Jim Lyddy '63 & Tom Lyddy '67
Jim Lyddy '63
What Jim Lyddy lacked in stature, he made up for in talent.
The 6-foot, 170-pound guard has the distinction of being Fairfield Prep’s first All-State selection in basketball (1963). At the time of his graduation, Lyddy was Prep’s all-time leading scorer with 1,308 points and was named to a pair of All-MBIAC first teams.
After getting minimal action on the varsity his freshman season, Lyddy evolved into Prep’s go-to guy as a sophomore, making All-MBIAC second team. The following season, Lyddy helped Prep to an 18-5 overall record and the MBIAC title under first-year coach Bob Sylvester. That season, he scored a then-school record 39 points against Law and helped spring a CIAC upset of top-rated Bristol Eastern. It led to an appearance on the cover of Gentile’s High School Basketballpreseason publication in 1962, where the magazine proclaimed Lyddy the top-rated player in Connecticut. The postseason awards committee thought so too, as he was named All-MBIAC first team and was the top vote-getter on the New Haven Register’s All-State team in 1963.
Prep finished 18-6 in his senior season, earning a share of the MBIAC title. The Jesuits lost to eventual champion Hillhouse in the CIAC semifinals. Lyddy scored 107 points in four tournament games, including 28 in the loss to Hillhouse, and again was selected All-MBIAC first team.
Lyddy was also a two-time all-league selection in baseball, but he accepted a basketball scholarship to Georgetown, where captained the freshman team and then the varsity squad his senior year.
After a brief stint in the Army, Lyddy turned to coaching. He piloted Central and Bullard-Havens for a year each, then accepted an assistant’s position at his alma mater.
He was honored by the Greater Bridgeport Athletic Association with the 2008 Perry Pilotti Memoiral Outstanding Athletic Achievements Award.
Tom Lyddy '67
Another multi-sport standout, the late Tom Lyddy played football, basketball and baseball at Prep, but his prowess on the gridiron made him stand out.
The younger brother of fellow Hall of Fame honoree Jim Lyddy played end and defensive lineman for three varsity seasons, having the distinction of playing on coach Joe Brosley’s final team in 1964 and Hall of Fame coach Earl Lavery’s first in 1965.
He was a second team All-MBIAC selection in 1964, then made all-MBIAC the following season as Prep won the league crown with an 8-2 overall record. In his senior campaign, Lyddy served as co-captain for Lavery’s MBIAC co-champions. That season, he was named All-MBIAC, All-State and Catholic All-American.
He played a reserve role on the 1966-67 MBIAC title team that went 21-2 under Hall of Fame coach Bob Sylvester and also started at third base for the baseball team.
Lyddy received a football scholarship to Maryland, but a severe knee injury curtailed a promising career. He transferred to Fairfield, where he starred in baseball before graduating in 1972.
He later went on to serve as an assistant football coach under Lavery for a number of seasons.