Thorough. Devoted. Fervent. These remarkable traits were best demonstrated by a profound scholar and athletic icon in the form of 2004 Branford Sports Hall of Fame inductee Dr. Wayne S. DeSarbo.
A product of the Branford School systems, Wayne graduated from Branford High School in 1966, third in his class and earned a number of academic awards and recognitions. Wayne played under Hall of Fame coaches Dominic Cote (’92) in football and Gerald Crotty (2000) in baseball and won varsity letters as a pitcher in baseball, a nose guard in football and as a manager in basketball.
Having an avid interest in weight lifting, Wayne continued in this arena after leaving Branford and won the Pennsylvania Weight Lifting Championship several times. In recent years, he has become the premier weight lifter in the senior division in Pennsylvania and recently won the National Championship in his division. Wayne and his son have won the Father-Son Weight Lifting Championship in Pennsylvania.
Following graduation from Branford High School, Wayne earned an undergraduate degree from the Wharton School of Finance at the University of Pennsylvania and Masters Degree at Yale University and the Wharton School. Tonight’s inductee continued his prowess on the football field at the University of Pennyslvania. In addition, he earned a Doctorate Degree from the Wharton School. He has taught several of America’s most prominent universities and is currently a professor at Penn State University where he works with doctorial students.
Tonight’s inductee has earned an international reputation in marketing research. He has written extensively in the field and earned recognition for his publication as a member of the faculty at the University of Michigan. He serves as a consultant to several major corporations including Pfizer.
Wayne has continued as a championship competitor well into his fifties and has earned championships nationally and in Pennsylvania.
Living in Centre Hall, Pennsylvania, Wayne is married to wife, Suzanne, and the father of three sons, John, Sean, and Christian.
