Eastbayri.com

BRISTOL — They were two of the greatest names in Bristol High School and Mt. Hope High School sports history. Now, they’re being rewarded for their athletic and coaching excellence as two of the newest members of the prestigious Rhode Island Interscholastic League (RIIL) High School Athletic Hall of Fame.

It was announced recently, that Domenic N. “Zip” Raiola and Roland Rodrigues will be joining 10 other distinguished individuals for induction into the RIIL High School Athletic Hall of Fame, Class of 2012, on Wednesday, May 2, 2012, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Warwick.

Mr. Raiola, 82, a high school basketball coach who achieved 500 career wins in the state, helped develop and coach generations of young basketball players, first at the former Bristol High School, and later, at Mt. Hope High. He was also an accomplished teacher in the classroom for many years.

Amazingly, Mr. Raiola coached his teams to a championship in five different decades. It is believed no other high school coach in Rhode Island history has ever achieved that honor. He began coaching in 1953 when Dwight D. Eisenhauer was in the White House, and continued coaching the Bristol Colts for the next 25 years, with a seven-year hiatus. During that time, Coach Raiola served as an assistant to his close friend, Joe Mullaney, at Brown University and Providence College. He later coached at Mt. Hope High School, taking his teams to state basketball championships during the 2000s.

Former Bristol High School basketball All-Stater Joseph “Junie” Ferro says Coach Raiola is most deserving of induction into the hall of fame.

“He was an outstanding coach, in every phase of the game,” he said. “He took an interest in me at an early age and was responsible for all of my basketball accomplishments. He made it possible for me to play for Providence College and Joe Mullaney. He helped me live my basketball dream.”

Mr. Raiola is a member of several athletic halls of fame, including the Bristol Athletic Hall of Fame, but says being elected to the RIIL Hall of Fame is something special.

“This is something you dream about as an athlete and coach,” he said. “I am so humbled and honored. I know my family and friends are excited for me.”

Before he became a hall of fame coach, Mr. Raiola was a three-sport star (baseball, basketball and football) at Colt Memorial High School during the 1940s, graduating in 1947. He played on Colt Memorial’s 1946-47 Class C championship team. He is the brother of the late Pasquale C. “Pat” Raiola, another former Colt star athlete, who was tragically killed in World War II.

Roland Rodrigues, a 1960 graduate, was one of the most gifted football players to ever attend Bristol High School. He helped lead the undefeated Colts to the 1959 Class C championship while leading the state in scoring as a running back. He gained first team All-State honors during his senior year. He later starred at the University of Rhode Island, before returning to Bristol High as a teacher and legendary wrestling and football coach. He guided the Colts to several wrestling championships, and in 1978, coached the football team to a divisional title, led, ironically, by Coach Raiola’s son, Pat. He also was a valuable addition to the Mt. Hope High School football program in later years, assisting his good friend, the late Tom Vendituoli.

According to Joe Andrade, Bristol High All-State linebacker in 1977, nobody prepared him for battle better than Coach Rodrigues.

“He used to come up to me when we were in the locker room and say, ‘Are you ready?’ That really psyched me up. I loved going to the football field and playing for him. I always respected him. To this day, I still call him coach.”

Mr. Rodrigues, 70, also known as “Rollie” and “Duck” during his high school days and beyond, is also a member of the R.I. Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame and Bristol Athletic Hall of Fame. In the Dec. 27, 1999 issue of Sports Illustrated, he was listed among the 50 greatest sports figures of the century (1900-2000) from the state of Rhode Island.

“I can’t thank the Interscholastic League Hall of Fame Committee enough for electing me this year,” he said. “This is a tremendous honor. To be mentioned in the same breath with some of this state’s greatest sports figures, past and present, is very flattering.”

RIIL executive director Tom Mezzanotte said he is pleased with this year’s class of inductees into the RIIL Hall of Fame.

“Dom Raiola has had a distinguished career as an educator and high school basketball coach and his teams have won a championship in five different decades at both Bristol and Mt. Hope high schools,” Mr. Mezzanotte said. “Roland Rodrigues was an outstanding football player at Colt Memorial High School and the University of Rhode Island, as well as becoming a tremendous high school football and wrestling coach. Both are great examples of the rich tradition of athletics in the town of Bristol.”

Other Rhode Island sports legends who will be inducted in the Class of 2012 include James “Jimmy” Adams, Bobb Angel, Robert “Bob” Bellemore, Ernest “Ernie” DiGregorio Jr., Edward DiSimone, Paul Donovan, Robert E. Doyle, Kathleen E. Hazard, Kevin Jackson, and Bernard T. “Slick” Pina.

Ticket information for the induction dinner will be announced shortly.