Thomas T. Bohara (posthumously)

Tom Bohara was a life-long resident of Norwich, born just before the Great Depression. As a youngster, he played baseball as a catcher threw his arm out trying to throw as hard as he could to second base. He enlisted in the Navy during World War II, serving on the Troop Ship “USS General Mann” for three years in the Atlantic Theatre. After leaving the Navy in 1946, he returned to Norwich and was asked to umpire in the Police Athletic League and a fast and slow pitch softball league. Wanting to improve his officiating skills, he enrolled at the George Barr umpiring school in Sanford, FL. After enrolling in a second session at the school, Tom had a chance to umpire in the minor leagues. He was assigned to a new Double-A league in MN. Unfortunately, that league was cancelled before he could call “balls and strikes”. Tom returned home and joined the Norwich Umpires Association and began to umpire in the Norwich City League in 1947 which was playing at Hollyhock Island. His storied career in umpiring; thus, began in earnest throughout Eastern CT and would last another 65 years. Tom was a fixture in the Norwich City League which featured the best ball players from Eastern CT including many ex- minor league ball players, along with the best high school, American Legion, and college players in the area. He could also be found on numerous baseball fields officiating Little League, American Legion, High Schools; both public and private, and college programs; including, Mitchell, Thames Valley, Avery Point, Eastern, and the Coast Guard. He also found time to officiate many softball leagues on his nights away from hardball.
Tom also spent those years recruiting and training many men who decided to become umpires. As a member of the Norwich Umpires Association and later its President for many years, he conducted classes on rule interpretation and field positioning each year, sometimes inviting retired major league umpires to share their experiences and knowledge. Later in the early 1990’s he organized the Rose City Umpires Assoc. and later joined the Eastern CT Umpires Board. Tom always stressed to his new recruits along with the seasoned veterans, “know the rules and make sure that you ‘sell the call’!”
In the early 1970’s, Tom conceived the idea of having a regional baseball tournament which would bring in the best teams from CT, RI and MA. The Norwich Invitational Baseball Tournament would carry on into the early 1990’s and always feature the best matchups in Southern New England.
He also found the time to manage the Norwich Little League Dodges for 11 years, before moving to the Senior Little League for a few years, and later to the Norwich American Legion. Tom would lead his teams by teaching skills and “thinking.”
In the off season, Tom was an avid duckpin bowler, bowling on numerous Interstate Teams and winning the 1980 National Duckpin Championship in Silver Springs Maryland. He also took up pool when he was in his 60’s. He joined several pool leagues, the local Tri-town Sunday League and the Amateur Pool Association. In the 1990’s, his Indian Leap Café team won a playoff in Hartford, and went on to compete in the National Championships in Las Vegas.
Tom Bohara was honored by the Connecticut Sports Writers’ Alliance at the 70th Gold Key Dinner in April of 2011. During his 66th year as an umpire, he was diagnosed with a fatal disease. He leaves his wife Lorraine, sons Tom and Ted and their families.

Jim Leone

 

As a boy growing up in the 1960’s, Jim, as did many boys during that era, relished the calling of sports participation. Jim’s interests varied with the seasons. Winters were filled with St. Pat’s practices and games in the church basketball league. Spring and summers found Jim running the base paths in the Pioneer League, Little league, and Senior League. The fall was the time for football when the Dairyland Packers ruled the roost.
Jim entered Norwich Free Academy in 1969 and had an immediate impact on both the football and baseball programs. Jim was a four-year varsity starter in both sports, including both offensive guard and linebacker in football. Jim was also a senior captain of both sports. During Jim’s accomplished football career, he earned all-conference honors as a sophomore and senior, and was elected to the honorable mention all-state team as a senior. Jim was awarded the Redgrave Award for his faithful service to the NFA football team in. In baseball, Jim played catcher, third base and first base. Jim was voted all-conference as a senior. Throughout his career, Jim always batted 4th.
After graduating from high school, Jim continued his athletic career, first at Kent School during the 1973-1974 school year, and then at Trinity College from 1974-1978. Jim played linebacker throughout those years.
After graduating from Trinity College, Jim was hired by St. Bernard High School where he is now enjoying his 37th year in the classroom. During these 37 years, Jim has been an assistant coach for 58 seasons. From 1979 to 1990, Jim was an assistant with the football team, raising a state championship banner in 1979. From 1991 to 2001, Jim was an assistant coach with the wrestling program. From 1980 to 2014, Jim assisted with the baseball program. In both 1982 and 2005, St Bernard won state championships and in 2006, they were the state runners-up. In 2011, Jim was named the Connecticut Assistant Coach of the Year. More impressively, when his name was advanced to the national level, Jim finished in the top five.
Tom Hayes, legendary St. Bernard baseball coach, said these insightful words about Jim: “What stood out the most was his willingness to remain engaged, and to never stop teaching the fundamentals of this great game of baseball. In terms of a role model for high school baseball, I don’t know that there’s a better one around. Jim had a great work ethic. Playing for him, that’s the one thing you are going to learn. You are going to believe that you are outworking the people around you. I was very fortunate to have him as my assistant coach.”
Jim resides in Norwich with his wife Donna. Their daughter Marie was recently married to Tim Londregan.

