Synonymous with Branford sports for close to 30 years, 2007 Branford Sports Hall of Fame inductee Hal Levy devoted countless hours faithfully reporting on the accomplishments of all Branford athletics. Combined with his passion for writing and his genuine interest in the Branford athletic community, tonight’s inductee has been a vital component to the sports journalism profession.
Following his graduation from the University of Connecticut in 1969 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English, Hal got his start with the Norwich Bulletin as a sportswriter/columnist and later, as an assistant sports editor. Hal served as sports editor for the Groton News, a publication owned by the Bulletin from April 1975 to April 1978, when the News ceased publication. Hal spent from April 1970 to December 1971 on active duty in the United States Army as a Social Work/Psychology Specialist in Fort Knox, Kentucky and was responsible for three basic training battalions, and taught drug education courses to officer trainees. He was honorably discharged with two letters of commendation.
In December of 1978, the Shore Line Newspapers hired Hal, where he spent 15 months as managing editor for the Wallingford Post and North Haven Post. He has spent the rest of the time as executive sports editor, where he built the sports department from scratch.
Over the course of his career, Hal has earned freelance writing credits from the Associated Press, Baseball America, Hartford Sports Extra, National Coach Magazine, New York Yankees Magazine, Northeast Legion Magazine, the University of Connecticut game publications and the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference publications.
With his love toward high school sports, tonight’s inductee developed a program used by publications statewide for computing state high school football playoff rankings. He works as a consultant to the Connecticut High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame and the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference football committee and edited an ad book for the New Haven Lions Club Golf Tournament and produced the Southern Connecticut Conference yearly record book. Hal is the official scorer for all state, regional, and national American Legion baseball tournaments. He served two years as sports editor of the Connecticut Daily Campus while in college.
Hal’s impressive work and loyal commitment has earned him more than 30 awards from the New England Press Association for top-three finishes in the region in sports section, column and writing categories in the past 28 years. He has received two writing awards from the Connecticut Sports Writers Alliance in the only year that the contest was conducted. Tonight’s inductee has been honored by the American Legion (1976 and 2002), the Connecticut High School Coaches Association (1996 Joe Fontana Award), the Connecticut Association of Athletic Directors (1986 Distinguished Serving Award), the Connecticut Soccer Coaches Association, the Connecticut Track Coaches Association, the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (1987), the Southeastern Connecticut Chapter of the National Football Foundation and Hall of Fame (Bill Cawley Media Award, 1993), the Shoreline Conference Soccer Coaches (1988), and the New Haven Lions (1994).
He also earned merits from the Southern Connecticut Conference (1995 Honor Award), the Connecticut Sports Writers Alliance (Art McGinley Service Award, 2000), the Walter Camp Football Foundation ( Bill Keish Media Award 2006), the Guilford Sideliners ( Jack Erb Award 1986), and the Branford Gridiron Club (1986).
A resident of Durham, Connecticut, Hal is a member of the Connecticut High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame (2006), the Shoreline Conference Cross Country Hall of Fame and the Branford Gridiron Club (2007).
