INDUCTEES
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

JULIUS “DAG” D’AGOSTINO
Julius D’Agostino made a lasting impact on the community of Pearl River and Rockland County. “Dag” or Coach Dag, as he was affectionately known to all, moved to Rockland County in 1960. For 32 years Dag taught, coached, and guided the youth of Pearl River with enthusiasm in a very professional manner. Growing up in nearby Clifton, New Jersey, Dag was a member of the Clifton High School New Jersey state football championship team. He was also a first-team All-State baseball player and went on to play semi-pro baseball for Milford, Massachusetts, and won a tryout with the Philadelphia Phillies. After serving his country in the United States Navy from 1951 to 1955, Dag enrolled at Springfield College. While there Dag was a starter on the varsity baseball team for two years, and an outstanding gymnast on the fabled Springfield College gymnastics team. In 1960 Dag was hired by the Pearl River School District as a physical education teacher and varsity baseball coach. Dag served as the varsity baseball coach until 1968. During his tenure as baseball coach Dag was awarded Rockland County Coach of the Year honors by The Journal News in 1962 and 1964. In 1967 Dag was appointed to the position of varsity wrestling coach at Pearl River, a sport he fell in love with. His positive attitude and tremendous love of kids led him to be one of the most successful wrestling coaches in Rockland County history. From 1967 to 1978, and then again from 1989 to 1993, Dag and the Pirates amassed a record of 127 wins and only 41 losses with 2 ties. His teams had two undefeated seasons and four straight county championships (1967-1970), and at one point Dag’s Pirates had a streak of 28 straight dual-meet victories. In1974 Pearl River was the No. 7 ranked wrestling team in New York State, and in 1975 the Pirates were the Section 9 champions. Six times during Dag’s wrestling coaching career he was The Journal News Coach of the Year. Dag’s wrestlers won 21 individual section championships and he had 20 all-state wrestlers, including four state finalists. Dag was more than just a baseball and wrestling coach. He never passed up an opportunity to help the youth of Pearl River. Dag coached varsity golf, JV and modified football, swimming and diving at the Pearl River Nauraushaun Swim Club, and, in the off-season, Dag started the Pearl River Wrestling Club. He found time to be a Rockland County baseball official for 20 years and a Section 9 wrestling referee for 25 years.Every year at the Rockland County Wrestling Tournament the most prestigious honor awarded is the Julius D’Agostino Service Award. It is awarded to a person who has unselfishly given his life and energy to the sport of wrestling. Dag’s ability to motivate young athletes made him a unique person and a natural leader who was a great example of how to live your life. One of Dag’s former wrestlers, John Scanlon, sums it up best by stating, “Dag was beyond a coach, he filled the void of my missing father.”
Kathy Miller Dapolito
Elected in 1993 ... 1978 Ramapo H.S. alumna ... one of the top female athletes in Rockland sports annals ... in basketball, she was a three-time, first-team All-County selection, averaging more than 20 points each year ... premium scorer and rebounder who also shone defensively ... finished with 980 career points and more than 700 rebounds ... was starting forward on the Hudson Valley Region open women’s team in the first Empire State Games in 1978 ... the team won the bronze medal ... she earned a basketball scholarship to Niagara University, helping the team place third in the NAIA Nationals in 1979 ... in softball, her favorite sport, she was an All-Rockland shortstop three years, two as a first-teamer ... she walloped 50 home runs and batted .375 for her career ... also starred on several youth league softball teams and, later, in local recreation softball leagues ... Clarkstown Women’s Softball League MVP three times ... in tennis, she made second-team All-County one year and honorable mention another ... became an accomplished bowler as well ... also a member of the Rockland Softball Hall of Fame.

Joe D'Auria
Inducted in 1975 ... Tappan Zee H.S., class of 1955 ... magnificent all-round athlete ... earned 17 varsity letters in four years: four in baseball, three each in football, basketball, golf and bowling, and one in track ... at 5-feet-7, 140 lbs., dubbed “the greatest little athlete there ever was in Rockland County” by Nick Mottola, D’Auria’s coach in three sports at Tappan Zee ... D’Auria helped lead Tappan Zee to County titles in golf three times, and in baseball, basketball and football twice each, including a co-championship with Nyack in football ... he also was instrumental in two Section 9 titles in basketball and one each in golf and bowling ... in golf, he won the County tournament three times (1953-55), captured the Section 9 tourney twice, and finished second in the New York State tournament in 1955... in football, he was second-team All-County left halfback on TZ’s undefeated 1953 County title team, and Rockland Offensive Player of the Year as quarterback in ‘54 ... in basketball, he was a speedy, ballhandling guard who, as a senior, averaged 20.2 points a game and tied the existing Rockland one-game scoring record of 45 points ... in baseball, he was a third baseman for three years and a pitcher his senior year ... he was the 1955 County batting champ at .375, and third as a freshman at .371 ... at Tusculum College in Greenville, Tenn., he ranked second nationally in free throw percentage (89.5) his junior year ... made All-Smoky Mountain Conference in basketball and baseball three times each ... later won more than 30 amateur golf tournaments in the area.

