Athletes from Several Decades Honored at WHS Hall of Fame Banquet

Hundreds filled the hall at the Hellenic Cultural Center to pay tribute to the rich tradition of Watertown High School's athletic program and welcome the latest 10 inductees to the WHS Athletics Hall of Fame.

The eight individuals and two teams who are part of the Hall's Class of 2012 graced the Watertown athletic fields and courts from the 1950s to the 2000s. Some played for the Raiders, others coached and some did both.

Frank Sollitto

A teacher and later vice principal in Watertown for 34 years, Frank Sollitto also left his mark as a coach of the Watertown High School's football team. He later became an asistant coach for Harvard's football team, including the team that had the infamous 29-29 "win" over Yale in 1968.

Bob Norton, a WHS Hall of Famer who emceed the ceremony, said Sollitto was respected for his work on and off the field. 

"He was a roll mondel for thos of us who played with him, and for those who taught with him in the classroom," Norton said.

Chuck Papalia

Playing on both the offensive and defensive lines, Chuck Papalia helped the Raiders win the school's first state title in football. He also played defenseman on the WHS ice hockey team.

Papalia said he still recalled scoring the first point of his career, kicking an extra-point his sophomore year against Newton. Another not so fond memory of his time at WHS was when the Raiders lost to Brookline - the only blemish in 1952 – which cost the team a trip to the Orange Bowl in Miami to play another top high school squad.

He got a measure of revenge when he was playing for Harvard, against archrival Yale.

"We beat a Yale team captained by Paul Lynch, a member of the Brookline team that beat us," Papalia said.

1953 Boys' Track Team

The Raiders won the 1953 Class B state championship, had only six seniors. The team did have depths, said John Karnikyan, a co-captain.

Members of the team include: Jose Maria (high jump and hurdles), John Karnikyan (50-yard dash), Robert Gandolfo (300 yards), Martin Clunes (1000), Bob Barlow (hurdles) Frank Wittimberg (1000), George Charshoodian (600), James DeSimone (relay and 300).

Ron Testa

Norton recalls traveling down to see the Naval Academy play in the Orange Bowl in 1960, and while most watched Heisman Trophy winner Joe Bellino, he was busy watching Ron Testa play offensive and defensive tackle.

Testa, who was co-captain of the 1957 WHS football team, passed away in 1998, but his wife Julie accepted the award in his place.

"He loved Watertown," Julie said. "He moved away but he never forgot the lessons he learned there. He was thoughtful, caring and very competitive."

Norm Hoffman

On outstanding basketball player, Norm Hoffman (Class of 1960) set the single-game scoring record by netting 37 points against Brookline. He also knew his way around the baseball diamond, where he batted over .300 in his junior and senior seasons.

Hoffman went on to play both sports for Northeastern. He credited the coaches and players he grew up with for making him the athelete he was. Hoffman noted that the first four hitters on the WHS baseball team are members of the school's hall of fame - Richie Green, Donnie Weedon, Bob Cappadonna and Hoffman.

Greg Murphy

Despite playing for Watertown High School's basketball team in a down period, Greg Murphy (Class of 1986) became the seond player to score more than 1,000 points. 

Murphy's coach at WHS, Dave Born, said Murphy averaged 15 points a game as a sophomore, Murphy knew he would be the focus of the Raiders' offense as a junior and he didn't disappoint. 

Despite suffering a collapsed lung in a game against Lexington, Murphy averaged nearly 24 points a game as a junior. He wound up with 1,133 points in his time at WHS, and played for Bridgeport.

Renee Gaudette

Basketball has been part of Renee Gaudette's life since she attended the Cunniff School. When she was in sixth grade she was first coached by Joanie Kelly, who was head coach for the Watertown Recreation Department's girls' team at the Watertown Boys & Girls Club.

The 1999 WHS graduate did not reach the 1,000-point mark, but Kelly said that she could have, but it was not her style. Instead, she kept her teammates in the game.

Gaudette, who went to to play college ball at Iona, said Kelly was an important part of her life.

"She was alwas ther for me, whether I needed a shoulder to cry on or a kick in the rear," Gaudette said.

Bobby Murgo

The 2000 WHS graduate thanked many people for helping him in his successful career. Bobby Murgo had quite a career at Watertown High School, one which led WHS basketball coach Steve Harrington to call him one of the best who has ever played for the Raiders. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility.

Murgo, who played at Merrimack College, said learned a lot playing at the Boys & Girls Club. He gave a special thanks to Ernie Thebedo, who worked at the Boys & Girls Club and who has been a father figure and friend.

Harrington was the best coach he ever had, Murgo said, but he credited his parents for making sure he reached his potential. His mother was caring and would support him, whatever he did, Murgo said, while his father provided tough love when he needed it, including when he wanted to come home from Bridgeton Prep School in Maine and his father insisted he had to stay.

"The easy way out was to come home, but it was the best year of my life," Murgo said. "I became a man."

Arthur Venezia

When Arthur Venezia moved to Watertown at age 12, he had never owned a pair of ice skates and had never even heard of soccer, yet by the time he graduated from WHS in 1963 he had become a college-caliber player in both sports. Venezia played both sports at Norwich Univeristy.

Venezia retured to Watertown after a stint in the Army and began a long hockey coaching career. He coached Youth Hockey in the 1970s and 1990s, and served as an assistant coach for WHS coach Dick Umile in the 1980s. He served as head coach for several years, ending his career in 2005 by getting the Raiders into the Div. 1 state tournament.

Though retired from coaching, Venezia has 15 grandchildren, and tries his best to make it to all their games. His best quality as an athlete, Venezia said, is he always played to win, even in practice. He instills this quality in his grandchildren.

"I tell them they can't wish to be good, they have to work to be good," Venezia said.

1997 Field Hockey Team

Few people expected the 1997 WHS field hockey team to become champions, in part because the Raiders had only 13 players. The team not only enjoyed success, but went a perfect 23-0 to win the Div. 2 state championship. The title was cliched with a double overtime over Greenfield.

The team was led by Jane Rogers, who led the state in scoring with 141 goals, and fellow co-captain Jill Fantasia. Other players named to All-Star teams were Bernadette MacDonald, Catherine Rogers, Nicole Keuchkarian and Kathy Barry.

Though their bench was short, the toughest thing was to find a goalie. Mary Limerick, starting goalie the year before for a team that lost in the state final, had moved to Maryland. The Raiders turned to Bary (whose married name is Kathy Raute).

Fantasia quoted her coach, Eileen Donahue, who said the Raiders were "a tough, confident team that would never quit."