Editor’s Note: As our nation celebrates Black History Month, this series in The Norwich Times will review the accomplishments of some of the exceptional athletes from Norwich who attended NFA and were inducted into the NFA/Norwich Sports Hall of Fame. This is the second in our series.

Every small city has its share of great athletes, but Norwich has a truly exceptional history. Here are short profiles of a few of these local athletes, all of whom are in the NFA/Norwich Sports Hall of Fame.

Robert E. “Bobo” Alves, Class of 1962

Alves played baseball, basketball and football all four years of high school. He also was part of the Varsity Club his sophomore, junior and senior years, as well Varsity Patrols and chorus.

In 1962, Alves was co-captain in baseball. The NFA Class Will stated: “May all male athletes be as versatile in the Sports World as ‘Bobo’ Alves.”

On Field Day, Alves received the Highest Annual Athletic Award, the Robert O. Fletcher and Charles Willey Cup, the Ogulnick Basketball Trophy, and the Seven-Up Basketball Award. He also received an award received by senior athletes in interscholastic competition for four years for baseball, basketball and football.

After high school, Alves served in the U.S. Army and later worked for the State of Connecticut, Whiting Forensic Hospital. He passed away on Dec. 11, 1982, leaving three children: Karen, Robert and Kristin Alves.

Alves was posthumously inducted into the Norwich Sports Hall of Fame 1989 and also is listed under the 50th Anniversary Best of the Decades. During his two years on the varsity basketball team, the teams compiled a 37-10 record while advancing to the State Tournament Semi-finals.

In the sport of football, the 1961 team went undefeated in the CDC, winning the championship. The final game of the season was a resounding 42-8 victory over New London.

According to the yearbook report, Alves ran circles around the opponents. His first year on the varsity baseball team was in 1960. This team won the CDC and a state championship with a 14-3 record. The 1961 team was 17-2.

Alves pitched many gems including a one-hit, 13-strikeout performance against Hartford Public. The 1962 team was 10-5. Alves was considered by many as best pitcher in the league.

From yearbook accounts: “In one of the real highlights of the season, Bobo Alves completely mystified the Hartford Public bats with a fabulous no-hitter and 19- strikeout performance. Another outstanding performance was a 13-strikeout, 11-inning complete game, three-hitter for a 2-1 win over New London.”

Alves was posthumously inducted into the NFA Sports Hall of Fame in October 2014.

Lewis Everett Randall Sr., Class of 1955

Randall played baseball and basketball all four years of high school, as well as intramural football his freshman year and cross country his sophomore, junior and senior years. he was part of the Varsity Club his sophomore, junior and senior years, Student Advisory Board his sophomore and senior years, and was named Class Athlete and the president of the senior class.

His Senior Day Awards include those for Basketball, Baseball, Cross Country Gold Medal, 700&800-

point statuette, Seven-up Award, Ogulnick Award, Ben Bruckner’s Award for Meritorious Achievement in Basketball, Boy’s Shop Award for Meritorious Achievement in Baseball, Thamesville A.C. Award Meritorious Achievement in Baseball, and the Athletic Council Cup for overall excellence in Athletics.

While attending NFA, Randall participated in 11 varsity seasons, three with cross country and four with basketball and baseball. He was the leading hitter on the baseball team his junior and senior years, including a 15-game hitting streak.

The 1954-55 basketball team went 17-3 and ranked No. 3 in Class LL, one of the best records in the history of NFA to that point. Randall’s name is prominently mentioned in every game write-up his senior year. He was a top scorer and rebounder his senior year.

Randall was offered a contract to play baseball out of high school for the Brooklyn Dodgers. He instead chose to accept a scholarship from American International College in Springfield, Mass. He also played minor league baseball for the Cleveland Indians and Washington Senators.

Randall continued to excel as a collegian, playing four years of basketball at AIC, where he earned letters in football, basketball, baseball and track. He was honored in 1960 by AIC as the school’s Most Outstanding Athlete.

Randall received his bachelor’s degree in psychology from AIC, attended the Brook Army Medical Hospital while in the U.S. Army Reserves, where he became a medical and social specialist; earned a master’s in education from Springfield College and a Ph.D from the University of Connecticut. He was a member of the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Sigma Pi Phi Boule, Hartford Jazz Society and an Elder in the Eastern Pequot Tribal Nation. He also served on various boards, including those for NFA Alumni, AIC, NHS, CT Employee Association, Hartford Jazz Society, and Tennis Unlimited.

Randall served in various directorship positions with Windham Tech, Ellis Tech, Prince Tech and finally Cheney Tech before retiring in 1997. He was inducted into the NFA Sports Hall of Fame in 2003. He also joined the Norwich Sports Hall of Fame in 1970, where he was listed under “50th Anniversary Best of the Decades.”

Randall is also part of the Springfield College Hall of Fame. The Norwich Rotary Club and The Women’s City Club of Norwich presented him with the Norwich Native Son Award for the year 1984.

Randall passed away on Sept. 12, 2014, and is survived by his family.

Donald D. Scott, Class of 1952

Scott played football and basketball all four years of high school, as well as baseball his freshman year. He was part of the Student Advisory Board his freshman and sophomore years, the Red Cross club his freshman year, and N club his sophomore, junior and senior years, serving as vice president his senior year. He was also voted “Best Dancer.”

Beneath Scott’s yearbook photo reads the quote, “Whether it was a football or a basketball in Scotty’s hand, we all knew that it was going to land where it belonged — for a score.”

On Field Day, NFA Class of 1952, Scott received the second top athletic award and the Varsity Club Cup for outstanding achievement in athletics. He played three years of football, four years of basketball and one year of baseball.

Scott earned nine letters participating in football, basketball and baseball; his best sport was football. He received a scholarship to UConn, but injured his knee playing football, making him ineligible.

He served in the U.S. Army for three years, then attended the University of Bridgeport, where he played football, basketball and track. He was captain of the football and track teams in his senior year and was named All-New England and All-America twice in football. He was also named All-New England in track.

After college, Scott received offers to play professional football from the Green Bay Packers, the Chicago Cardinals, the New York Giants and the Baltimore Colts. He signed with the Giants in 1959, but his career was impacted by his knee injury. His professional career ended with the New York Titans.

Scott was inducted into the Norwich Sports Hall of Fame in 1983, and his bio is listed under 50th Anniversary Best of the Decades; Decade 3. He was also inducted into the NFA Sports Hall of Fame in October 2005.

Scott was previously employed as the Fitch Senior High School vice principal and later principal, where he retired. He passed away on Nov. 15, 2008 and is survived by two daughters.

Roberta J. Vincent lives in New London and is a member of the Norwich Arts Center Board and NFA Alumni Board.