Carol A. Oat

 

Carole Oat was a pioneer for women’s sports. As a young girl, there were not many opportunities for sports participation so she competed with the older girls. Carol participated in all activities available and won the Knights of Columbus free throw contest.

In high school, she participated for four years on the tennis team, three years of varsity softball and one year of basketball. She played in the number one spot her senior year of tennis winning numerous individual and doubles league matches and participated in the State Tournament 3 times. She was a Southeastern Athletic Conference (SAC) All-Star and received the WICH Tennis team award. Carole was part of the first Varsity Softball team earning a total of three varsity letters. She was an SAC All-Star twice, the Tolland Tournament MVP and was named to the Class LL All-State team. Carol was voted class athlete and received the Charles Hamblen award, this award is the top award given to a female athlete at the Norwich Free Academy. The summer of her senior year Carole played on a travel softball team competing throughout New England. She was the Baltic Softball League Triple crown winner leading the league in batting average, home runs and RBI’s.

Carole attended Springfield College and participated, coordinated and coached in all types of intramurals including Flag Football, Soccer, Softball and Track. Her post college athletics continued as a softball player participating in tournaments all over New England for many years. She was the starting third baseman on the 1984 USSSA of Connecticut winning state champion. Carole continued to play softball on a Bristol Women’s Softball team. She was frequently the team leader in batting with an over .500 average most years. She continued her tennis career participating in many leagues and tournaments. She won the City of Bristol doubles tennis championship in 1995.

Carole started playing golf in her early 30’s and has won 13 Club Championships since 2001. She is the current Women’s Timberlin Club Champion, the two-time Club Champion at Chippanee GC, and the six-time winner of the greater Bristol Women’s Amateur Championship. She is a 17-year member of the Southern New England Women’s Golf Association and the current president. She served a three-year stint as Vice President of tournaments for SNEWGA overseeing and coordinating numerous events held throughout Connecticut. Carole is a 3 time SNEWGA Senior Champion and a three time Norwich Women’s Invitational Golf Tournament champion. She reached a low of a 4 handicap.

Dr. Melissa Perkins-Banas

 

Dr. Melissa Perkins-Banas distinguished herself through distance running in state and national races. While she holds some 5k course records, her most impressive performances have been in the 13.1-mile half- marathon distance, the 26.2-mile marathon distance, and the 50k (31.1 miles). She held national rankings in the 20k (12.4 miles) and marathon distances. She is a four-time winner of the John J. and Jessie Kelley Ocean Beach 11.6- mile race.

Melissa has multiple national race victories, including back-to- back titles at the Cannon Long Island Half-Marathon and two consecutive victories at the Sugarloaf Marathon in Kingfield, ME. She has been the overall winner at the National USATF NE Law Enforcement Half Marathon and first American finisher at the Mystic Places Marathon. She was runner-up at the Hartford Half- Marathon and voted CT Female Runner of the Year by Hi-Tek Racing. As a Master’s runner, Melissa continued to excel with a victory in the 10k at the AT & T National Corporate Cup in San Diego, CA. She was sponsored by Adidas during her running career.

