Tom Preston
(Football, 1972)
This football and baseball star scored sixteen career touchdowns, 2014 Danbury High Hall of Fame inductee, Thomas G. Preston. He had 1020 career rushing yards. Playing with talented tri-captains Alex Feminia and Maurie Samaha, the 1971 DHS football team went 8-1, losing only one game, an early season showdown with powerful Stamford. Tom Preston was a fullback, Feminia a tailback, and Samaha opened holes in the line. All three received All-State recognition. Coach Gus Edwards said of Tom, “He was a true tough guy, but a gentleman. A lot of guys think they’re tough, but there aren’t many guys who were tough like Tommy.” In his senior season, Tom rushed for 160 yards against Rippowam High School on September 30, 1971. Coach Edwards also said of Tom, “He could play in big games. That was indicative of a player who wanted the ball against good players and good teams”. The 1971 football is regarded as one of the finest in DHS history. Tom played in the Nutmeg Bowl, and after high school graduation, went on to Bowling Green University in Ohio on a football scholarship. Sadly, he tore one achilles freshman year, rehabbed, only to tear the other one the following year, ending his football career. He moved to Los Angeles, took a job as a flight attendant and became an actor and a Screen Actor Guild (SAG) member, appearing in numerous movies and television shows. Tom travelled the world, bringing his infectious personality to people in many countries, living the life he wanted and so many others dream of. However, he never lost his sense of home and pride of Danbury, and would always come back during holidays and special occasions. The success that Tom achieved at Danbury High School helped provide him the confidence and ability to achieve in all other areas of life. Coach Edwards remembers him by saying, “He could take the most dreary day at practice and make everybody laugh. He was just a joy for a coach to have around.”