Ledyard - Four players and the 1966 Ledyard High School football team will be inducted as the fourth class into the school's Football Hall of Fame, athletic director and head coach Jim Buonocore announced Friday.

The 1966 team, which finished 7-1, won the old Quinebaug Valley Conference championship and was ranked as the top Class C football team in the state by the New Haven Register, will be honored along with Mike Carson (Class of 1980), Mike Gorman (1985), Bydrow Williams (1994) and Julian Hightower (2008).

The Class of 2014 inductees and the 1996 team will be honored at halftime of the Ledyard-New London game on Friday, Nov. 7, at Bill Mignault Field (kickoff is 6:30 p.m.) and they will officially be inducted during the Colonels' team awards night on Jan. 25, 2015, at Lake of Isles. The Hall of Fame display is housed in the main hallway at Ledyard High School.

"It continues to be an honor and privilege to recognize former Ledyard student-athletes who excelled in the sport of football during their time at the high school," Buonocore said. "We feel that it is very important to preserve our rich history and pay tribute to those individuals and teams who have made significant contributions over the last 50 years to the Ledyard football program.

"The 2014 class achieved greatness during their time as Colonels and we look forward to their return to campus so that they can be properly recognized."

Carson was an All-Eastern Connecticut Conference wide receiver and was named honorable mention all-state, leading the Colonels to a 9-1 record in 1979 with 74 receptions for 923 yards (he also started in the secondary and on special teams). Carson was a member of the basketball team and was named to the all-area Big Brothers/Big Sisters team in 1980. He is employed with the protective service at Millstone Nuclear power station in Waterford.

Gorman was an All-ECC defensive back and tight end for the Colonels and holds the single-season record for interceptions (22). He was an honor roll student who played four seasons at Norwich University. He was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps in 1989 and retired as a Major in 2009. He currently serves as the Director of Distribution Management at Camp Lejeune, is married with four children and resides in Jacksonville, N.C.

Williams helped lead the Colonels to the 1993 state championship, rushing for 1,237 yards, catching 19 passes for 355 yards and scoring 28 touchdowns (Ledyard finished 11-0). He was named to the all-state team and was a two-time ECC all-star. Williams played collegiately at Plymouth State and currently resides in Gretna, La.

Hightower helped lead Ledyard to the 2007 Class M state title. He was an all-state lineman as well as a three-time ECC all-star. Hightower is one of the best all-around athletes in school history as he also excelled in wrestling and lacrosse. He was a three-time Class M state champion and won the 2008 State Open and New England wrestling championships. Hightower also was a three-time ECC all-star in lacrosse. He is a graduate of Universal Technical Institute in Boston, and currently attends Cummins Diesel MSAT Training in Philadelphia.

For more information on the event contact Buonocore at jbuonocore@ledyard.net.