Melissa has maintained contributions to athletics with a career as a neuropsychologist with specialty in sports neuropsychology. Melissa has developed expertise in concussion management and is a certified IMPACT consultant. She works with athletes for a myriad of clinical issues relevant to the athletic environment and as a mental training coach for peak performance. She is a USTFCCA certified coach for track and field and cross country.

Melissa was born and raised in Norwich and currently resides in Brooklyn, Ct with her husband Joe Banas -1997 Hall of Fame inductee.

Jeffrey A. Rose

 

Throughout his successful academic and athletic careers, Jeffrey Rose relied upon the strong foundation of his upbringing in the Laurel Hill area of Norwich, CT. Additionally, he took advantage of the various youth athletic programs that Norwich offered, emphatically noting that it was the “people of Norwich” and those relationships that were the most influential in his life aside from his family. Jeff participated in the Norwich Little League, Senior League, Pee-Wee Football, Elementary and Middle School Basketball and Bowling leagues that won many championships along the way.
The Norwich youth programs gave Jeff a solid foundation for his entry into the Norwich Free Academy where he earned an immediate Varsity letter in football his freshman year. Jeff played basketball for four years winning Captain and MVP honors in his senior year along with All Conference awards in 1979 and 1980. Similarly, he captained the baseball team having earned three Varsity letters, Co-MVP and first team-All Conference honors twice. A highlight of his basketball experience was being selected as an All-Star starter playing against Patrick Ewing’s Ridge and Latin team in 1980. He also was an All-State selection in baseball, playing American Legion baseball for four years along with various local adult and Big Brother-Big Sister teams.
Jeff matriculated to Yale University where he earned Varsity letters in baseball for the 1980 and 1981 seasons. Continuing to be involved with athletics at Yale, he was a 4-year starter quarterbacking on the Champion Intramural Tackle Football team going 3-1 against rival Harvard. He also was a 4-year starter at point-guard on the 3-time championship Intramural Basketball team.
While a long-time resident of Florida, his real impact involving athletics was yet to happen. In 2002, he in left a successful career in corporate America as almost a calling to impart the lessons he learned in Norwich about “building character and community”. He became a teacher, coach and athletic director at the Palmer Trinity School in Miami-Dade County. He coached basketball and continues to coach baseball and golf while teaching middle to high school students. He was athletic director at Palmer Trinity overseeing more than 50 teams and also at Miami Northwestern High School where innumerable student athletes receive D1 scholarships annually.
Whether in the classroom, on the playing field, or in the home, Jeff credits his Norwich experiences as paramount in his success in southern Florida. Jeff currently resides in Cutler Bay, FL with his wife of 31 years, Patti. They are the proud parents of their two children, Courtney and Brandon, who have been educated at prestigious colleges and universities.

Kara Kochanski Vendola

 

When Kara Kohanski was in gymnastics practice as a freshman she was approached by Head Track Coach Gary Makowicki who suggested she join the track and field team.  She did, and she excelled.  Little did either of them know that in a few short years she would return to NFA as a teacher and as Gary’s assistant coach later replacing him as head coach for the 2002-03 season after his retirement.

Kara was a three-year member of the gymnastics team from 1990-1993, Indoor Track team 1990-91, and a four-year varsity member of the Outdoor Track team 1991-1994.  She was a member of the ECC Championship and Class LL Championship teams in all four years of her high school career.  In the 1991-1992 and 1992-1993 seasons Kara was a letter winner for the ECC Championship and Class LL Championship teams.  Her personal achievements included being named 400m Yankee All Star, placing 4th in the ECC Meet for the 400m, placing 6th in the ECC Meet for the High Jump, and qualifying for state LL in the 400m – 62.5, 4×400, and High Jump – 5.0.  In her senior year, 1993-1994 Kara’s impressive honors included letter winner and being a member of the ECC Championship and Class LL Championship teams.  She was given the All State and All New England honors with her 1st place ECC Meet 800m, 7th place ECC Meet for the HJ, and 3rd place ECC Meet for the 4x400m.  In the Class LL Meet she won 1st place in the 4×800, 7th place in the HJ 5’, 3rd place in the 4x400m and qualified for the 800m with a time of 2:25.2.  In the State Open Meet, she won 2nd place in the 4x800m.  In the New England Meet she place 3rd in the 4×800 setting a school record of 9:38.45.  Her personal bests are HJ at 5’/ 300H -50.0/ 800m at 2.25 and the 400m at 62.4.  Kara’s senior year culminated with the Howard Dickenman Award Athletic Class Night for the 1993-1994 season.

