Last Chance to Order Gold Key Dinner Tickets

SOUTHINGTON, CT — Tickets may be reserved through April 15 for the 78th Gold Key Dinner, one of the state's most prestigious sports awards presented annually by the Connecticut Sports Writers' Alliance.

The dinner is scheduled for Sunday, April 28 at 3 p.m. at the Aqua Turf Club in Plantsville.

Gold Key recipients are former Bridgeport basketball stars John Bagley and Chris Smith, Super Bowl-winning coach Chris Palmer, St. Thomas More basketball coach Jere Quinn and ESPN founder Bill Rasmussen. They join a lengthy list of previous honorees, including Willie Pep, Gordie Howe, Geno Auriemma, Joan Joyce, Bobby Valentine, Bill Rodgers, Kristine Lilly and many others.

The Travelers Championship, a PGA Tour event in the greater Hartford area since 1952, will be recognized for more than six decades of sporting excitement and charitable generosity with the President's Award. Athletes of the year are Harry Stanton of Wesleyan University lacrosse and Mya Johnson of Lyme-Old Lyme High School soccer, while the high school coaches of the year are Carol Asplund of Joel Barlow girls volleyball and John Marinelli of Greenwich football.

Other presentations at the dinner will be the John Wentworth Good Sport Awards, the Bob Casey Courage Award, the Hal Levy High School Achievement Award, the Bo Kolinsky Memorial Special Recognition Award and the Bo Kolinsky Memorial Sports Journalism Scholarship.

Tickets are $75, and may be ordered by contacting CSWA President Tim Jensen at tim.jensen@patch.com or 860-394-5091. Proceeds benefit the Kolinsky scholarship fund.