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.