After graduating in 1994 Kara went to UCONN where she was a member of the Indoor and Outdoor Track teams 1994-96 and the Big East Championship Outdoor Track team in the 1995-1996 season.  Graduating from UCONN in 1998, Kara returned to her alma mater as a special education teacher and served as Assistant Gymnastics Coach from 1997-2001, Assistant Girl’s Track Coach from 2001-2003, Cross Country Coach from 2006- to the present, and Head Track and Field Coach from 2003 to the present.

In Kara’s first year as Head Track and Field coach her team won the ECC Meet Championship and she was named the Norwich Bulletin and New London Day Coach of the Year.  She was named Coach of the Year again in the 2003-04 season her team placing second in the ECC Meet and winning the Class LL State Championship.  Under her leadership, from her earliest years as coach to the present, Kara has brought her team through eight consecutive ECC Championships and five Class LL 1st place finishes, and was named Coach of the Year an additional two times.  The 2011-12 season was highlighted with both 1st place ECC Large and ECC Championships, 1st place Class LL Meet and 5th place in the State Open.  The 2012-13 season was highlighted with 1st place ECC Large and ECC Championships, 1st place LL Meet, 2nd place State Open and the 4×400 New England Championship.

Kara’s praises two women who were instrumental in her development as a gymnast and fellow Hall of Fame inductees, Sue Hopkins-Terrel and Linda Tardiff-Briggs.   Kara Kohanski-Vendola is married to Richard Vendola and they have a four-year-old daughter Berkley who is following in her mom’s footsteps.

 

Matt Way

 

Matt grew up in Norwich. He attended Norwich public schools, NFA, and then went on to Springfield College. After graduating from college, he married and settled in Massachusetts where he still resides with his wife of 18 years, Colleen, and their two children. Their 14-year-old daughter Ainsley and 11-year-old son Aidan are both very active in sports, playing basketball and lacrosse.
Matt started playing Norwich youth sports at the age of eight. He played soccer, basketball, and baseball. Matt went on to NFA, graduating with the class of 1991, where he was a three-sport athlete in baseball, wrestling, and football. He excelled most in football and wrestling. Matt was the recipient of the highly coveted Fletcher Willey Cup, which is given to the senior boy who has proved most proficient in athletics during his four years at NFA.

In football Matt was an offensive lineman. He was a success in football right from the onset, evidenced by being honored as the outstanding freshman player. He was Captain of the team in his senior year, and was also named to the E.C.C. conference All Star Team and received All State Honorable Mention. Matt was selected to play in the highly competitive Nutmeg State Olympic Games and was a silver medalist.

Matt was a member of the wrestling team for four years during which time the team’s record was 93 wins with only 13 losses. The team won the E.C.C. Conference championship all four years and two State Championships. As an individual, he placed second in the Class LL State Tournament and fifth in the State Open tournament. Matt was also presented with the Conference Sportsmanship award in his senior year. Matt tried out and was selected to wrestle in the Nutmeg State Olympic games where he won a silver medal.

Not only was Matt an outstanding high school athlete, he was both an academic honor roll student and a member of the Student Advisory Board for two years. Through all four years of high school, Matt was a member of Project Outreach, an organization of student volunteers who helped fellow students and members of the local community.

Matt continued his education at Springfield College where he received a partial four-year scholarship to play football. He made the school proud by receiving the prestigious recognition of being selected as a first team All American in his senior year at Springfield. He was also honored that year by the New England Sports Writers’ Association when they named him a First Team New England All-Star. One of Matt’s proudest and most unforgettable moments was when his teammates voted him Team Captain in his senior year. Another proud moment for Matt happened in 1995, when he received the prestigious Norwich Sportsperson of the year award by this Norwich Sports Hall of Fame.

