Five Outstanding Connecticut Sports Figures to Receive Prestigious Gold Keys

They will be honored by the Connecticut Sports Media Alliance at the 83rd Gold Key Dinner in October

SOUTHINGTON, May 5, 2025 — Five significant standouts from the Connecticut sporting landscape will be honored this fall with one of the most prestigious awards in state sports, as 2025 recipients of the Gold Key Award from the Connecticut Sports Media Alliance (CSMA).

The honorees are former Masuk High School and Louisiana State University softball pitcher Rachele Fico, former Stratford High School football star and Super Bowl champion Nick Giaquinto, longtime Yale University men’s basketball coach James Jones, World Series champion pitching coach Dave Wallace and NCAA, WNBA and Olympic champion Kara Wolters. They will be feted at the 83rd Gold Key Dinner on Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025, at the Aqua Turf Club in the Plantsville section of Southington.

Tickets for the Gold Key Dinner are $80, and are available by contacting CSMA president Tim Jensen of Patch Media Corp. at 860-394-5091 or tim.jensen@patch.com. Proceeds support the Bo Kolinsky Memorial Sports Media Scholarship, a $3,000 annual award named in memory of the noted high school sports editor of the Hartford Courant and past CSMA president, who passed away in 2003 at age 49.

Here is a brief look at the Class of 2025:

RACHELE FICO – A 2009 graduate of Masuk, the Oxford native had a virtually unparalleled career on the diamond, compiling a 105-3 record with a 0.07 earned-run average and 26 perfect games. She led the Panthers to Class LL championships in 2007 and 2008, and was twice voted the Gatorade state player of the year. After earning first-team All-American honors in high school, she continued to excel at LSU, winning 78 games with a .645 winning percentage, posting a 1.75 ERA and averaging better than a strikeout per inning. She was a 2-time first-team All-American for the Tigers, and was the number one overall draft choice of the Akron Racers of National Pro Fastpitch in 2013.

NICK GIAQUINTO – A 1973 graduate of Stratford, where he made the football All-State and National All-American teams, he went on to play football at UConn, establishing a still-existing single-game record of 277 rushing yards against Holy Cross in 1976. Undrafted out of college, he worked his way to the National Football League with the Miami Dolphins in 1980, then was a member of the Super Bowl XVII champion Washington Redskins. In 1983, he was the first “H-back” in NFL history. Following his retirement from football, he embarked on a 29-year career coaching baseball at Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, winning 631 games and participating in the1992 College World Series.

JAMES JONES– Since being named the 22nd head coach in Yale men’s basketball history in 1999, Jones has guided the Bulldogs to 418 victories and a .567 winning percentage. The team has captured seven Ivy League regular season titles and four conference tournament championships. Yale has earned five NCAA tournament berths during his tenure, pulling off stunning upsets over Baylor in 2016 and Auburn in 2024. He is a 3-time Ivy League Coach of the Year, and was inducted into the New England College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2015.

DAVE WALLACE – A 1965 graduate of Sacred Heart High School in Waterbury, where he was a 3-sport athlete, Wallace continued his success at New Haven College (now the University of New Haven). The right-handed pitcher compiled a 24-6 career record with a 2.18 ERA with the Chargers, then signed with the Philadelphia Phillies’ organization in 1969. He pitched professionally for a dozen seasons, making 13 major league appearances with the Phillies and Toronto Blue Jays. After his playing days, he became a pitching coach, reaching the big leagues with the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1995. In 2004, he was pitching coach of the World Series champion Boston Red Sox, and earned a silver medal at the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo as pitching coach for Team USA.

KARA WOLTERS – The Somers resident came to UConn from Holliston, Mass. in 1993, and immediately teamed with Rebecca Lobo and Jamelle Elliott to form a devastating front line that would help put women’s college basketball on the map. As a sophomore, she was an integral part of the Huskies’ undefeated run to their first national championship, pouring in 31 points in the national semifinal game against Stanford. In 1997, she was named National Player of the Year and embarked on a 6-year professional career with the New England Blizzard. She was a member of the 1999 WNBA champion Houston Comets and the 2000 U.S. Olympic team, which won the gold medal in Sydney, Australia. She is one of only 12 women to have earned NCAA, WNBA and Olympic championships, and was inducted into the Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame in 2017.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact Tim Jensen CSMA president, tim.jensen@patch.com, 860-394-5091