Steve FernandesFernandes continued his wrestling career in college, first at Western New England College in Springfield, Mass. for two years (earning NCAA Division III All-American honors as a sophomore), then at College of New Jersey, where he was twice an All-American, winning the 134-pound title at the 1982 NCAA Division III Championships. Fernandes sported a combined high school-college record of 228-14-1.
Tim Sullivan, a teammate of Fernandes at both Southington High and Western New England, said two things set Fernandes apart from the competition.
"Number one, he was a physical specimen," Sullivan said. "Secondly, when he walked on to that mat he felt he was bullet proof. He felt no one was tougher than him. He was going to impose his will on the other guys. Physically, he was scary. Just a natural wrestler."
"One characteristic of Steve was his unbridled enthusiasm. And this enthusiasm wasn't limited to wrestling, to which, of course, he dedicated every ounce of his being," said Jack Alkon, volunteer assistant coach at Southington for 35 years, told InterMat. "When he entered a room, his presence dominated it. And when he spoke about any subject, be it wrestling, his job, his family or a new restaurant, his passion shone through and was contagious. If you started out not caring about the subject, you left sharing his excitement. This rare quality allowed Steve to savor life and to encourage others to do the same. This is only one of the many reasons why his loss is so tragic, and why we must learn from it to carry on Steve's enthusiasm and spread it to others, so that life can be appreciated to its fullest."
Fernandes was among the inaugural class to be inducted into the Southington Athletics Hall of Fame in 2010.
"It's always special when you get recognized in your hometown and the people you grew up with," said Bob Wittneben, Southington High's first head wrestling coach. "I knew he was happy about it. It meant a lot to him. He was an outstanding athlete and, for the area at that time, he went further than any other state wrestler had gone, being a three-time All-American. I'm sad he's gone; 54 is too young."
Fernandes is survived by his parents, his wife Deborah, and his siblings, including professional golfer Eddie Fernandes, who wrote, "Thank you everyone for all of the outpouring of love and support through this difficult time dealing with the loss of my brother Steve. He was my idol and a huge influence on my life as a young boy and I was blessed to experience his greatness first hand. He was the most dedicated, driven and passionate athlete I ever saw and he helped mold me into the athlete I became. He was tough as nails as I remember him wrestling with a blown out knee and broken wrist. Most of his losses were due to injury but he would never say that. He never wanted to let his team down. He was a true leader and as I write this with the heaviest of hearts, I am grateful for the opportunity to have him as my brother for 44 years ... I will be putting together the Steve Fernandes memorial scholarship fund presented to the Southington wrestler that displays leadership, dedication and passion. I would like to have an annual golf Tournament in Steve's name and all proceeds will go to the fund.
Visitation will be held Friday, Sept. 18 at DellaVecchia Funeral Home, 211 N. Main St., Southington, Conn. from 4-8 p.m. Funeral services will take place at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Sept. 19 at Calvary Life Church, 174 East Johnson Ave, Cheshire.
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