January 20, 2009

Warren Athletic Hall of Fame Elects Two Teams

The Warren Athletic Hall of Fame committee today announced the induction of the early twentieth

century Silk Hats baseball team and the Warren High School 1975 state championship gymnastics

squad.  They, along with thirteen individuals whose names will be announced separately, will be

inducted at the Hall of Fame’s banquet to be held on Saturday, March 14, 2009 at Swansea’s Venus de

Milo Restaurant.

Silk Hats

The Silk Hats (Cigars) nine, which was also sponsored by Warren Shoe, competed from 1905 to

1916.  They won the championship of either the Inter-State League or the Manufacturers League in

1908, 1909, 1912, and 1915.

In 1910 they replaced a last-place team in the Inter-City League, the predecessor to the Providence

Amateur League, and captured all nine games that they played.  And in 1911 they played an

independent schedule and compiled a record of 36-7, in the process defeating the champions of the

Inter-City League, the Pawtucket Amateur League, and the Pawtucket Manufacturers League.

The team won the Warren/Bristol Little World Series five out of the seven times that they played in it. 

This very competitive Series drew fans from across Southeastern New England, as evidenced by the

fact that the final game of the 1909 Series (played at the Franklin Street Piggery grounds) hosted a

crowd of 6,000.

Members of the team who have been individually elected to the Hall of Fame were Chit Beauregard,

Curt Chappelle, Fred LaFlamme, Howie Martin, Lizzie Murphy, Beany Ryan, Jack Simister, and Zip

Urban.  Other members of the nine included Bill Beauregard, Al Blouin, Ed Conrick, Red Downs, Bob

Emmett, Donat Fortier, Manny Heuberger, Jim Lonergan, Tom Monahan, Jim Parks, Joe Rockett,

Joe St. Peter, Biddy Smith, John Sullivan, and Joe Wylie. Managers included Jack McDonough, John

Natel, John Simister, Sr., and a number of the players.

Warren High School 1975 Gymnastics

After routing, among others, neighbors Barrington and Bristol, the Redskin gymnasts finished

undefeated in Eastern League dual meet competition with a five-point victory over previously unbeaten

Middletown.

Next up was the Southeastern Regional Championships, where they edged North Kingstown for

the title.  Named to the regional All Star team were Kathy Alexander, Mary Ellen Annunziata, Cindy

Bonalewicz, Karen Cabral, Debbie Cordeiro, Bonnie O’Blenis, and Pat O’Blenis.

The girls then completed the hat trick when they copped the State Championship by a margin of 5.25

points over defending titleist North Kingstown.  They were led by the O’Blenis sisters, who together

garnered more than fifty of Warren’s eighty-two points.   

Mary Ellen Annunziata, Bonnie O’Blenis, and Pat O’Blenis were named to the Providence Journal-

Bulletin All State squad.  Besides Annunziata and the O’Blenis sisters, other members of the team

included Kathy Alexander, Donna Aldcroft, Cindi Bonalewicz, Nancy Burns, Karen Cabral, Joan

Chaves, Linda Coccio, Debbie Cordeiro, Lori Francis, Judy Heaney, Cindy Moran, Maureen Sousa,

and Jane Urban.

Following the season the Rhode Island Athletic Directors Association named Coach Ann Chandler its

first Outstanding Contributor to Girls Athletics.

Mary Ellen Annunziata (later Neves), Karen Cabral (later Booth), Coach Ann Chandler (later Morris),

Bonnie O’Blenis (later Dion), and Pat O’Blenis (later LaChance) are individual members of the Hall of

Fame.

Teams already in the Hall of Fame are the 1939, 1945, and 1946 Warren High Baseball State

Champions, the 1949 Warren Post American Legion Baseball Eastern U.S. Champions, the 1972 and

1975 Warren High Football Class C and B Champions, and the 1974 Warren High Girls Track State

Champions.

_____________________________________________________________

January 29, 2009

Warren Athletic Hall of Fame To Induct Class of 2009

The Warren Athletic Hall of Fame committee today announced the individual members of its eleventh

class of inductees.  Thirteen individuals, along with the previously announced early twentieth century

Silk Hats baseball team and the 1975 Warren High School gymnastics squad, will be honored at the

Hall of Fame’s banquet to be held on Saturday, March 14, 2009.  Banquet cocktails will be served

starting at 6 p.m., with dinner following at 7 p.m. at Swansea’s Venus de Milo Restaurant.

