4 assists in 1985-86. The Harding High great played two seasons with the Nets, averaging a career-high 12.0 points per game in his first year, and then spent three years with the Boston Celtics before ending his career in Atlanta in 1993. He sat out the entire ’90-91 season due to injury, and averaged 8.7 points and 6 assists for his NBA career. A member of the Boston College Hall of Fame, Bagley played three years for the Eagles, twice averaging more than 20 points per game. As a sophomore in 1981, he led BC to the Big East regular season title and the NCAA Sweet 16, earning Big East Player of the Year honors. Bagley, inducted into the New England Basketball Hall of Fame in 2004, helped the Eagles reach the NCAA Elite Eight in his junior campaign. 
Heading into his 30th year as an NBA referee, Salvatore is one of the premier officials in pro basketball. He has worked 25 NBA Finals games, 228 playoff games and over 1,650 regular season games. The Stamford Catholic graduate began his NBA officiating career in 1981, after spending two years working in the CBA and 10 years of high school basketball. Salvatore has two All-Star game credits (1993 & 2002) on his resume, and worked international tournaments for the NBA in Germany (’93), Mexico (’97) and China (’04). A three-sport scholastic athlete, Salvatore was an all-state quarterback in 1967. He is the son-in-law of the late NFL Hall of Famer Andy Robustelli, also a Stamford native. 
Originally selected as part of the Hall’s initial Class of 2005, Andy did not accept the honor at that time. After his passing in May 2011, he was officially inducted into the Jackie Robinson Professional Wing later that year, along with his son-in-law Bennett Salvatore. Robustelli was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1971 after a 14-year career where he played for the Los Angeles Rams from 1951-55 and the New York Giants from 1956-64, missing only one game.The 6-foot-1, 230-pound defensive end had an immediate impact after joining the Giants as the team won the 1956 NFL championship in Robustelli’s first season. They won five more conference championships during his tenure, in 1958, 1959, 1961, 1962 and 1963. Robustelli played on a winning team in 13 of his 14 pro seasons and played in eight NFL championship games. He was selected to seven Pro Bowls and was named first team All-NFL seven times, two with the Rams and five with the Giants. He was also a three-time second-team All-Pro choice. In 1962, the Maxwell Club selected Robustelli as the NFL’s top player, an honor then usually given to an offensive player. In his last three years with the Giants he was a player-coach. Robustelli was the Giants’ Director of Operations from 1974-78. 
DeSantis was one of Fairfield University’s all-time great basketball players. A four-year letterman from 1975–79, he completed his collegiate career with 1,916 points, then the school’s all-time leading scorer and now currently second. He averaged 18.4 points per game for his career and his 667 assists are also second on the Stags’ career list. DeSantis tops the Stags’ record book for career free-throw percentage at .849. In the 1977-78 season, DeSantis led the Stags to one of their best seasons ever with a 22-5 record and an NIT appearance. He was drafted by the Washington Bullets in the second round of the 1979 NBA Draft before playing in Venice, Italy, for one season. The Bronx, N.Y. native completed his professional playing career in the Continental Basketball Association. In 2004, DeSantis was inducted into the New England Basketball Hall of Fame. The Tolentine High graduate also had an accomplished coaching career with 26 years of Division I experience. He played a crucial role in elevating the Quinnipiac program from the Division II level to a respected Division I mid-major during his 11-year stint as head coach. The Trumbull resident kept close ties with his alma mater, gaining his first coaching experience as an assistant at Fairfield from 1981–88 and is now the radio color commentator for Stags basketball games. 
One of the best female distance runners in U.S. history, Hopp St. Geme has been a top level competitor for more than 30 years. She made her name as a scholastic star at Greenwich High, winning the National Cross Country championship in 1980 and following up with a National title in the 3,000 meter run as a senior. She still owns four FCIAC outdoor records and two state milestones. Hopp St. Geme continued her success as a collegian at Stanford, by winning the NCAA 3,000 run as a freshman in 1982 with a time of 8:57, still an American Junior record. In 1992 & 1996 she qualified for the Olympic Trials in three events, while winning the USA Track & Field national championship in the 5,000 meters event in 1994. Hopp St. Geme, who graced the cover of Runner’s World magazine seven times, remains one of the top female Masters runners and is active in 5K runs. She has been the assistant cross country and track coach for the past nine years at Corona del Mar High in Newport Beach, CA. 