Pat D'Auria
Elected in 1988 ... 1936 Nyack H.S. graduate ... a standout on the baseball diamond, football gridiron and boxing ring ... a four-year varsity baseball player who was All-County shortshop as a junior and senior ... as a junior he batted a robust .681 ... his three-year varsity football career was highlighted by an All-County berth as quarterback in ‘35 ... after scoring the tying touchdown, he drop-kicked the extra point that enabled Nyack to defeat Haverstraw, 14-13, in an infamous 1935 game that ended with spectators embroiled in a riot on the field ... D’Auria wrestled varsity for two years ...at Perkinston Junior College in Mississippi, he was a football placekicker and punter, helping the team win the state junior college title one year ... at Southwestern Louisiana University, he batted .457 one season in baseball, and boxed the Southeastern Conference champion from Louisiana State to a draw in a major college tournament ... after college, played one year of minor league baseball in Port Arthur, Texas ... during World War II, while serving in the Army Air Corps in the Far East, he played and coached on a fast-pitch softball team that won a USO championship ... also coached the championship team in the first year of the Nyack Little League in 1950 ... was a teacher and guidance counselor at Tappan Zee and Nyack high schools ... was one of six D’Auria brothers to perform with distinction at Nyack ... Pat joins his brother, Pete, as Hall of Fame inductees.

Pete D'Auria
Elected in 1976 ... 1932 Nyack H.S. graduate ... outstanding all-round athlete... made the All-County team in baseball three years, in football two years, and in basketball one year ... scored two touchdowns and made two drop-kick conversions against Spring Valley to give Nyack the county football championship in 1931 ... also competed for the Nyack track team, finishing second in the 100-yard dash in the Rockland County meet in 1931 ... was a member of the famed 1933 Nyack Alumni football team, which went undefeated and allowed only two points all season ... D’Auria played shortstop for the Rockland County All Stars, the talented team sponsored by Dr. Pierre Bernard ... he landed a short-lived spot on the New York Yankees’ Class C team in Wheeling, W.Va.... he later played two years with the Detroit Clowns, a top-notch semipro team that was the baseball equivalent of the Harlem Globetrotters ... they wore clown outfits, funny hats, and streaked their faces with makeup ... D’Auria played comedy pepper games ... the team barnstormed through the Northeast during the Depression, playing morning, noon and night against such quality teams as the New York Black Yankees, the Royal Giants, the Lincoln Giants, the Homestead Grays and the Havana Cubans.


