Six athletes, two coaches, one team selected for induction in Avon Hall of Fame

The fourth class to be inducted into the Avon High Athletic Hall of Fame has been selected. The induction banquet is Friday, May 2.

Six former Avon High athletes, two former coaches and one team have been selected to be inducted into the Avon High Athletic Hall of Fame on Friday, May 2, at The Golf Club of Avon.

Athletes Brian Brown (Class of 1989), Brian Dubiel (2002), James Eacott (1966), Shara McNeil (2002), Tara Piper Morris (1992) and Jillian Strassner Riordan (2009) were selected to be inducted into the Hall of Fame along with former coaches Jim Taft and the late Richard Hadden. Avon’s 1982 wrestling team was also selected for induction.

Tickets are now on sale at the Hall of Fame website at https://www.avonfalconshalloffame.com.

Brian Brown was an earned All-New England and All-American boys soccer player for the Falcons in 1989, scoring 27 goals with 19 assists as a senior. The New Haven Register named Brown the Connecticut Player of the Year. He played on three state championship teams, including the 1989 team that went 19-1 and took the Class M title.

Brian played soccer in college at the University of Pennsylvania.

Brian Dubiel was a three-sport athlete at Avon, participating in football, wrestling and lacrosse, earning 11 varsity letters. He was a two-time All-Nutmeg League selection in football and was a two-time Class S champion in wrestling (2001, 2002). He finished second in the State Open in wrestling in 2002.

He played football and wrestled at Trinity College, helping the Bantams win four straight NESAC championships in football and earning All-NESAC honors as a senior.

Jim Eacott was a three-sport athlete at Avon, playing football, basketball and running on the track and field team He was the quarterback of the football team, throwing seven touchdown passes and running for three as the Falcons went 7-1 in 1965.

In track and field, he was the Class C state champion in the mile and finished fourth at the State Open as a junior in 1965. He ran on Avon’s 4×200 yard relay that won a Class C title. As a senior in 1966, he was third in the 880-yard run at the State Open and fourth in New England.

Jillian Strassner Riordan participated in girls soccer, swimming and track and field at Avon. A four-year starter on the soccer team, she had 67 career goals (second-highest in school history) and 27 assists. She was a three-time All-State selection, a two-time All-New England pick and a National Soccer Coaches Association (NSCA) All-American as a senior.

In college, she played soccer at Quinnipiac University, scoring nine goals with five assists in career with three game-winning goals as a sophomore in 2010. She was the Northeast Conference rookie of the year in 2009.

Shara McNeill played three sports at Avon – soccer, track and field and golf. She earned All-State and All-New England honors as a senior and assisted on the game-winning goal in the 2001 Class M championship game, passing the ball to her sister, Kia, who scored the goal. When she graduated, Shara was the No. 2 scorer in school history.

In college, Shara soccer for four years at Georgetown University, earning Big East All-Rookie honors in 2002. As a sophomore, she led the Hoyas in scoring with seven goals and four assists for 18 points.

She will join her sister, Kia, and her brother, Ian, in the Hall of Fame.

Tara Piper Morris played field hockey and ran track and field. A two-time All-State player, Tara won four letters in field hockey. As a junior in 1990, she helped Avon earn a spot in the Class S championship game. As a senior in 1991, Tara helped the Falcons win 13 games and advance to the Class semifinals despite getting treatment for Hodgkin’s disease, a form of lymphatic cancer.

She was a four-year letterwinner in field hockey at UConn (1992-95), twice earning All-Big East second team honors in 1994 and 1995.

Jim Taft coached the Avon boys basketball team for 26 years from 1978 through 2003, compiling a career record of 368-198. His Falcon teams won eight league championships — five pennants in the North Central Connecticut Conference and three Northwest Conference Division II titles. Jim’s 1988 squad won the first state title in program history with a 67-45 win over Windsor Locks in the Class S championship game. His teams earned spots in the CIAC state tournament in 23 of his 26 seasons.

Richard Hadden helped lead the Avon girls cross country team to four consecutive state championships and later became the principal at Litchfield High. He was a math teacher for 19 years in Avon where he was also the varsity boys basketball coach and an assistant with the boys cross country program. 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.

Hadden was also an assistant men’s basketball coach at the Coast Guard Academy (seven seasons) and Wesleyan University (two seasons).

The 1982 Avon High wrestling team was the first wrestling team in school history to win a state championship.

The Falcons went 17-1-1 under coach Bill Riccio, won their final 12 matches of the season, captured the Northwest Conference title and won the Class S championship in New Britain over Pulaski High, 129-113. Bill Lohman (24-7, 185 pounds) and Eric Johansen (22-8, 167) won Class S state championships with David Drago (22-3-1, 105) and Randy Levesque (26-4, 155) each finishing second in Class S.

Over 70 nominations of distinguished nominees were carefully reviewed by the selection committee, and evaluated for athletic excellence, accomplishments in high school and beyond, and overall impact on Avon athletics.

Members of the committee are former AHS athletes, coaches, and community leaders, and include Lisa Abate, Al Dadario, Susan Rietano Davey (chairperson), Tim Filon, John McLaughlin, Don Papio, Jon Yolles, Dave Zlatin, and Terri Ziemnicki.

To order your tickets, nominate an athlete for next year’s class, or learn more about the Avon Falcons Athletic Hall of Fame, please visit: https://www.avonfalconshalloffame.com.

Previous induction ceremonies

2024
2023
2022