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07/17/2013 12:00 AMAfter graduating from East Haven in 2001, Jeff Cretella focused on his collegiate career, then his teaching and coaching career, but those in the Alumni Association allowed for his time as a high school athlete to be reflected upon once again. The association announced that Jeff will be the newest member of its Hall of Fame come November.
"I feel pretty honored. It's good to get recognized," says Jeff. "It feels cool to get some press again."
Jeff was a captain for the football team and both indoor and outdoor track squads his senior year, receiving many postseason awards and setting records along the way. He played defensive end and tight end on the football team and was named All-Hammonasset and a part of the New Haven Gridiron Club Levi Jackson All-Area team. Although Jeff was being recruited to play football in college, he chose to pursue track and field, a sport he picked up as a sophomore.
"Sophomore year I was getting to know the sport and adapting to it," says Jeff. "My junior year and senior year are really where I started to excel."
A shot putter in high school, Jeff was an All-SCC and All-State team member his junior and senior seasons, and was an All-New England team member as a senior. During his senior campaign, he set the SCC Championship record in the shot put at 55-11 3/4.
As great as he was outside, he was that much better when it came to the indoor season. East Haven added the sport his senior season, so Jeff made his lone indoor season count. Not only was he the Class M champion in the shot put, he made the All-New England team and was an All-American. Jeff also competed at the New Balance National Scholastic Indoor Track and Field Championship in New York City and finished second at the event.
After high school, he moved on to college where he was a track and field star at Southern Connecticut State University. He was captain for both his junior and senior seasons and was a two-time All-American. He was also a five-time Division II National Championship qualifier and an All-New England team member on eight different occasions. Jeff also won the Northeast 10 Indoor and Outdoor Championship in the shot put on five different occasions (twice indoor and three times outdoor). He broke the Northeast 10 indoor and outdoor record in the shot put as well and was named conference Athlete of the Year in 2004.
The last of Jeff's college accomplishments were being the Penn Relay Easter shot put champion and the New York Metropolitan champion. He shined in his time at both high school and college, and upon graduation had decided to give back to where he started.
"Anthony Russell and I grew up as friends as he played sports with my older brother," says Jeff. "He approached me after college and asked if I was interested in coming back to help coach throws. We like to keep our own alumni involved."
Now, Jeff helps boys' Head Coach Jim Vicario and girls' Head Coach Rusty Dunne with the throws and has brought upon some improvement.
"He's an excellent throwing coach and the kids like him. He's a younger guy, just recently graduated from college, and he was taught the right way," says Dunne. "What he brings to the table is that he had a tremendous coach here in Joe Tamagni and in college in Bill Sutherland. He learned a wealth of knowledge and took another step in this whole thing."