George Dalzell
Maybe you've heard of George Dalzell, maybe you haven't. Although he didn't comÂpete against Rockland scholastic competition, Dalzell, a New City resident, left an indelible mark at every stop in his storied athletic career.
Take his post-collegiate basketball career, for example. Dalzell played for three and a half years on a traveling U.S. All-Star team that toured every continent but Antarctica. Dalzell averaged close to 30 points per game during that barnstorming odyssey.
Although he never reached the highest level of professional basketball, Dalzell was chosen in the fourth round of the 1967 National Basketball Association draft by the Detroit Pistons, and was selected in the third round of the 1968 American Basketball Association draft by the Dallas Chapparals, who promptly traded his rights to the Denver Rockets. After returning from his extended tour with the U.S. team in 1971, Dalzell attended the Rockets' training camp, but was cut in the preseason.
Opponents in the Metropolitan Basketball League knew the name George Dalzell. Boy, did they know it. In the 1971 season, Dalzell averaged a Chamberlain-esque 48 points per game while playing for a team sponsored by the Rockland County Carpenters Union. That year, he broke scoring records in the Kingston, Poughkeepsie and Staten Island tournaments. He also scored 50 points against the Letchworth Big Five, then a highly regarded Rockland semipro team that featured such stars as Paul Toscano and AI and Art Orlando.
Dalzell's collegiate career was nearly as sensational. At Colgate University, he earned AlIÂ-American honorable mention accolades his senior year, 1967. In his freshman year, he broke the school one-game scoring mark of 46 points, which had been set by future NBA great Carl Braun. Dalzell averaged 24 points per game his junior year, which ranked 23rd in the nation, and averÂaged 26.5 points a game as a senior, when he was team captain. He also earned All-East honors in 1966.
At the Hackley School in Tarrytown, from which he graduated in 1963, Dalzell excelled in basketball, cross country and baseball. Hackley competed in the eight-team Ivy League and the 61-team Metropolitan (New York) Prep School League. In basketball, Dalzell was a three-year team captain and three-year All-Ivy League player. In both his junior and senior years, he was: league MVP; All-Westchester County first team; Metropolitan Area Prep School Player of the Year; and Metropolitan Area All-Prep first team.
Dalzell set the following basketball scoring records while at Hackley: career school record,~485 points; season school record, 591 points; Ivy League one-season record, 402 points; and Ivy League career record, 997 points. Additionally, he was Westchester County scoring leader in his junior (24.2 ppg) and senior (28.7 ppg) seasons. Led by Dalzell, Hackley was Westchester County Private/Parochial School team champion in 1963 and runner-up in 1962.
In cross country, Dalzell, the team captain, broke the 14-year-old Hackley course record and earned All-Westchester County laurels his senior year, when he won 12 duals meets and took one second place in 14 meets. He also finished second in the league both his junior and senior years. He also captained the baseball team his senior year and earned All-Ivy League acclaim as a pitcher. Dalzell tossed two one-hitters, six two-hitters and registered seven shutouts, en route to a career mark of 15-5.
Although he had minimal experience in organized football, the 6-foot-2, 190-pound Dalzell showed enough athletic ability to be chosen as a free agent by the Dallas Cowboys in 1967, after graduation from Colgate. He opted to pursue basketball, however.
Dalzell, a 55-year-old New City resident, is a commercial real estate broker specializing in leasing and management. He and his wife, Susan, have two grown children, Christopher, 28, and Lauren, 21.

Gerald D'auria
If you listen to longtime Nyackers, when they get to reminiscing about their athletic stars of yesteryear, you'll hear the name D'Auria bandied about quite frequently. Who was the best athlete? Pete D'Auria? Pat D'Auria? Jerry D'Auria? Each of the brothers (there were six of them) has his supporters. In the 1930s, it seemed like a D'Auria was always making headlines, driving in the winning run, making the gameÂ-saving play, sinking the clinching shot.
The argument will go on as long as Nyackers' institutional memories freeze those athletic moments in their mind's eye for posterity, and probably longer. There's no arguing one fact, however: now there are three D'Aurias who will have the title "Rockland Hall of Farner" affixed to their names.
Jerry D'Auria, this year's recipient in the Old-Timers category, joins Pete (inducted 1976) . and Pat (1988) in the Hall of Fame pantheon. A 1939 Nyack High School graduate, Jerry excelled in baseball and basketball. In basketball, he was a four-year starter for the Indians and made the All-County team twice, in the 1937-38 and 1938-39 seasons.
Baseball, though, was the sport in which he attained his greatest measure of fame. At Nyack, he played varsity ball for five seasons - from eighth through 12th grades. D'Auria was an All-County shortstop four consecutive years - 1936, 1937, 1938 and 1939 - and led the Rockland County Public School Athletic League in home runs in the 1938 and 1939 seasons.
After graduating from Nyack, he attended Southwestern University in Lafayette, La., for one year, 1939-40. At Southwestern, he batted a robust .421 for the baseball team, and also played point guard for the basketball team.
In 1940, D'Auria was drafted by the Lafayette (La.) White Sox, a Class D farm team of the Chicago White Sox. Just three weeks into his tenure with the team, in April 1941, he was drafted into the United States Army. In his 34-month military stint, during which he earned five Battle Stars, D'Auria played on the All-Service baseball team, competing with and against major league players and touring all over European war zones.
After obtaining his honorable discharge from military duty in 1946, D'Auria played one year of professional baseball, batting .287 for the Nyack Rockies of the Class D North American League. He set a league record with 11 RBI in a doubleheader (two grand slams and a bases-clearing triple). He then retired from baseball to run Jerry's, a candy store and soda fountain on Main Street in Nyack, until 1995. He also coached CYO basketball at St. AnnÕs in Nyack for 20 years, and was elected a Nyack village trustee for two terms.
A longtime Nyack resident, D'Auria, who is 82, now lives in Stony Point. His wife, Alice Welsh D'Auria, died in 1994. Jerry and Alice D'Auria had 10 children, three of whom are deceased.

