Robert Otrando, a native of North Attleboro, Mass., has been elected to the Northeastern University Hall of Fame for his achievements in the sport of track and field.
A 1979 graduate of the College of Business, Otrando entered Northeastern as a sophomore transfer from UMass-Dartmouth. Not blessed with great size, he attracted little attention at North Attleboro High School or UMass-Dartmouth in his quest to become a championship shot putter. At 6'0, 195 pounds, Otrando was a project for NU weight coach Joe Donahue. He developed quickly, however. In his first year at Northeastern (1975-76), sitting out of competitions due to transfer rules, Otrando put on nearly 20 pounds and added an extra six feet to his shot put distance.
In his sophomore season he shared the shot stage with teammate Roger Dupont as they alternated throwing first-place distances in dual meets. Otrando's personal-best throw that season was 55'0.75 and he placed third in both the indoor and outdoor New England Collegiate Championships.
With Dupont's graduation, Otrando became the anchor of the weight events team as a junior. The countless hours of practice spent to overcome his size deficiency began to pay off. He won both the indoor and outdoor New England's and placed second indoors and third outdoors at the prestigious IC4A track meets. His personal best increased by over three feet to 58'9.4 inches. More importantly, the points Otrando earned helped propel the Huskies to New England titles both indoors and outdoors, plus a third-place finish in the indoor IC4A's.
As a senior, Otrando was elected captain and helped pace NU to undefeated dual meet seasons indoors (5-0) and outdoors (4-0). Once again, the Huskies won the New England indoor title, while placing fourth at the IC4A's and second at the outdoor New England's. Individually, Otrando won his second consecutive indoor New England title with a record-setting throw of 60'7, and secured a first-place finish at the IC4A with a heave of 59'11 on his final throw of the meet. Outdoors, he had the same success defending his New England crown. He advanced his throws by another two feet to catapult himself among the nation's elite. Otrando's progress continued even after his college days. In later years, he established a career-best distance of 65'4 inches and competed in the 1984 Olympic trials.
