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14/WILI & 95.3 FM: Your One for Sports!!

SPORTS REPORTS: Wayne Norman has complete morning sports summaries at 6:34, 7:34, and 8:34 on weekday mornings. These include tape from the locker room, with a focus on local teams and athletes. Sports headlines follow each top of the hour newscast.
THE HOME OF THE  UCONN MEN’S AND WOMEN’S BASKETBALL TEAMS–14/WILI
Wayne Norman in the UConn locker room holding the 2011 NCAA Championship trophy. Click here to see more photos.  Click here to see Wayne in UConn’s victory parade in Hartford.
WAYNE NORMAN SHOW GUESTS: Local sports figures are regular live in-studio guests on the Wayne Norman Show. Guests have included UConn coaches Bob Diaco, Randy Edsall, Jim Calhoun, Geno Auriemma, Mike Cavanaugh, Dee Rowe and Ray Reid; UConn stars Diana Taurasi, Tony Hanson, Ray Allen, Wes Bialosuknia, Toby Kimball, Kevin Ollie, Amy Duran, Marci Glenney, and Nykesha Sales; Norwich Navigators General Manager Keith Hallal and Navigators’ play-by-play voice Shawn Holliday; ECSU Baseball Coach Bill Holowaty, Men’s Basketball Coach Bill Geitner, Women’s Basketball Coach Denise Bierly, ECSU’s retiring long-time volleyball coach Pinky Crabtree, Windham High Athletic Director and coach Bob Haddad, Windham High football and state champion wrestling coach Brian Crudden and team captains, the 2005 and 2011 State Champion Windham girls basketball teams, and Lyman’s 2005 New England champion girls cross country team. Other morning show guests have included ESPN Director of Communications Mike Soltys, ESPN Radio General Manager Bruce Gilbert, and NESN TV commentator Steve Lyons, who visited four times while a member of the Boston Red Sox.
Wayne Norman preparing to broadcast ECSU’s 2002 NCAA Division III National Championship game from Fox Cities Stadium in Grand Chute, Wisconsin — Rick Ganoe photo

PLAY-BY-PLAY SPORTS: WILI carries live play-by-play coverage of University of Connecticut Men’s and Women’s basketball, UConn Football, Eastern Connecticut State University Baseball, Boston Red Sox baseball, Norwich Navigators/Connecticut Defenders baseball, and selected games involving local high school and American Legion teams. WILI carried live play-by-play of UConn’s 2023, 2014, 2011, 2004 and 1999 Men’s National Championships, UConn’s 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2010, 2009, 2004, 2003, 2002, 2000 and 1995 Women’s National Titles, and ECSU’s four NCAA Division III baseball championships (1998, 1990, 1982, 2002).  To read a story about Joe and Wayne’s UConn Men’s basketball broadcasts, click here.

Wayne Norman with WTIC General Manager Suzanne McDonald (L) and UConn Director of Athletics Jeff Hathaway honoring Wayne’s 1000th UConn network broadcast at halftime of the Huskies’ win over Pittsburgh on September 30, 2004 — Steve Slade photo, courtesy UConn Division of Athletics
Wayne’s first UConn Network broadcast was September 22, 1979 when UConn Football played at Navy.  His 1000 game total included 255 UConn Football games, 717 UConn Men’s Basketball games (including two NCAA Titles), and 28 UConn Women’s basketball games (including the 2001 and 2003 Final Fours). To read more, click here.

                                                                                                              

Wayne Norman and Joe D’Ambrosio broadcast UConn basketball and football on 14/WILI. The UConn men won the Maui Invitational in November 2005 and in 2010. Wayne and Joe were in Lahaina with engineer Kevin Ingles with the call. 

Wayne Norman did play-by-play of  UConn Men’s Basketball’s games at the 2012 Battle for Atlantis in the Bahamas, working with Phil Chardis (center) and engineer Tim Helmecki (L)

14/WILI is the home of the 2010 Big East champion and 2010 PapaJohn’s Bowl champion UConn football team. See Wayne Norman’s photos from the historic UConn football win at Notre Dame —CLICK HERE. To read a behind the scenes story about the UConn Radio Network, click here.

See an amusing video produced by the 2012 UConn Women’s Basketball team–click here.

