The stars were in alignment Saturday night at Rhode Island Country Club where nine athletes, two coaches, and two teams were inducted into the Barrington High School Athletic Hall of Fame. It was a night filled with nostalgia in a reunion-type atmosphere.

Athletes that were enshrined included Michael Aaronson (Class of 1965), Katie Baker (Class of 1989), Michael Gabarra (Class of 1966), Michael Marra (Class of 1980), Mary Jean “MJ” Miniati (Class of 1979), Thomas Pine (Class of 1976, posthumously), Andrew Robinson (Class of 1985), Steven Ruggieri (Class of 1979), and Jonathan Tobey (Class of 1944).

Teams that were inducted were the 1955-56 basketball squad, and the 1982 field hockey team. Mike Gabarra and Robert Gourley were inducted in the coaches’ category.

This was Barrington’s sixth Hall of Fame induction class, bringing the number to 73 athletes, coaches, teams, administrators, and contributors that have been inducted to date.

One of the great names in BHS sports history that was in attendance Saturday night was Ray Locke, a first team All-State selection on the 1955-56 Eagles’ team that went 18-1 during the regular season and captured the Class C championship. Ray was the leading scorer in Rhode Island that season and led the Eagles to a third place finish in the state tournament.

Now 78 years old, Mr. Locke lives in Weston, Mass. and said he was happy to be returning to his home turf.

“It’s great,” he beamed. “This is quite an honor.”

Mr. Locke was an inaugural member of the Barrington High Athletic Hall of Fame having been inducted in 2008. He actually was a prominent track and field performer earning All-New England honors in the shot put. Saturday night, he came aboard as a Hall of Famer with his 1955-56 basketball teammates.

ATHLETES  

• Michael Aaronson — Among the best long distance runners in BHS cross country and track history. A two-time first team All-Stater. Upon graduation, he held BHS records for the indoor and outdoor two-mile and the indoor mile. He participated in five New England Championship races, finishing 24th in the New England Cross Country Championships his senior year.

• Katie Baker — One of only five players in BHS girls’ basketball history to score more than 1,000 points in her career. Second team All-State as a senior and first team All-Class and first team All-Division. She is the third member of her family to be a BHS Hall of Famer, joining brother Bill and sister, Patty. Her father, the late John Baker, was an inductee in the Bristol Athletic Hall of Fame.

• Michael Gabarra — Star shortstop as a sophomore on a team that won the first baseball state championship for BHS in 1964. He was inducted into the BHS Athletic Hall of Fame in 2009. Mike was All-State and All Division as a senior. He also starred for the Barrington football team as a wide receiver and defensive back, and was a second team All-Stater at wide receiver his senior year. He also starred on the Eagles’ basketball team. Mike was also one of the greatest baseball coaches in BHS history, compiling a 186-72 record in his 18 years at the helm. He made the playoffs every year except one from 1971 through 1989, and won eight division championships while reaching the state finals several times.

• Michael Marra — Known as “Mr. Everything,” Michael starred in football as a safety, quarterback, kicker and punter, while also returning punts and kickoffs. He was a first team All-Class performer at defensive back and kicker and second All-Class at quarterback. He was later named first team All-State at defensive back. During the winter, Mike played left wing for the BHS hockey team all four years and earned All-Division honors his sophomore and senior seasons. He capped off his career in his senior year by being among the Met B. Division’s top five in goals scored.

• Mary Jean Miniati — Mary Jean’s softball teams boasted a 31-3 record when she pitched which led to a division championship in each of her sophomore, junior and senior seasons. She earned first team All-State honors her sophomore year and first team All-Division her junior and senior seasons. MJ was also a freshman starter on the basketball and softball teams receiving all- Division honors. She was also a vital member of the BHS co-ed swim team before there was a girls’ team.

• Thomas Pine — One of the best high school linebackers of all-time. Tom was co-captain of the football team his senior year and led a defense that recovered 17 fumbles and picked off 18 passes while allowing just five points per game. He was a two-time, first-team All-Stater. In wrestling, he was just as dominant. He was a second team All-State selection his junior year at 167 pounds, and as co-captain his senior year, led the team to a division title by posting an 11-1 record with 8 points at 185 pounds. He suffered a broken ankle during the semifinal round of the state tournament, costing him a chance at a state title.