Frank Dawson
Inducted in 1983 ... graduated from Pearl River H.S. in 1953 ... nicknamed “Dixie” ... three-sport athlete at Pearl River in football, basketball and baseball ... made All-County in football in 1952 and was one of the top punters ever in Rockland ... his 79-yard punt from scrimmage against Nyack stood as a record for many years ... at the State University of New York at Cortland, he played four years of varsity football as a tackle and punter ... in 1956 he led all Eastern small college punters in punting average and tied for fifth in the nation ... in 1957 and ‘58 he was invited to training camp by the Baltimore Colts’ coach Weeb Ewbank, but chose a coaching career instead ... he also played two years of varsity basketball in college, and continued after college by playing for the renowned Letchworth Big 5 team ... on the softball diamond, he had few peers as a complete player ... he was one of the original fast-pitch softball pitchers in Rockland ... career stretched from 1952 into the 1980s ... earned numerous MVPs, outstanding hitter and outstanding pitcher awards, as well as several gold glove awards for his defensive play on the mound ... among the softball teams he played for were:Wild Geese, Seidel’s, Nanuet Hotel, Andy’s Men’s Wear, Reiss Beer Sales and Modern Auto Body.

Mike Deane
Installed in 1993 ... 1970 North Rockland H.S. alumnus ... Stony Point native ... has made his mark in basketball ... was All-County in basketball two years, and was All-Rockland quarterback in football his senior year ... at Potsdam State, he was a two-time small college All-America, and made All-East and All-Conference three years each ... Deane was Potsdam’s career scoring (1,447 points) and assists (805) leader ... he was drafted by the Milwaukee Bucks, drafted by and played a short time with the old Utar Stars of the ABA, and spent two seasons with Utica of the Continental Basketball League ... he launched his coaching career with assistant positions at Potsdam and Plattsburgh, followed by four seasons as head coach at Delhi A&T Junior College, where he posted a 69-36 record ... in two years at Oswego State, he stopped an inherited 42-game losing streak and turned the program around ... he then served four years as assistant coach at Michigan State before taking the head job at Siena College, an NCAA Division I school in Loudonville, N.Y. ... at Siena (1986-94), he compiled a 166-77 record, a .683 percentage), led the team to third place in the NIT in 1993-94, won North Atlantic Conference regular-season titles in 1988 and ‘89, the conference tournament in 1989, and the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference crown in 1991 ... his 1989 team stunned Stanford in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, Siena’s first appearance there ... in 1988, he was National Association of Basketball Coaches District II Coach of the Year ... since 1994, Deane has been head coach at Marquette University ... in his first year there, Marquette went 21-12 and reached the NIT championship game, losing in overtime to Virginia Tech ... Deane’s career record after that season stood at 300-160.


Harold “HALE” DeChelfin
Enshrined in 1978 ... Haverstraw H.S., class of 1930 ... multi-sport athlete who excelled in baseball, football, softball, bowling, basketball and tennis, and was a betting favorite in 100-yard dash footraces and billiards matches ... All-County shortstop who batted .475 over four years ... described as a Pete Rose type of player — aggressive, mercurial baserunner, good bunter, slick fielder with strong arm ... played semipro ball for several area teams, including the Haverstraw Celtics ... in football, swift halfback and proficient drop-kicker ... superlative bowler, compiling a 190 lifetime average over 45 years ... best game of 289, best series of 690 ... rolled 10 straight strikes on two occasions ... won Rockland doubles championship with John Simko in 1956 ... the duo defeated two of Orange County’s best bowlers in a special three-game challenge match ... in 1957, he was awarded John Koster Memorial Award as the person who did the most for bowling ... won the Adam Huebner Award for bowling excellence in Haverstraw in 1966 and ‘67 ... played on many championship teams in leagues ... sponsored bowling teams in various leagues for more than 30 years, giving thousands of dollars to the sport ... was among the best pocket billiards players in the county, earning the nickname, “The Haverstraw Champ” ... played softball in Haverstraw from the 1930s until 1962, when he was 50 ... former chairman of the Rockland Sports Hall of Fame.

