Naugy Hall of Fame to induct new class

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NAUGATUCK — The Naugatuck Hall of Fame will enshrine six new members at its 41st annual induction ceremony Oct. 20 at the Continental Room.

This year’s class is Jessica Mudry, Eric Mudry, Dan Freddino, Bud Klimaszewski, Cindy Adamski and Ed Rossi. Former UConn All-American and current University of Hartford women’s basketball coach Jen Rizzotti will be the guest speaker. She was the point guard for the 1994-95 Huskies, who won the school’s first national title with a 35-0 record, and was the 1996 Associated Press Player of the Year.

“Jen Rizzotti and Jessica Mudry were good friends and competitors growing up,” said Fred Scheithe, a member of the selection committee. “When Rizzotti found out that Jessica was being honored she was more than happy to accept to be the guest speaker and meet up with her longtime friend.”

Jesssica Mudry

Jesssica Mudry remains the all-time leading scorer at Naugatuck High with 2,056 points. Her teams started the Greyhounds’ streaks of three Naugatuck Valley League titles (1990-92) and a league-record 105 wins in a row. The 1991 state player of the year led the state in scoring with 27 points per game.

She became the sixth player at Lehigh University to score over 1,000 points and was also the only player in the Patriot League history to finish in the top 10 of every statistical category. Jessica Mudry is in the Connecticut Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame (2004) and the New England Basketball Hall of Fame (2009).

Eric Mudry

Eric Mudry was a three-sport athlete at Naugatuck High, competing in football, basketball and track. In his senior year the Greyhounds won the NVL title and head coach Craig Peters called Eric Mudry “a great athlete on both sides of the ball.”

Eric Mudry went on to play at Trinity College and was a member of the 1993 team that went 8-0. He was named to the Kodak All-American Division II team and Trinity awarded him with the McCook Trophy, the school’s highest athletic honor.

Dan Freddino

Dan Freddino was a four-year All-NVL and All-State swimmer for the Greyhounds, leading Naugatuck to four league titles and the 1992 state championship. In 1994 Naugatuck finished third in the State Open, the highest finish of any team in NVL history.

There are few Naugatuck swim records that Freddino doesn’t hold. He set seven individual records and was part of three relay records. The only records he doesn’t hold are in the 100 breaststroke and diving. Freddino swam two years at the University of South Carolina and two years at UConn, qualifying for the U.S. Olympic trials.

Cindy Adamski

Cindy Adamski played intramural sports in high school at a time when Naugatuck didn’t have programs for women athletes. Adamski went on to play softball, volleyball and track at Southern Connecticut State University.

She coaches softball and field hockey at Brookfield High, winning a combined 356 games and nine league titles during her tenure.

Walter 'Bud' Klimaszewski

Walter “Bud” Klimaszewski was a member of the 1977 state championship Naugatuck baseball team. He helped Naugy win the 1978 NVL title and finish as a state runner-up. From 1977-1978 Klimaszewski had a .992 fielding percentage, prompting Plainville coach Mike Jones to call him “a Major League shortstop.”

Klimaszewski is the City Hill Middle School softball coach and has spent 11 seasons coaching Little Pal basketball and 10 years as a coach for the Union City Little League.

Edward Rossi

Edward Rossi has volunteered for over 20 years for the Naugatuck Hall of Fame committee. Rossi has worked as a high school and youth football official for 30 years. He has volunteered his time in organizations that have covered multiple generations of youngsters from the Union City and Peter J. Foley little leagues, Little Pal basketball, Naugatuck Junior Football League and Joe Triano’s Golden Gloves Boxing.

“This year’s Civic Award is being given to a volunteer who has spent over 40 years helping the youth of Naugatuck,” Scheithe said of Rossi. “Ed Rossi has spent his life volunteering his time to the youth and is certainly a worthy recipient of this award.”

The dinner begins at 7 p.m. and tickets are $40. No tickets will be sold at the door. For tickets, call Ray Rossi Jr. at (203) 729-4865 or Gordon Rossi at (203) 723-7893). Tickets are also available at the tax collector’s office in Town Hall or from any of the inductees.