Influence of coaches helped create Hall of Fame careers in Avon

Left, Jim Eacott, a three-sport athlete in the 1960s, talks with former Avon High athletic director Bob Summers, right, at the Avon high Athletic Hall of Fame banquet at the Golf Club of Avon. More photos from the banquet

It’s been years, decades, since they donned the blue and white of Avon High to represent their high school on the field.

But the lessons learned at the school, in practice and in competition still resonate today.

They were shared at the fourth annual induction ceremony of the Avon High Athletic Hall of Fame at the Golf Club of Avon in May. Six athletes, two coaches and one team were honored with induction into the Hall of Fame.

Soccer player Brian Brown, three-sport athlete Brian Dubiel, Jim Eacott, Jillian Strassner Riordan, Shara McNeil and field hockey player Tara Morris were recognized along with long-time basketball coach Jim Taft, the late Richard Hadden, who coached cross country and basketball and the 1982 Avon High wrestling team.

That 1982 wrestling team was the first one in program history to bring home a state championship. Since then, the Falcons have won another eight state titles.

Brown thanked former Avon High soccer coach Marty deLivron for sharing his passion for soccer. Brown also thanked Art and Pat Henning for their development of the Avon Youth Soccer program, which an opportunity that wasn’t available in all towns.

Shana McNeill became the third sibling from the McNeill family to be inducted into the Avon High Athletic Hall of Fame, joining her sister Kia and her brother, Ian. More photos from the banquet

Dubiel thanked current Avon High wrestling coach John McClaughlin for showing him the wrestling room instead of joining the boys swimming program.

“He came to me and said I hear you are interested in joining the swim team,” Dubiel said. “I am thankful he showed me the wrestling room of I may not be here today. “

A three-sport athlete, Dubiel also played football and lacrosse. He was a two-time Class S champion in wrestling and finished second at the State Open.

Dubiel thanked the late Jim Kearney, the father of Avon High lacrosse for recognizing his leadership ability even though Dubiel wasn’t the best player on the field.

Suzanne Gibley Lancaster shared some of the coaching philosophy of the late Richard Hadden, who led the Avon High girls cross country team to four state titles and two State Open championships in a five-year span.

She apologized for the language but spoke about the six Ps each athlete heard from Hadden each year — proper preparation prevents piss poor performances,

“It became more than a phrase,” she said. “It was a lesson carried beyond high school. He taught us that success isn’t accidental. It is earned through consistency, hard work and being ready for the moment.”

Eacott, who was the quarterback of the football team, praised his teammates for their assistance on and off the field. The Falcons went 7-1 in his senior year in 1965.

“I was going into be in the headline whether I threw a winning touchdown pass or a losing interception,” he said. “I think about the offensive line that protected me and the defense and the fact you somehow never read about the right guard who made his blocking assignments or the right tackle who picked up a blitz from an oncoming linebeacker giving me the time to spot an oncoming receiver or a secondary receiver to make me look good. A shoutout to those guys who never got the recognition on the team. That is so critical.”

Athletes that did get some recognition were on the 1982 Avon High wrestling team, who beat perennial champion Pulaski High in New Britain for the Class S championship. Pulaski had won the last three titles and five of the previous six Class S tournaments.

Bill Lohman (24-7, 185 pounds) and Eric Johansen (22-8, 167) won individual Class S state titles with David Drago (22-3-1, 105) and Randy Levesque (26-4, 155) each finishing second. Phil Foster (12-7, 145) finished third and Paul McGuiness (15-2-2, 132) took fourth. Bill Devin and Rich Hernandez (10-6-2, 138) won Northwest Conference titles.

Drago talked about the three coaches who mentored the team that season – former head coach Jack Trumbull, first-year head coach Bill Riccio and assistant coach Ken Lukasiewicz.

“I just look at the men who mentored me,” Drago said. “So many people in this community are amazing. What a great place to grow up. Think about what the coaches do, what the taxpayers do, what the school system does. This is Avon. It’s a great place to grow. It’s a great place to raise your kids.”

Photo album from the 2025 banquet

The family of Brian Brown at the Avon High Athletic Hall of Fame induction ceremony in May.

A little information on each of the inductees:

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. Brown played soccer 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 finished 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 in 2010 as a sophomore. 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 S 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 individual Class S state titles with David Drago (22-3-1, 105) and Randy Levesque (26-4, 155) each finishing second.

Photo album from the 2025 banquet

Previous induction ceremonies

2024
2023
2022