University of Connecticut Athletics
LaVigne To Receive Baseball Distinguished Alumni Award
1/16/2007 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
STORRS, Conn. (January 16, 2007) — Former University of Connecticut two-sport standout Randy LaVigne will receive the UConn Baseball Distinguished Alumni Award on Friday, Feb. 2, when the teams holds its Annual Preseason Dinner.
The event will be held at the Connecticut Convention Center in Hartford and Boston Red Sox manager Terry Francona will be the main speaker. For ticket information on the event, please call the UConn Athletic Development Office at 860-486-3863.
LaVigne excelled in both baseball and basketball for the Huskies from 1975-79. As a baseball player, he was an outfielder and earned third team All-America honors his senior season. That year, UConn compiled an overall record of 31-13 and advanced to the College World Series. LaVigne set UConn single-season records in his senior year for hits (56), runs scored (42), RBI (36), doubles (14), home runs (eight) and total bases (104). He also left UConn as the school’s all-time leader in home runs with 15.
LaVigne was also a four-year starter on the basketball team that advanced to the NCAA tournament twice – in 1979 and a trip to the Sweet 16 in 1976. As a senior, LaVigne led the Huskies in free throw percentage (75.1) and assists (112) and earned All-New England honors. He was also a two-time Academic All-American in basketball.
He played two summers in the prestigious Cape Cod Baseball League for the Cotuit Kettleers (1977-78) and won the league’s batting title and Sportsmanship Award in 1978.
Following his graduation from UConn in 1979 with a degree in accounting, LaVigne was a seventh-round pick of the Chicago Cubs in the Major League Baseball draft. LaVigne played in the minor leagues for five seasons including stints in Geneva, N.Y. of the New York-Penn League, Midland, Texas of the Texas League and Des Moines, Iowa of the American Association.
After his professional baseball career, LaVigne worked at Price Waterhouse in Hartford as a corporate auditor and then at the University of Hartford as the Assistant Athletic Director for Development and assistant baseball coach.
He then worked at ACME Auto, Inc., as the comptroller and for the last 13 years, he has worked at his family’s successful veterinary business as the office and business manager for Bloomfield Animal Hospital.
For several years, LaVigne served as the color commentator for UConn women’s basketball games on WTIC Radio and now does occasional work for both Husky men’s and women’s games.
At the age of 11, LaVigne won a youth national baseball competition – the “Personna Baseball Grand Slam” – with the finals being held in Yankee Stadium.
A Hartford native, he graduated from South Catholic High School in 1975 and played both baseball and basketball. The basketball team won a state championship in ’74 and he graduated fifth in his class academically.
He and his wife, Dr. Andrea Dennis-LaVigne, a member of the UConn Board of Trustees, reside in Simsbury with their 12-year-old son Justin.
