John Anquillare

Baseball
Third Base
(1963-65)

Inducted 1984

It did not take long for John Anquillare to establish himself on the New Haven College baseball diamond.  In the first year of the sport, 1963, the West Haven product stroked a magnificent .455 batting average with 25 runs-batted-in through 19 games.  The third baseman not only shined with the bat, but also developed into one of the greatest fielding infielders in Northeast collegiate history.  After a .481 mark in his senior year of 1965, the two-time All-American closed out with a .458 career average.  He later embarked on a different diamond career, when he became nationally known for the professional fast-pitch softball team, the Raybestos Cardinals.  Anquillare played with five national champions and earned Most Valuable Player honors in two national tournaments prior to his 1984 induction.  For six seasons up to 1983, Anquillare also served as coach of the Cardinals as well as their leader on the field.  He rejoined the University of New Haven family in 1983 as an assistant baseball coach under his original mentor, Frank Vieira.