University of Bridgeport Vice President for Athletics and Recreation, Jay Moran, Vice has announced the 2022 UB Athletics Hall of Fame Class and this year’s recipient of the Fran Bacon Lifetime Achievement in Coaching Award. This year’s Hall of Fame inductees are Peter N. Rodrigues ’04, a member of the Bridgeport baseball team and Lorraine Galow ’11 & ’14 a member of the Purple Knights women’s gymnastics team and current head coach. Along with the new Hall of Fame members, Bert Siclari ’75 will receive the Fran Bacon Award for Lifetime Achievement in Coaching. The ceremony will take place on Oct. 7, at 6 p.m. at the Trumbull Marriott as part of the 2022 UB Awards Gala.
This year’s winner of the Fran Bacon Award for Lifetime Achievement in Coaching is Bert Siclari. A native of West Haven, he was part of an undefeated state championship football team his senior year at West Haven High School. After a prep year at Milford Academy, he matriculated on a full football scholarship to Idaho State University where he spent two and half years before returning to Connecticut and the University of Bridgeport from where he graduated with a degree in physical education in 1975. Two and a half years later, Bert finished his master’s degree and soon another degree in education and administration and supervision and from there began a 33-year coaching and educating students in his hometown. During those 33 years on the Westies’ sidelines, he served under well-respected head coaches Tom Hunt for 13 seasons and Ed McCarthy for 20 years. Away from the field, Siclari helped change the lives of students by running West Haven’s alternative education program for 18 years and then serving as a physical education teacher and was charged with running the in-school suspension program at Bailey Middle School. Said Siclari, “I rolled up my sleeves and went to work applying football to whatever I was teaching in class or coaching on the field. Hard work, perseverance, preparation and organization.”
The UB Athletic Hall of Fame was formed in 1981. This year’s inductees bring the total number of members to 94 individuals and six teams. Tickets can be purchased this this year’s UB Awards Gala by clicking here: https://www.bridgeport.edu/homecoming/gala-registration
Well deserved UB award for the long coaching career of BERT SICLARI, and his support of West Haven Blue Devils Football……Westie football goes back to the days of coaches Frank Fitzgerald, Billy Irons and Joe McHugh along with many assistant coaches and the support of several Supt. of Schools and local political leaders.
Westie football success lies at the feet of BERT over a 33 year career as the Westies records will attest to the reason the program has been successful. The Westie football fortunes continue over the success this year and in the past with Head Coach Richie Boshea who has continued the tradition of the Westies success.