Former SHS Baseball Coach Receives Ticket to Hall

The following article was submitted by Craig Rosenberg with the public affairs office at American International College.

John Fontana of Southington was among 14 new members recently inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame at American International College in Springfield, Mass.

Fontana, a 1957 graduate of American International College, was a star baseball player at the college and  proceeded to make his mark in baseball after leaving college, becoming one of the winningest high school coaches in America.

During his 41-year tenure at , he won 669 games and finished his career fifth among high school baseball coaches in winning percentage with at least 600 wins, while leading his teams to two state titles and 40 state championship tournament appearances.

A total of 192 of his former players went on to earn college scholarships, and in 1991 seven of his former players were playing in the NCAA Division I and Division II College World Series. He also had 17 former players sign Major League contracts.

Fontana was named the 1993 American Baseball Coaches Association National Coach of the Year and was named the 1996 recipient of the National High School Coaches Association’s Dwight-Keith Award, which is the organization’s highest honor, and served as the organization’s President during the 1992-93 academic year.

Fontana was inducted into the National High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1999 and was inducted into the American Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame in 2000.

The Class of 2011 was the fifth to be inducted into the American International College Athletics Hall of Fame, which was established in 2005, and brings the total number of honorees to 61.