By Joyce DeWallace, Contributing Writer
Shrewsbury – Shrewsbury High School (SHS) started its Hall of Fame in 1991, inducting Joseph Russell Sr. from the Class of 1930. Since then over 100 student athletes, 16 coaches and three athletic directors have been elected to this top honor. Jay Costa, the current athletic director, explained that nominees are inducted every two years. The selection committee is comprised of former coaches, athletic directors, players and inductees.
“Our goal as an athletic department is to create good citizens and, along the way, learn the skills necessary to succeed in life and become leaders,” Costa said.
The Hall of Fame recognizes those people who have made significant contributions to the athletic program.
“Anyone can nominate a former athlete for this honor,” Costa explained. “There’s a list of criteria for being selected.”
The current chair of the committee is Jim Pignaturo, Class of 1980, who is the principal of Grafton High School. While at SHS, Pignaturo starred in football and both indoor and outdoor track. The committee meets four or five times every other year, and the candidates need the majority of the committee votes to be inducted. The next induction ceremony will be the Saturday after Thanksgiving in 2015.
In order to be considered, the person must have some outstanding athletic accomplishments at SHS. The nominee must have been out of school at least 10 years and have shown good citizenship while in high school as well as after.
“We want the nominees to serve as role models for our athletes,” Costa said. “We need some sort of a biography and description of accomplishments as well as the current contact information.”
Probably the most well-known Hall of Famer at SHS was Peter (Pete) W. Perreault, a 1957 graduate. While at SHS, Perreault played football, basketball and rowed for the crew team. At Boston University, he excelled in football and was the team captain as a senior. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers, played for the New York Jets for eight years, with a short stint as a Cincinnati Bengal. He retired after playing for the Minnesota Vikings for two years. In 1991 he was inducted into the SHS Athletic Hall of Fame. Perreault passed away in 2001 at the age of 62.
Brian Ryder, Class of 1978, earned his fame as a first-round draft pick by the New York Yankees, while a number of other baseball players played in the elite Cape Cod League. Many ex-players have become coaches on all levels of sports.
“One of our philosophies is to bring back our alumni and make them part of our program,” Costa noted.
Future inductees will probably include Class of 2008 football player Shawn Loiseau. At SHS, he set a team record for tackles, was named Massachusetts Defensive Player of the Year, and helped his team to a state championship. At Merrimack College, he was twice named Northeast-10 Conference Defensive Player of the Year, and in 2010 was named second team All-American. He was drafted by the Houston Texans and played linebacker for the Indianapolis Colts.
Another athlete to watch is Brittany Altomare, an outstanding golfer, who graduated from SHS in 2009. She was captain of the golf team in both her junior and senior years. At the University of Virginia, she was named Player of the Year and set all sorts of school records. Right now, she is playing on the Symetra Tour, the developmental tour of the Ladies Professional Golf Association. If she finishes among the top 10 on that tour, she will earn her card to play full-time on the LPGA Tour next year.
This year SHS has 31 varsity sports with 68 captains. About 400 athletes play for these teams in each of the three seasons.
“I’m very fortunate that our superintendent, School Committee, and school administration all support student athletes and can be seen at out athletic events,” Costa said.
To nominate someone for the SHS Hall of Fame, email Costa at [email protected].
