Founding Fathers of the original Greater New Haven Diamond Club in 1980
SSAM BURRELL (1932-2022)
Sam taught in the New Haven school system and worked in the central office of the physical education department. He coached baseball at Wilbur Cross High School and later was the head baseball coach at Hillhouse High School. He also coached American Legion Post 47 baseball from 1956 to 1967 and won several zone championships.
In 1968 he was appointed head freshman baseball coach at Yale University, where he coached for many years, and is believed to be the first black intercollegiate coach at Yale. He later became an assistant freshman football coach at Yale from 1979 to 1992. In 1993 he was appointed to the Yale varsity football staff where he served until 1996. He was a founder of the SCDC and was the community outreach coordinator for the Yale Athletic Department
Sam was instrumental in both the original Diamond Club in the early 1980's, as well as working with the group who re-established the group in 2005. A first-class gentleman who would do just about anything for the youth of our community, Sam's passing was felt deeply.
DAN GOOLEY (1947-)
A Hall-of-Fame athlete and record-setting coach at Quinnipiac University, returned to his alma mater in 2022 as director of baseball operations. Gooley is QU's all-time leader in baseball coaching victories with 430, leading the Braves/Bobcats from 1977-87 and 2002 - 14. During his first tenure, he guided Quinnipiac to three NCAA Division II Regional appearances, including the 1983 D-II World Series.
From 1988-92, Gooley was the head coach of D-I University of Hartford, taking the hawks to a pair of ECAC D-1 tournaments. After a six-year stint overseeing baseball operations for the Starter Corporation, he came back to QU as Director of Athletic Development, spearheading corporate and alumni support following the Bobcats move to Division 1.
Upon returning to the dugout, Gooley led QU to the 2005 Northeast Conference championship and its first NCAA D-1 Regional berth. In 2007, the Bobcats won 29 games, then the school record. Overall, he owns 542 career victories. He coached MLB Hall-of-Famer Jeff Bagwell at Hartford and another former major-leaguer, Turk Wendell, at Quinnipiac.
He holds a bachelor's degree in marketing from Quinnipiac and a master's in sociology from SCSU.
JIM RYAN (1935-2017)
A New Haven (Westville) native and a 1952 graduate of Notre Dame of West Haven, Jim Ryan had tryouts as a catcher for the St. Louis Cardinals and New York Yankees. He was a non-roster invitee to the Yankees’ 1953 spring training but was called into active duty in the U.S. Navy. Following discharge he earned a bachelor’s degree from Providence College. He lived in Branford for more than four decades and was employed by IBM for 30 years. He served as a volunteer Little League umpire, worked as a football official, and served on several local boards, commissions, and educational committees. In 2014 he was inducted into the Branford sports Hall of Fame.
GEORGE WADLEY (1941-2000)
George Wadley was a sportswriter for the New Haven Register and Journal Courier from 1966-1990 and later a columnist for the Connecticut Post. He coached numerous youth baseball teams in his native New Haven, including Babe Ruth and American Legion, and served as a commissioner of several leagues. A 1959 graduate of Notre Dame of West Haven, Wadley was a five-time Connecticut Sportswriter of the Year. He received the Knight of Honor Award from Notre Dame in 1966
Board of Directors - 2024
Rich Altieri
Rich Biondi
Chris Borelli
Ned Burt
Dan Gooley
Ed Klinkhammer
Michael Lamberti
Burt Leventhal, Emeritus
Ron Luneau
Frank Mentone, Jr.
Rose Mentone, Executive Director
Matthew Mentone
Fred Norman
Tony Notarino
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