I am absolutely crushed to report tonight that a good friend is gone. Popular News-12 sports director Bill Gonillo was found dead at his home in Woodbridge this afternoon. He was 44 years old.
As of Sunday night, there was no word on the cause of death, although it must be noted that Bill was a diabetic.
I heard through email late Sunday night that News12 opened its 10 p.m. broadcast with an emotional announcement of Gonillo’s death. Stunned, I immediately called Mike Quick of the Madison Square Garden Network and News 12′s parent company of Cablevision, who confirmed the terrible news.
“As of 7:30 this afternoon,” Quick said. “Fairfield County sports changed forever. He was the best.”
I can’t bare to read or write these words.
I knew Gonillo for a little over 14 years, way back when I was a senior at Amity High School and an intern at Yale University’s sports information department. Back then, Gonillo was a young play-by-play announcer for Yale Football on WELI.
The University of Hartford graduate had worked for almost every other station in the state, doing his share of Whalers games and Celtics games.
But beginning in the late 1980s, he was mostly known for being one of the driving forces behind WELI’s now powerful high school football broadcasts and, of course, becoming the face of News 12 sports, where he had been the anchor for more than a decade.
Charismatic, jolly, affable, lovable. Bill was selfless to a fault, incapable of saying a bad word about anyone. That is, except for the many jabs he took at himself, be it for his often harried and slovenly appearance, his enormous waistline and his legendary inability to stray far from buffet tables.
(The running joke, of course, was that if you wanted Bill at your press conference, you’d better find a good caterer and lots of help).
Gonillo was all of these things. He was a character. And everybody who knew him loved him for who he was.
Above all else, it wasn’t a Connecticut high school sports event without Gonillo in attendance. For more than 20 years, he tirelessly covered young athletes from all over Fairfield and New Haven counties.
Billy on his way out of DeLuca Stadium off to another assignment
A typical Bill afternoon would be showing up to a game lugging his massive News 12 camera on his right shoulder (and a hot dog in his left hand). While chatting with everybody he met on the way in, Bill would try to catch some quick highlights then jet out of there to hit two or three more games on his way back to his office in Norwalk.
If you were playing a game somewhere on his route home, Bill would stop to get a few clips. Guaranteed.
That wasn’t the most amazing part.
Somehow, with mere minutes left to airtime, Bill would burst into the News 12 offices, simultaneously splice together the highlights, call all the newspapers to get all the final scores and slip on a shirt, tie and jacket so he could make himself presentable for the thousands who tuned in to see the sports video they couldn’t get anywhere else. What you didn’t see was that Bill was wearing mustard-stained shorts and sneakers beneath that desk.
I remember thinking I was big time when Gonillo called the Connecticut Post office to get scores from me. I would kid him all the time for leaving me in Woodbridge back in 1993 when I was supposed to hitch a ride with him to cover a Yale-Princeton football game.
Just a week ago, I was all fired up about heading to my first high school football game of the season. I called the one person who I knew would be as fired up as me: Gonillo.
Of course, Bill never picked up his cell phone so I had to wait for his callback.
“Where are you going?” I asked him.
“Oh, I’m going over to the Fairfield Prep game at Wilbur Cross,” Gonillo said.
“Awright, Bill! I’ll be there, too. I can’t wait to see ya,” I exclaimed, and I meant it. He was one of those people who so personable he just made work a happy place. I was thrilled whenever I could share the sidelines with him. It just made a great day better.
Except…
“Bill,” I said, frowning. “Why are you coming all the way to New Haven? What are you nuts???”
“I’ve got to get Fairfield Prep highlights and then hit Milford on my way back to the office,” Gonillo said. “Throw this together and go on the air, and then head over to the Central-Greenwich game.
“I know. I’m crazy.”
Certifiable.
When I arrived at Wilbur Cross I met Quick on the sidelines and told him Gonillo was en route. Sure enough, Gonillo came sauntering in, that massive camera attached to his shoulder like a second head.
“He’s great, isn’t he?” said Quick as we watched Bill make a beeline for our position on the Fairfield Prep side. “Nobody works harder than him.”
