BRANFORD’S 1982-83 CLASS M STATE CHAMPION BOYS SWIM TEAM
Branford High School began Boys’ Varsity Swimming in 1972 but it wasn’t until the1981-82
season that they made their first run at a state title, finishing second at the Class M
championships. With the graduation of Dave Andriole, Dave Childs, Tom Hayden, Jim
Johnson and Walter Papov, the prospects were uncertain for the 82-83 season.
The eighteen members of the 82-83 team believed that a state championship was attainable but
knew it would take every one of them to make it happen. From the first practice in November
every swimmer and diver steadily improved and when March rolled around they were ready
but no one ever predicted what was to happen at the finals on March 12.
Over twenty teams competed in the Class M Championship meet but most figured it was going
to come down to Branford and Foran High School of Milford. Branford was coached by John
O’Connor while Foran was coached by a young Rich Thompson, who ironically has been the
Branford Boys Coach since 1997. Both coaches are in the Branford Sports Hall of Fame.
The state trials on Tuesday were held at Foran High School and although Branford swam well,
Foran swam better and were heavily favored to win the Championship. The finals were
Saturday night at SCSU’s Pelz Pool and it was to be a night that will live in Connecticut Swim
History forever. From the opening event to the closing relay both teams put on a performance
that to this day many of the participants do not know how they accomplished.
Foran won the opening relay in a new state record time but in the next event Branford’s Dave
Redden came back to win the 200 freestyle by taking three seconds off his best time and
touching out Foran’s Pete Cady by three tenths of a second. In the consolation heat of the same
event Branford’s co-captain Rob Hayden and Foran’s Dave Enders dualed it out stroke for
stroke and they both touched the wall in the time of 1:56.095, tied for 8th place to the
thousandth of a second. Each team received 4.5 points but no one knew how important this tie
would become.
In the next event Foran’s Rich Enders was favored to win the 200 IM but Branford’s cocaptain Charles Donohue swam from the heart and touched out Enders in the time of 1:59.01
which was a new state, Housatonic and school record time. Twenty five years later this time is
still the school record at Branford High School. Jon Florio finished the first half of the meet
with an all important second place finish in the 50 Freestyle.
Dave Redden kicked off the second half of the meet with a victory and set a new league and
school record in the 100 Fly. It seemed that every great Branford Swim was matched by an
equally spectacular swim by Foran. Paul Connolly, Michael Holohan, Pat Conroy, Duane
Keilty, Darrin Reed, Mario Giardello, Geoff Hotz, Jim Rowe, Shane Whittaker and Bob
Gaffney all added to Branford’s point total. With only the final relay left Foran held a slim six
point lead. Again Foran was favored to win this relay but Branford’s foursome of Connolly,
Reed, Redden and Donohue was not to be denied. The two teams swam even from start to
finish but at the end it was Branford that touched out Foran by 12 hundreths of a second in
another school record. The officials checked the scoring over and over again but both teams
had 217.5 points resulting in the first and only tie state championship in the 50 year history of
Connecticut High School Swimming. Both teams were declared State Champions which was
only fitting because both teams proved they were true champions on that night.