Sports Hall of Fame relaunches with Class of 2023

Shelton’s Iassogna among new inductees

STAMFORD — It was a banner day for the newly named Fairfield County Sports Hall of Fame and Youth Foundation, which celebrated a relaunch with the introduction of its Class of 2023 Monday at Chelsea Piers in Stamford.

Formerly known as the Fairfield County Sports Commission, the new name more accurately reflects the group’s main focuses, according to executive director Tom Chiapetta.

“Tonight is a relaunch,” Chiapetta said. “We want to let people know that we’re back, we’re still doing things, and we’ll be here for the community. “We decided with this relaunch, we wanted something different and these are the two things (Hall of Fame and youth activities) we’re focused on.”

The ceremony featured the introduction of the Hall of Fame Class of 2023, which includes eight stars.

The inductees are Dan Iassogna (Shelton) and Scott Sharp (Wilton) in the Jackie Robinson Professional Wing), John Scalzi (Stamford) and Lynn Spagnesi (Norwalk) in the James O’Rourke Amateur Wing, and John Hagan (Stamford), Mary Kehoe (Norwalk), Laurie LaRusso (Darien) and John Stratton (Stamford) in the J. Walter Kennedy Community Service Wing. They will be honored on a yet-to-be-determined date later this year.

Monday’s event also included the unveiling of bronze plaques for the last three classes from 2019, 2020 and 2021. No class was selected for 2022.Since it was formed 19 years ago, the Fairfield County Sports Hall of Fame has recognized 119 county sports legends.

The inclusion of the words “Youth Foundation” into the organization’s name emphasizes one of its primary focuses, Chiapetta said. It is still collecting gently-used sports equipment to be distributed to county athletes and youth groups, and recently donated $65,000 to 17 different youth organizations.

“All the board members, all the people who are involved and especially the Hall of Fame, needs to keep going,” Chiapetta said. “This was great tonight for the Hall of Fame, and for the (youth) foundation part, we have two or three other ways to make money and that’s what

we’re focused on.

“We have a wide variety of charities we were able to give to and it’s been very rewarding.”

The new Hall of Famers include stars from a variety of sports, from baseball to volleyball to indy car racing.

Jackie Robinson Professional Wing

Dan Iassogna, Shelton

Iassogna is in his 25th year as an MLB umpire, and has umpired nearly 3,000 games during his career, becoming a crew chief in 2020. He has had 14 postseason series assignments including seven in the league championship series covering 83 total games. Iassogna also worked the World Series in 2012, 2017 and 2022; the All-Star game in 2011; and the World Baseball Classic in 2009, 2017, and 2023.

Scott Sharp, Wilton

Sharp began his Indy Racing League (IRL) career in 1995 and in 147 starts covering 13 years, he had nine wins, six poles, and 38 top-five finishes. He was also the Indy Car Series co-champion in 1996. Sharp had 13 Indy 500 starts, finishing a career-best sixth in 2007. His career winnings are more than $10 million. He finished his racing career with the Weathertech SportsCar Series, winning twice in 2016 and once in 2017.

James O’Rourke Amateur Wing

John Scalzi, Stamford

Scalzi, a 1927 graduate of Stamford High, was one of the city’s finest all-around athletes, winning more varsity letters than any athlete in school history in football, basketball and baseball. He played all three sports collegiately at Georgetown, and was signed to a pro contract by Boston Braves baseball team, but an arm injury curtailed his career. He was later a scout for the New York Mets. He was a top college basketball and football official, an umpire and president of Twilight league baseball, and played pro football with the Brooklyn Dodgers for one season.

Lynn Spagnesi, Norwalk

Spagnesi was a four-sport star at Brien McMahon, playing basketball, field hockey, volleyball, and track and field. She attended Southern Connecticut State University, she played basketball and volleyball for four years, and was a member of the track and field and softball teams for two years. Spagnesi also won two national championships as a member of the Brakettes softball team, and played in the U.S. Volleyball Association for five years. She was selected to the Connecticut women’s basketball Hall of Fame in 1998, and the Connecticut women’s volleyball Hall of Fame in 2000.

J. Walter Kennedy Community Service Wing

John Hagan, Stamford

Hagan, a long-time football coach at Stamford, began his career in 1960 and finished with an 82-30 record which included two state championships and two FCIAC titles in 1970 and 1971. He was also a college line coach at Columbia, Pace and Fordham.

Hagan was inducted into the National High School Coaches Hall of Fame in 2010, and is also a member of the CHSCA and FCIAC Halls of Fame.

Mary Kehoe, Norwalk

Kehoe, a pioneer for girls sports in Norwalk is a member of the Connecticut women’s basketball Hall of Fame (1996) and the FCIAC Hall of Fame (2007). She was a Brien McMahon teacher and coach for 35 years from 1964 to 1999, leading both the basketball and volleyball programs.

Laurie LaRusso, Darien

LaRusso has had a legendary career as the head coach of the Darien volleyball program, amassing more than 1,100 wins with 25 state championships and 34 FCIAC titles between the girls and boys teams. She started the Blue Wave girls program in 1982 and has a career record of 800-131 for a winning percentage of .859. Her teams have won 19 state titles, including nine straight from 2001-09, along with 26 FCIAC titles, which includes streaks of 10 straight from 1990-99, and 12 straight from 2001-12. Darien owns a current winning streak of 50 over the past two seasons. LaRusso also started the Darien boys program and has a record of 337-79 with six state championships, including the last three, and eight FCIAC championships, including the last four. She has been inducted into the Connecticut Volleyball Hall of Fame, the Connecticut High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame, and the FCIAC Hall of Fame.

John Stratton, Stratford

Part of the Brakettes family for 45 years, Stratton has been the famed softball program’s manager since 1995 and has racked up 1,492 victories with only 141 losses for a .913 winning percentage. He’s led his teams to 177 total national titles, including five ASA championships and 12 in WMS. The performance includes 168 straight wins from 2010-12, and two perfect seasons: 63-0 in 2011, and 68-0 in 2013. Stratton was selected to the National Softball Hall of Fame in 2023, and is also a member of the Connecticut Softball Hall of Fame and the Collegiate Softball Hall of Fame.