In photo collage, top row, left to right: John Hummel, Paul Pawlak, Jr. Bottom row, left to right: Russ Rotko, Milt Cochran, Bill Heffernan, Ben Michaelson, Susan Baxter, Kim Bogen
SEYMOUR – Seven former standout athletes, along with a diehard supporter of Seymour sports, have been selected for induction into Seymour High School’s Sports Hall of Fame for 2024.
The inductees scoring a place this year are:
John Hummel (Class of 1950)
Paul Pawlak, Jr. (Class of 1958)
Russ Rotko (Class of 1961)
Milt Cochran (Class of 1964)
Bill Heffernan (Class of 1974)
Susan Baxter (Class of 1980)
Ben Michaelson (Class of 1999)
Kim Bogen (Class of 2009)
The athletes will be honored at an induction banquet scheduled for 5 p.m. Oct. 26 at Oak Lane Country Club in Woodbridge. Tickets are available at Seymour High School, Seymour Town Hall or through Paul Roy at proy03@snet.net or 202 – 305-6731 or Paul Sponheimer at 203 – 645-2828.
Tickets are $60 per person and include appetizers, buffet dinner and dessert. A cash bar will be available.
The Class of 2024 have distinguished themselves both on and off the athletic fields, according to SHS Sports Hall of Fame Committee Co-Chairman and former First Selectman Paul Roy, who established the Sports Hall of Fame in 2011.
“I believe it’s important to honor these athletes because early in their careers, they really brought glory to Seymour High School and they deserve some accolades,” Roy said. “We built the Hall of Fame so people can remember the outstanding athletes that these people were. And so many of them have gone on to do bigger and better things later in their lives, and we continue to honor that.”
Here’s some information provided by the committee about the Class of 2024 inductees:
*Paul Pawlak, Jr.: He was a three-sport star for the Seymour Wildcats. A four-year starter, he was selected to the All-State football team as an offensive tackle. On the other side of the line, he was a defensive tackle. He also played basketball for four years and baseball for two years. Pawlak went on to both coach and serve as a scout for the New England Patriots.
*Russ Rotko: He played baseball, football and basketball all four years at SHS. His biggest success was on the baseball diamond, as a pitcher. He later played baseball at UConn. After college, Rotko was offered a professional contract. He played briefly in the minor leagues and went on to be a teacher and coach.
*Milt Cochran: He was a hard-throwing, left handed pitcher for the Wildcats baseball team. In his senior year, he pitched in 16 games, with Seymour winning 14 of those games. He pitched Seymour to the finals in the state tournament which they lost after Cochran’s arm gave out. He enlisted in the military and received serious injuries while on duty in Vietnam.
*Bill Heffernan: Another athlete from Coach Dan Heffernan’s family, Heffernan was a three- sport star in football, baseball and basketball. His versatility allowed him to play multiple positions in each sport. He achieved All-League, All-Valley and honorable mention for All State teams. Upon graduation he attended Cornell University playing football and baseball.
*Susan Baxter: She was a runner for both fall and spring track teams. She was an All-State runner in the fall and won two statewide meets in the spring in New Britain and Hartford. She set a track record in the New Britain meet for the 1500-meter race. Baxter attended the University of Tennessee on a partial scholarship where she qualified for national events.
*Ben Michaelson: He excelled in swimming in several events. A versatile swimmer, he won championships on the league and state level in the butterfly, backstroke and freestyle events. In his senior year he won the CIAC State Open in the butterfly event. Michaelson attended Southern Connecticut State University where he set national records in four events on the NCAA Division II Level. He swam in the Pan Am games and nearly qualified for the 2004 Olympics.
*Kim Bogen: She was a three-time, All-State softball pitcher. She was named New Haven Register’s Most Valuable Player in 2009. During her senior year, Bogen was unbeaten with a 22 – 0 win/loss record. She posted a 0.04 earned run average that year and had a career record of 65 – 4 with 794 strikeouts. Bogen now owns a business called Summit Softball LLC where she teaches young players how to pitch.
*John Hummel: He will be honored with a Special Recognition Award for his lifetime of supporting SHS athletics. Hummel coached Babe Ruth League in Seymour, and several of his players went on to be standout athletes at SHS. His support for athletic events for both the boys’ and girls’ teams was well-known, and he was a constant fixture in the bleachers, field or gymnasium.
