Biography

At 6'2", 190 Ibs. Dan Connolly was a imposing two-way standout in the Hockomock League at both tight end and defensive end.

While North Attleboro's 1982 season may be best remembered for the record-setting performance of Hall of Fame running back Ted Barrett, often overlooked may be the fact that many of Ted's 1400+ yards and 27 TDs came on his favorite play - the toss sweep behind the devastating blocking of Connolly at tight end. When called upon in the passing game, Dan's athletic abilities were even more noticeable. In a key game during mid-season that was crucial to keeping North's super bowl hopes alive, Dan's 5 yard TD reception opened the scoring and helped lead the Rocketeers to a 35-8 thrashing over Canton, the Big Red's first win in 7 years over the Bulldogs.

Defensively, "Mule" was instrumental in keeping offensive linemen occupied at the line of scrimmage, freeing up space for linebackers such as Hall of Famer Ray Marceau to pursue opposing ballcarriers. Meanwhile, Dan himself was involved in 57 tackles, recovered 2 fumbles, and recorded 4 sacks over two seasons, helping North Attleboro compile back-to-back 9-1 records.

One of the most underrated two-way players in the Hockomock League, Dan was recognized as a two-time Sun Chronicle All Star defensive end, and during his senior season he was named to the Hockomock League and Pawtucket Times All Star Teams. In addition, Danny's success carried over into the spring season when he was twice honored by The Sun Chronicle, and also during his senior season by the Hockomock League, to their respective All Star Baseball Teams.

An Honor Society Student, Dan went on to play both football and baseball at Union College in New York, and for the past 15 years he has been a tremendous source of inspiration to all that know him.