2024 Inductees

The only player to make Fairfield Prep’s 1942-1951 All-Decade team in three sports (football, basketball, baseball), the late George (Babe) Risley was considered to be one of the finest athletes in the Greater Bridgeport region. 

In football, Risley was part of Prep’s “Miracle Team” of 1949 that was the school’s first unbeaten team (7-0-1). Only a 6-6 tie against Stamford on Thanksgiving prevented a perfect record.

After graduation, Ridley attended Holy Cross, where he played football and baseball for a year before signing with the Detroit Tigers in 1952. He played professionally for 14 seasons, mostly in Class AAA, before retiring.

One of the outstanding tennis players who played for Fairfield Prep, Todd Paul was a four-time CIAC Class LL champion who was a major contributor on the Jesuits’ state title teams of 2002 and 2003.

After graduation, he attended Wake Forest, where he was the first two-time All-American in the school’s tennis history (2006-2007) and was ranked as the NCAA’s No. 1 singles player in his senior season. When he graduated in 2007, he was Wake’s all-time leader with 118 singles victories, including 32 as a senior. 

Paul is also a member of the Fairfield County Hall of Fame.

All-America goalkeeper Will Steiner has the distinction of becoming the first soccer player to be inducted to the Fairfield Prep Athletic Hall of Fame. Steiner was a four-year starter for Prep and had 17 shutouts in 24 games as a senior as Prep went 20-3-1. After that season he was named MVP of the SCC tournament, as well as garnering all-conference, all-state, all-New England and All-America honors, plus being named All-Area MVP in both the Connecticut Post and New Haven Register.

He attended Villanova after graduation and started in goal all four seasons, helping the Wildcats reach the NCAA tournament for the first time in 2016. He played 97 total games, compiling a 1.27 goals-against average and a .770 save percentage to go with 17 shutouts.

Father-and-son duo Bob Ford Sr. & Bob Ford Jr. coached the Fairfield Prep cross-country team for 33 seasons and guided the Jesuits to three CIAC Class LL championships, two State Open titles, three SCC titles and eight SCC divisional crowns. 

The Fords also coached indoor and outdoor track, where Bob Jr. was named CIAC Outstanding Coach of the Year in 2005 and Ford Sr. helped coach Prep Olympian Craig Kinsley. Collectively, they coached over 120 seasons with cross-country and track, with 27 Prep runners achieving all-state honors.

Both Fords were named National Coaches of the Year by Footlocker in 2014, while Bob Ford Jr. was recognized as the SCC Coach of the Year in 2013.