Nobody–not me, not anyone at the Register, Hour, Advocate and especially nobody at other local television stations–cared more about local sports than Bill Gonillo.
He took his shots, stayed maybe a little bit longer than he should have, and got the heck out of Wilbur Cross just so he could fight his way through I-95 traffic back to Norwalk in time for his spot on the 5 o’clock news. I remember being disappointed when he left the game and thinking how fortunate we were to have him around.
That was the last time I saw him.
Quick wasn’t exaggerating. Gonillo was the best.
He was a one of a kind.
And now a Connecticut icon is gone with his passing, and local sports will indeed never be the same.
I’m going to miss ya, buddy. We all will.
The sidelines won’t be same without you.
Your friend,
Sean Patrick
SPB,
Nice tribute. Indeed Fairfield County sports won’t be the same.
Rob Adams – WGCH Radio
Sean-
Thanks for sharing your memories of Bill.
I am stunned to hear the news but finding comfort in what others are fondly remembering.
Everytime Bill and I spoke he always called me “kid” (I’m 35!). So recently I started doing the same to him. His enthusiasm for his work was like few others I’ve ever met.
I was always honored to be worthy of his friendship. Billy The Kid – Rest In Peace.
John Holt
What a powerful tribute! Though I never had the opportunity to meet the man, you brought me as close to knowing him as anyone could. Thanks!
Sean:
Very nice Sean. Great job. I received the news via phone call early this morning and my first reaction was shock and my second was just deep saddness. I have known Bill from the time I coached ice hockey at Westhill through my time now coaching the New Canaan Girls High School ice hockey team as well as being an assistant with the Masuk softball team. He truly was the best. He did so much for girls ice hockey in the FCIAC and I don’t know if he even realized the impact he had. His coverage, the interviews with the girls, always filming highlights at the rivalry games really put the sport into the spotlight in our area and we have to thank him for that. You are also right on the money that he was just a great guy and funny too. Two years ago at the State Softball Banquet at the Aqua Turf in Southington he was the master of ceremonies. He was telling the crowd that his bosses didn’t believe that he was at the dinner to work. They said he was going for the free meal. So he called me out of the audience and made use his camera to film him giving out the awards. It was hysterical the way he played the crowd and mugged for the camera. I am really going to miss him at the rink and on the softball field. But most of all, I am going to miss the person that he was.
Rich Bulan
Head Girls Ice Hockey Coach
New Canaan High Scholl
Assisitant Softball Coach
Masuk High School
Scott Krevit Sports Producer, WJLA
Bill Gonillo meant so much to me. I started out as an intern with him at News 12 in the summer of 1999. I gained more practical experience that summer than my 3 previous years at Syracuse. Bill let me go out and shoot games, edit video, even script highlights for him. I would always thank him, and he would say, “Hey, I’m just a teacher.”
There’s no question, I’m at where I’m at in my career because of Bill Gonillo. He work his tail off, and everything Sean Patrick says is true. There were times he would literally have nothing scripted, go onto the set with the roster sheets of the players, and just “wing it”. I’m glad I was taught the right way by Bill Gonillo. He gave me my start, I’m gonna miss him.
Atlanta – September 24, 2007
I was at the Falcons game, in the press box, when I got the call. It was a good friend and photographer at News 12. Something in my gut told me it wasn’t good.
Bill Gonillo had passed away…way, way too soon.
Billy and I worked closely together for about three years at News 12. I anchored the weekend sportscasts and worked the local high school and college scene during the week. We talked just about every day. Billy’s passion and love for the state of Connecticut, and the high school sports scene, was immense. He knew what was important. He did it the right way. And of course everyone loved him and appreciated his dedication to southwestern Connecticut sports.
Billy used to call certain coaches and athletic directors “friendlies” because we could always rely on them to make our life covering their teams/schools eaiser.
I spent last night calling several of them because I wanted them to know how much they meant to Billy. They were not easy phone calls because the big guy from Waterbury didn’t deserve to go this soon. He was still so young and filled with enthusiasm.
