WELCOME TO THE RCHSF!

On behalf of the Rockland County Sports Hall of Fame, I would like to welcome everyone to our web site. It is our hope that this site provides a forum for the sports community, past inductees and their families, and the general public to stay in touch with our organization throughout the year. If you have any questions or concerns please email Peter Scheibner, chairman at scheibnp@msn.com

OVERFLOW PARKING: Since a huge crowd is expected, if both Elks Drive &
lot are filled, proceed on Blauvelt Road approximately 300 yards to
George Miller Elementary School (on right) & walk back to Elks.

OVERNIGHT ACCOMODATIONS: A special “group rate” has been extended
by The Comfort Inn & Suites for both Friday May 1, 2009 and/or Saturday
May 2 2009. The Inn is conveniently located less than one mile from the
Elks Club at 425 Route 59 East in Nanuet. Their website is
www.comfortinn.com/hotel/ny188 Check-in-time is 3:00PM and check-out
time is 11:00AM. Some of their amenities include a deluxe continental
breakfast and an indoor pool. The nightly rates for a regular room are
$119, discounted from $149; and an executive room is $149, discounted
from $179. In order to get the reduced price, you must call 845 623 6000
by Saturday, April 18th 2009 mention that you are with “The Rockland
County Sports Hall of Fame.” After this date, regular rates will
apply.

 

2009 Rockland County Sports Hall of Fame Induction Dinner will be held at the Pearl River Elks Club in Nanuet, New York on May 2, 2009.


ANNOUNCEMENTS
On Saturday night, May 2, 2009, at 7PM the Rockland County Sports Hall of Fame will be holding its 36th annual induction dinner at the Pearl River Elks Club, Elks Drive, Nanuet, New York.

The 2009 inductees are:                                    
Joe Biddy – Suffern
Jeff Brown – Clarkstown South
Jim Horvath – Ramapo
Mike Longuil – Nyack
Janice Olszewski – Nanuet
John Sottile – North Rockland

Tickets for the dinner are $50 per person and can be purchased through Peter Castellano by calling 201-390-3245

If you have any questions, please call Pete Scheibner, Chairman, at 364-3675 (day), or 947-3759 (night).

To place an Ad in the program book please download a form here


THE 2009 INDUCTEES

JOE BIDDY
Suffern High School

Suffern High School’s track and cross country history is legendary. With Hall of Fame athletes such as Ervin Levine, Ralph Consiglio, and Tim St. Lawerence, and coaches like Joe St. Lawerence, Nick Mottola, and David Gaunt, the foundations of the programs were in good shape. Then along came Joe Biddy, and he brought the programs to new heights. Joe arrived in Suffern in 1967 and served as an assistant coach for two years. In 1969 Joe was elevated to the position of Head Boys’ Cross Country Coach. After 40 years and a lot of miles, Joe’s boys’ cross country team total stands at 616 career victories (522 duals and 94 invita- tionals), which is the New York State career record. During that time his teams won 13 league titles, 13 county meet titles, 15 sectional Class A titles, 2 New York State Public School team titles(1993, 1999), and one New York State Federation Team title (1993). From 1986- 1995 Joe Biddy’s Suffern boys’ team compiled a 132 dual meet win streak, which is still a record for a Rockland County boys’ team. Individually, Joe has coached over 75 first team All County runners and one of his athletes, Justin Romaniuk, went on to win the New York State title in 1999.

In 1973, after only a year of the program’s existence, Joe took over the reins of the Boys’ Indoor Track and Field program. And when the Girls’ indoor track program was started in 1978, Joe was appointed as the Head Coach of Boys’ and Girls’ Indoor Track, a position, along with Boys’ Cross Country Coach, that he still holds to this day. Joe’s boys’ teams have won 61 invitational meets, 7 league titles, 9 Rockland County meet titles, and 17 Sectional team titles. The girls’ teams have gone on to win 120 invitational meets, 23 league titles, 24 Rockland County meet titles and 18 Sectional team titles. During that time, Joe has coached 106 Boys Rockland County Individual Champions and 170 Girls Rockland County Individual Champions. On the State and National level, the Suffern Boys’ and Girls’ Indoor Track Team coached by Joe Biddy has been outstanding. The team has had 126 sectional champions qualify for the New York State meet. From that 126, 53 went on to become New York State Champions. Joe sent 46 Sectional relay teams to the New York State meet and had 43 place winners. Suffern has won 10 New York State Federation relay titles at various distances and the Girls’ team won the a State Federation relay title six years in a row (2001-06), the only school, boys or girls, to achieve that feat. On the National level, Joe has had 2 individual champions and 3 relay champions.