WILI’s Wayne Norman broadcast Lyman Memorial’s 2007 Class “S” state championship softball game 3-2, 10-inning win over Coginchaug, and the 2008 championship game when Coginchaug beat Lyman 1-0.
Wayne Norman at Deluca Field after Lyman’s 2007 state championship.  Yes, that’s fog, which settled in after the game!
Wayne Norman and Joe D’Ambrosio interviewed UConn football coach Randy Edsall before UConn’s Blue-White Spring Game in April 2008 — Bob Stowell photo, courtesy UConn Division of Athletics
UConn basketball All-American Svetlana Abrosimova with WILI’s Wayne Norman
 
Legendary North Carolina State women’s basketball coach Kay Yow died in 2008.  Wayne Norman interviewed her in 2007.  For details, CLICK HERE.
Wayne Norman interviewing three-sport UConn standout Walt Dropo in 1998.  Dropo became the American League Rookie of the Year with the Red Sox in 1950.
WILI’s Wayne Norman and John Tuite broadcast live play-by-play on WILI of the Boston Red Sox vs. Baltimore Orioles game from Fenway Park on August 10, 2003.  WILI was the only radio station in New England offered this unique privilege.  For details on that special day, click here.
Wayne Norman with the manager of the 2004 and 2007 World Series champion Boston Red Sox, Terry Francona
Was Wayne Norman celebrating in St. Louis when the Red Sox won the 2004 World Series?  You be the judge.  Actually, the photo was taken at Fenway in September 2005 as a fundraiser for Katrina victims.

Wayne Norman signing copies his UConn Basketball book at the UConn Co-Op with co-author Bob Porter before the March 1, 2005 UConn-Georgetown men’s basketball game at Gampel Pavilion.

Follow every game of the World Champion Boston Red Sox on 14/WILI.   To see a video of the 2004 Red Sox theme song “Tessie” by The Dropkick Murphys, click here .  Here’s the lyrics to the song.  And here’s the story behind the song.

See Red Sox Public Address announcer Carl Beane’s 2004 World Series Championship ring–CLICK HERE

A tattoo of Fenway Park on a guy’s BICEP?  Wayne Norman went to Fenway with him:

 

Wayne Norman wins two AP Broadcast awards:  In November 1999, WILI’s Wayne Norman won the Associated Press Broadcasters Association award for “Best Sports Story.”   For details, click here .

WILI’s Wayne Norman with Los Angeles Angels manager Bill Rigney at L. A.’s Wrigley Field in 1961–the only year the MLB Angels played at Wrigley, which was also the site of TV’s original Home Run Derby series.
Wayne with all-star first baseman Ted Kluszewski of the Angels
Shawn Holliday broadcast the Norwich Navigators and Connecticut Defenders AA baseball on WILI
Wayne Norman interviews Rebecca Lobo (top) and Nykesha Sales–members of UConn’s first NCAA women’s basketball champions–at the tenth anniversary tribute during the Big East Tournament in Hartford, March 2005 — Rich Walton photos
 
The late Marty Glickman (l.) and Wayne Norman broadcasting a UConn basketball game in the ’80s.  To learn more about the life and times of the legendary Glickman, click here .
A different look at Joe and Wayne, courtesy of cartoonist Brad Gilchrist.  To see more of Brad’s work, click here .

Former Windham High standout and UConn women’s basketball player Colleen Healy did color commentary for WILI’s broadcasts of UConn women’s games during the 2004-2005 season.  To read a Chronicle story by T. C. Karmel about Healy, click here .

Wayne Norman interviewing former UConn Men’s Basketball coach Dee Rowe at halftime of a game in 2008


WILI’s first ECSU (then ECSC) baseball broadcast was from the NAIA Area 8 Regionals in Springfield, Va in May 1973.  Several days of rain caused a site change and WILI had no line at this field.  But the day before the game a pay phone was installed on the concession stand behind home plate.  WILI did not order this line, but it enabled Wayne to broadcast the regional championship game with Steve Sylvester (L).  With all-american John Caniera throwing a 1-hitter, Eastern beat Point Park 1-0 to advance to its first world series.  The “table” Wayne is using is actually a plywood sign that says “Christmas trees sold here,” supported by two trash barrels.  Wayne is sitting on a milk crate.

 
WILI’s Wayne Norman and Chuck Banning broadcasting ECSU baseball’s first NCAA Championship in 1982 from Marietta, Ohio.
 
Wayne and Chuck also broadcast from the College World Series in 1983 and 1987.  It was blistering hot at the 1987 national tournament, with temperatures on this day reaching 100F at 10 AM!
The Chronicle’s Mike Sypher and WILI’s Wayne Norman broadcasting ECSU’s 2002 NCAA Division III national championship games on 14/WILI
ECSU’s games in the 2006 NCAA baseball regionals in Auburn, NY were delayed by rain, but this rainbow signalled better weather ahead.  The Warriors won the regional and returned to the College World Series in Appleton, WI — Wayne Norman photo

THE HOME OF THE ELEVEN-TIME N.C.A.A. CHAMPION UCONN WOMEN’S BASKETBALL TEAM AND FIVE-TIME N.C.A.A. CHAMPION UCONN MEN’S BASKETBALL TEAM — 14/W.I.L.I. AND 95.3 FM.

WAYNE NORMAN AT THE 2009 MEN’S FINAL FOUR. FOR PICTURES, CLICK HERE