Date: Fri 23-Aug-1996

Publication: Bee

Author: KIMH

Quick Words:

Sportsmen-Hall

Full Text:

Hall of Fame - Newtown Bee Sportsmen

It used to be the highest honor The Newtown Bee could bestow on local

athletes, coaches or supporters of athletics, but with the advent of the new

Newtown Sports Hall of Fame, sponsored by The Bee, that is no longer exactly

true.

But the qualities that have earned John Ball and Larry Ashmore and Bob Stampp

and seven others The Newtown Bee Sportsman of the Year Award since its

inception in 1986 are the kinds of qualities we looked for when choosing the

original five members of the Newtown Sports Hall of Fame.

And since the Hall of Fame was created to honor those athletes, coaches and

local supporters who could not win the Sportsman of the Year Award, it seemed

only natural, then, that the 10 honorees of that award should be included on

the so-called first ballot.

So, Jack McAuliffe, Rich Pesce, Ray Craven, Jack Shpunt, Patty Murren, Bob

Sveda, Bob Zito, Bob Stampp, Larry Ashmore and John Ball will join Wilton

Lackaye, Ann Anderson, Harold DeGroat, Bruce Jenner and Bryan Kerchal as the

founding members of the Newtown Sports Hall of Fame.

John Ball (1995)

John Ball was soccer.

Ever since he started kicking a ball as an eight-year-old and helped lead the

Little Strikers to a 9-0 record in 1979, it seemed as if he was heading for

greatness.

In high school, he was one of the reasons - one of the main reasons - why

coach Larry Ashmore had an abundant amount of success. Ball led the team in

scoring in his sophomore, junior, and senior years on the way to becoming the

school's all-time leading scorer with 50 goals.

The Indians played to a record of 49-6 in three years with Ball leading the

offense. In his senior year, Ball scored 25 goals including the winning goal

in both the Western Connecticut Conference finals and the Class L state

championship.

And - four years later - after helping the 21-1-1 Southern Connecticut State

University men's soccer team win its second Division II National Championship,

Ball was drafted by and signed with the Cleveland Crunch of the National

Professional (Indoor) Soccer League.

Ball has won a title at every level - at every level. First it was the

recreation league, then the travel team, then high school and college. And

last year it was also as a professional, as the Crunch captured the NPSL

championship by beating the Kansas City Attack, four games to three, in a

best-of-seven series.

"John is living a charmed life this year," mused Cleveland General Manager, Al

Miller. "How many people win two national championships within a five-month

period?"

Joe Ball, John's father, recalled, "Right from the start, soccer was the

perfect game for John. As a baby, John never learned to walk. He went from

crawling to running."

Straight to the Newtown Sports Hall of Fame.

Larry Ashmore (1994)

It was not so much the numbers that earned Larry Ashmore the Newtown Sportsman

of the Year Award for 1994 - and, with it, inclusion in the Newtown Sports

Hall of Fame - but the regard in which his former players and supposed field

enemies held him.

"I could trust him with anything I said," said Greg Gallagher, a former

All-WCC and All-State player under Ashmore, "and he would always have the

right answers for me. He's given me an outlook on life, not just soccer."

Coach Ashmore might be brash and strong-willed and opinionated, but he had a

special bond with his players. Maybe that was what enabled him to coach his

team to two Western Connecticut Conference championships, one CIAC Class L

state championship in two state championship appearances, and 14 straight

appearances in the CIAC state tournament in 16 years.

"If you ever came out of a soccer game thinking that you could have done

more," said Gallagher, "you really felt like you let him down. There's no

doubt in my mind I'll be friends with him for the rest of my life. I don't

think I could find another friend like him."

Bob Stampp (1993)

There would be no lacrosse program in Newtown if it weren't for Bob Stampp.

When the Stampp family moved from Long Island to Newtown in 1985, Bob Stampp

almost immediately began trying to organize a lacrosse program for his son,

Scott.

It didn't take long.