Athletes Peter W. Babbitt, Marybeth Mann, Kevin Martel, Ray Monast, Raymond J. Ouellette, Mark

Rhynard, Stephen J. Shoren, and Ron Silva will be joined by coach Michael “Bird” Witherell,

contributor Ted Abrain, and old timers Jigger Higgins, Red Kilroy, and Paul E. Sevigny.  Higgins,

Kilroy, Monast, and Sevigny will be inducted posthumously.

Ted Abrain (Contributor)

Ted Abrain began a fifteen-year relationship with Little League/Boys League Baseball when he coached

the Mets farm team in 1975.  For the next three years he served as the Mets Majors manager (while

also managing the twelve-year-old All Stars) before managing the Babe Ruth Championship Bristol

County Lions nine for another three years.

Meanwhile, in 1978 Ted became President of the Babe Ruth League and after two years in that post,

served the next ten years as President of the Warren Little League.  During his reign, T-Ball and girls’

softball were started, the pitching machine was introduced to the B-Ball division, and Little League

adopted the thirteen to fifteen-year-old players who had been part of Babe Ruth Baseball.

At the league’s banquet following the 1989 season, Ted was honored by the players, coaches, and

other volunteers of the league’s thirty-two teams for his exemplary service.

He was the President of the Sunday Night Couples Bowling League from 1982 to 1992 and the

President/Treasurer of the Drainville Memorial Men’s Bowling League from 1997 to 2008.  Earlier in

his bowling career he had been the captain of the Knights of Columbus team.

And Ted has been the statistics manager of the East Bay Couples Golf League since 2002. 

Peter W. Babbitt (Athlete)

Pete Babbitt was an offensive and defensive tackle for the first two Pat Abbruzzi-coached Warren High

School elevens that defeated Bristol High School.

In his junior season of 1962 he was named first team All Eastern Division Offensive and Defensive

Tackle.  The following spring he earned All Class C outdoor track honors in the hammer throw.

His senior football season found him adding first team All State honors to another year of being

named first team All Eastern Division Offensive and Defensive Tackle.

In that season the Redskins edged Bristol, 14-13.  Of the winning extra point, Pat Abbruzzi had this to

say, “I put my best runner (Jerry Marino) behind my best blocker (Babbitt) and hoped for the best.” 

In another game that year, the press noted, “Babbitt was immense in the Warren line, making tackles

all over the field and opening holes for the backs on offense.”  And in a narrow loss to Cumberland,

Providence Journal-Bulletin Schoolboy Sports Editor Dick Reynolds went out of his way to praise the

 work of both Pete and Marino.

Pete was the Warren High School nominee for the Journal-Bulletin Honor Roll Boy in 1964.

Francis “Jigger” Higgins (Old Timer, Posthumous)

Under the management of Jigger Higgins and his cousin Rip Higgins, the Warren town baseball team

won three of the four Warren/Bristol Little World Series played between 1920 and 1923.  During that

time, with Jigger doing much of the recruiting for Warren, both squads made liberal use of major

league and high minor league players; Warren fielded such stars as future National Baseball Hall of

Famer Gabby Hartnett, pitcher Harry Harper of the Red Sox, Dartmouth’s Al Davidson (who resided

in Barrington), and local Warren heroes Chit Beauregard and future major leaguer Joe Morrissey.

In 1921 Warren fielded a team in Rhode Island’s highest amateur league, the Providence Amateur

League, and Jigger served as manager.  The following year the local nine played an independent

schedule, and Jigger and Rip were the team’s co-managers.

Jigger was the secretary of the Warren Twilight League in 1923.  He managed the league’s Red Sox

team on more than one occasion.

In 1939 the Warren High School baseball team became the first Class C team to win a state

championship in any sport.  Jigger returned home to Warren and served as the Toastmaster at the

banquet honoring this Class C and State Championship Baseball nine.

And in 1961 Jigger was one of many old timers who honored Warren baseball history by participating

in the dedication of the new Warren High baseball diamond at Veteran’s Memorial Field on Child Street.

(In the period 1915-1920 Jigger was quite a bowler, more than once recording a high single and once

playing on a league runner-up team.)   

