The first 2017 American International College Athletics Hall of Fame inductee is William (Billy) Connolly from the Class of 1970. Connolly was a key member of the football teams in the late 1960s. The Norwalk, Connecticut native came to AIC and was the starting quarterback, safety, and punter for the freshman team. He scored 39 of the team’s 90 points. From his sophomore season on, Connolly helped lead the Yellow Jackets under center. In his three seasons as the varsity quarterback, Connolly threw for over 2,400 yards, had 17 touchdowns, and averaged 38.98 yards per punt.
In his first season on the varsity team, Connolly was named a Second Team All-New England quarterback. He also tied a then New England record of 41.1 yards per punt. During his time at AIC, Connolly also broke the then program career total offense record, served as captain of the team in 1969, was a winner of the Lt. Alvin J. Carocari Memorial Sportsmanship award, and played on the baseball team his senior season.
After Connolly received his Bachelor’s degree in history from AIC, he worked with youth groups in Springfield before being named the Youth Coordinator for the City of Quincy, Massachusetts. Connolly was then a teacher in the New Bedford School District for over 30 years before he retired in 2007.
Outside of the classroom, Connolly was a volunteer at the local YMCA, established a group home for at risk girls in Quincy, Mass., was an official for football and baseball, taught GED classes, and even coached a field hockey team for nine years.
“As a young man, being a good father was most important to me, with that goal in mind, I found myself transferring that important relationship to include my students, who became ‘my kids’ throughout my teaching career,” Connolly said.
