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08/03/2017 12:00 AMEast Haven High School 1998 graduate TJ Lavery will be inducted into the East Haven Alumni Association Hall of Fame this November as a result of his outstanding career with the Yellowjackets’ football squad. TJ, who was a dynamic playmaker on the gridiron, says that he feels extremely proud to be entering his hometown’s Hall of Fame.
“I was really excited. Any time to get into a Hall of Fame, that distinguishes you among the others that came through the high school and is an honor. I know it’s a team accomplishment, too. Even though I’m going in solo, you don’t see many people in the [Hall of Fame] on teams that don’t win, so I’m happy I was able to play with good teammates,” says TJ. “Living in town, I saw other teammates go in, and it’s good. It’s an overall great accomplishment, and I’m really excited to go in.”
TJ’s accolades on the football field included him going All-Division as a wide receiver in his junior year and then making it at linebacker during his senior season; he was also All-State as a senior. TJ finished his high school career with 64 catches for a school-record total of 1,178 receiving yards, in addition to totaling 1,887 all-purpose yards.
“I always enjoyed the ball in my hands. Being able to get the ball in my hands in different ways was fun. I did kickoff and punt returns and, when you get the ball, you have 11 guys running straight at you, but if you can find a hole, it was always fun,” TJ says. “Once I got the ball, I thought I could do good things and make guys miss. I did what I could do to get yards and shorten the field for our offense to help the team.”
Rusty Dunne, who was the Yellowjackets’ head coach when TJ played, says he liked how TJ always seemed to bring his best when East Haven faced the top teams in the state. A prime example of that came when TJ returned both a kickoff and a punt for a touchdown during a game against Notre Dame-West Haven in 1996.
“He was a very good player. He had great hands, was a playmaker, played with great confidence, and loved to compete. He never backed down from a challenge and played his best against the good teams like Notre Dame-West Haven, Hand, and Shelton,” Dunne says. “He returned punts and kicks for a lot of yards as a junior on the ‘96 team that went 8-3. The last time they won eight games was in 1966, so it was 30 years. He was part of the reason that team had some success.”
One thing that TJ always prided himself on was his versatility. On offense, he was primarily a wide receiver. On defense, however, TJ started as a defensive back and then transitioned to linebacker at East Haven, after which he moved to defensive end when he played college ball at UConn.
“It was actually pretty cool, because I played different positions. I was in the secondary, but being big, fast, and strong, coach moved me to linebacker, and I adapted well,” says TJ, who also played basketball, baseball, and outdoor track for the Yellowjackets. “I had the idea in my head that the move was going to happen, so I was prepared for it. I’m a team guy, so I do what I can to help the team. If coach thought linebacker was the best position for me, I’m going to do it. It was a smooth process, and I led our defense in tackles and tackles for a loss. I had a very good year there.”
While TJ is happy that his name will forever be etched in the East Haven history books, he feels just as happy that he had the opportunity to represent his town on the football field every Friday night.
“I had a great team,” says TJ. “We always had good coaches and good guys who loved competing. I loved repping the town that I grew up in.”