Arthur “Red” Kilroy (Old Timer, Posthumous)

Red Kilroy played baseball and basketball at Warren High School.  In his senior hoops season of 1927

he was the leading scorer in victories over Colt Memorial and Burrillville.  The team finished the

season as Bristol County Champions.

In 1929 he was the high point-getter for the Bristol County Champions Townies five, who swept

National Industrial Rubber of Bristol in the county playoffs.

That fall he attended Rhode Island State College, later the University of Rhode Island, and in his

initial season Red was a starter for the school’s undefeated freshman five.

Hi joined the school’s varsity in 1931 and over the next three seasons starred for one of the best

college basketball teams in the United States.  This Frank Keaney-coached five posted a three-year

record of forty wins and eleven losses, with Red serving as the team’s captain/co-captain in both his

junior and senior seasons.

Various press accounts paid lavish tribute to Red: “Sensational shooting”; “starred on offense”;

 “stars”; “other outstanding scorers”; “difficult shots by Kilroy and others made State come out in

 front”; and “shots by Kilroy featured the scoring.”

(He also played football for State in his sophomore year, but basketball was obviously his sport.)

Later in life Red was a member of the Newport Country Club and member and President of

Wanumetonomy Country Club.

Marybeth Mann (Athlete)

In 1982 Marybeth Mann, playing for the Little League Baseball defending champions (Tigers), became

the first girl ever to get a hit in Little League.

Later she burst onto the  Warren High School athletic scene as a co-captain of the 1986 girls soccer

team and eventually earned first team All Class honors in soccer, basketball, and slow-pitch softball.

In her senior soccer season she was named first team All Suburban East fullback.  Then during that

winter she led the basketball Lady Redskins to a 19-0 regular season championship, as well as the Class

C tournament title, where they topped Hope in the finals  As an example of what she brought to the

team, she tallied fifteen of the team’s first twenty-three points in a win over Bishop Keough.  In

recognition of her efforts, Marybeth was named first team All Class C.

Her amazing season came to a close when the Lady Redskins shared the 1988 Class B South Slow-

Pitch Softball Co-Championship with South Kingstown.  After recording three hits against Tolman,  

St. Xavier, Westerly, and Tolman again and four or more runs batted in versus Prout, St. Xavier, Westerly,

and Moses Brown, Marybeth was named a first team All Class B South infielder.

Elected the Most Athletic girl in the Warren High Class of 1988, she then enrolled at the Community

College of Rhode Island, where she played both basketball and softball.

Marybeth is currently the playing president of the Coventry, Rhode Island Women's Softball League.

Kevin Martel (Athlete)

A member of the Boys Baseball League Champions Yankees in 1980, Kevin Martel soon took up

wrestling and garnered individual honors at an amazing pace.

In his sophomore year of 1985 at Warren High School, he grappled at one hundred and twelve pounds,

was named first team All Suburban South and All Star, and captured the Suburban Division

championship.

The next year Kevin was named the team’s co-captain, an honor he also held in his senior season. 

Moving up to one hundred and twenty-six pounds, he was again named first team All Suburban South,

finished as Suburban Division runner-up, and notched fourth place in the state tournament.

Kevin started his senior season by being named the Most Outstanding Wrestler at the Ponagansett

Christmas Tournament.  He then won the Suburban South and Suburban Championships, finished

second in the state, and topped off his year with a sixth place finish in the New England

Championships.  Having wrestled at one hundred thirty-two pounds, he was named All State and

first team All Suburban South.

Kevin then attended Plymouth State College, where he garnered All New England Division Three

honors in all four years.  Among the tournaments at which he placed highly were the Division Three

Championships, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology tourney, and the Northern New England

Championships.

Ramon L. Monast (Athlete,Posthumous)

Ray Monast competed in various Warren fast-pitch and slow-pitch softball leagues from 1948 to 2002

(yes, that’s more than fifty years).  It took him a while to come out on top, but eventually his Manny’s

 Hockey team won the Warren Men’s League division title in 1978.

Beginning in the 1980s Ray also played in the Rhode Island Over-50 League.  Among his

accomplishments at that level were: His Rhode Island Colts 65 AAU team finished as National runners-

up in 1997 and in seventh place nationally in 2003; he was named to the Senior Olympics Rhode Island

All Stars in 1999; and he served as player/organizer of the 2003 Rhode Island Colts team that captured

the seventy/ seventy-five-year-old Silver Medal at the National Senior Olympics.   