In 2006 Suffern High started a Girls’ Golf team and, because of his love of the sport, Joe became the Girls’ Golf coach. In the three years that Joe coached the Girls’ Golf team, they won 2 Rockland County tournament titles. If you put together all of Joe’s championships, the record is astounding: 43 league meet titles, 48 county meet titles, 50 sectional titles. In addition to that, Joe was selected as “Coach of the Year” by the Journal News over 40 times, and, in 2000, he was selected by a committee of county coaches as the “Boys’ Cross Country Coach of the Millennium” Joe and his wife Barbara, live in New City, and have two children, Marci, 34 and Gregory 30.


JEFF BROWN
Clarkstown South

When Jeff Brown first stepped onto the basketball court, no one knew how far that first step would take him. Now Jeff is one of the most respected and successful college basket- ball coaches in the North East. During his high school years at Clarkstown South, Jeff was a three time All-County selection. In his senior year, Jeff averaged an astounding 26.9 points a game and set the Rockland County career scoring record in 1978 with 1,428 points. This record lasted for nine years until Bill Kurisko of Nanuet exceeded it by 16 points. Jeff then held on to the second spot in career scoring for the next 18 years. He is gen- erally acknowledged as the best basketball player in Clarkstown South’s history. In his senior year, Jeff lead his undefeated (20 wins) team into the New York State regional finals against a power- house and also undefeated Mount Vernon team that boasted two future NBA players (the McCray brothers). Unfortunately, Jeff and the Clarkstown South team fell short of their goal of a victory against Mount Vernon and a state championship, but wound up as the number 3 ranked high school team in New York State. Jeff earned a basketball scholarship to the University of Vermont and went on to have a highly successful career there. By the time he graduated from Vermont, Jeff scored 1,336 points and became the third highest scorer in the school’s history. Today Jeff ranks 10th on the scoring list. Jeff captained his team his sen- ior year, and was selected honorable mention All New England. For these accomplishments Jeff was inducted into the University of Vermont’s Athletic Hall of Fame. After graduation, Jeff spent three years as the top assistant basketball coach at Manhattan College where he built his reputation as a first rate recruiter and strategist. In 1985 Jeff returned to his alma mater as an assistant coach for nine years. At Vermont his responsibilities included advance scouting, player develop- ment, on the floor coaching, and game-day preparations. In 1994 Jeff took over the head coaching position at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine. In 1997 Jeff landed the job as the head coach at Middlebury College and is still there today. This year Coach Brown was the unanimous choice of the NESCAC (New England Small College Athletic Conference) as Coach of the Year after leading his team to its first conference championship with a 24-3 record. He is now in his 12th year at the helm of the Middlebury Panthers, and over the last two seasons, the Panthers have a record of 43-11 and two straight NCAA tournament appearances. When basketball season is over Jeff is also the assistant Girls soccer coach at Middlebury College, plus he donates his time to the Middlebury Special Olympics and is a community United Way fundraiser. He lives in Middlebury with his wife Renee and three lovely daughters, Vanessa 21, Michelle 19, and Nicole 15.


