BHS Hall of Fame Bios: Jim Day

Jim Day graduated from CCSU and began his career at Berlin High as a special education teacher.

In 1981 he became the head wrestling coach. In 1986 his team won the first of nine state titles. During the years 1985-1994 his teams finished either first or second in the state. From 1999-2003 his team won four straight state championships.

Coach Day’s teams won state titles in the Class S, M, and L divisions. He coached 19 conference championship teams, four New England champions, including the first from Connecticut, Rocky Urso, and eight New England place finishers. He had nearly 450 victories in his 26 year coaching career at the helm of Berlin Wrestling. Many of his former wrestlers have gone on to become successful coaches thanks to the skills he was able to instill in them.

Coach Day led wrestling exchange programs to three different continents, taking teams of Connecticut wrestlers to Russia, China, Mongolia, Italy, and Brazil giving the opportunity to many of his own wrestlers the experience of a lifetime.

Coach Day was inducted into the New England Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2004 and the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, Connecticut Chapter in 2010.

He was also the 1990 Connecticut High School Coach of the year, a Connecticut Sportswriters male coach of the year selection, Class M coach of the year in 1992 and the Class L coach of the year in 1992.

He is currently Athletic Director at Berlin High and the driving force behind the creation of the Berlin Athletic Hall of Fame.

Day will be inducted-into the Berlin Hall of Fame on March 20, at the Crown Plaza, Cromwell. For ticket information, contact Marie Siegal at (860) 828-1115 or e-mail mvs7581@yahoo.com.

The Berlin High School Athletic Hall of Fame class this year features: former BHS coaches Al Pelligrinelli and Jim Day, and athletes Robert McCann (Class of 1956), Mauro Gozzo (Class of 1984), Rocky Urso (Class of 1987), Ken Pera (Class of 1989), Monica Early (Class of 1990), Forrest Conoly (Class of 1991), David Swanson (Class of 1991) and Lindsey Pulito (Class of 2000). The 1958 state championship baseball team will also go into the Hall as a team.