For 33 years, Bentley has been the head coach of one of the country’s top high school basketball programs at Harding High, where he coached 2011 FCSC Hall of Famer John Bagley. During his tenure the Presidents have made 14 state title game appearances, winning nine championships, including five straight from 1983-87. He also has won 16 conference crowns, 11 in the MBIAC and 5 FCIAC. His total of 645 victories is second all-time in the state. Bentley’s accomplishments have been recognized numerous times in his illustrious career, including being named to the New England Basketball Hall of Fame (2003), awarded a Gold Key by the state sports writers’ alliance (‘07) and election to the Connecticut High School Coaches Association HOF (‘09). He also was the longtime cross country coach at Harding. 
Loeffler was the legendary soccer coach at Staples High, but his impact on soccer there and across the country was more than just as a mere coach. Loeffler came to Staples in 1952 and originally coached basketball (12 years), baseball (11 years) and track because the Westport school did not have a soccer team. He founded the program in 1958 and shaped it over his 20 years as head coach into one of the nation’s finest. When he retired in 1978, he had amassed a then national high school record 314 wins and was twice named National Soccer Coach of the Year. Staples won 13 FCIAC titles, including five in a row, and seven state championships with five of those coming consecutively from 1969-73. The respect he commanded in the Staples soccer community, which knew him as Mr. Loeffler, not Albie, was also felt nationally as Loeffler was one of the pioneers of soccer officiating at both the scholastic and collegiate levels for 13 years. He worked five NCAA Division I finals, including the first one, and was part of the referee duo of the first two-man system in college soccer. Loeffler, who passed away at the age of 93 in September 2009, also was involved in writing the national soccer officials handbook. He is a member of the U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame as a referee and was one of the inaugural 13 members of the Connecticut Soccer Hall of Fame in 1999.
By Bob Greeney
By Bob Ehalt New Haven Register
By Gary Rogo Connecticut Post
By Bob Greeney
By Tom Chiappetta Fairfield County Sports Commission
By Chris Elsberry Connecticut Post
By Bob Moseley 
By Chris Elsberry 
By Rich DePreta 
By Rob Sullivan 
By Bob Ehalt 
By David Fierro 
Chris Drury becomes the first hockey player to be inducted into the county Hall of Fame. His outstanding athletic achievements started as a youngster when he led Trumbull to the Little League World Series title in 1989. He then was named college hockey’s most outstanding player in winning the Hobey Baker Award after a stellar career at Boston University. He is heading into his 10th season in the NHL, currently with the New York Rangers. Drury won the Calder Trophy as NHL Rookie of the Year in 1999 with the Colorado Avalanche, and then won a Stanley Cup two years later with the Avs. The Fairfield Prep graduate also played for Team USA in the Olympics in 2002 & 2006. Drury has 218 career goals and his reputation as a clutch post-season performer is born out by his 46 playoff goals, including 16 game-winners.
Tim Teufel, a graduate of St. Mary’s High School in Greenwich, played 11 seasons in the major leagues. His defining pro career highlight was as a member of the 1986 World Champion New York Mets. Teufel, who played six years with the Mets, platooned with Wally Backman at second base and batted .444 with a home run in the memorable 7-game series against the Boston Red Sox. He began his major league career in 1983 with the Minnesota Twins, who selected him as the 38th overall pick in the 1980 amateur entry draft after an All-American collegiate career at Clemson. Teufel concluded his 11 years in the big leagues with a .254 lifetime average with the San Diego Padres in 1993.
Gary Liberatore’s basketball scoring prowess is still legendary throughout New England. The lefty-sharp shooter, who played at the University of New Haven, still holds the NE scoring record for all college divisions with 3,176 points. He had a career-high 55 points versus NY Tech in 1966. Liberatore was also a center fielder on the UNH baseball squad, playing for FCSHOF inductee Frank “Porky” Vieira. From 1959-62, Liberatore was a four-sport letterman at New Canaan High playing baseball, basketball, football and running cross country. He is a member of the New England Basketball Hall of Fame, UNH and New Canaan Hall of Fames.
Lou Saccone is called by many area sports observers the “greatest overall athlete” to come out of Bridgeport. In the mid 1940’s he earned a school record 14 letters in four sports at Central High (football, basketball, baseball, track). At Central, there were some days when Saccone would run track in his baseball uniform as the two sports were scheduled on the same day. At the University of Bridgeport he was the school’s only 5-sport letter winner (also playing golf at UB). Saccone also coached baseball at UB, was the freshman basketball coach at Fairfield University (1957-65) and was head football coach at Notre Dame High for nine seasons, winning the state title in 1964. He was elected to the Notre Dame High Hall of Fame in 1985.
