03/06/2025
Announcement from the SHS Athletic Hall of Fame Committee.
Last week, we shared the names of individuals, coach and Friend of Stoneham Athletics who are being inducted into the SHS Athletic Hall of Fame's Class of 2025 on May 3, 2025.
Each week in the Stoneham Independent, we will be featuring the accomplishments of two of the inductees.
Here is our first installment:
This week the Hall of Fame Committee would like to highlight two of the 2025 inductees, Ron Romboli and Tom Hunt.
Ron Romboli
Ron Romboli was born in 1946 at St. Elizabeth’s Hospital. He was brought up in Medford and Everett, playing Little League baseball in both cities. Ron claims that playing “sandlot” (really a dirt and rock lot) baseball and football in a VA housing project in Everett teaches you to keep your head down when fielding a ground ball and to run fast and avoid being tackled on the rock and dirt surface. His family moved to Stoneham for his middle and high school years. Ron graduated from Stoneham High School in 1964 when it was still a three year high school.
During his time at SHS, he played football, basketball and baseball, lettering in all three sports and captaining football and baseball his senior year. Ron was awarded Middlesex League All-Stars in football and baseball and a Boston Globe All Scholastic Honorable Mention in football and baseball his senior year. For being the outstanding player at the Stoneham-Reading annual football game in 1963, he received the Marty Jordan Memorial Trophy. Ron was also awarded the Earl Brodie Stephenson award for outstanding senior on the baseball team. In addition, Ron was the recipient of the Blanket Award and a Jr. Chamber of Commerce Award for Athletic Achievement. He also played American Legion Baseball.
Ron attended Norwich University where he played freshman football and three years of varsity baseball. He graduated in 1968 with a commission of 2nd Lieutenant in the US Army and a degree in Business Administration.
He met his wife Nancy in Boston and they married in 1970. They are the proud parents of two sons who are also great athletes. Their oldest son Todd played football and baseball all four years at Tufts University and captained the baseball team his senior year. Their second son Curtis went to Boston College and played baseball all four years and was drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the June 1995 draft. Curtis played for three years in their minor league system.
Ron and his wife Nancy moved to Florida in 1997 and currently reside in Coral Gables.
Tom Hunt (posthumously)
When Tom Hunt was named to the All-Scholastic Baseball Team in 1974 it marked the culmination of an outstanding athletic career at Stoneham High School. There are few athletes who combined multi-sport excellence and team success at such a high level. Best known as a fierce competitor and great teammate, he helped lead Spartan teams to five Middlesex League championships in three different sports including football, hockey and baseball.
Tom was an impact player right from the start of his sophomore year. As the goalie for the 1971-72 Spartan hockey team he played the last ten games and Stoneham went undefeated to qualify for the State Tournament for the ninth season in a row.
It was May 1972 when coach Don McGillicuddy called the current crop of Spartans, “the best hitting team he’s had since taking over as varsity baseball coach at Stoneham.” At the time, it was Tom Hunt who was leading the team with a .429 batting average. Tom had a natural ability to hit for power with outstanding mechanics. His timing, balance, and mental approach to hitting was remarkable. He never doubted himself as he waited for a perfect pitch from an opponent. He would often crush a pitch just off the plate over the right center field fence. Hunt’s outstanding performance that season helped lead the Spartans to a Middlesex League championship.
During his junior year, Tom played both offensive and defensive line for the 1972 Middlesex League Champion football team. He continued to impress as the starting goaltender on the hockey team and first baseman for the baseball team. Despite a severe knee injury cutting short his time on the baseball diamond, Stoneham was still able to go back-to-back and earn another league title in 1973.
Throughout his senior year Tom worked very hard to recover from his injury and it showed, especially on the baseball field. As a result, Tom and his talented teammates won the Middlesex League title for the third straight year in 1974.
Following graduation, Tom headed to Upper Iowa University to play both baseball and rugby. After marrying his wife Lynne, they settled in Phoenix, Arizona. Tom and Lynne had two children, a daughter, Jennifer, and a son, Joey. The family was very involved in the community and youth sports. Tom remained excited about sports while coaching Joey’s teams right from the beginning of little league and was always supportive of Jennifer’s swim teams. It didn’t take long to recognize that Joey would follow in his father’s footsteps as a talented baseball player. Tom was very proud to share those times with his family. Jennifer went on to marry and have three children who were adored by Tom and Lynne. Tom had a lengthy career with the Arizona prison system. Sadly, Tom passed away in 2015.
The Hall of Fame committee invites prior inductees and the greater Stoneham community to share and relive the memories and accomplishments that have made the Class of 2025 an integral part of the Stoneham athletic community.
Saturday, May 3, 2025
6:30 PM
Woburn/ Stoneham Elks
295 Washington Street, Woburn, MA
Ticket Price - $70.00
For tickets go to GoFan.co (Search Stoneham High School) or https://gofan.co/event/2952954
