Hall of Fame Inductees 2004

Robert Cassidy
Bob Cassidy is the recipient of the Sports Hall of Fame Distinguished Service Award. Bob has been associated with sports in and around Plainville for more than 65 years. While at PHS, Bob was an athlete, manager and assistant coach. He has continued to support sports providing innovation direction through coaching and administration. Bob was instrumental in the growth and development of ASA softball in the area and remains a District Commissioner today. Bob was also instrumental in the local Knights of Columbus sports activities and remains an avid supporter of all local sports.

Donald Dellaquila
Don is a 1980 graduate of PHS. Don was the consummate three sport star in football, basketball and baseball. A former Backers Club athlete of the year, Don was a hard hitting linebacker in football, a hard hitting forward in basketball, and a hard hitting catcher in baseball. Notice anything? Don played hard. He earned ALLSTATE honors in football and baseball and was team captain for both in his senior year. He went on to the University of San Francisco where his baseball team played on the far west championship team in the college world series. Don has also represented Plainville in a Washington D.C. internship with Senator Weicker and was awarded the Knights of Columbus Squire of the year in 1979 for his community involvement.

George Grasso
Coach Grasso represents the finest in an educator and coach and he shared those talents daily while at PHS. George coached cross country from 1965 to 1976 compiling a record of 127 wins and 12 losses. He coached track in 1966 and 1967 compiling a record of 24 wins and 1 loss. Combined record of 151 wins and 13 loses. He coached with a passion that many have, but only a few can harness and share for the benefit of the team. George also started the first ladies cross country teams and coached a powder-puff football team that beat Southington. He taught with the same passion which earned him the math department chairman duties in 1977 until his retirement in 1999.

Richard Hill
Dick was a 1943 graduate of PHS who could be compared to the athletic talents of Forrest Gump, …he was runnin’. Dick was always running and usually without competition. Dick Hill was literally unbeatable in the events in which he competed. He would team with fellow Hall of Famers “Corky Corlette” and Walt Majsak to help win two track State Championships as a team. Dick would compete in up to six events at each meet, and not the events that runners gravitate to. Competitive events included 220 yard dash, 100 yard dash, 200 yard dash, broad jump, and javelin and team relay. In cross country competition, Dick was almost always leading his team to victory. Dick had a scholarship to Duke University, but was unable to accept.

Dino Iorli
Coach Iorli was a teacher and coach at PHS from 1956 to 1960. Almost too short a period to establish Hall of Fame credentials? Well you decide. During his tenure his track teams were 36 wins 0 losses, won 3 conference titles, 2 State Championships and 1 State runner up. He was also the assistant football coach at PHS. His athletes held a combined five state records as members of his teams and three are already in the Plainville Sports Hall of Fame. Dino moved on to Conard High for ten years as teacher and coach and is now a successful entrepreneur having produced and directed a movie and co-authoring a book on golf.

William Lasher
Bill was a 1962 graduate of PHS. Bill was one of only a handful of student athletes in his day to commitment to only one sport for the entire year. Bill dedicated himself to basketball and became one of the finest players on the Plainville hardwood. Bill established a single season scoring record of 442 points and was a key member of the 1959 and 1961 class B State Champions as well as the 1962 class B runner up team. He was named ALLSTATE in 1962 and went on to play basketball at Providence College. At Providence he played with former Georgetown coach John Thompson and in 1965 made it to the final 8 before losing to Princeton University lead by Bill Bradley.

Albert “BIT” Santucci
“Bit” as he was known during his active sports days, is a member of the PHS class of 1934. He was a star player in football, where he played end until his senior year when he took over the quarterback position, basketball where he was a steady guard, and baseball where he was a slick fielding third baseman. “Bit” was always one to give back to the community where he coached little league, Alumni league baseball and midget football. He also bowled, played golf, tennis and softball and had his own baseball team, the Plainville Maroons in the years before WWII. To this day, “Bit” Santucci cherishes his coaching of the kids as his most rewarding memories of his sports career.