Walter Camp Foundation, Inc.

New Canaan High School To Receive Kelly Award

NEW HAVEN, CT – New Canaan High School, which was ranked No. 1 in the New Haven Register, New London Day, and Hartford Courant season-ending polls, is the Walter Camp Football Foundation’s choice to receive the Joseph W. Kelly Award, presented annually to Connecticut’s top high school football team. New Canaan captured the Fairfield County Interscholastic Athletic Conference (FCIAC) title on its way to a perfect 13-0 record and the Class MM state championship. The Rams defeated Darien, 26-7, in the Class MM title game on December 6. New Canaan had previously defeated Weaver, 34-7 in the semifinals. It is the fourth time, and first since 1986, that a FCIAC school has earned the Kelly Trophy. Trumbull has won it three times (1977, 1980 and 1986).

“With an impressive run to its third straight Class MM state title, New Canaan certainly distinguished itself as Connecticut’s top high school team,” said Walter Camp Football Foundation President John Barbarotta. “We salute Coach Lou Marinelli, his staff and players on another impressive season.”

Coach Marinelli and the captains of the New Canaan squad, major award winners - Tim Brown (Alumni of the Year), Len Dawson (Distinguished American), Morten Andersen (Man of the Year), Colt McCoy (Player of the Year) and Kory Sheets (Connecticut Player of the Year) - and members of the 2008 Walter Camp All-America team, will be honored at the organization’s 42nd national awards banquet on Saturday, January 17 at the Yale University Commons in New Haven.

Earlier that day, New Canaan and the five other state champions (Glastonbury, Masuk, Brookfield, New London and Cromwell) will be feted at the Walter Camp “Breakfast of Champions.” The “Breakfast of Champions” will be held at Anthony’s Ocean View in New Haven and for the second straight year, is sponsored by the Dan Orlovsky Foundation (http://www.danorlovskyfoundation.com). The event starts at 9 a.m. and local media personality George “The Coach” DeMaio of 960 WELI/ESPN Radio 1300 will serve as the master of ceremonies.
In addition to honoring the six state champions, presentations of three awards - the 2008 Connecticut High School Football Coach, Player of the Year, and a Lifetime Achievement - will be made.

The three finalists for the Coach of the Year award, sponsored by Stadium System (http://www.stadiumsystem.net) include: Scott Benoit (Hamden), Lou Marinelli (New Canaan) and Sal Morello (Cromwell). The three finalists for the Player of the Year award, sponsored by Evoshield, are Jordan Brown (Glastonbury), Mike Osiecki (Seymour) and Billy Ragone (Cheshire).

The Lifetime Achievement Award, sponsored by Varsity Gold (http://www.varsitygold.com), will be presented to William T. O’Brien, Jr. O’Brien, a long-time supporter of high school football, is the former commissioner of the Southern Connecticut Conference. A Past President (and still a standing member) of the Walter Camp Football Foundation, O’Brien currently serves as the President of the Greater New Haven-Gene Casey Chapter of the National Football Foundation.

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Walter Camp, "The Father of American football," first selected an All-America team in 1889. Camp — a former Yale University athlete and football coach — is also credited with developing play from scrimmage, set plays, the numerical assessment of goals and tries and the restriction of play to eleven men per side. The Walter Camp Football Foundation — a New Haven based all volunteer group — was founded in 1967 to perpetuate the ideals of Camp and to continue the tradition of selecting annually an All America team.