 Raymond J. Ouellette (Athlete)

As a freshman at Warren High School, Ray Ouellette’s dual meet win helped deny Bristol a share of

the 1972 Suburban East Wrestling Co-Championship.  He finished the season with a dual meet record

of fourteen wins and no losses and a fourth place finish at the state championship tourney.

In 1973 he was a member of the undefeated Warren High School team that captured both the

Suburban East and Suburban State Championships.  Also the Suburban Holiday Tourney winner, Ray

again garnered fourth place at the state tourney and was named first team All Suburban East.

The Redskins fell to second place the following year, but Ray continued to out-perform his opponents.

Wrestling at one hundred and nineteen pounds, he was named a Suburban East All Star, finished

second in the state, and captured fifth place honors at the New England Championships.  Named to the

All State squad, he was again designated first team All Suburban East.

As a senior Ray was named a Suburban East All Star once again, finished fourth in the state

tournament, and received first team All Suburban East honors.

He later coached in the sport, both at the junior boys level and as Warren High School’s assistant

coach in 1986 and 1987.

More recently he helped coached Warren Under-Twelve girls soccer teams to Super Liga divisional and

state titles.

Mark Rhynard (Athlete)

Mark Rhynard played six years for the Warren Youth Football Redskins and in his final season,

coached by future “boss” Ron Silva, helped his team reach the league championship finals before

losing to New Bedford.

In baseball he was named to both Majors and Seniors All Star teams, and his regular season Seniors

nine captured the league championship.

At Mount Hope High School he captained the Huskies football team and as a fullback, broke several

of the school’s rushing records.  With his senior year team winning the Class B Co-Championship,

Mark was named “Back of the Year” by the Providence Gridiron Club and received All State and All

Division B honors.

Moving on to the wrestling mat, he became one of a handful of Warren Athletic Hall of Fame members

to achieve All State status in two sports.  Wrestling as a heavyweight, Mark was named both All State

and All Division A-One.

Following high school, he played football for the Dean College Bulldogs, coached Pop Warner football

for four seasons, and starred for the semi-pro Tri-Boro Renegades eleven in 2001 and 2002, being

named “Linebacker of the Year” in the latter season.

For the last two seasons Mark has joined up with his old Youth Football coach Ron Silva (also being

inducted this year) and served as Mount Hope High School’s junior varsity coach and assistant varsity

coach.  His 2007 junior varsity team finished with a perfect record, at eleven wins and no losses.

And most recently Mark founded a flag football league for underprivileged children at the North

American Family Institute.

Paul E. Sevigny (Old Timer,Posthumous)

In 1935 Warren High School’s baseball team finished as Class B runners-up.  And third baseman Paul

Sevigny received All Class B honors.

In football Paul was the single wing signal caller for the then-Red Raiders, who captured the Class C

Championship while limiting their regular season opponents to only twelve points.  The only "serious"

blot on Paul’s gridiron record came when Coach Jim McGeough announced that he had “missed

practice because he ran home to hear Jack Armstrong All American Boy on the radio.”

During the following spring, Paul, Duke Abbruzzi, and Donat Brochu led the high school to the Class

C Baseball Championship.  They then downed Class B West Warwick before losing to Cranston in the

state finals. 

With Paul homering in games against Colt Memorial, Cumberland, and Providence Trade, he received

a number of positive press comments: “turned in a fine performance in the field”; “swung a potent bat

all afternoon”; “sensational fielding”; “Paulie Sevigny at third has the makings of a really great

player”; “sparkling play probably saved the day”; and “starred at the hot corner.”

At the end of the season he was named both second team All State and first team All Class C third

baseman.

Following high school he played on the Warren teams that won the 1936, 1938, and 1939 Little World

Series, served as the Lettermen’s (W) Club vice president, and helped his Bristol Twilight League 1940

team finish as league runners-up.

Later in life Paul was active in the St. Mary’s Golf League as both an officer and a player.

Stephen J. Shoren (Athlete)

Steve Shoren was a member of the Boys Baseball League All Stars in 1975, 1976, and 1977.  And in

Youth Football he starred for the Midgets eleven that won the Eastern Division Championship and

finished as state runners-up.