Ralph King won over 700 games in coaching basketball and soccer at Brien McMahon in Norwalk. He started the soccer program at McMahon in 1961 and retired in 1994 with nine FCIAC titles and two state championships. He was the boys’ basketball coach at the Norwalk school from 1964-87 where he had 23 consecutive winning seasons and a total of 396 victories. McMahon captured 5 FCIAC crowns and a pair of state championships under King, who was also the athletic director at McMahon for 27 years. King is a member of the Connecticut High School Coaches Hall of Fame (1989), the Connecticut Soccer Hall of Fame (2006) and is an active administrator for the FCIAC. 
Tom Penders is one of just 28 Division I coaches to reach the 600-victory plateau. In 34 years as a college coach, Penders, who is entering his fifth year as head coach at the University of Houston, has 608 wins. Penders has made a name for himself in reviving college programs including Columbia, Fordham, Rhode Island and the University of Texas, where he won 208 games in 10 seasons and led the Longhorns to eight NCAA tourney appearances. The Stratford High alum started his basketball coaching career as a high school coach in Bridgeport for three years, and landed his first college job at Tufts in 1971. He was elected to the New England Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006. Penders also played minor league baseball for one season, was a 5-time national champion fast pitch softball player with the Raybestos Cardinals and is the only player to captain both the UConn baseball and basketball teams in the same season.
Before there was the all-state career at Masuk High School, before there was the All-America career at Duke, before there was the 14-year NBA career, there was the National Punt, Pass and Kick contest. 
Whenever Fairfield’s Charles Nagy stepped on the pitcher’s mound for the Cleveland Indians, the 6’3 intense right hander brought three tremendous attributes to the table: consistency, composure and durability. Those traits were critical to Nagy as he became one of the top pitchers in baseball throughout the 1990’s. 
Jerry Courville Sr. left this earth in 1996 at the all-too young age of 62, a victim of cancer. But in his short time here, the Norwalk native established himself as one of the greatest amateur golfers to come out of not only Fairfield County, but the region. In fact, Courville won just about every amateur golf title in the East during his legendary career on the links. 
For Donna Lopiano, the defining moment in her life came when she was 11 years old. It was 1957 and she had been chosen to be a pitcher on a Little League team in her hometown of Stamford. The euphoric joy of hearing that news, though, turned into a painful and bitter memory when she was later told that girls could not play Little League baseball. 
Nick Koules is a fixture on the Fairfield County sports scene, known by thousands in the area. When you’ve been an umpire and referee for more than 65 years, you get to know a lot of people. 
For 34 years, Bruce Webster was University of Bridgeport basketball. 
Stamford’s Bobby Valentine is considered by many as the greatest Connecticut high school athlete ever. He was a three- sport standout at Rippowam High School where he earned All-State honors in football, baseball and track. 
Longtime baseball fans in Norwalk still talk about the titanic home runs that a 12-year-old named Maurice Vaughn used to his off the wall at Honeyhill School back in the late 1970s when he was playing in the Cranbury League. 
Joan Joyce is one of the greatest female athletes of all time. Her athletic accomplishments are legendary as she was an outstanding performer in softball, basketball, golf, volleyball and bowling. And today she continues to build on her storied career as a highly-successful college coach. 
For basketball fans in the early 1970s, Walter Luckett defined greatness. 
The name Ray Barry has been synonymous with Norwalk High School where he led the Bears to 19 FCIAC championships and four state titles in two sports. 
How did he get the nickname Porky? Well, that’s a story in itself. He was, in his own words, a pest. Not a bad kid, just … you know, a pest. A kid that could, and would, get under your skin. And back in the mid-1940s, getting under someone’s skin didn’t take much. Florindo ‘Frank’ Vieira was that pest. There was a woman, who each time she saw Vieira, she would yell, “You little Portagee.” Portagee quickly became Porky. It has been his nickname for the past 65 years. If you lived in Bridgeport in the late 1940s or early- to mid-1950s, then you knew Porky Vieira. The kid could shoot a basketball. One night at the Waterbury YMCA, Vieira scored 78 points. Another night at the old Bridgeport Armory, he scored 89. He outscored a young Wilt Chamberlain in an all-star game in the Catskills in 1955, 38 points to 33. He scored 55 against Goose Tatum’s all-star team. He scored 28, just in the first half, against Hot Rod Hundley and the Minneapolis Lakers in 1958. He could score against anyone. Anywhere. Any time. Any place. “Sports was the great equalizer. Sports helped me survive,” Vieira said. “If you were good, you played. It didn’t make any difference what color you were, what nationality. That’s why sports have been so great to me, no one cared.” But for the last 44 years, it was baseball, not basketball, that shaped Vieira’s life, as the head coach for the University of New Haven. Vieira posted an all-time record of 1,127-324-6. He took the Chargers to 25 NCAA tournaments, including 17 NCAA and NAIA World Series, posted 81 NCAA wins and two NCAA World Series runner-up finishes.