When my wife and I found out we were having our second child, he was one of the first people I called. He was thrilled for us. That’s just the way he was. He loved life, and loved a good meal. But most importantly he loved people and all the high school and college kids we covered on a daily basis.
My condolences to his sisters and parents. Rest assured, he’s at peace.
Dave Babbin
CBS 46 News
What a punch in the gut. Bill was the definition of the term “good egg”. He called me a couple of times about what was going on at my new locale, never thought that would be the last I’d hear from him. Vaya con Dios, mi amigo.
Life, as we know it, will never be the same without Billy.
It’s just not right.
I’ve never met Bill, but we shared another passion besides sports – the T.V. series The Odd Couple. Our paths crossed on an internet message board devoted to the show. He was known as “Scooter Scott”. We would all talk of meeting either Jack Klugman or Tony Randall. Some people there had met him, and we are all saddened to hear of his passing. To his family and friends we send our deepest sympathies.
Steve Baratta
Illinois
I’m stunned. This news hit me like a brick in the head. I haven’t seen or spoke to Bill in close to a decade. We worked together when he was at WELI and I was at KC101. He’s one of the guys that made my 20′s a blast. We used to play golf, basketball, and argue sports. When I moved from New Haven to work at WBLI, I got to know him even better. I used to drive up every weekend and sleep at his house so I could visit my Son who still lived in Hamden. We had some awesome times. He visited me in Long Island and we were both thrilled to play a round at the famous Bethpage Black public course. I tell a story that has him involved usually about once a month. There were just so many good times. One of those stories had us playing basketball and Bill started acting crazy. Another friend of ours Joe thought he might be having a diabetic problem. We ended up having to tackle Bill (that was not easy) and feed him a candy bar to get his sugar normal. When I moved to NYC at the end of 1999 we never spoke again. It wasn’t meant to be that way. It was just that I got busy with my new job, and never got around to calling a lot of my old friends. I found out I’m a diabetic about 2 weeks ago, and I was thinking I should reconnect with Bill to get some tips. If he’s reading this he’s probably laughing and saying “Obviously I’m not the guy to be giving tips on this!” I’m trying to laugh right now, but all I want to do is cry. I haven’t spoken to Bill in years. And now that he’s not here I miss him horribly.
News 12 is largely populated by young news reporters on their way up and anchors on their way down. Bill was unique in his commitment to his beat – Connecticut sports. I too had the privilege of working with Bill briefly while at News 12 in 1997-98 and I can’t make the same claim, most of us were working to build a reel for the next job. I had my own background as a news reporter and anchor for WSTC and Fairfield County News Radio. I’ve left the Hollywood dream of broadcast news for the business world but I am moved to remember a great sports anchor who was every bit as good a person. I recall him floating into the news room on Valentines Day with a box of roses leaving one on each of the ladies’ desks – truly spreading sunshine. He was lovable like that.
As a reporter he was adept at shooting his own packages in the field and editing back at the newsroom, a humble competency ignored by most of the expectant divas who come and go through TV news. The point is that Bill did the unglamorous work that goes on behind the scenes to make News 12 an authority on local sports covering High School and College athletes. What he built at News 12 made it possible to attract talent like Jared Max, Marc Robbins and others to work for News 12. Beyond that, he was a prototypical sports anchor; cheerful, informed and connected. He was a gem and really too young to leave us. You’ll be missed Bill.
Sean … Excellent work. Bill was the best. Nobody (and I mean nobody) did a better impression of John Sterling. All of us who love high school sports will miss him.
Although we never got to know each other, Bill Gonillo always recognized me and my friends at all Fairfield Prep sporting events. Basketball, hockey and even Yale football games, he would always say hi to my friends and I. He always wished Prep good luck. I will miss him
I’m absolutely floored by the responses today. I haven’t been able to read a single one with dry eyes. It’s been tough do do my regular work today. It really has, I keep coming back here to approve responses. And they just keep coming.
Glad to see that I wasn’t the only one who felt this way and was greatly impacted by Billy during his short life.
The worst thing about this is, for me, it wasn’t that I didn’t appreciate what he was all about, but it is the realization that nobody will even vaguely come close to being the kind of person Bill was.