After his playing years, Matt has stayed involved with sports by coaching his children in flag football, basketball, soccer and lacrosse and he also officiates high school football games as a Massachusetts certified referee.

Sharon Miller Wolfe

 

Growing up, Sharon and her twin sister Shelly played every backyard sport imaginable and got involved in youth softball and girls basketball in the town of Preston.
While at NFA, she and her sister played Varsity girls’ basketball, making up the back court for the team that reached the state semi-finals. She also lettered in girls’ softball, and girls’ cross-country and was voted the top senior athlete, receiving the Charles P. Hamblen Award for sportsmanship and proficiency in varsity competition. Somewhat less noteworthy, she and her sister were also jokingly awarded the “Reluctant Runners” award by Coach Gil LaPointe.
At Tufts University, Sharon participated in women’s basketball, and also joined the club rowing team and club rugby organization. She worked for the Athletic Department and was a student trainer. It was in Boston that Sharon started her string of marathons, somewhat ironic in light of the “reluctant runner’ designation in high school. She finished the Boston Marathon in 1986 and 1988, Boston Peace Marathon in 1987, San Antonio Marathon in 1999, Bank of America Chicago Marathon in 2001(PR 3:12), Cincinnati Flying Pig Marathon in 2003, San Francisco Marathon in 2005, Little Rock Marathon in 2011, Honolulu Marathon in 2015 and the Brussels Half-Marathon 2006 (2nd female finisher). Sharon also completed the Narragansett Bay Wheelmen 100-mile bike ride in 1991, 1992 and 2016. She also competed on a Championship team in the US Tennis Association’s Southern Sectional League in 2008 and was voted the Chenal Country Club Ladies Golf Association’s most Improved Golfer in 2013.
Sports also dominated Sharon’s career pursuits. Sharon completed a Graduate program in Sports Nutrition at UCONN and earned her PhD with a research dissertation on the effects of protein supplementation on muscle metabolism in endurance runners. She completed a Post-Doctoral research fellowship in the Metabolism Unit at the Shriners Hospital in Galveston Texas.
She then worked as Nutrition Research Director for the National Dairy Council and subsequently, the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. Her work involved travel to health professional meetings and invitations to speak at the International Whey Conference in South Korea in 2001 and the United Dairy International Association Whey Protein Meeting in Mexico City in 2002.
As a research scientist, Sharon has had multiple articles published in professional journals on nutrition and exercise related approaches to improve athletic performance. She is an advocate for the importance of scientific evidence to support the proclaimed benefits of nutritional supplements and dietary strategies for athletes and recreationally active people.
When notified about the nomination to the Norwich Sports Hall of Fame, she recalled the pride she felt in reading about her dad, Don Miller, in the Norwich Bulletin, in articles covering the Norwich professional boxing circuit in the 1950’s. She also recalled the inspiration she felt, as a freshman in 1983, in looking at her mom’s (Terry Miller) NFA Yearbook ’52 and seeing the many activities listed; basketball, hockey, tumbling, tennis, volleyball and the N-club. Sharon and her husband (a Piedmont California Sports Hall of Famer!) live in Rancho Mirage California. They have just purchased a condominium in Norwich and look forward to being active members in the Norwich community.

Johnny L. Burns Jr.

 

Johnny Burns’ began his career working with children and families 20 years ago working with troubled youth and broken families at the Waterford Country School in 1997. This experience led him to enroll at Springfield College in 2000, where he received a Bachelor’s Degree in Human Services in 2004. His professional experiences have not been limited to troubled youth as he has spent many years in the mental health and development fields. For the past 11 years, Johnny has worked in child protection with the Department of Children and families.