JIM HORVATH
Ramapo High School


In the early 1970’s freshmen weren’t allowed to compete in the varsity athletic programs at Ramapo High School. That left Jim Horvath only three years to make his mark in Rockland County, and make his mark he did. Jim was a man for all seasons. From the beginning of his sophomore year in 1969 until graduation in 1972, Jim earned nine varsity letters at Ramapo High. On the football field Jim started for Coach Chuck Scarpulla’s Gryphon’s all three years. He was the team captain, and voted first team All-County as an end and linebacker in his senior year. Coach Scarpulla says of Jim, “He was one of the toughest players I ever coached; He played football and wrestled at 150 miles per hour.” Chuck Scarpulla went on to state, “As a coach, every time you saw a kid like Jimmy, you smiled, because you knew he could do it all.” In the spring Jim was a member of the varsity track team. His event was the 440 yard dash, one of the hardest events on the track. It was on the wrestling mat that Jim attained his greatest achievements. In his sophomore year, after an 8-3 record during the regular season, Jim entered the county tournament seeded fourth. In the semi-finals he beat the number one seed 8-0 and then went on to win in the finals by a pin. For his efforts at the county tournament, Jim was voted the Most Outstanding Wrestler in the tournament and received the Sol Gordon award. That year he finished second in Section Nine. That sophomore season was the start of a great career for Jim on the mat. In 1971, his junior year, Jim again won the Rockland County tournament, then the Section Nine tournament. At the New York State meet, Jim finished in third place, after losing in the semi-finals to the eventual champion by a score of 4-3. That would be the last loss for Jim in his high school career. In his senior year, Jim went on to win the Rockland County Tournament, the Section Nine Tournament, and Jim went to the New York State Tournament and won in the 167 lb. weight class. Upon graduation from Ramapo Jim accepted an athletic scholarship to Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois to play football and wrestle. An injury kept him off the football field so Jim decided to concentrate on wrestling. Southern Illinois wrestled a top notch schedule which included both Iowas, both Oklahomas, Michigan State and Lehigh. Jim was a four year starter on the wrestling team. In his senior year, Jim won the Illinois Collegiate State Championship, and the Western U.S. Regionals, and was ranked as an Honorable Mention All-American.. His senior record was 31-1-1. The Western Regional tournament victory qualified Jim for the NCAA Division One Tournament, where he won his first two matches and lost 7-3 to the eventual NCAA champion, which concluded his college career. Jim currently lives in Richmond, Virginia with his wife, Pamela. They have two children, a son, Ryan, and a daughter, Jordan. Ryan, a three sport athlete in high school, baseball, football, and wrestling, recently graduated from William and Mary College where he played football and obtained a degree in finance. He now works for Deutsche Bank in Jacksonville, Florida. Jordan, a state champion swimmer (200IM), is completing her junior year at East Carolina University with a focus on Public Relations. Jim served his com- munity as a pee wee wrestling and football coach and still enjoys going into the local high school wrestling room to work out with the team.


MIKE LONGUIL
Nyack High School

Anyone familiar with the history of Rockland County sports knows the name of Mike Longuil. Mike has been associated with Nyack High School and Rockland County since the late 1940’s, first as an athlete, then a coach, and finally as a track and wrestling official. His career spans over 50 years.

As an athlete at Nyack High School, Mike participated in three sports and earned 11 varsity letters. While a member of the track team in his senior year, Mike’s 880 yd. relay team broke the RCPSAL and Section 9 record. Mike played two years of varsity football, starting for Nyack as a 135 lb. running back and linebacker. But it was on the wrestling mat where Mike really shined. Mike was a three time RCPSAL champion and, in his senior year, he was undefeated and had only one point scored against him all year After High School Mike enrolled at Bowling Green State University in Ohio to continue his education. In his freshman year Mike was a member of the freshman football, track, and wrestling teams. In his sophomore year Mike decided to concentrate on wrestling alone.

During his three year varsity career at Bowling Green, Mike was elected co-captain of the team, most valuable wrestler on the team, and finished third in the Mid- American tournament. After college, and a stint in the Army where he participated and coached the base track team to the Southern France championship, Mike returned to Nyack to teach and coach. From 1956 to 1970, Mike was the varsity assistant track coach, specializing in the jumping events, hurdles and sprint relays.

During his tenure, Nyack won many team and individual RCPSAL championships in those events. As Joe McDowell stated in his acceptance speech to the Rockland County Sports Hall of Fame, “I would not be here today without Rudy Rejholec and Mike Longuil.” At the same time Mike was an integral part of the famed Nyack High football program. While a varsity assistant from 1961-70, Nyack won 7 championships. He was responsible for -11- numerous All-County players and one All- American. In 1957 Mike became the Nyack High Head Wrestling Coach, a position he held for 14 years. During that time Mike coached many RCPSAL and Section 9 champions, one New York State Champion and many state place winners. He was the RCPSAL wrestling chairman for two years and the Section 9 wrestling chairman for two years. Giving of his time in the off season, Mike started and ran novice tournaments in the area and coached at many summer wrestling camps. When it was all said and done, Mike coached three sports over 52 different seasons for his alma mater, Nyack. Long after he was done coaching, Mike continued to be a strong presence on the Rockland County sports scene as a track and wrestling official. Mike worked as a track official from 1957 to 1973. During that time he served as the vice-president and rules interpreter for the Rockland County Track Officials Association.

