Printer Friendly Version - Guilford Natives Inducted Into Western New England Athletic Hall of Fame

Eric Hedberg and Bryce Brown, who both grew up in Guilford, were recently inducted into the Western New England University Downes Athletic Hall of Fame, for their excellence in collegiate athletics. Photo courtesy of Jeff Hedberg

Former standout athletes Bryce Brown and Eric Hedberg were inducted into the Western New England University Downes Athletic Hall of Fame on Oct. 21, 2022.

Bryce Brown, who played two years of football with Western New England, immediately took over the reins as the starting quarterback at Golden Bear Stadium. Brown led Golden Bears football to its first postseason bowl game in program history.

His accomplishments on the field resulted in Team MVP for both his junior (2010) and senior (2011) seasons. Brown was also named the Gridiron Club of Greater Boston Golden Helmet winner in 2010 and 2011 while being named to the All-Conference first team in 2010 and second team in 2011.

Brown’s accomplishments on the turf continued with Offensive Player of the Year, as awarded by the New England Football Conference in 2010. Over his two seasons as a starter for Western New England, Brown tossed 45 touchdowns, good for 4,255 yards. Brown capped off his career by making an appearance in the NCAA national playoffs.

Brown grew up in Guilford and was the captain of the Guilford High School football team in 2007, his senior year.

Eric Hedberg played golf for four years as a Golden Bear and is now one of the most decorated golfers to ever play for Western New England. Hedberg made it to three Commonwealth Coast Conference Championships during his time with Western New England (2012, 2013, and 2014) while being a medalist in 2012 and 2014.

Hedberg was named to the All-CCC First Team during his senior campaign while also being named CCC Golfer of the Year. Hedberg captained the WNE golf team in 2013 and 2014, his junior and senior seasons, leading the Golden Bears to the Division III New England Championships in 2013.

Hedberg’s accomplishments on the course include the lowest score (154) of 20 golfers at the 2012 CCC Championships, a first-place finish in the 2014 CCC Championships, shooting a 72 on both days of the event. Hedberg completed his career with three first-place finishes, competing in 43 events for the Golden Bears, where he averaged a score of 79.5 per round. Hedberg totaled 5,369 strokes while a member of the Western New England golf team.

Hedberg grew up in Guilford and was the captain of the basketball team his senior year in 2010, earning All-SCC honors. He was also captain of the golf team in his junior and senior years, earning All-SCC and All-Area honors.