The Bristol Sports Hall of Fame will be honoring eight inductees at the Hall’s induction dinner on November 22. This year’s honorees represent the best of Bristol in their varied accomplishments.
The inductees this year are Jeff Bashaw, Russ Carter, Bob Fallon, Taylor Losey, Bunty Ray, Beth Rotko, Rick Schmaltz and Cliff Snow III.
Today we introduce you to Russ Carter and Jeff Bashaw.
Russ Carter
For nearly forty years Russ Carter was a fixture behind the bench at the Edgewood Little League.
He served as a manager or coach at Edgewood from 1966 to 2004 and then coached one more year at the Terryville Little League.
Carter’s teams won the Edgewood Little League championship four times, and he was the manager of the Bristol City Champions in 1986 and 2002.
He was the recipient of the Harp Broderick Award for outstanding service to the community at the 2007 Bristol Tramps Reunion Dinner.
Field Two at Edgewood Little League is named in Carter’s honor.
Jeff Bashaw
Bashaw began his athletic career in the Forestville Little League and at Greene-Hills School but is best known as a record breaking shot putter and discus thrower with the Bristol Central track and field team.
He was a four year all-conference performer for the Rams in track, won all-conference honors in wrestling and played football for three years.
In track, Bashaw was undefeated for three years in the discus and was a three-time All-Stater and twice an all-New England performer. As a junior in 1992 he broke Bill Benecick’s 29-year old record in the discus.
As a senior he broke his father Don’s record in the shot put and established a school record that has remained in the Bashaw family for 58 years.
In the discus, Bashaw set the CCC South record of 160 ft 11 and the CIAC Class MM record of 159 ft and the Bristol Central School record of 161 ft.
He became the first Bristol Central athlete to win two events in the CIAC state championship meet. He went on to earn two medals in the New England championship.
Bashaw qualified for the Golden West Meet in California and won two gold medals in the Nutmeg State Games.
As a wrestler, he compiled a dual meet record of 22-3 and earned all area Honorable Mention.
After high school Bashaw was a member of the US Air Force team that earned second place in the Air Force Rugby Championship in 1996 and played on the Air Force traveling team as well as in the Manitoba Rugby League.
Since returning to Bristol, Bashaw has coached for the Bristol Bulldogs football team and in the McCabe-Waters Little League.
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