Earl Lavery '50

While already a part of Prep football history as a member of the 1949 “Miracle Team” that went 7-0-1 (the school’s first unbeaten team), Earl Lavery made his indelible mark as a coach. “The Duke” took over from the venerable Joe Brosley in 1965 and never had a losing season in his 28 years at the helm. At the time of his retirement in 1992, Lavery had won more games (231) than any coach in the state. He coached four undefeated, untied teams (1967, 1969, 1973 and 1977) plus another that finished unbeaten (1975). His teams won or shared 13 MBIAC titles, won three state championships and had 14 teams finish in the state’s Top 10.

Lavery’s philosophy was simple and old-school: run the ball effectively and play good defense. His first team in 1965 posted seven shutouts, the undefeated 1969 squad had six and the 1975 unbeaten group set the school record with eight.

He was a man of few words, whether talking to his team or the media. Three-year starting quarterback Brian Connolly (1966-68) said recently, “Earl always expected 100% out of his players. He never yelled, but had a stare that was louder than any voice could be.”

Lavery was elected to the Connecticut High School Coaches Hall of Fame in 1991, received the prestigious Gold Key Award from the Connecticut Sports Writers Alliance 1996 and entered the Fairfield County Sports Hall of Fame in 2013.