1988 Hall of Fame Inductees

John "Keefe" Cato '82, baseball: Keefe Cato holds a dual distinction: he is arguably the finest pitcher in Fairfield University's baseball history. And he is, without question, the first Fairfield athlete to perform in a major professional sport on the major league level. He achieved the latter on June 13, 1983, when he made his Major League pitching debut with the Cincinnati Reds, hurling one inning of scoreless relief - on national television - against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Cato holds or shares no fewer than 11 Fairfield pitching records, including most victories (8 in 1979 and 21 for career), most strikeouts (98 in 1979 and 239 for career), lowest earned run average (2.25, career), innings pitched (97.2 in 1979 and 252, career), shutouts (7, career), and complete games (11 in 1979; 24 for career). He also authored the third no-hitter in the University's history, shackling powerful Maine, 5-0, on April 8, 1978. With Cato fast balls and Cato curve balls blowing away most of the Northeast's powerful teams, Fairfield earned three successive berths (1977-78-79) in the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) New England Tournament. In the pressure-cooker of tournament play, Keefe Cato was unbeatable and virtually unhittable. Consider this: A three-hit, 2-0 victory over Maine in 1977, a three-hit, 5-1 triumph over Holy Cross in 1978, and a five-hit, 2-1 squeaker over Connecticut in the 1979 event. Selected by the Cincinnati Reds in the second round of the 1979 Major League Baseball draft, the 6-foot-1, 185-pound right-hander proceeded to pitch eight years of professional baseball, including portions of the 1983 and 1984 seasons with Cincinnati. He split two National League games, defeating San Diego and losing to the Mets.

Craig J. Leach '81, football: It's safe to say that Craig Leach was the most accomplished and productive quarterback ever to wear the uniform of Fairfield's football team. And, from a team standpoint, he was the most successful as well. Leach holds most of the University's major passing records, career, season and single game. Here are some of the Fairfield records which bear the name Craig J. Leach '81: Career: most yards passing (6,117), most touchdown passes (40), highest pass completion average (56 percent). Season: most yards passing (1,770), most touchdown passes (17), fewest interceptions (3 in an 11-game season). Single game: most yards passing (425), most touchdown passes (4). The New Haven-born, Essex-bred Leach started all but one of the 36 games in his four-year career at Fairfield. Leach led the 1979 Stags to a national championship game in which he turned in a sparkling performance throwing for three touchdowns and rushing for a fourth. Leach's offense scored 40 points that afternoon before falling 60-40 to the University of Massachusetts Lowell. That same year Fairfield was named the conference’s most outstanding offense and Leach was named a 1979 All-American.