2007 BRYANT HALL OF FAME A HUGE SUCCESS
Read Bill Reynolds Providence Journal Column (Jan. 14, 2007)
SMITHFIELD, RI - The Bryant University Athletics Department welcomed five new members and one team into the Athletics Hall of Fame during its annual induction dinner last Saturday, January 13.
Before a standing-room-only crowd of more than 200, Bryant officially inducted former golf standout Mike McKenna, basketball greats Dan Mazzulla and Beth Connealy, track / cross country coach Charlie Mandeville, and baseball player and coach Jon Sjogren.
But perhaps the highlight of the evening came at the very end as Bryant inducted the 1966-67 men's basketball team into the hall of fame. One of the greatest teams in the history of the program, they become the first-ever team to be inducted into the hall.
Coached by Tom Duffy, the 66-67 team featured hall of famer Tom
Smile who still holds Bryant's career scoring record with 2,390
career points. Playing most of their games at Hope High
School in Providence when the campus was located on the East Side,
the team posted an undefeated 22-0 regular season record and
advanced to the NAIA national tournament.
Most were in attendance during the hall of fame dinner and were introduced one by one by coach Duffy following a memorable speech by the hall of fame coach.
The team included:
Ted Alsup (East Providence, RI), Jose Alvarez
(Pawtucket, RI), Tony DeQuattr (Providence, RI), Joe Goddard
(Warwick, RI), Don Gray (Newport, RI), Ron Hoyt (Pawtucket,
RI), John McVeigh (Cumberland, RI), Richard Pettee (Simsbury,
Conn.), Tom Smile (Pawtucket, RI), Jim Squadrito (Warwick, RI),
Pete Sullivan (Providence, RI), George Yates (Newport, RI), Ed
McManus (East Providence, RI), Coach Tom Duffy, Asst. Coach Ray
Bedard, Managers Mike Fisher and Maurice Clare.
Also inducted:
Dan Mazzulla - Class of 1984 - Men's
Basketball
One of the most prolific scorer's in Bulldog history, Dan
Mazzulla led the Bulldogs to a pair of 20 win seasons and the
school's first two NCAA tournament appearances. Mazulla ranks 10th
in career scoring with 1,390 career points scored at Bryant and
ranks fourth in career rebounding with 761. In addition, he also
holds the Bulldog single season record with a .913 free throw
percentage. Considered to be one of the best rebounders in program
history, Mazzulla's toughness on the glass earned him respect
around the region in the late 1970's.
Beth Connealy, Class of 1996 - Women's Basketball
Beth Connealy- Wandyess led her women's basketball teams
to a combined 61 wins during her four year career including an 18-9
season in 1995 which saw the Bulldogs capture the ECAC
Championship. In addition, Connealy also holds the school
record for steals in a game (10), steals in a season (103 in
1994-95) and career steals (258). During her career, Connealy
was instrumental in the success of Bryant basketball during the
mid-90's.
Mike McKenna, Class of 1986, Men's Golf
Two-sport star Mike McKenna ‘86 was a four time
letterman in hockey and golf. He was a Northeast-10 Conference
medalist in golf in 1983 and 1984 as well as a three-time all
conference selection. He helped transition the hockey program from
Division III to Division II and took all-conference honors at both
levels. On the links McKenna enjoyed a highly decorated
collegiate career. He showed the same level of leadership on the
golf course as he did in the hockey rink, and was named captain of
the 1986 Bryant golf team. McKenna led the golf team to two
Northeast Regional titles and three ECAC Championship appearances
behind his individual play.
Charlie Mandeville, Cross Country / Track Coach
Long-time track and field coach Charlie Mandeville led
Bryant's women's cross country team to a No. 7 ranking in the East
in 1985. Mandeville coached two All-Americans (Diane Tedford and
Jenny Proud) and numerous Academic All-Americans.
Mandeville's '85 dream team only had one regular season loss, and many of his runners are still Bryant record-holders today. In addition to being an outstanding track and field and cross country coach, Mandeville also served as the athletic trainer at Bryant for over 20 years, traveling to both basketball and baseball games.
Jon Sjogren, Class of 1988, Baseball - Millis, Mass.
Jon Sjogren ‘88 coached the Bulldog baseball team
for 15 years, posting a 360-301-1 record in becoming the winningest
coach in Bryant school history. Before assuming the coaching
duties, Sjogren earned All-New England and all-conference
recognition as a player and finished with a .370 career batting
average. He led the Bulldogs to three NCAA tournament appearances
and four Northeast-10 conference titles. In 2004, Sjogren led
Bryant to its first NCAA Regional Championship and berth in the
College World Series in Montgomery, Alabama. The Bulldogs finished
the season with a school record 40 wins and a No. 6 national
ranking. His 2004 squad was the third Bryant team that Sjogren had
led to the NCAA tournament, with other appearances coming in
1998 and 2002. Sjogren was named Northeast-10 Coach of the Year
four times in his tenure with Bryant, and is still the only Bulldog
to have won a conference championship and appear in an NCAA
tournament as both a player and a head coach.