• Andrew Robinson — Dominant in the sport of swimming, Andrew was the first Rhode Island high school performer to break the one-minute mark in the 100 breaststroke and was first team All-State in that event in both his junior and senior year. He established state records in both events, and helped the BHS boys’ team to its first state championship in 1984 and then repeated in 1985. Andrew was also a key member of one of the most outstanding 200 medley relay teams the state has ever seen. Andrew, as well as Chris Giglio, Francis Giglio and Jeff Robles, earned first team All-State honors in the relay in both 1984 and 1985 and received All-American Honorable Mention in 1985 after posting a state record in the event.

• Steven Ruggieri — Arguably the best guard to ever play on the basketball court for the Eagles. Steve was the first 1,000-point scorer in the history of Barrington High School’s boys’ basketball program, and even more impressive, he did it without benefit of the three-point line. As a junior, he led the division in scoring and helped the Eagles win a division championship while being selected first team All-Division. He was named captain his senior year and led the division in scoring again, earning first team All-State and first team All-Division honors. Steve went on to an outstanding basketball career at Bryant University setting several school records along the way.

• Jonathan Tobey — Jonathan was a starter on the 1943 BHS football team that was undefeated, untied and unscored upon (160-0) and won the division championship. He also played baseball all four years and helped the basketball team reach the finals of the Class championship his senior year. However, his greatest claim to fame was on the track when, as a senior co-captain, he led his outdoor team to the 1944 Class championship by winning the 440 as well as the 2-mile relay. He also won the state indoor 1,000 and Mile titles in 1944. He later starred at Brown University. He was inducted into the Brown University Athletic Hall of Fame in 1987.

TEAMS

• 1955-56 Basketball Team — One of the great teams in BHS history. The 1955-56 squad posted an 18-1 record and won the Class C championship outscoring its opponents by an average of more than 25 points per game. The team was led by co-captain and first team All-Stater Ray Locke, who was the leading scorer in the state that season. The team averaged 82.6 points per game and surpassed the 100-point plateau four times. Other team members included co-captain Howell “Bud” Anderson, co-captain Bob Larisa, Bob Dalessio, Tom Grady, Jack Hardy, Toby Iasa, Frank Polak, Chris Pompeii, Scott Spink, Loren Woods, head coach Arnold Rasmussen, assistant coach Ray Biber and manager John Kershaw. In the state tournament, Barrington beat La Salle in a consolation game to place third, a level of success never achieved before by a Class C team.

• 1982 Field Hockey Team — Compiling a 10-1-1 record while outscoring its opponents, 53-7 during the regular season, the BHS field hockey team easily won the Eastern Division championship in 1982. In the playoffs, the Eagles rolled to the state title by defeating Lincoln High School, 3-1 in the finals with Siri (Johnson) Noering, Karen (Voss) Simone, Susan (Bates) Layer, and tri-captain Renee (Bilodeau) McCoy earning All-Tournament Team honors. The Eagles, led by Karen McAvoy, head coach and first BHS Hall of Fame class inductee, were playing in their fourth straight state finals and the win secured a second championship during that time span. Noering and McCoy earned first team All-State, while Laura (Mills) Webb and Pam DiSalvo won second team All-State honors. Other members of the team were tri-captain Jane (Hadzima) Iodice, tri-captain Denise (Rocco) Ziber, Annie (Davidson) Babineau, Jennifer Darling, Sharon Deal, Pam DiSalvo, Karla (Ptak) Gonye, Catherine Hudson, Phyllis (Marcoccio) Lauder, Tracy (Frank) Meehan, Lisa (DiSpirito) Miller, Betsy (Healey) Russell, Jennifer Smith, Elena Stamoulis, Jill (McKinlay) Stuart, and Kathryn (Strabley) Wong, as well as Karen (Andreozzi) Cordeiro, assistant coach.

COACH

• Robert Gourley — Coach Gourley is a recognized national and international expert and leader in high school track and field throwing circles. He started coaching the hammer at BHS in 1983 and rapidly expanded to coaching all the boys and girls indoor and outdoor throwing events. Over his career with the Eagles, he has coached 8 National Champions and 18 All-Americans in the hammer or weight throw and currently has coached five active NCAA Division 1 throwers. Inducted into the Rhode Island Track Coaches Hall of Fame in 2008 and the Rhode Island Interscholastic League Hall of Fame in 2015, Gourley has coached six state champions, 13 All-Staters, 22 All-Class selections, and 26 All-Division athletes within the last four years. His most recent state champion hammer throwers all exceeded 240 feet which has helped Rhode Island lead the country on the all-time list of high school throwers at 240+ with four (three of which are BHS graduates). Coach Gourley is also a certified USA Master Level official and has officiated numerous national and international track and field competitions. He has also won many other awards.