Juan Nieves ’83, Brian Leetch ’86, and many other talented and successful former Winged Beavers paved the way for the astounding achievement Avon Old Farms School has enjoyed in athletics over the last 20 years. These standout athletes put Avon on the national map athletically; their success, and the successes of our young alumni currently playing sports in college and venturing into the professional athletic arena, have captured national media attention and continue to attract talented student athletes to the school. Here are just a few of the Avonians who helped us to get there.
Chris Hetherington ’91 Chris Hetherington ’91 enjoyed a long, successful career in the NFL after graduating from Yale University, where he was the starting quarterback and where he holds many of the school’s passing records. In 1996, Hetherington was signed as fullback for the Cincinnati Bengals; he then played for the Indianapolis Colts from 1996 to 1998, and was a starter for the Carolina Panthers from 1999 to 2002. After a brief turn with the St. Louis Rams in 2002, he played for the Oakland Raiders in 2003 and 2004, and was signed by the San Francisco 49ers in 2005, where he played until retiring after the end of the 2006 season, completing a remarkable 11-year career in the NFL.
Jeff Hamilton ’96 Jeff Hamilton ’96 is a veteran of the National Hockey League, currently playing with the Toronto Maple Leafs. After graduating from Avon, Hamilton matriculated to Yale University, where he was a scoring leader, an All-American, and a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award, college hockey’s top individual prize. After Yale, Hamilton signed as a free agent with Oulu (Finland), then appeared with the New York Islanders in 2002. In 2004, Hamilton signed as a free agent with Hartford in the American Hockey League (AHL) and was subsequently named to the AHL All-Star first team (2004) and earned the Willie Marshall Award, for recognition as 2004’s top goal-scorer in the AHL. After a brief turn in Russia with Kazan, Hamilton has since remained steadfast in the NHL, playing for the Chicago Blackhawks in 2006, the Carolina Hurricanes in 2007, and currently the Maple Leafs.
Jon Quick ’05 Jon Quick ’05 was a standout goaltender at Avon, leading the Winged Beavers to two straight New England Prep School Championships during his junior and senior seasons. He was also a star at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, where he set school single-season records during the 2006-2007 season (his sophomore year) in wins (19), appearances (37), saves (1,046), and minutes played (2,224). Quick finished his sophomore season with a 19-12-5 record, three shutouts, a 2.16 goals-against average, which ranked him 11th in the nation, and a .929 save percentage—the fifth best percentage in the country. Quick left UMass in 2007 to pursue his professional career in the NHL with the Los Angeles Kings, by whom he was selected in the third round of the 2005 NHL Entry Draft. After a stint in the minor leagues, he is currently serving as the Kings’ starting goaltender. He was chosen the NHL’s First Star for the week of February 2, 2009, for stopping 95 of 100 shots in three consecutive games.
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Spring 2009 The Avonian
Deon Anderson ’02 Deon Anderson ’02 earned All-New England and All-Conference honors and was named the team MVP and Defensive Player of the Year after his senior season at Avon, after which followed an equally stellar turn at the University of Connecticut. The standout special teams player and fullback led the UConn Huskies in special teams tackles in each of his four seasons at Connecticut, finishing his career with 40 special teams tackles and only three fumbles on 162 touches with four rushing touchdowns. In 2007, he was drafted in the 6th round by the Dallas Cowboys, where he played in eight games in 2007 as the Cowboys’ starting fullback, before suffering a season-ending rotator cuff injury. Anderson is currently still playing with the Cowboys, having seen action in 14 games in 2008.