Johnny began his career as a youth sports coach in 2006 as a girls’ basketball coach through the Groton Parks and Recreation Program. The following year, 2007, he began his coaching experience in Norwich as a girls’ coach through the Norwich Recreation Department. In 2008, Johnny began his affiliation with the Norwich Youth Football League. Having been an All Area and All Conference football at New London High School, his returning to game he truly loves was a natural move. His positive influence on the league led to his being selected as league Vice-President in 2011. The next year, 2012, he was elected President of the league, the position he continues to hold today. As President, he has been instrumental in reorganizing and enhancing league functioning. Under his leadership, numerous NYFL and cheerleaders have been very successful representing Norwich in the Southern New England Youth Football Conference. Since 2011, NYFL has made 5 Super Bowl appearances, winning 3 times. In addition, the cheerleading program is recognized as the premier team in the SNEYFL. Johnny is the first to acknowledge that any successes have been due to the efforts of all involved; NYFL Board members, coaches and volunteers.

Through it all, his greatest supporter has been his wife, RayChelle Burns. She has been “Team Mom” to hundreds of football players, has spent countless hours at the field, and serves as league secretary. But most importantly, RayChelle is the mother of 5 children and 1 grandchild. Being an ordained minister for 10 years, Johnny recognizes that his faith is the heart for our community.

 

John Leone – Peter R. Przekop – Lou Kirstein
(Posthumously) (Posthumously)

 

Visionaries impact their surroundings immensely. Great leaders have visionary qualities. Successful companies have visionaries strategically located throughout their hierarchy. Communities with visionaries are infinitely better off. Norwich, in the 1960’s, was fortunate to have three visionaries with a great idea, an idea that would impact the young boys of the city in a very big way. John Leone, Lou Kirstein, and Peter Prezkop envisioned a program to fill a void: a youth football league. It is one thing to dream, it is quite another to take an idea from scratch and make it a reality.
These three men went to work on everything: where will the games be played, how will equipment be purchased and referees paid, where are goalposts sold, how do we advertise and organize tryouts and form teams, who will be the coaches, who will line the field for game days, what about uniforms with sponsor’s names on them, and on and on. As work began, the idea gained steam. Others began to pitch in. The spirit of a community effort to realize the dream of these three men became infectious. The culmination of everyone’s work happened in September 1963: opening day. And what a great day it was with completed passes, touchdowns, interceptions, and the thrill of competition.
This award, the Joseph Kapteina Service Award, was originated in 1991, 28 years after the fulfillment of this vision. Unfortunately, the efforts of these three men have gone unrecognized by the Hall of Fame, until tonight. John Leone, 95 years young, is here tonight to accept his award. Sadly, Lou Kirstein and Peter Prezkop are no longer with us. Debbie Niedzwicki, Peter Prezkop’s daughter, is here this evening to accept her father’s award. Regrettably, the Hall of Fame could not locate anyone from the Kirstein family. We congratulate all three for their efforts of many years ago.

Beth Fleming

 

Beth Fleming has been a four-year letter winner and starter for the NFA softball team. As a freshman, Beth batted .301 with 25 hits. She pitched in 2 games striking out 25 batters and not allowing an earned run.

Her sophomore year she batted .349 with 30 hits including 7 doubles and a triple. On the mound, she pitched in 17 games and finished with a 10-1 record. Beth had a .85 ERA with 102 strike outs.

In her junior year, Beth raised her batting average to .412 with 40 hits. She pitched in all 25 games going 20-5. Her ERA for the season was .61 and had 311 strike outs. The 311 strike outs broke the single season record that was set 10 years ago. Beth pitched two one hitters and stroke out all 15 batters she faced in a five-inning perfect game.

This year Beth is batting .395 with 35 hits. She has set the career hits mark that stood at 125. Her pitching record is 15-1 with 177 strike outs. Beth broke the career strikeout record that stood for 20 years. This season Beth has earned All-Conference, All-State and Academic All-State honors. Beth will continue her softball career at Ithaca College.