Watching Julius Boros play golf, one got the feeling he could hit it down the middle while reclining in a rocking chair. Perhaps no one in the history of the game had such a free and easy swing that could translate into the success enjoyed by this Fairfield native of Hungarian descent. The fourth of six children, Boros learned the game as a caddie at the old Greenfield Hill Country Club in Fairfield, but he did most of his playing at the Fairchild Wheeler municipal course and, on occasion, Brooklawn Country Club. Basically self-taught, he competed in state and national events as an amateur, finishing second in the 1948 Connecticut Open. He turned pro the following year and by the early 1950s was one of the standouts of the fledgling PGA Tour. Over the course of a career that spanned four decades, he won 15 Tour events and three major championships:the 1952 and 1963 United States Opens and the 1968 PGA Championship. In the PGA, he fended off Arnold Palmer and Bob Charles to win by a stroke and become at age 48 the oldest winner of a major. 
When Kristine Lilly played soccer at Wilton High School, parents used to bring their young daughters to watch her games. Even then, before the college national championships, the Olympic gold medals and the World Cup titles, there was a sense of something special about Lilly. [br][br] The parents picked a good role model. After helping Wilton win three state championships and three conference titles, the small midfielder with the magical dribbling skills, the thunderous left foot and the never-ending work ethic was just getting started. [br][br] She went to North Carolina and teamed with Mia Hamm to win four straight NCAA Division I championships, earning a Hermann Award as the country’s top collegiate player. She was also part of the nucleus that led the U.S. Women’s National Team to the inaugural World Cup championship in 1991 and the first soccer gold medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. [br][br] Another World Cup and Olympic title came later, as Lilly established a record for most international appearances by a player — male or female. Although many of her teammates from that 1991 World Cup-winning team have retired, Lilly is still going strong. Soccer is what she loves, and she still loves it. [br][br] When she eventually decides to stop playing, Lilly will leave behind a legacy as one of the sport’s all-time greats. She will be remembered as a player who could score goals, create them and prevent them. [br][br] She will also be remembered for her humility and community involvement. Each summer, Lilly returns to Wilton and coaches at her annual camp. It is her way of staying connected to the town she grew up in. The place where she was once a role model as a teenager and now a bigger one as an adult. 
Even after being away for 35 years, Calvin Murphy still calls Norwalk ‘Home.’ [br][br] Which makes tonight’s induction into the Fairfield County Sports Hall of Fame all the more meaningful for the 57-year-old basketball great who put Norwalk and Fairfield County on the map. The legend of Calvin Murphy really began to take shape at Norwalk High School, where he started all three years there from 1964-66 and scored a then-state record 2,192 points. People around here still talk about his senior year, the 1965-66 season, when he led all of New England with a 40.3 scoring average, another state record. He led Norwalk to a 23-1 record that season, ringing up 30 or more points in 22 of the 24 games, over 40 points 10 times and over 50 five times, including an FCIAC record 62 points in a 126-53 win over Roger Ludlowe. His next-highest game came in the state final when he scored 59 points to lead NHS over South Catholic in the final game of his brilliant scholastic career. [br][br] From Norwalk High, Murphy went onto play at Niagara University, where he was an All-American three straight sea- sons and as a sophomore scored a school-record 68 points against Syracuse, the third-highest single game in NCAA history. He would score 2,548 points and average 33.1 (fourth highest in NCAA history at the time) for his career. And that’s not counting the 48.9 he averaged on the freshmen team (freshmen weren’t allowed to play varsity back then). Even at 5-foot-9, Murphy caught the attention of several NBA teams, and the San Diego Rockets selected him in the second round with the 18th overall pick. Of course, there were those who said Murphy would never make it in the NBA because of his size, many of them the same skeptics who predicted he would never make it in college. [br][br] But Murphy proved them all wrong. He not only made the Rockets,but played in all 82 games that 1970-71 season, averaging 15.8 points,and was