Milford Sports Hall of Fame

02/11/2026

10/05/2025

Congratulations to our Class of 2025 Inductees!
The Class of 2025 will be honored at our annual induction dinner in Milford, Connecticut on November 22, 2025 at Great River Golf Club.

10/05/2025

JIM RYAN—JONATHAN LAW HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL 1970

Jim Ryan set a school and MBIAC record with 27 touchdown passes for Jonathan Law High School in 1969. An All-MBIAC first team selection, Ryan connected with Bill Jaques for 18 touchdowns as Jaques led the area/state in scoring with 108 points. The duo teamed up for touchdown passes of 3, 20 and 33 yards on Thanksgiving when Law defeated Bunnell 28-0 to cap a 9-1 season. Law H.S. finished the year ranked eighth in the final state poll. Ryan threw for a state record seven touchdowns, three to Richie Silva, when Law defeated Bassick. A two-way player for coach Vito DeVito, Ryan was presented with the Edmond G. Boyle Award as the area’s top quarterback. He was a team captain for the West football team in the 1970 Nutmeg Bowl. A top notch basketball player, he averaged 22.2 points per game to place fifth in the region in scoring.

10/05/2025

ZACH WHITE—FORAN HIGH SCHOOL ICE HOCKEY 2014

Zach White played four years of CIAC Division II ice hockey for the Milford co-op team that included players from Foran High School, Jonathan Law High School and Platt Technical High School. White scored 203 points on 95 goals and 108 assists from 2011-2014. A Foran H.S. graduate, Zach was a three-time Connecticut High School Coaches Association All-State selection and a New Haven Register All-State choice as a senior. He scored 30 goals and had 33 assists to become the program’s all-time leading scorer in his junior year. He added 35 goals and 21 assists as a senior. His No. 5 jersey was retired in 2015. White also played football (wide receiver) at Foran H.S. As a midfielder, he captained the Lions’ lacrosse team. The Connecticut High School Coaches Association Division II Most Valuable Player in 2014, Zach was presented with Foran’s Harry Chernovetz Memorial Award as outstanding Male Athlete in 2014. White attended Curry College (Milton, Ma.), finishing four years of playing ice hockey and lacrosse in 2019. In his final hockey season, he was named second-team Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC). Zach, for the second consecutive season in the CCC, was a semifinalist for the Joe Concannon Award, which is presented annually to the best American-born college hockey player in New England at the Division-II/III level. White was Curry’s Male Athlete of the Year in 2019.

10/05/2025

MARJORIE SMITH—MILFORD HIGH SCHOOL SWIM 1982

A 1982 Milford High School graduate, Marjorie Smith lettered in swimming for all four years in high school. Marjorie twice earned All-State swimming honors. She qualified for the New England swim championships four times. Co-captain her senior year at Milford High School, Smith advanced to the YMCA National Meet three times. Class valedictorian, Marjorie went on to Yale University, where she rowed crew. She graduated from Yale in 1986 with a degree in economics and political science, and then earned a masters degree from the University of Wisconsin. Marjorie’s grandfather Winthrop “Pink” Smith, Milford High School Class of 1926, was a 2022 inductee to the Milford Sports Hall of Fame. Marjorie now lives in North Carolina with her husband and two sons.

10/05/2025

RICK DiSTEFANO—PLATT TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL SOCCER 1984

Rick DiStefano was a soccer standout at Platt Technical High School, earning Class M All-State honors as a senior in 1984. A four year starter at center midfield, Rick was a first team All-Cross County Conference selection as a junior and senior. In 2014, he was inducted into the Platt Technical H.S. Hall of Fame. A lifelong Milford resident, Rick grew up as a player in Milford United Soccer under Jim White, Bill Petrie and Pat McGuigan. Chosen to coach Foran H.S. in 2004, DiStefano built a program that hadn’t seen the postseason for 17 seasons into a consistent state tournament team. His Lions won a Southern Connecticut Conference division championship in 2020 when they went to the league finals. He was Southern Connecticut Conference and Connecticut Soccer Coaches Association (CSCA) coach of the year in 2020. DiStefano, who retired following the 2024 season, helped 16 of his players earn All-State honors. Four players were selected to the GameTime Ct All-State team. Foran H.S. saw 18 players selected to play in the CSCA Senior Bowl All-Star game. DiStefano, who has spent 45 years playing and coaching soccer, has been the player development director for the Milford United Soccer Club for 15 years, club president for 11. Rick coached the 2025 U19 team to the CT Cup title. He has been CSCA Board Director for 19 years. Rick was presented with the CSCA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2025.

