Dave Mills steps down as BSHOF president
(reprinted with permission of Bob Montgomery)                      

City council member Dave Mills, president of the Bristol Sports Hall of Fame for 13-14 years, has informed his fellow officers and directors that he will stepping down from that position. He will, however, remain a member of its board of directors.

A second-term councilman, Dave has been given some heady assignments by Mayor Art Ward and needs extra time to meet these responsibilities.

“I had the privilege of serving as president of our organization for a number of years,” he wrote in an e-mail attachment to BSHOF board members. “During that time, we have worked together to create a viable and important organization in our community. We have introduced programs that are meaningful and affect every demographic of our community. The Bristol Sports Hall of Fame has truly lived up to its mission of preserving Bristol sports.”

To give an example of what we do (we, meaning I’m one of the directors) at the Hall of Fame, there’s the annual induction program, the scholar-athlete program where we recognize those who excel in both academics and athletics at our three high schools and the Leadership Council breakfasts where a speaker is brought in to talk to the upcoming team captains/leaders from the three high schools in giving examples and their experiences of what it takes to be a good leader.

That’s not all. We are involved with the Hershey Track Meet in Bristol, an annual volleyball tournament to benefit worthy organizations in Bristol and hold an annual golf tournament.

We have two locations, one in town with plaques and one with memorabilia and pictures of Bristol sports. The plaques are of those who have been inducted into the BSHOF and are in the lobby at the Dennis Malone Aquatic Center, while memorabilia and pictures are housed in the BSHOF room at the Bristol Historical Society.

Last but not least, the BSHOF has brought in noted individuals to speak to the young athletes and adults in Bristol and included was Shea Ralph, a former UConn All-American turned UConn assistant coach. Bristol native Bob Fiondella, former CEO of the Phoenix, was the first to address the Leadership Council.

As far as I’m concerned in getting back to Dave Mills, I’ve known of him since high school. He was a leader in the classroom and in the sports arena there and continued his leadership for many years as football coach at Bristol Eastern. He’s been involved in the community in other ways and has stepped it up in his retirement years.

When I look back at my role models, Dave is certainly one and I assume many of his players and others feel the same way about him. Thank goodness he’s staying on the BSHOF board.