SSHOF -Current News


Left to Right - 2007 Inductees: Sal Mignano, SSHOF President - Luke Clarke, Jim Plate,
Ed McGrath, Sal Ciampi Jr., Sal Ciampi Sr., Jack Agostino and Warren Fuller.



Ed Morris - SSHOF Executive Director and Sal Ciampi Jr.



Patchogue businessman - Arthur Fuccillo presents a check for
$1,000.00 to the SSHOF. Also pictured is Paul Pontieri - Village of Pacthogue Mayor,
Ed Morris - Executive Director SSHOF and Steve Keegan - Treasurer SSHOF


The Induction Dinner and Ceremonies will take place on may 7th at the West Lake Inn
in Patchogue. Also being inducted, in addition to those who attended the conference,
are: Joe Buzzetta, Justin Davies, Christine Gentile and Cathy Vayianos.

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Glynn, Michta are Suffolk's standouts

Lindenhurst's John Glynn was an All-American lacrosse player who rewrote school record books. Sachem's Maria Michta racewalked onto the national scene.

The seniors earned the Butch Dellecave Award from the Suffolk County Sports Hall of Fame as the male and female high school athletes of the year. Dellecave was a longtime teacher at Connetquot and founded the Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame. Glynn and Michta, plus nominees from throughout the county, were honored at a breakfast June 6 in Patchogue.

"We picked two great kids," said Hall of Fame director Ed Morris, who gave each a $1,000 scholarship on behalf of the Economic Opportunity Council and Dellecave Educational Institute. "It's nice to see a non-traditional athlete like Maria win. She's a fantastic young lady. The same goes for Glynn."

Glynn, who has a 95 average and 1,160 SAT, will play lacrosse at Cornell. Last fall he showed remarkable dedication after partially tearing his left anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments playing football. The 5-10, 180-pound tailback/cornerback got hurt in the second game and returned four games later.

Wearing a heavy brace, Glynn scored twice in a 21-7 win over Sachem in a Division I semifinal. He finished a three-year career with 3,000 all-purpose yards and 26 touchdowns, eight as a senior. "It still hurt," he said, "but I didn't want to stop playing."

The midfielder rehabbed the knee during the winter and was healthy for lacrosse. He led Lindenhurst (11-7) to the Suffolk Class A playoffs with 42 goals and 36 assists. The four-year player is the school's career leader in goals (120), points (206) and ground balls (467).

The 5-6 Michta has a 114 weighted average and 1,300 SAT. She will attend C.W. Post, one of the few colleges that would let her continue training in the racewalk. Though it is an Olympic event, it's not in the NCAA track and field program.

Michta has three state Federation indoor titles in the 1,500-meter racewalk, three outdoor Suffolk crowns and two indoor and outdoor national titles in the mile racewalk. Still, her college search was agonizing.

"Other kids I traveled to States with were getting offers and money from big schools," she said. "But the racewalk actually hurt me. Most [NCAA] coaches aren't willing to train racewalkers."

Bridgehampton's Carl Yastrzemski, Westhampton Beach's Dan Jiggets and Center Moriches' Sue Wicks were among the first inductees into the Suffolk County Sports Hall of Fame and now, a decade and a half later, they may finally be able to see their plaques hanging on the wall.

The hall of fame is expecting to open its doors at 62 South Ocean Avenue in Patchogue in January 2005, 17 years after the creation of the hall and 15 years after announcing its first class of inductees. But there is still a lot of work that has to be done before the facility can open for public viewing.

The founding fathers of the hall of fame are Butch Dellecave, Arthur Figliozzi, Richard Finn, John F. Foley, John J. Foley, Kevin Maloney, Thomas McAteer Jr. and George Waldbauer Jr. These men had originally envisioned a Long Island Sports Hall of Fame, but when the idea was presented to a committee of Nassau County residents in 1988, it was rejected because Nassau wanted its own hall. Currently, there is a small display at Nassau Coliseum honoring Nassau County greats, but no museum. The group, however, was not discouraged by the rejection and decided to launch a hall in Suffolk County.

There are currently 170 Suffolk inductees and the first induction took place in 1990. There are four separate categories in which to be inducted: professional, amateur, which includes high school and college athletes, and coaches, physically challenged and mentally challenged. There is also a non-official category dedicated to press and administrative persons. "They wanted it to represent the community and not just high-profile athletes," Suffolk County Hall of Fame Executive Director Ed Morris said. "There's a category for everyone who has excelled."

