CONNECTICUT — Since 1940, the Connecticut Sports Media Alliance (formerly the Connecticut Sports Writers' Alliance) has presented Gold Keys to deserving individuals who had made a considerable impact on the state's sports landscape. In addition to the Gold Keys, other awards are meted out in various categories, and the CSMA has named the final nine recipients who will be honored at the 82nd annual dinner this fall.
Receiving accolades at the dinner will be:
- Hal Levy High School Achievement Award - Paula Fitzgerald, Westbrook High School. Athletic director for 33 years, longtime varsity girls' tennis coach with more than 500 career victories, assistant girls' basketball coach for eight state championships, 2024 inductee into the Connecticut Women's Basketball Hall of Fame.
- Bo Kolinsky Memorial Special Recognition Award - Rick Leddy, North Haven. Worked for 36 years at his alma mater, Southern Connecticut State College/University, as sports information director and then associate director of athletics. Member of the SCSU Athletics and New England Basketball halls of fame.
- Bob Casey Courage Award - the family of Charlie Capalbo, Fairfield. Charlie, a standout ice hockey goalie, fought non-Hodgkins lymphoma and acute myeloid leukemia for five years before passing away at 23 in 2022. His family has since worked tirelessly to raise funds for AML research and create awareness of childhood cancers.
- John Wentworth Good Sport Awards - Marc Forster, Ledyard, a history professor at Connecticut College who has been an unpaid volunteer assistant softball coach at Ledyard High School since 2011; Mary-Jane Hussey, Windsor Locks, volunteer in the Suffield Special Olympics program from high school through 1991, co-founded what became the Windsor Locks Special Olympics program in 1996, overseeing its growth from four special needs athletes to more than 40; Bob Rafferty, Trumbull, facility manager at Floyd Little Athletic Center in New Haven since 2002, Hillhouse Football Booster Club president since 2006, longtime volunteer with New Haven Gridiron Club, National Football Foundation Casey/O'Brien New Haven County Chapter, North Haven youth basketball and Trumbull youth softball; Jim Reynolds, East Haven, began working at Farnam Neighborhood House in New Haven in 1986, started seventh- and eighth-grade travel basketball program.
- Art McGinley Media Award - George Albano, Norwalk. Began sportswriting career in Nov. 1974, celebrating 50 years this fall. Spent 42 years with the Norwalk Hour; the George Albano Press Box at Jack Casagrande Field at Brien McMahon High School was dedicated in 2019. Member of the FCIAC and McMahon halls of fame.
- Bo Kolinsky Memorial Sports Media Scholarship - Casey O'Brien, Ridgefield High School. Lead sports writer and social media manager for school newspaper, The Ridgefielder, and broadcast girls basketball games via livestreaming on RHS YouTube channel. Will be majoring in sports communications at Clemson University.
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Gold Key Award recipients for 2024, announced in the spring, are former Daniel Hand High School and Yale University football coach Larry Ciotti, longtime Windham High School wrestling and football coach Brian Crudden, retired Pomperaug High School field hockey coach Linda Dirga, award-winning sportscaster George Grande and Wesleyan University women’s basketball coach Kate Mullen.
U.S. Olympic bobsled designer Bob Cuneo will be presented the President’s Award, Southern Connecticut State University track and field record-breaker Jordan Davis of Wallingford will receive the Bill Lee Male Athlete of the Year award, and Boston College national champion lacrosse goalkeeper Shea Dolce of Darien has garnered the Hank O'Donnell Female Athlete of the Year award. State championship coaches Leigh Barone of Masuk softball and Rich Bowen of Killingly wrestling will be honored with the Doc McInerney High School Coach of the Year plaques.
The Gold Key Dinner is slated for Sunday, Oct. 20 at 2 p.m. at the Aqua Turf Club in Southington. Tickets are $75, and may be reserved by contacting CSMA president Tim Jensen at 860-394-5091 or tim.jensen@patch.com.
Proceeds support the Bo Kolinsky Memorial Sports Media Scholarship, a $3,000 annual award named in memory of the noted high school sports editor of the Hartford Courant and past CSMA president, who passed away in 2003 at age 49.