This makes me proud to have known and worked with him, even if it was for a short time.
Keep the comments coming!
sean
I cannot imagine a Sacred Heart athletic event without Billy. I knew him for a dozen years and no matter what kind of day I was having, his warm hello and cheery nature always made me smile.
I know I am going to be looking for him patrolling our sidelines for a long time to come.
I get to meet and work with hundreds of media members in my job, and he was one of a handful I also called “friend”. I even forgave him for being a Yankee fan!
Fairfield County and the rest of Connecticut have lost an incredible person.
Gene Gumbs
Assistant AD/Communications
Sacred Heart University
Sean –
Outstanding job in capturing the true spirit of a truly outstanding guy. As many others have said here and elsewhere Connecticut HS sports have lost an outstanding friend. May Billy rest in peace – hopefully he and Bo have the first of many tee times together tomorrow morning.
Matt Fischer
Director of Information Services
CAS-CIAC
Sean,
Thanks for sharing just a glimpse of what Bill meant to Connecticut sports coverage.
I didn’t know Bill personally but I knew of his reputation, and he will be greatly missed.
David Wells
Couldn’t believe it when I heard it. Thought he would be making people laugh forever. In that spirit, I thought I would share a story about Bill. Back in 2004 I launched Connecticut Sports Magazine. After our first issue, I thought I would approach Bill about doing something on a regular basis in the mag as he was Fairfield County sports. As such, I was at a SHU hoop game and saw him there with the camera. I figured I would go up and introduce myself. As time went by he was lugging the camera around and I could never find the time to go up to him and soon enough he leaves. I walk outside the court figuring I have one last chance. I find him at a bake sale table that one of the SHU women’s team is having as a fundraiser. He buys about a half dozen giant cookies and walks out. I follow him into the parking lot and introduce myself. With a giant smile and mouthful of cookie he says hello, says he has seen the mag and congrats on starting it. At that very moment, one of the cookies falls out of his hand and hits the ground, staying in one piece. He looks at me, looks at the cookie, looks back at me, laughs and says “3-second rule”, bends over, picks up the cookie and takes a big bite. We knew each other all of 15 seconds and I was laughing my you know what off. And since then every time I would see him, ‘hey Tommy…how’s it going Tommy’ in the big brother voice. We’ll miss you.
(This is from Bill Jensen the public address announcer at Bluefish games -SP)
I worked around Bill at Bluefish and Fairfield U games and will always remember his enthusiasm. As a public address announcer I could always tell when he came into the area because of all the laughter. He was fun and he made things fun around him. I’ll miss his loud entrances into the booth. Always had to make sure I grabbed a sandwich early when he was around. Always a friendly hello from Bill and it was always so genuine.
I’ll miss seeing him carrying that camera around with that big old smile on his face.
Bill Jensen – Public Address Announcer Bluefish, FU and other sporting events where it was a privilege to have known someone like Bill.
(This is from Pat Moran at Post University –SP)
I had the chance to get to know Bill over the six-plus years I have been in the State of Connecticut, working in the sports information offices at Sacred Heart University, Fairfield University, and now as the Sports Information Director at Post University.
Bill was a true professional and a master of his craft. Win or lose Bill seemed to always show good things that happened in the game for our team.
There are many fond memories I have of Bill; standing on the Zamboni at the Milford Ice Pavilion while covering Sacred Heart ice hockey, interviewing student-athletes with a microphone in one hand and a camera on his shoulder. There are many more, but what made Bill great, was his wiliness to get to know the players, coaches, staff, and other individuals who were associated with the high school, college, professional, youth groups; he covered on a regular basis.
He will be missed and I am glad to say that I got to know him.
Patrick Moran
Sports Information Director
Post University
I was shocked when I heard the news that Bill Gonillo had died. He was a friend of mine, although after I left the broadcast industry we lost touch. He was one of the truly nice people in a business that is not exactly filled with nice people. When I was an aspiring broadcaster, he always had time for me. He blazed the trail for coverage of High School sports in a way that was truly revolutionary. There will never be another like him.
John Connelly
WGCH-AM Sports Director 1996-2000