The founders eyed several properties around the county but all fell through. Morris then asked fellow East Moriches resident John Kanas, the CEO of North Fork Bank, about any foreclosed properties the bank had. Kanas went one step further than just pointing out a property, he donated the former Union Savings Bank building on South Ocean Avenue in Patchogue on behalf of the bank for use as the hall of fame. The building became the property of the hall of fame in October 1999 and Morris and a secretary moved in two months later. The property is valued at $1.2 million.

The building, which was constructed in 1911, is in need of repair and renovations have begun on the interior. One of the largest of the indoor projects is the removal of one of two vaults. A vault on the first floor will remain in the museum and house some of the more valuable pieces of memorabilia, including a Carl Yastrzemski baseball bat. The vault on the second floor is being removed in an intricate process in which the floor and ceiling around the vault must first be reinforced. The building's exterior will be refurbished last.

The total cost of the renovations is more than $2 million. The hall has received $750,000 so far through government grants and is working to secure an additional $1.5 to $1.6 million. Morris is still working on submitting applications for grants from the government and securing funds from private corporations. Admission, between $5 and $7 per person, would not bring in much revenue, but the gift shop is expected to generate significant profits. The museum is a not-for-profit organization and pays only limited taxes.

Morris points out that the hall will be not only a museum with photos and memorabilia, but will also serve as an educational center for both children and adults. "This museum will have photos and stats but also virtual-reality devices and simulators," Morris said. "It will be constantly changing. It's not only educational but a fun place as well." Some of the memorabilia collected so far has been part of a traveling museum on display at special events around the county, but now all the items will have a permanent home in Patchogue.

The hall will be completed in three phases. The first, expected to be completed for the January opening, will include the first floor of memorabilia and a gift shop. Included in the first floor will be a specially designated area for the Long Island Ducks baseball team as well as the defunct semi-professional Long Island Ducks hockey team, which operated from 1959 to 1973 and played at the Commack Arena. The Ducks baseball organization has donated more than $50,000 to the hall over the years.

All the inductees will have a plaque near the start of the exhibits with their name, photo and a short description. Visitors can use headsets located near the plaques to listen to full biographical information about each inductee. A full range of sports will be on display with each sport receiving its own special section with photographs and interactive tools.

There will also be a 40-seat state-of-the-art mini-theater. Morris envisions community groups coming to the theater for sports movie showings and seminars. A replica of a locker room will feature lockers with real equipment and information on strength training, conditioning and sports medicine.

The second phase will be the Suffolk Sports Research Center, located on the second floor of the building. Ten computers have been donated by Keyspan and more than 2,000 brand new sports-related books have been donated by various groups. The research center will be open to the public, free of charge, and is expected to open in January 2006.

Currently, four annual events fund the day-to-day operations of the hall, including a golfer's dream raffle, golf tournament, induction dinner and a sports celebrity night.

Several current and former East End residents are among the 170 inductees that will be featured in the hall, including Bridgehampton boys varsity basketball coach Carl Johnson, former Southampton High School basketball coach Joseph Romanosky Sr. and East Hampton basketball coach Ed Petrie. Local athletes who have gone pro in their careers and have found a home at the hall include baseball great Carl Yastrzemski, who originally hails from Bridgehampton, Southampton High School graduate and NBA star Clarence ëFootsí Walker, Westhampton Beach alumni Dan Jiggetts, who played for the Chicago Bears, Center Moriches alumni and varsity baseball coach Paul Gibson, who pitched for the Tigers, Mets and Yankees, Center Moriches alumni Sue Wicks, who played for the New York Liberty, and former tennis pro Paul Annacone from East Hampton.

Other notable hall of famers include Boomer Esiason, Craig Biggio, Buddy Harrelson, Clark Gillies and Mick Foley. Each fall, the hall announces its annual induction schedule and nominations must be in by November 15. There are three subsequent meetings by the induction board to discuss and decide who will be inducted and the inductees are announced on February 1 of each year; a special ceremony is then held each spring. There are between seven and 12 inductees each year. The qualifications for a prospective inductee are a person who "has gained prominence in either professional or amateur sports as a player, coach, manager, official, owner, writer, broadcaster or any special category established by the Board of Trustees." The nominee must "be a person of integrity and good character, a resident of Suffolk County at the time of his or her prominence, or be a person now residing in Suffolk who has made a noteworthy contribution to sports or who otherwise has been closely identified with sports in Suffolk." An inductee must be 23 years of age or older.

Printed with permission of The Southampton Press and The Press of Manorville and the Moriches