Mike was a qualified starter and officiated the pole vault and long jump events at most county and sectional meets. Mike is a charter member of the Rockland County Wrestling Officials Association which began in 1956, and was an active member until 1990. From 1990 to 2005 Mike served as a supervisor for the active officials. On the administrative side, Mike served as the president, vice president, and rules interpreter for Rockland County and Section 1. Mike officiated at all of the Rockland County and sectional tournaments from 1972 to 1990. In 1985 Mike was selected as the Section 1 official to work the New York State High School Tournament. In 2005 Mike made a “one time only” comeback. He donned the official’s gear and worked at the George Fuge Kids Wrestling Tournament in Suffern. At the conclusion of the event, Mike received a standing ovation of appreciation from the crowd, after which he removed his official’s shirt, neatly folded it, and left it in the center of the mat, never to be worn again. As a 2009 ROCKLAND COUNTY SPORTS HALL OF FAME track and wrestling official Mike logged 67 different seasons.

Mike Longuil’s entire professional life has been spent helping the youth of our area become good athletes, ladies and gentlemen, and good citizens. He is retired now and lives in Pearl River with his wife, Charlotte. He spends most of his time fixing and restoring fishing rods, and occasionally gets to try them out on the water. Mike feels that he has been privileged to be in a profession which brought him association with some of the finest people to be found anywhere.


JANICE OLSZEWSKI
Nanuet High School

One of the first sports to manifest the impact of Title IX gender equity was basketball. In the mid to late 1970’s, women’s high school basketball vaulted to a new level as top female athletes gravitated toward a sport that had long been a crowd pleaser on the male side. Athletes such as Denise McGuire of Pearl River and Jane Ronner of Clarkstown North were generating headlines and attracting college scouts with their hoops wizardry.

Then there was Janice Olszewski. No comparisons can be drawn because there was no one like Janice playing women’s high school basketball in the late 1970’s. Six feet two inches tall, solid as Mount Rushmore, Janice was an intimidating physical presence who was close to automatic when she got the ball in the low post. Defensively, woe betide the opponent who drove the lane for a lay-up only to see Janice looming, blocking her path, and altering shot selection merely by positioning herself in the paint. Those were exhilarating days, and Janice stood in the vanguard of the new era. “It was the beginning of the spark of women’s sports; it was finally coming into its own,” says Janice. “There were a lot of good individuals and teams, and the local coverage in the newspaper was very strong. It was exciting to be a part of that.” By the time she had concluded her high school varsity career, Janice had rewritten the Rockland County record book. She became the first Rockland schoolgirl to score 1,000 points and wound up with 1,520 points, which stood as the Rockland County record for nine years. “I’m surprised I held it for that long,” says Janice, who was coached by Dale Abling her junior and senior years, Julie Schaefer in her sophomore year, and Lonnie Dall as a freshman. Janice set the still standing Rockland County record for scoring average in a season with 30.4 points per game in the 1978-79 season. She scored 40 or more points in a game five times, 30 or more points in a game 18 times, and pulled down 282 rebounds in 20 games for an average of more than 14 rebounds per game.

Besides the seasonal scoring average, Janice also holds school records for free throws in a game (17) and season (137) and shares the record for field goals in a game (18).

Janice made the first team All-County teams her junior and senior years, second team All- County as a sophomore, and honorable-men- tion as a freshman. In addition to basketball, Janice played varsity tennis all four years in high school, doubles her first year and singles her last three years.

Janice earned a full scholarship to LaSalle University in Philadelphia, an NCAA Division I Institution, where she played all four years on the varsity. She was the first player off the bench her first three years and cracked the starting line up in her senior year. In her senior year LaSalle won the East Coast Conference championship to earn an automatic berth in the NCAA tournament. Janice led the team in field goal percentage her junior and senior years. Janice now lives on Staten Island and has been a member of the FDNY-EMS squad for 22 years. She is currently a Deputy Chief of Division 5 (Staten Island/Coney Island). In 2003 Janice was a co-founder of the FDNY Center For Terrorism and Division of Preparedness. She was featured in the non-fiction book, Women at Ground Zero, (Stories of Courage and Compassion) that was published in 2002 and describes the experiences of women in emergency services during the terrorist attacks of 9/11/01. Her sports activities are now limited to low impact sports such as golf and slow jogging due to a 2002 hip replacement.