"Bob is very persistent," said Parks and Recreation Director Barbara

Kasbarian. "When he gets his sights set on something, he just focuses in on

it. He doesn't let go. He doesn't stop until he gets the answer that he

wants."

After the high school program was off the ground, then came the middle school

program in 1988. The Newtown Lacrosse Association, in which Stampp served as

president, sponsored the team for eight years before the Newtown Board of

Education started picking up the tab.

The boys' team went to the B Division state championship game two years in a

row and won it in 1993 under coach David Matz. Scott Stampp went on to play in

college. Charlie Heinzer, a 1995 graduate, finished his high school career as

the leading scorer in school history.

And maybe none of it would have come to pass if not for some simple

persistence.

Bob Zito (1992)

Coach Bob Zito started out a winner.

After working six years as an assistant football coach at Stratford High

School - and helping lead the Red Devils to a CIAC Class SS state championship

in 1988 in three trips to the big game - Zito got his first crack at a head

job in 1990 at Newtown High School after the departure of Zygmunt Olbrys.

And he quickly became a winner.

The Indians went 10-1 in 1990 and captured the Western Connecticut Conference

championship. As if that wasn't enough, the Indians went 11-1 in 1991 and won

the CIAC Class MM championship and then, in 1992, went 12-0 while winning a

WCC championship and a CIAC Class MM championship.

Coach Zito also won a MAAC championship in 1990 with the Fairfield University

women's softball team. Once he was down there, he moved on to coach the

Newtown High School softball team - from 1993 to the present - after the

departure of Bob Sveda.

But his legacy was on the football field.

Where he put Newtown back on the map.

Bob Sveda (1991)

His status can only be considered legendary.

When Bob Sveda arrived in Newtown in 1959 after graduating from the Arnold

College of Physical Education at the University of Bridgeport and spending a

half a year in the armed services, he set about making Newtown High School

sports into the best it could be.

His earliest shot at coaching came with the boys' soccer team and in the 19

years he spent at the helm there, he had just one losing season and finished

as the CIAC state runner up in 1961.

In 1975, coach Sveda became the first male in school history to coach a female

sport when he took over the softball team from Miss Andy - coach Ann Anderson.

From 1975 to 1992, coach Sveda amassed a record of 241-91 with seven Western

Connecticut Conference championships and one trip to the CIAC state final in

1989.

In 1984, he tried his hand with the inaugural girls' soccer team and all he

did in the next three years was guide the team to three consecutive WCC

championships. After the fourth year, in which Weston upended the Lady

Indians, coach Sveda retired from the game with a career record of 58-9-1.

Coach Sveda also spent time on the baseball diamond from 1963 to 1970, leading

the team to two CIAC state tournament appearances.

Now that is a weighty resume.

Patty Murren (1990)

Patty Murren was - and has been - the best high school tennis player the state

of Connecticut has ever seen.

Murren was the younger sister of former Newtown High School tennis standout,

Sue Murren, but Patty did not attend NHS. Instead, from 1989 to 1992, she was

the No. 1 player at Immaculate High School in Danbury.

Starting in her freshman year, Murren put together a run of four Western

Connecticut Conference singles championships and four CIAC State Open singles

championships.

She did not lose once in 81 high school matches and, in fact, only lost one

set - that coming in the 1991 State Open finals against Megah Dave, so she

graduated from Immaculate having won 162 sets and having lost just the one.

Murren, at the time, was ranked 25th in the nation 18-and-under and third in

the nations in doubles with partner Keirsten Alley, and later went on to

become one of the Wake Forest Demon Deacons best players.

Jack Shpunt (1989)

Kids are his life.

Ever since he joined the Sandy Hook Social & Athletic Club (SAC) in 1950 and

19 years later started coaching his brothers in the St. Rose Basketball League

in 1969, Jack Shpunt has been involved - very involved - in Newtown sports

arena.

Coaching and playing.