named to the NBA All-Rookie Team. [br][br] It would be the first of 13 seasons in the NBA,all with the same franchise,which moved to Houston his second season. [br][br] Perhaps more importantly, however, as the NBA’s first little man, Calvin Murphy paved the way for future generations of “small players.” [br][br] He still holds numerous team records with the Rockets, including 17,949 career points, as well as career field goals, free throws, assists, steals and games played. On March 18, 1978, 12 years to the day of his 59-point game for Norwalk in the state finals, Murphy scored a career-high 57 points against the New Jersey Nets. That was the same season he would average a career-high 25.6 points, and the following season he was selected to play in the 1979 NBA All-Star Game for the Western Division. [br][br] Then in the 1980-81 season, the same season he helped lead the Rockets to the NBA Finals, Murphy set two NBA records with 78 consecutive free throws made, and the highest free throw percentage in a season, .958, which still stands. In fact, Murphy would lead the league in free throw percentage twice while finishing second eight times. What’s more, his career percentage of .892 is second best in NBA history. Murphy retired following the 1983 season with a career average of 17.9 points, and the following season he became the first Rocket to have his jersey – No. 23 – retired. But the ultimate honor came 10 years later on May 10, 1993 when he was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield,Mass. [br][br] Tonight, Calvin Murphy will be inducted into another Hall of Fame, this one closer to home. [br][br] “Even though I’ve been away for 35 years now, my heart is still in Norwalk,” Murphy said. “I started there and when the Lord calls me home, I’ll still be from there.” 
Few athletes of any generation have endeared themselves with the American public as deeply as did a fresh-faced teenage girl from Riverside, Conn., named Dorothy Hamill. [br][br] The then 19-year-old Hamill earned a permanent spot in American sports lore by capturing the 1976 gold medal in women’s figure skating at the Innsbruck Olympics with such a charismatic flair that to this day she remains one of the nation’s most beloved athletes. Hamill, in notching a perfect score of 6.0 for artistic presentation at the Winter Games, captivated millions of fans around the world with her grace and brilliance on the ice – and infectious charm off it. [br][br] A three-time national champion (1974-76) and 1976 world champion, Hamill’s nationally televised triumphs earned her the title of “America’s Sweetheart”as her bobbed wedge haircut became as famous as her trademark “Hamill Camel” spin. [br][br] Hamill started on her path to glory when she learned to skate as an 8-year-old on the frozen Binney Park pond in Old Greenwich. Her career following the Olympics included skating as Ice Capades’ star performer for eight years and winning five straight World Professional championships (1983-87). [br][br] She was inducted into the U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Fame in 1991 and the World Skating Hall of Fame in 2000. Though currently a resident of Maryland, the 49-year-old Hamill is still fondly remembered in Greenwich, where the town’s skating rink is named in her honor. Now, with her inclusion among the inaugural class selected for the James O’Rourke Amateur Wing of the Fairfield County Sports Hall of Fame, Connecticut gets one more chance to salute its unforgettable “Golden Girl.”
Fairfield County was a relatively short one, he made a big impact during that time. Attending Newtown High, he used his days on the track and field team there as a foundation to set the stage for becoming the world’s greatest athlete. [br][br] Jenner, who won the Olympic Gold Medal in the decathlon at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal, was a three-sports star at Newtown High, after his family moved to Connecticut from Tarrytown, NY. In 1968 he won the CIAC state open championship in the high jump and the pole vault. That was just the beginning step toward winning the gold with a then-world record 8,618 points. [br][br] After attending Graceland College in Iowa on a football scholarship, he turned his full-time efforts to the decathlon and the rest is history. [br][br] For his exploits in 1976 he was named the Associated Press Athlete of the Year and the Sullivan Award as the nation’s top amateur athlete. [br][br] He is a member of the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame (1986) and U.S. Track and Field Hall of Fame (1980). [br][br] Following his athletic career, Jenner has gone on to success as a sports commentator, TV personality and motivational speaker.