JOHN SOTTILE
North Rockland

After a highly successful high school career at our Lady of Lourdes High School in Poughkeepsie, where he was an All County football and baseball selection, John Sottile entered Wagner College in Staten Island, New York. He was the starting centerfielder in the late 60’s for the Seahawks in the highly competitive Division I Met Conference against such perennial powerhouses as St. John’s, Seton Hall, NYU, LIU, Fordham, and Manhattan. In 1970 he began his teaching and coaching career in the North Rockland School District. Throughout his tenure at North Rockland John coached at all levels of football and baseball.

In 1991 John was appointed to the position as the head baseball coach at North Rockland High School. He held that position for 14 years. During his career as the head coach at North Rockland he amassed a record of 281 wins, with only 78 losses. Along the way John won 8 league championships, 6 Section 1 Championships, 5 Capital Region Championships and 3 NEW YORK STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS. He was the League IB Coach of the Year 7 times and NYS Section One Coach of the Year in ’93 and ’94. The Journal News selected John as the Rockland County Coach of the Year 8 times and he was honored as the New York State “Coach of the Year” in 1992, 1993, and North Rockland

After a highly successful high school career at our Lady of Lourdes High School in Poughkeepsie, where he was an All County football and baseball selection, John Sottile entered Wagner College in Staten Island, New York. He was the starting centerfielder in the late 60’s for the Seahawks in the highly competitive Division I Met Conference against such perennial powerhouses as St. John’s, Seton Hall, NYU, LIU, Fordham, and Manhattan. In 1970 he began his teaching and coaching career in the North Rockland School District. Throughout his tenure at North Rockland John coached at all levels of football and baseball.

In 1991 John was appointed to the position as the head baseball coach at North Rockland High School. He held that position for 14 years. During his career as the head coach at North Rockland he amassed a record of 281 wins, with only 78 losses. Along the way John won 8 league championships, 6 Section 1 Championships, 5 Capital Region Championships and 3 NEW YORK STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS. He was the League IB Coach of the Year 7 times and NYS Section One Coach of the Year in ’93 and ’94. The Journal News selected John as the Rockland County Coach of the Year 8 times and he was honored as the New York State “Coach of the Year” in 1992, 1993, and 1994. Also in 1994 John was voted as the American Baseball Coaches Association “Coach of the Year” as well as the National High School Baseball Coaches Association, “Coach of the Year”. In 2000, his North Rockland High team was invited to participate in the Upper Deck Classic, a tournament in Anaheim, California for the top teams in the nation. His teams were ranked in the top 25 in the nation on three separate occasions, finishing as high as 16th in 1994. Many of his players have gone onto play in college and seven have been drafted by Major League teams.

John also coached for Diamond Pros New York, a private organization that sends travel baseball teams all over the world. He has taken teams to Italy and competed in tournaments in Rivabella, winning several times. In 2001 John took an All-Rockland County team to the Torneo Estate competing against 6 Italian teams and a strong entry from California. In classic fashion this team won an unprecedented 5th title. He is currently the director of the Federazione Italiano Baseball and Softball All Star Camp in Rivabella, Italy. This year two of John’s campers were members of the Italian team that made it to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa. It was the first time an Italian team made it that far.

John and his wife Mandy live in Stony Point and have four children: David, 36, was a baseball coach in Arlington and is now a Principal in the Irvington School District; Gina, 34, is a personal trainer and a member of the F.D.R. High School Sports Hall of Fame; Joe, 31, is a teacher at North Rockland and coaches the Farley Middle School baseball team; and Gina, 19, is a second year student at R.C.C..

After a two year hiatus, John returned to coaching in 2007, as an assistant at the St. Thomas Aquinas College in Sparkill. In his second year at St. Thomas, the team won its first ever league championship, was seeded first in the conference 2009 ROCKLAND COUNTY SPORTS HALL OF FAME most wins in a season

This year John decided to help his son Joe coach the middle school baseball team. John continues to work at baseball camps and gives private hitting and pitching lessons.


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