Seymour High School
SEYMOUR – Six former standout athletes and a longtime educator/team manager have scored their place in the eighth annual Seymour High School Sports Hall of Fame.
The Class of 2021 includes:
Jim Taradine (Class of 1959); Jim Anderson (Class of 1972); Melissa Tottenham Drozd (Class of 1974); Tim Rennison (Class of 1983); Robert LaRowe (Class of 1984); Michael Mudry (Class of 1994) and Special Recognition Honoree Ray Neccio (Class of 1966)
Former First Selectman Paul Roy established the Hall of Fame in 2011 to pay homage to athletes and coaches that brought honor and distinction to their school and the community.
“The Seymour High School Sports Hall of Fame Committee recognizes the importance of sharing the stories of the very best athletes that attended Seymour High School,” Roy said. “The committee wishes to preserve the history of athletics at Seymour High School through these individuals.”
The committee will induct the Class of 2021 at a banquet scheduled for April 30, 2022 at Villa Bianca. A social hour will begin at 6 p.m. followed by dinner and the induction program.
Tickets are $50 and will be available at Armand’s Service Center, Seymour Town Hall, Seymour High School or from committee members. For more information, call Paul Sponheimer at 203 – 737-0233 or Paul Roy at 203 – 305-6731.
Taradine was a triple threat who played football, baseball and basketball all four years at SHS. In baseball, he was an All-Valley and All-Housatonic league selection in his junior and senior years. He consistently contributed to the success of the basketball and football teams, and was captain of the football, baseball and basketball team his senior year.
Anderson was the first track and cross-country athlete to win awards at SHS. He ran indoor track, which at the time was not an organized sport at SHS. He trained on his own and competed in state tournaments. In cross country, he was undefeated in Housatonic competition, and in outdoor track, he was undefeated in the two-mile run. He was an All-Housatonic and All-Valley selection, and won the “John DeBarber Award” his senior year. He excelled in cross country at Bates University upon graduation from SHS.
Tottenham Drozd played basketball and softball for the Lady Wildcats. She was selected to the All-Housatonic League team for basketball her senior year. As a softball player, with a batting average of over .500 (she batted over .538 her senior year), she made the All-Housatonic League teams as a sophomore, junior and senior. She was selected “Top Female Athlete” in 1974 by the Seymour Father’s Club, and went on to coach Seymour Little League softball teams and was a Physical Education teacher in the Seymour schools.
Rennison ran indoor and outdoor track for four years and cross country for three years. He was an All-State selection for indoor and outdoor track in 1982 and 1983. He held many records for events including 1500, 3000 and 3000 steeplechase, and still holds school record for the 800m event which he set in 1983. He won the “John DeBarber Award” in 1983.
LaRowe was also a triple threat, excelling in basketball, baseball and football. Former Longtime Wildcats Football Coach and Hall of Fame Committee member Paul Sponheimer called LaRowe “the best athlete” he ever coached at SHS. As a tight end for the Wildcats he was a two- time All-Housatonic League selection and was named an All-State player in 1983, and led the Wildcats to the Housatonic League championship that same year.
Mudry excelled in basketball and baseball for four years at SHS. He was an All-Housatonic basketball selection, All-Valley selection and a New Haven Tap-Off Club Class M/S selection in 1994, and was also named Valley Basketball Player of the Year. In his four years at SHS, he scored a total of 1,026 points. He was also a three- year starter on the Wildcat baseball teams. He was an All-Valley pick and was Honorable Mention All-Housatonic League selection.
Neccio has been selected to receive the Hall of Fame’s Special Recognition Award for outstanding contributions to athletics or athletes at SHS. As a student at SHS, Neccio was the manager for the football and basketball teams, as well as the scorekeeper for the basketball team. He went on to become a teacher in the Seymour school system, and later became a department head, assistant principal, principal and athletic director.
