DeMaio Jr., George M.

Not all Hall of Fame inductees are “all everything” superstars. There are no basketball statistics or awards for George DeMaio. Known affectionately as “The Coach,” DeMaio is widely-known for his support of girls’ high school basketball.

As sports director for WELI radio, DeMaio led the way in publicly recognizing the accom-plishments of female athletes. DeMaio followed girls’ sports for more than 20 years -- reporting the scores, stats and human-interest side of the games on his early morning radio show.

The “Coach” attended as many games as possible and took the time to meet and get to know the players, coaches and officials. Beginning at 5:30am each weekday morning, he gave his live reports before going to his job as an 8th-grade teacher. After school, DeMaio would attend games and prepare for the next morning, mentioning as many players as possible. On Saturday mornings, “The Coach” would conduct his own show -- talking sports and interviewing players and coaches from all over the state.

Women and girls involved in sports in Connecticut are indeed fortunate to have “The Coach” on their team.