10/05/2025

JENNY (O’NEILL) O’CONNOR—JONATHAN LAW HIGH GYMNASTICS 1999-2002

Jenny O’Neill graduated from Jonathan Law High in 2002 as the gymnastic program’s all-time leader in team points. A four-time National High School Gymnastics Association All-American, Jenny was also a first team All-State selection each season of her high school career. She captured All-New England honors in 2000 and 2002. O’Neill capped her career by being named New Haven Register Co-MVP. Jenny completed her four years being named as the New Haven Register co-MVP. As a senior, Jenny was selected to the Connecticut National High School Gymnastics Team, where she represented the state on balance beam at nationals in Las Vegas, Nevada. Jenny continued her gymnastics journey at Southern Connecticut State University, competing at the NCAA Division II level for four years.

10/05/2025

TOM MCDONALD—LAURALTON HALL BASKETBALL, SOFTBALL COACH

Tom McDonald began his coaching career at Lauralton in 1986 as a softball volunteer
assistant. The next year, he became the varsity softball head coach until his retirement in 2005. He added basketball to his coaching duties in 1989 and went on to set the school record for wins in that sport. Tom’s softball teams won two state championships, eight division and eight conference titles. In basketball, he guided the Crusaders to a CCIAC championship and five division titles. McDonald has been recognized with numerous awards including the CT State Coach of the Year, and the first Sportsperson of the Year Award by the Fairfield County Sports Commission. He was inducted into the CT Scholastic and Collegiate Softball Hall of Fame in 2014.

10/05/2025

CHERYL MELILLO CERVONI—FORAN HIGH VOLLEYBALL, BASKETBALL, SOFTBALL 1984-1988

Cheryl Melillo was All-State in three sports at Foran High School. She was All-State in softball and volleyball in her senior season. All-State in basketball as a junior, the 1988 graduate helped Foran H.S. to a 19-4 record. A four-year letter winner for four seasons and a team captain, Cheryl added All-Cross County Conference honors in each sport (volleyball, basketball and softball). Cheryl is the only female athlete in the City of Milford, who won varsity letters in three sports all four years. A 1988 New Haven Register Scholar Athlete, Melillo went on to play softball all four years at Yale University. She was an All-Ivy infielder in 1990 and 1991. Yale MVP in 1991, Cheryl was Yale’s Barbara Chou Leadership Award winner in 1992.

10/05/2025

BRAD ORBAN—FORAN HIGH SCHOOL TENNIS 2011-2014

Brad Orban was a four-time Class M All-State selection (2011-2014) at Foran High School. He competed at the No. 1 singles position each year, earning a 97-3 record. During his final campaign as a Lion, Orban tallied an impressive 26-1 record. He garnered All-American accolades in 2013 when his team went 16-2 overall. Orban is a two-time State Open champion and was ranked No. 1 in New England as a junior. A Connecticut Player of the Year in 2014, Brad went on to play No. 1 singles for four years at Fairfield University, where he was an All-Metro Athletic Conference selection.

10/05/2025

ELAINE AMUNDSEN—JONATHAN LAW HIGH SCHOOL SOFTBALL 1984-1987

A three-time All-State softball player at Jonathan Law High School from 1985-87, Elaine Amundsen was named the Connecticut softball Player of the Year in 1987. She struck out a then program best 17 batters as a senior. Twice chosen to the All-Cross County Conference team, Elaine was league MVP in both 1986, when she batted .420, and 1987, when she hit .570. She was New Haven Register and Milford Mirror Player of the Year in 1987. Amundsen, at the age of 15, was one of the youngest players in Raybestos Brakettes team history. She played outfield in 1985 and 1986 for the 28-time Amateur Softball Association National title winning squad. In 1985, Elaine helped the Stratford-based juggernaut capture the World Games title in London and the International Tournament in Haarlem, Holland. In 1986, the Brakettes won the World Championships in Auckland, New Zealand, marking the final time a club team would represent the United States. Elaine received a softball athletic scholarship to Division I University of South Carolina and played at the University of New Haven. Amundsen played professionally with the Colorado Silver Bullets in 1994. She was on the Boston Blitz of the New England Women’s Baseball League in 1999. Elaine was a member of the Women's USA baseball team that defeated Japan at the first Women's World Series in Toronto in 2001. She has coached softball and basketball at the high school level and is a former volleyball official. Amundsen was inducted into the Connecticut Softball Hall of Fame in 2000

10/05/2025

The following are the names and bios of the 2025 Class of Inductees into the Milford Sports Hall of Fame.

DONALD R. CIVITELLO—MILFORD HIGH SCHOOL, FORAN HIGH SCHOOL COACH FOOTBALL

Donald Civitello grew up in Hamden, attended Hamden High School and went on to graduate from Southern Connecticut State University. He began as a teacher at Milford High School, moved to Foran High School and then became the Director of Pupil Personnel and Special Education Services. For a total of 41 years as an educator and administrator, Donald provided instruction for children with special needs in Milford. He was an assistant football coach at Milford H.S. and head football coach at Foran H.S. Donald founded Camp Happiness, a summer camp for children with special needs in 1967. The camp is a model throughout the state for serving the needs of children through fun, recreation and therapy during the summer months. Camp Happiness celebrated its 58th anniversary in 2025. Civitello passed away in 2017.