Longtime H-K Coach Elected to State Coaches Hall of Fame

HADDAM-KILLINGWORTH, CT — A longtime Haddam-Killingworth High School coach is one of 10 individuals who will be honored at the 40th annual Hall of Fame induction dinner of the Connecticut High School Coaches Association, according to an announcement from the CHSCA.

Rich Langer coached girls volleyball at Haddam-Killingworth for 40 years (1975-2014) and girls track for 11 years (1992-2002). He compiled 656 total coaching victories: 580-225 in volleyball, 76-14-1 in dual meet track.

His volleyball teams won state championships in 1991 and 2014, and had six runner-up finishes. They reached the semifinals eight times, the last in 2008, and the quarterfinals seven times, the last in 2011.

In his final season, Langer's team went 26-2, won the Shoreline championship and the CIAC Class SS championship. He was named CHSCA Volleyball Coach of the Year in 2001. He coached 19 first-team All-State selections.

His teams won five league titles in track between 1992 and 1998. He was inducted into the Haddam-Killingworth Athletics Hall of Fame in 2009 and the Connecticut Women's Volleyball Hall of Fame in 2014. In 2015, he received the Connecticut Sports Writers' Alliance Doc McInerney Women's Coach of the Year Award.

Langer started at H-K as a math teacher in 1974 and retired in 2006. He was named Regional District 17 Teacher of the Year in 1998.

Other honorees are:

• Elaine Biercevicz Piazza - Lyman Memorial, Sacred Heart Academy
• Barbara Hedden - Cheshire, Mercy
• Robert Mastroni - Bunnell
• Howie Hewitt - Maloney
• Martin deLivron - Avon
• Edward Faulkner - Brien McMahon, Bassick
• Ricky Shook - Danbury
• Maj. Stephen Reich (dec.) - Shepaug Valley
• Rich Coppola - Fox 61

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.

Photo credit: CHSCA