Donald E. (Dee) Rowe, the former men’s basketball coach at UConn, died on Sunday, January 10, 2021 at his home in Storrs at the age of 91, surrounded by his family. Rowe, who was honored with a Gold Key from the Connecticut Sports Writers’ Alliance in 1978, was coach of the Huskies for eight years, winning 120 games and being named New England Coach of the Year twice (1970, 1976). He led UConn to the NIT twice (1974, 1975) and to the NCAA Tournament (1976) when the Huskies ad

Joe Morelli of Hearst Connecticut Media was selected as the Connecticut Sportswriter of the Year for 2020 by the National Sports Media Association. Morelli, respected for his coverage of high school sports and the state golf scene, has been with the New Haven Register since 1997. Morelli is an integral part of Hearst Connecticut’s high school sports website GameTimeCT.com. “Joe cares deeply about high school sports coverage,” Hearst Connecticut Sports Editor Sean Barker said.

Joseph “Jake” Salafia, the longtime basketball coach at Cromwell High and a Gold Key recipient from the Connecticut Sports Writers Alliance in 2005, died on January 5, 2021. He was 92. Salafia led Cromwell to seven Class S championships in basketball, including five straight from 1967-71. The Panthers also won Class S titles in 1979 and 1980. Cromwell advanced to the finals 11 times in his career. In 2005, Salifia recalled that he was hired as the varsity basketball coach on

Floyd Little, the Hall of Fame running back with Syracuse University and the Denver Broncos, who grew up in New Haven and attended Hillhouse High, died on Friday, January 1, at the age of 78. He received a Gold Key from the Connecticut Sports Writers Alliance in 1973. Little was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, in 2010, the College Football Hall of Fame in 1983 and was a charter member of the Broncos Ring of Fame in 1984. Little ran for 6,323 yards