Thomas Neidhart

Thomas Neidhart

Thomas Neidhart
(Track, 1961)


The list of championship distance runners for Danbury High School is a long list indeed. Previous Hall of Fame inductees John Osborne and Steve Sholtes, 2009 inductee George O'Loughlin and recent DHS runners who are currently ineligible for induction are part of the long line of outstanding Hatter harriers. The start of this legacy begins with 2009 inductee and 1961 graduate Tom Neidhart. Tom's record at DHS is impressive. In cross country he was a two time all stater for the Hatters and won the Large School (LL today) state championship in 1960. In track Tom set a then DHS record in the mile with a time of 4:28:8. Tom's value to the team went beyond the track or the course as he was captain of both the cross country team in 1960 and track team in 1961. During his time at DHS the 1960 Cross Country team was state champions, as well as finishing third in the New England Championships. After graduation from Danbury Tom matriculated at Mt. St.Mary's in Maryland and his impressive distance career continued as he broke three "Mount" and league records in his senior year of 1964. He was captain of Mount St. Mary's cross country team and was also heavily involved in other extracurricular school activities and held office in a number of them. After graduation in 1965 Tom served his country as a Captain in the Marine Corps. After his tour of duty was up he attended Syracuse University and received his MBA from Syracuse.