Sports
Hartford Legend Elected to National Track & Field Hall of Fame [VIDEO]
The legendary sprinter and two-time gold medalist will be inducted into the USATF Hall of Fame at a ceremony in New York City on Nov. 2.
NEW YORK, NY — Prevailing over the world's best sprinters in the closest race in Olympic history made Hartford Public High School alumnus Lindy Remigino a household name in the annals of track and field more than six decades ago.
A junior at Manhattan College in 1952, Remigino shockingly captured the gold medal in the 100 meter dash at the Summer Olympic Games in Helsinki, Finland, upsetting favorite Herb McKenley of Jamaica by .01 seconds.
He won a second gold later in that Olympiad, sprinting the third leg of the victorious 4x100 meter relay team.
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On Nov. 2, Remigino and four other individuals will be enshrined in the USATF National Track & Field Hall of Fame. Athletes Leroy Burrell, Bryan Clay and Patty vanWolvelaere Weirich and coach Bill Squires will also be inducted at the USATF Black Tie & Sneakers Gala in New York City, while nine-time Olympic gold medalist Carl Lewis will receive the 2017 Legend Award.
“It is an honor to recognize the Class of 2017 for their contributions to the history and advancement of our sport,” USATF CEO Max Siegel said in a news release. “All of our inductees not only have achieved competitive success worthy of selection, they also have made substantial impacts in their respective communities.”
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After graduating from Manhattan, Remigino, who was named after aviation legend Charles Lindbergh, became a physical education teacher and track and field coach at Hartford Public. His Owl teams won 31 state titles, and he guided 157 athletes to individual state championships.
He was a recipient of the prestigious Gold Key Award from the Connecticut Sports Writers' Alliance in 1972.
Success in sports runs in the family for Remigino, 86, who currently resides in Newington. His daughter, Betty Remigino-Knapp, recently retired after a long career as athletic director of West Hartford Public Schools, and his grandson Tyler Remigino, a freshman at Conard High School, recently placed 12th in the CCC cross country championships, outdistancing the next freshman by 22 seconds.
Photo credit: Crawford Family, U.S. Olympic Archives
Video credit: Louis Kwakye via YouTube
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