As a senior at Warren High School he was the co-captain of the football team.

Named first team All State and first team All Class B Small tackle, Steve was the first recipient of the

Warren High Edward Boulanger Most Valuable Player Award. 

Perhaps his best moment of the year came when he recovered an on-side kick to preserve the Redskins’

14-10 victory over the Bristol Colts.  But other positive press comments included: "led offensive and

defensive lines"; "recovered fumbles in wins over Burrillville and Central"; "one of the team’s

outstanding defenders"; and "led the defense."

Then not having played basketball since his freshman year, he joined the school’s basketball five and

provided the team with support in rebounding and physical play.

At the University of Rhode Island he injured his back and was never able to play tackle football again. 

But he did star for the town basketball league’s Big Red Clam championship team in 1989.  And a year

later he was a member of the Rhode Island Flag Football League playoff runners-up Bristol County

Merchants.

Steve currently coaches competitive youth baseball and hockey teams.

Ronald J. Silva (Athlete)

Ron Silva’s first athletic accomplishments came in junior high school track, where he captured the

State cross country title and set state records in the four hundred meters and fifteen hundred meters.

(At the Hershey National Boys Championships he was an “initial qualifying winner” in both the four

hundred and fifteen hundred.)

In basketball he received the St. Brendan’s CYO Basketball League’s Stephen F. Mullin, Jr. Award in

1980.

As a Warren High School junior, he achieved first team All Class B Small honors.  Then named co-

captain of the Redskins eleven in 1983, Ron led the team to the Class B Small Championship, in the

process garnering first team All State and first team All Class B Small honors.

At the University of New Hampshire he played football, once returning home to be the guest speaker at

the Youth Football League end-of-season banquet.

Beginning in the late 1980s Ron coached Warren/Swansea Pop Warner football  for more

that an decade, leading the Midget squads to divisional and state titles in the process. 

Around the turn of the century he went back to his first love and started (and coached) cross country,

track, and basketball programs at Kickemuit Middle School.

In 2004 he returned to coaching Pop Warner football, this time in Barrington.  For the next three

seasons he led the same group of boys to the Junior Midget state finals, the  Midget New England

finals, and the high school freshmen state championship.

In 2007 Ron was named the head football coach at Mount Hope High School, where he still serves

today.  He will be an assistant coach for the Rhode Island All Stars when they play the Connecticut

All Stars in June of 2009.

Michael P. “Bird” Witherell (Coach)

“Bird” Witherell has been coaching the youth of Warren in one way or another for the past thirty

years.

In Little League Baseball, where he was the assistant coach of the Champions Yankees in his initial

season of 1980, he has performed a variety of roles: Yankees manager, coach, and assistant coach;

Tigers manager; Majors All Stars manager and coach; Juniors All Stars coach; and Tens All Stars

manager.  He did coach a few teams to championships, but that wasn’t why he showed up every year. 

In 2006 the league recognized his service by asking him to throw out the season’s first pitch.

The winter after "Bird" got involved in youth baseball, he volunteered as an Indoor Soccer League

coach and over the next nineteen seasons, coached Redskins and Uniteds teams to five titles.

In 1982, having nothing to do between summer and winter,  he joined the Youth/Pop

Warner Football League, which he continues to serve to this day.  Among his football roles have been:

Midgets assistant coach; PeeWees head coach (Northeast Division Champions of 1992); Junior Midgets

head coach; Mitey Mites assistant coach; and Junior PeeWees assistant coach.

strike.)

______________________________________________________________

Dinner tickets are now on sale for $35 a person and can be obtained by

calling Ms. Delekta or any other  member of the committee.

Ted Abrain 245-0468                    Matt Andreozzi 396-9800                       Jay Barry 245-2289    

Dave DeBlois 253-0111               Jay Ferreira   245-8763                          Jack Flynn 245-7687   

Diane Gempp 246-1413                Paul Harvey 1-352-205-7400                 Butch Lombardi 247-0007

Brian MacDougall 245-3364        Gary Martins 1-508-336-4346               Jim McMahon 245-2354

Mary Oliver 245-6749                  Beth Penkala 245-4560                          Al Sweet 245-3413