
Avon High girls cross country coach Richard Hadden, left, is interviewed after the Falcons broke the state record for consecutive dual meet wins in 1986.
Richard Hadden, who helped lead the Avon High girls cross country team to four consecutive state championships and later became the principal at Litchfield High, has passed away. Hadden, 77, of Farmington died on Saturday, Dec. 21.

Richard Hadden
He was a math teacher for 19 years in Avon where he was the varsity boys basketball coach, an assistant with the boys cross country program and the head coach of the girls cross country team.
Hadden was also an assistant men’s basketball coach at the Coast Guard Academy (seven seasons) and Wesleyan University (two seasons).
He spent 15 years at Litchfield High, 10 years as an assistant principal and five years as the school principal before stepping down in 2003. Hadden was a long-time contributor to the CIAC (Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference) as a member of four different committees – basketball, baseball, girls cross country and boys/girls cross country.
Calling hours are Tuesday beginning at 5 p.m. at Carmen Funeral Home in Avon. A funeral service is set for Wednesday at Valley Baptist Church in Avon at 11 a.m.
At Avon, he coached the boys basketball team for four seasons (1974-77) and led them to two CIAC tournament berths. He had exceptional success with the girls cross country program for five seasons (1983-87).
The Falcon won five conference championships, four straight state titles and two consecutive State Open championships in 1984 and 1985. His teams had a record of 73-1. In 1986, the Falcons set a new state record for consecutive dual meet wins at 94.
In his first season (1983), the Falcons went 15-0, won the Northwest Conference title and finished second at the Class M championships and State Open, losing to Montville at both meets.
In 1984, Avon (13-0) beat Montville – who had won the previous six Class M titles — by four points to win the Class M championship and the first state title in program history. The Falcons beat Montville again eight days later to win their first State Open title.

Avon High girls cross country coach Richard Hadden in 1986. Hadden led the Falcons to four straight state championships and back-to-back State Open titles.
In 1985, the Falcons went 18-0, won a NCCC title, grabbed a second straight Class M title and won their second straight State Open title. Avon was just the second school to win consecutive Open titles in cross country. St. Bernard was the first team to win consecutive Open titles in 1975-78.
Avon also won the Class SS championship in 1986 and the Class M title in 1987.
In 1986, they broke Montville’s state record of 86 consecutive dual meet wins and set a new state record at 94.
In 1988, he accepted the position as assistant vice principal at Litchfield High, where he spent 10 years before becoming principal for five years.
Hadden served on the girls cross country committee at the CIAC, the boys and girls cross country committees, the baseball committee and boys basketball committee. He was the chair of the baseball committee for three years (1999-00 through 2001-02).
He told The Register Citizen in 2003, he wanted to pursue a less stressful career. Even after leaving Litchfield, he remained as a consultant to the CIAC’s baseball and basketball committees through 2024-25.
He received a Distinguished Service Award from the Connecticut Association of Schools (CAS) in 2003, one of the most prestigious honors given to school administrators
“First and foremost, Rich, in his interactions as well contributions, has always been focused on the children, not only with academic standards but also the personal development of children,” CAS President Allen Fossbender said in 2003 in a story by The Register Citizen. “Overall, I found Rich to be a conscientious professional as just as important, a very nice person.”
He was also on the CAS Board of Directors for three years (1994-95 through 19997-98) and the CIAC’s Board of Control for four years (1998-99 through 2001-02).
Hadden graduated from Farmington High in 1965. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1971, releasing from active duty and transferring to the U.S. Army Reserves accepting a teaching position in 1973.
He attended Central Connecticut State University where in 1969, he earned a Bachelor of science, Mathematics and in 1975 (after his military time), a Master of Science, Physical Education. In1981, he earned a 6th year – Administration and Curriculum Development Certificate. Richard set out to be in his words, “an administrator, teacher and/or coach in a school system that emphasizes the total development of all individuals”.
Calling hours on Tuesday, January 14, 2025, from 5-7 p.m., at the Carmon Funeral Home & Family Center, 301 Country Club Road, Avon. A funeral service will be Wednesday, January 15, 2025, 11 a.m., at the Valley Community Baptist Church, 590 W Avon Road, Avon, CT 06001.
Gerry deSimas, Jr., is the editor and founder of The Collinsville Press. He is an award-winning writer and has been covering sports in Connecticut and New England for more than 40 years. He was inducted into the New England High School Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2018.


High School
2025 NCCC Winter Tournaments

High School
2025 CCC Winter Tournaments
