Joe Spallina

Induction Year: 2020

Location: Rocky Point & Stony Brook

Sport: Lacrosse

One of the most successful lacrosse coaches to come from Suffolk County, the Rocky Point native and Mount Sinai resident is currently the head women’s lacrosse coach at Stony Brook University.

He has won seven straight America East titles at Stony Brook and at Adelphi won three straight Division II National Championships.

Spallina has received numerous personal accolades for his coaching efforts. He is a three-time IWLCA National Coach of the Year (2009-11) and a three-time conference Coach of the Year (Northeast-10 in 2010 & `11 and East Coast Conference in 2009). In 2011, he was named the Nassau County Sports Commission College Coach of the Year, and in 2009, he was the FieldTurf NCAA Division II Women’s Lacrosse Coach of the Year.

Under Spallina, Stony Brook has produced 18 IWLCA All-Americans, 10 Tewaaraton nominees, two Tewaaraton finalists, seven conference championships, seven NCAA Tournament second-round berths and two NCAA quarterfinal appearances.

He is also the General Manager of the New York Lizards of Major League Lacrosse and coached the team to an MLL title in 2015.

He was a four-year starter at midfielder on the men’s lacrosse team at Adelphi and helped lead the Panthers to a 38-14 record and two national championships in 1993 and `95. He also lettered in men’s soccer for two years.

Spallina is also a graduate of Rocky Point High School, where he was All-Conference in lacrosse and All-County in soccer.