Bill Gonillo R.I.P.

[wallymann]

New Haven Register has just reported that veteran Connecticut sports broadcaster Bill Gonillo was found dead in his Woodbridge home.  He was 44.  I worked with Bill in Waterbury in the 80's at WWCO.  He had previously worked at 14-NVR (later WNAQ/1380) hosting "Call-In All Sports."  Gonillo actually did news anchoring at WWCO.  He was from Waterbury, and in fact, his family owned "Big W" Waterville Lumber.  He later moved to WELI and then onto sports anchor in Hartford at WVIT, ending up for many years at News 12 in Norwalk.  One thing I will always remember about Bill was, no matter how busy he was, he always took time out to talk to and reminisce with those who worked with him over the years.  He was a great guy, with a great sense of humor, and of course, he was dedicated to covering local sports.  Without question, if he had worked at WTNH, he would have been the next Dick Galliette or Bob Picozzi in terms of longevity. We'll miss ya' Bill.

[justareporter]

Bill was a real pro.....and a nice guy as well. Too sad.

[DJBARTLEY]

For the past two years, I have had the pleasure of working with Bill Gonillo as I am the producer of Inside Yankee Baseball.  I had never met him before last year's Inside Yankee Baseball premiere in April of 2006, but found Bill to be a total professional.  His knowledge of baseball and all sports for that matter, was inpecable.  I was stunned when I read the article this morning.  I had to read it again to make sure the words on the paper were matching the words coming out of my mouth.  A total shock!!!  You will be missed on the show, Bill.  The televison and radio world has lost a great human being and he will be sorrowly missed!!!

[ThExMaNCT]

Wow, I met Bill several years ago when Inside Yankee Baseball was on WICC.  He was a true professional, a good speaker and very knowledgable with sports.  We joked about Satellite radio...

R.I.P. Bill Gonillo

 
X

[bub]

My heart sank when I heard the news of his passing.  While I never got the opportunity to know him, I recall him as a broadcast professional in the truest sense - something IMHO is lacking in today's broadcast climate.  I recall him doing a fantastic job in his days as play-by-play announcer for Yale Football in the '90's at WELI.  In fact, he was the Sports Director at WELI when the station ramped up a Friday Night High School Football Game of the Week there in the late-80's.  While some broadcasters went around copping an attitude with a sense of entitlement, he was a go-getter.

If there's a radio or TV station where he is now, it just got a new Sports Director.
R.I.P., Bill   

[justareporter]

For those who knew Bill and who live out of state you will be happy to know hundreds...maybe thousands came out to his the viewing and to give their condolences to the family. The "wait time" on line to view the casket was about 30-45 minutes. There were flowers fro all over and all who came remembered Bill fondly. He will be missed.

[Info-warrior]

I didn't know Bill all that well. My encounters with him were mostly in passing through the hallways of Radio Towers Park prior to or after the "Inside Yankee Bassball" show. On the ocassions when we did talk, I found Bill to be very knowlegeable about both sports and broadcasting, and he was willing pass that knowlege along.

God Bless you Bill and those close to you.

[BobBarnum]

I was the producer of "Inside Yankee Baseball" during a good deal of its run on WICC. I am absolutely floored by this news. My condolences to all of Bill's family, friends and collegues. One of the nicest people I ever met and produced for.

-Bob Barnum