Dyshelle Pemberton

 

This has been quite a year for Dyshelle Pemberton, University of Rhode Island’s outstanding track athlete. During the 2017 indoor track season, Dyshelle was ranked first at URI in the following distances: 200 meters, 300 meters, 500 meters and was a part of the fastest 4 X 400-meter relay team. Dyshelle’s split of 56.0 seconds was the team’s fastest. Dyshelle ranked second in the 400-meter run. At the Division I New England indoor meet, Dyshelle placed second in the 500 meters and was a member of the second place 4 X 400-meter relay team. Her success extended into the outdoor season. In the prestigious UConn Northeast Challenge, Dyshelle was a part of the second place 4 X 400-meter relay and won the 400 meter hurdles. In the outdoor Division I championship meet, Dyshelle won the New England title in the 400 meter hurdles, was second as part of the 4 X 100-meter relay, and was fourth as part of the 4 X 400-meter relay.
These are quite a list of accomplishments but are certainly not momentary successes. Dyshelle’s resume ranks as one of the most impressive in Norwich history. In 2016, during the indoor New England meet, Dyshelle won the 500-meter championship and was a member of the second place 4 X 400-meter relay. During the outdoor New England meet, Dyshelle was crowned champion after winning the 400 meter hurdles. She was also a member of the second place 4 X 100-meter relay. Dyshelle’s career summary includes three individual New England meet titles, and relay placements of five second place finishes, one third, one fourth and one fifth. Dyshelle’s relay teams hold both indoor (3:41.59) and outdoor (3:41.81) records at URI.
After moving to Norwich after her sophomore year of high school, Dyshelle had an immediate impact on the NFA program. Her indoor school records include the 300 meters (40.64), 400 meters (58.05), 4 X 400 meter (3:57.34) and the sprint medley relay (4:01.05). Dyshelle’s outdoor school records include the 400 meters (56.67), 200 meters (25.27), and the 4 X 400-meter relay (3:52.18). Dyshelle twice won the Class LL 400-meter title, the 200 meters, and 4 X 400 meter. The 4 X 400-meter relay team was also New England champion. The team went on to the New Balance National Meet in North Carolina where they finished second in the country, setting a school record. That record was broken the following year when winning the New England championship. Along with these State and New England championships, Dyshelle won many conference championships, setting conference meet championships in the 400 meters and 200 meter races.
The Norwich Sports Hall of Fame is proud to award the Sportsperson of the Year Award to Dyshelle Pemberton.

 

Sports Hall of Fame & Thamesville Athletic Club Scholarship Recipients

 

Ransford Darby
Norwich Free Academy

 

Qameron Mendez-Neff
Norwich Technical College

Jack Lonardelli Memorial Recipients

 

David Hernandez
Norwich Free Academy

 

Jake Huff
Norwich Technical College

Legends Team Recognition

Cip’s Touch Football

Beginning in New London in 1967 and continuing in Norwich in 1974, two touch football leagues hosted some of the best football to be found anywhere. The two leagues functioned for a total of twelve years, ending in 1978.

During the touch football games, the play would end when the ball carrier or receiver was “touched” down. What happened between the snap and the touch, however, was quite different when compared to your family barbeque games. Accomplished athletes on both the high school and college levels used their superior speed, strength, and skills to produce a high caliber of play. These games were played without pads or helmets. The action was fast paced and not for the uninitiated.

During these years, one group of players stood out. Banding together in 1967, the group was mostly from Norwich with a few players from Niantic, Waterford, and New London. Throughout the years, the nucleus of the team stayed intact and was very close-knit.

The team had seven different sponsors throughout the years, with Cip’s being the primary one. Cip’s, a well know grinder and grocery store, closed its doors due to the redevelopment of the West Side. Subsequent sponsors were the Sportsman AC, Billy Wilson’s, and the Village Green. Sponsors not from Norwich included Lapstream’s Restaurant, Talk of the Town Café, and TJ’s Restaurant.

During the league’s twelve year run, these players won an unprecedented eight championships: 1969, 1970, 1971, 1973, 1975, 1976, 1977, and 1978. Their run of success became more difficult over time as injuries hobbled many of the players. The Norwich league disbanded in 1978, ending the chance to continue their remarkable streak.

Touch football leagues were prevalent throughout the nation during this time period. Because of this interest, Wide World of Sports planned to showcase two teams from New England playing a game. Because of their championship run, Cip’s was chosen. After viewing a Cip’s game, the representative said that the brutal style of play was not what they had in mind. Cip’s was judged to be too rough and would destroy the other team that they had in mind. “The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat” would have to wait for another day.

The Norwich Sports Hall of Fame congratulates this year’s Legends Team: Cip’s.