Coming from a town which celebrates all athletic achievements, New Canaan’s Bill Toomey reached heights that were literally of Olympic proportions. [br][br] A 1956 graduate of New Canaan High School, where he was an all-around athlete and was persuaded by his football coach, the late Joe Sikorski, to come out for the track and field team, Toomey found his greatest success at the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, winning the decathlon gold medal. Arguably one of sports’ more grueling competitions, the decathlon tests a variety of skills over a two-day span and the winner is dubbed the greatest athlete in the world. [br][br] The United States won six consecutive gold medals in the decathlon from 1932 through 1960, a streak that was snapped in 1964. Toomey had been fourth at the U.S. Olympic trials in 1964 and apparently saved his best for last on that international stage. Four years later, at the age of 29. Toomey won the decathlon’s final event, the 1,500-meter run, running his point total in the 10 events to 8,193 points to win the gold medal. His time of 45.6 seconds in the 400-meter run set a new record, as did his first day score of 4,526 points. [br][br] That was the coup de grace for Toomey, who had already had a stellar career at NCHS, winning eight gold medals at State championship meets during his junior and senior years and setting several Connecticut records in the process. [br][br] After graduating from NCHS, Toomey moved on to the University of Colorado, where he won the Big Eight Conference long jump title twice. He won five National AAU pentathlon titles from 1960-1964 prior to shifting gears and capturing a record five consecutive AAU decathlon championships from 1965-1969. In 1969, he won the Sullivan Award, presented annually to the nation’s top amateur athlete. That was the year, he set a world record in the decathlon. Toomey was inducted into the U.S. Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1975 and the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame in 1984.
For the past 27 years, the name Dave Bike has been synonymous with New England college basketball success. As the head coach of the Sacred Heart University Pioneers, Bike has posted a resume that others can only dream about. Over 400 wins. Eight NCAA Regional appearances. Five NCAA New England Regional crowns. An ECAC Division II title. A NCAA Division II National Championship. [br][br] Bike, 56, a Bridgeport native, grew up playing basketball at the Shehan Center. When he was 12, Bike was part of a Bridgeport team that captured the 1958 National Biddy Tournament in Wichita, Kansas. The next year, as the host team of the event, Bike helped Bridgeport to a third place finish. [br][br] At Notre Dame High School, he played baseball along with basketball (where he was chosen as an All-New England and All-State player). It was in baseball, though, where Bike garnered his greatest athletic success. Drafted by the Detroit Tigers in 1965, Bike spent seven seasons playing professional baseball, climbing as high as the Class AAA level with the Toledo Mud Hens in 1972. [br][br] His coaching career had started when he was as student at Sacred Heart, learning under Don Feeley, from 1965-67. In 1974, he was named as an assistant at Seattle University, where he worked for four seasons before returning back to SHU in 1978 to replace Feeley as the Pioneers head coach. The high water mark for Bike and the program came in the 1985-86 season, when the Pioneers went 30-4 and captured the NCAA Division II National Championship in Springfield, Mass., with a 93-87 victory over Southeast Missouri State. In 1999, Bike began the challenge of bringing Sacred Heart into the Division I era as the Pioneers look to make their mark in the Northeast Conference. In the final game of the 2002-03 season, Bike posted his 400th career victory over Long Island University. Heading into the 2005-06 season, Bike’s career mark is a stellar 416-370.
Jerry McDougall’s induction into the Fairfield County Hall of Fame as a member of the first class rendered the former Trumbull High athletic director, football and baseball coach speechless. “I’m in awe of the whole thing,” McDougall said of his entry into the J. Walter Kennedy Community Service Wing. “It is a humbling experience and I’m not only surprised, but honored to be inducted with this group. I feel like a minor leaguer in comparison.” McDougall coached football for 37 years, 31 at Trumbull, and his teams compiled a 265-126-8 record, won four state titles, five FCIAC championships, and were state runners-up on four occasions. He coached baseball for 30 seasons and his teams won 442 games, earned two state titles, 10 FCIAC crowns, and were state runners-up three times. McDougall’s accomplishments earned him several other awards. His achievements include National High School Football Coach of the Year in 1995 and his Hall of Fame inductions include the National High School Coaches in 1999. In 1976, the Connecticut High School Coaches Association (CHSCA) honored him as an Outstanding Coach in football. In 1995, the same group recognized him for baseball. In 1984, McDougall received the Past President’s Appreciation Award, and in 1997 he was the recipient of the Gold Key from the Connecticut Sports Writers’ Alliance. He is also a member of several halls of fame including the CHSCA, NHSACA, Connecticut Sports Museum, University of Bridgeport, and Trumbull High School. McDougall contributed more to the Trumbull High sports program as the athletic director for 29 years (1972-2001).