Former Bethel Coach Elected to CHSCA Hall of Fame

BETHEL, CT — A longtime coach at Bethel High School is one of nine individuals who will be inducted into the Connecticut High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame at its 42nd annual ceremony Nov. 15 at the Aqua Turf Club in Southington.

The late Ralph J. DeSantis, Jr. coached football and taught physical education at Bethel High School. His overall coaching record was 149-55-6 and his team was the Class MM runner-up in 1988. He won five Western Connecticut Conference titles and four Briggs Division titles. He was named CHSCA Coach of the Year in 1990. An offensive lineman at Southern Connecticut State, he was inducted into the school's Hall of Fame and also earned the National Football Foundation Distinguished Service Award. The football field at Bethel was named in his honor in 1993.

Other honorees will be:

• Michele D. Cordeau, Wolcott cheerleading
• Gilbert Paul LaPointe, Norwich Free Academy cross country/tennis
• Richard Bertram Medve, Ridgefield/Newtown cross country/track
• George S. Taterosian, Trumbull swimming
• Harold Freedman, Amity tennis
• Howard K. Gura, Shelton girls basketball
• Jim Day, Berlin wrestling (posthumously)
• Marc Allard, media

Tickets for the dinner are $46 and available in advance by contacting the CHSCA office at P.O. Box 632, Southington, CT 06487 or by calling 860-628-4122 or e-mailing John Fontana at jfontana01@snet.net. Doors open at 6 p.m.

Story courtesy of Connecticut High School Coaches Association
Photo courtesy of Bethel Public Schools

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