Shpunt has played in the various basketball, volleyball and softball leagues

running in Newtown. He was a member of the first championship team in the

Newtown Slo-Pitch Softball League and better than a decade later led K's

Korner to the B Division championship.

When he wasn't playing, though, he was coaching. Shpunt has coached Little

League baseball in the past, and has been a Pop Warner football and Parks and

Recreation youth basketball coach for many years. He also still runs the Parks

and Recreation Adult Volleyball League.

There are few athletes in town who can't remember being influenced by Jack

Shpunt in some way.

Ray Craven (1988)

Like a good many other Newtown Little League coaches, past and present, Dr Ray

Craven found his way into coaching because his son - Danny - joined his first

team in 1976.

But when Danny was gone and his other two kids were in college, Dr Craven did

not quietly retire from the ballfields.

He's still there today - 20 years later.

"He taught me most of what I know about baseball," Brian Leavitt, who went on

to captain the Newtown High School baseball team, said eight years ago. "I had

him for four years and he really made baseball fun, not just for me but for

everyone. For the past couple of years that I've been umpiring in the Majors

and he's still the same. He's a great coach."

Dr Craven, who serves on the Parks and Recreation Commission, learned a great

deal about the art of coaching, the art of competition and compassion, and the

art of winning. His teams always seem to be fighting for the divisional titles

every year.

"Ray is a hell of a nice guy," said Bob Chiappetta, now the freshman coach at

NHS. "He's a tremendous teacher of baseball and he treats every kid like his

own. I have nothing but the highest respect for the man. One time I was in the

hospital for a nerve operation, Ray came in with a card signed by all the

kids. He'll never know how much that meant to me."

Dr Craven started because of one kid, but he stayed because of all the kids.

Rich Pesce (1987)

The Streak.

It might not be the main reason why Rich Pesce, the coach of the Newtown High

School cross country team, deserves inclusion into the Newtown Sports Hall of

Fame, but it is his legacy.

It started in 1986 and did not end until the final meet of 1992 - a 75-meet

winning streak that spanned seven remarkable seasons while featured six

Western Connecticut Conference and three CIAC state championships.

And in 1995, coach Pesce won his 100th career meet.

"Cross country was just a sport to do when I began as a freshman," Craig

McCarthy said almost a decade ago. "You couldn't get cut and it was a good way

to stay in shape for other sports. Pesce gradually changed that. Now it's a

priority."

Pesce had applied for the assistant cross country coach in 1984, but head

coach Roger Streeter suddenly retired and left Mr Pesce to recover. His team

was 2-8 in 1984 and 4-6 in 1985.

In 1986, the Indians won their first WCC title.

In 1987, another WCC title and their first CIAC title.

Some of it was that ol' Carolina Black Magic and some of it was Pesce's

disarming style of coaching and all of it has led him into the Sports Hall of

Fame.

Jack McAuliffe (1986)

The progenitor.

The Newtown Bee Sportsman of the Year award was created in 1986 and Jack

McAuliffe was the first selection - an honor based on McAuliffe's 18 years of

Little League, youth basketball, and youth softball coaching.

A former pilot for Trans World Airlines, McAuliffe began coaching Little

League in 1968 and after the 1974-75 season in which he coached the Newtown

Middle School girls' basketball team, added on the responsibility of coaching

the St. Rose School girls' basketball team from 1975 to 1987, leading his team

to four Parochial School championships and a 27-2 record during the '84-'85

campaign.

A former Oakmont High School (Pennsylvania) player, McAuliffe played softball

for the Navy and even made the 1961 All-Navy team that reached the National

finals.

It was there that he learned discipline and while mixing it with compassion

and his love of working with kids, he developed the coaching style that would

serve him for two decades.

"You have to be a disciplinarian," he said at the time, "but you have to have

the respect of your players. You can be a screamer and a hollerer, but if

you're not careful you can lose that quality that makes them want to play for

you."

McAuliffe has retired from all of that, though, to the golf courses of

Pinehurst, South Carolina.

He was the first and he set the standard for all those who followed.