Malden High Golden Tornado Hall of Fame honors former MHS sports greats

Full house of 300-plus on hand for 35th Annual Banquet and Induction Ceremony

By Lou Centrella

You could say that the biennial Golden Tornado Club Hall of Fame banquet is like one of those vintage record stores. Remember Skippy White’s in Boston? The “Skippy Whites” of Malden High sports is the Golden Tornado Club Hall of Fame. In any given year when the Hall convenes – this year it was Saturday, Nov. 18 at Anthony’s in Malden – you can be a witness to visits to the storied past as well as revel in some of the not so long-ago tales of Tornado lore… and some really great stuff from the present.

Above all, those who attend get to relive some of the greatest hits from the book of Malden High School athletics.

The doors swung open once again when the 35th Hall of Fame banquet and ceremony was held with a packed house of nearly 300 in attendance. Three former Malden High standout athletes, spanning history from the 1970s to the 2000s, were inducted, as well as the winningest softball team in Golden Tornado history. Joe Levine was presented the 2023 Distinguished Service Award, former MHS Girls Basketball Coach Dana Brown was inducted and Malden High Boys Tennis Coach Mark Gagnon was honored with the Peter Donoghue Memorial Golden Eagle Award. The record-setting, all-time tennis match winner and 2023 graduate Naveen Nemalapuri delivered the Golden Eagle Essay and was the $1,000 Scholarship recipient.

Malden Mayor Gary Christenson, himself a Hall of Fame member, delivered greetings from the City of Malden and stayed for the entire dinner and induction ceremony. Malden Public Schools Director of Physical Education and Athletics Charlie Conefrey – another Hall of Famer – was on hand to congratulate all the inductees and honorees on behalf of the Malden Public Schools.

Inducted into the Hall of Fame with the “Class of 2023” were:

—Daniel O’Boyle (Class of 1977), one of the most successful lightweight wrestlers in Malden High history, who either won or was runner-up in three consecutive Division 1 North Sectional Championships. O’Boyle, who went to be a highly successful college and high school coach himself, was introduced by his former high school coach, former MHS educator Phil Gormley.

—Dana Marie (Brown) Cincis (Class of 2003) a three-sport (field hockey, girls’ basketball, softball) standout, who was an outstanding captain, teammate and performer for several seasons

—Jimmy Chery (Class of 2007), a football, wrestling and outdoor track standout, who is the only Malden High football player ever to rush for over 1,000 yards in two consecutive seasons (2005, 2006).

—Dana Brown (1999-2005), a girls basketball coach, who brought the program back to competitive spirit and led the Tornados to a pair of MIAA Division 1 State Girls Basketball Tournament appearances

—Joe Levine was the Distinguished Service Award recipient. The longtime Malden Recreation Coordinator, Levine is known throughout the community as a loyal supporter of all youth sports of all varieties, as well as a promoter and supporter of Malden High School and middle school athletics.

—The 2012 Malden High Girls Softball Team, coached by Hall of Famer John Furlong, won more games than any softball team in school history (21-2) and as an MIAA Division 1 State Softball Tournament runner-up – the team that went the furthest in a modern era state tournament field.

—Malden Boys Tennis Head Coach Mark Gagnon was the Peter Donoghue Golden Eagle Award winner, as the subject of a winning essay written by a student-athlete whose life he influenced as a coach.

—Naveen Nemalapuri – a Class of 2023 MHS graduate and the winningest Boys Tennis player in school history, with over 80 victories since he started wearing the Blue and Gold as a seventh-grader, going undefeated in league matches in his career in the Northeastern Conference and then in the Greater Boston League – wrote the winning essay and was awarded the $1,000 scholarship.

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HALL OF FAME TABLE TALK: A number of former Malden High School Golden Tornado Hall of Famers were on hand for the dinner and ceremony, most notably former longtime Golden Tornado Club President Dom Fermano, who brought the club back to prominence in the 1990s and early 2000s. He said he was “very pleased with the status and direction of the Golden Tornado Club” in present day 2023… Malden High Athletic Director Charlie Conefrey gave greetings from the Department of Athletics and led a robust rendition of “Happy Birthday” to longtime Administrative Assistant Jeanne Marquardo, who this past year registered her 50th year of employment in the Malden Public Schools… Jeanne Marquardo, Golden Tornado Treasurer Katie Bowdridge and Board Member Joan Santospirito coordinated the ticket table with perfection, seating all of the close to 300 guests at Anthony’s. Athletic Department site assistant Michael Bowdridge coordinated the sales of the Malden High School apparel gear at the event… The Golden Tornado Hall of Fame banquet and induction this year saw its return to Anthony’s in Malden after over a decade away as the event has been held at the Malden Moose Hall for the past several events… Most of the Malden High School football coaching staff was on hand for the event, including third-year Head Coach Witche Exilhomme and several of his assistants, including two Hall of Famers, Wiston Jeune (Class of 2007) and Anthony Pappagallo (Class of 2005)… Also on hand were a number of Malden High football players from this year’s team, including junior captain James Hyppolite, Kevin Exilhomme and the two quarterbacks – junior Aidan Brett and freshman Ryan Bowdridge – who sold many tickets for the 50/50 raffle, which was for half of a whopping $840… The next Malden High Golden Tornado Hall of Fame banquet and induction will be on Saturday, November 22, 2025… Coming next week in the Malden Advocate: more photos from the 2023 Hall of Fame banquet and induction ceremony and a full listing of all the Malden High School Golden Tornado Hall of Fame selectees.

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