Harry “DEE” Dembnick
IElected in 1979 ... Suffern H.S. Class of 1942 ... achieved his fame on the golf links ... former national vice president of the Professional Golfers Association ... was one of the top golf instructors in the country ... won the Westchester Pro-Am tournament in 1953 and the New Jersey Golf Association Pro-Am in 1961 ... was No.1 man for Suffern H.S. from 1940 to ‘42, and usually shot par ... became head pro at Dellwood Country Club in 1951 at age 24, making him the youngest golf pro in the metro area ... began playing in sanctioned tournaments in 1947 and ‘48, and played on the winter pro tour from 1951 to 1962 ... shot a 65 to lead the Greenbrier Open in the first round ahead of Sam Snead ... shot four straight rounds under 70 (69-69-69-66-273) to finish 11th at the Texas Open in San Antonio, Texas ... finished sixth in the Baton Rouge (La.) Open in 1957 ... in 1952, he shot a 68 to lead 191 golfers in the qualifying round of the Tam-O’-Shanter Open in Chicago (this tourney’s first-prize purse of $50,000 was then the largest on the tour) ... Dee also set a course record of 63 at the west course at Winged Foot in Mamaroneck (site of the U.S. Open in 1959 and ‘74) ... shot nine holes-in-one... won the Eastern Open Hole-in-One Contest, 1952 ... was New Jersey Pro of the Year, 1966 ... scored a hole-in-one in the North-South Open, where he shot 72-69 for eighth place ... finished fifth in the Dodge City Open after opening with a 65 ... tied for the lead in the Chino-Pomona Valley Open with a 67-70 ... was New Jersey PGA president 1965 to ‘67 ... was golf pro at six clubs in New York, New Jersey and Florida, including Winged Foot and Ridgewood (N.J.) Country Club ... he and his family were named Golf Family of the Year in 1978 by the Metropolitan Golf Writers.

Charles F. Dittmer
Class of 1948
Congers

Charles is a life long resident of Rockland County. He was born in Rockland Lake and now makes his home in Congers. Growing up in a small town was a memorable experience. During those years, playing sports was a daily way of life.

Athletic skills were developed that paved the way for sport successes in high school and beyond. Charles was a beneficiary of this process. He was an outstanding athlete during these early years and developed the talent to play all sports well.

Charles attended Congers High School and lettered in 4 sports. He was a two year varsity letter winner on the track team, and a three year varsity letterman on the basketball team. Charles was a four year starter on the county championship Congers High soccer team. During that time, Congers only lost one game and were the county champs all four years. But it was baseball where Charles really excelled. He was the stating catcher on the baseball team for four years. Charles was the starting catcher in the very first baseball game played in the county under the lights at Nyack. During the summers while still in high school Charles played baseball for the Congers Liberties, an outstanding baseball team that won the county championships in 1947 and 1948. Aside from being a very well schooled catcher, Charles was an outstanding left handed hitter who could hit with power.

In 1949 Charles joined the U.S. Navy and continued to play baseball. He was on the Atlantic Fleet Division Team. They were champions in 1952 and Charles led the Newport Rhode Island League in homeruns that year. While playing in that league, Charles was spotted by the great Branch Rickey and, after being discharged from the Navy, Charles was signed to a professional contract by Mr. Rickey to play for the Dublin Irish which was owned by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the Georgia State League.

He played one season and came home the following year to marry his wife, Eleanor. Like all good athletes Charles was not content to sit idle, so he took up golf, and became very good at that sport, too. Charles became the Rockland Lake Course Champion in the C flight in 1985 and the Rockland Lake Course Champion in the A flight in 1986. In 1994 Charles was the Governors Cup Champion. Charles and Eleanor have three children: William, Diane, and Michael, and seven grandchildren. He still enjoys golf, doing crossword puzzles, and his family.

Frank DePatto
Inducted in 1982 ... Suffern H.S., early 1940s ... DePatto was a three-sport athlete for the Suffern Mounties in the late 1930s and early ‘40s ... in football, he earned a berth on the All-Rockland County team for two years, and twice merited All-County recognition in baseball, too ... made All-County once in basketball ... was team captain in all three sports ... DePatto also played football, baseball and basketball for the New York Military Academy prep school ... after serving in the U.S. Army during World War II, DePatto returned to Suffern and starred in local semipro leagues for Suffern-based teams in football, baseball and basketball ... Ed Greene, DePatto’s coach at Suffern High and himself a Hall of Famer, rated DePatto as one of the finest athletes he had ever coached.

TOM DOHERTY
“Mister Pearl River”. When one mentions Pearl River athletics, the name Tom Doherty comes to mind. For over 30 years, Tom was actively involved with every aspect of Pearl River sports. He was a coach, an Athletic Director, and Pearl River’s biggest fan. He knew every student on every team, and went out of his way to encourage them and cheer them on. Tom’s coaching career centered around boys track and cross country. In 1973 Tom started the varsity winter track program in Pearl River. From 1973 to 1981, Tom’s winter team grew in size and skill. His 1977 team was the Rockland County and Section Nine Class B champions.

They were the only Pearl River boys team to ever win the Rockland County winter track Championships. In 1980, Pearl River finished third place in the New York State Championship Meet. Tom also coached two individual New York State Champions—Brendan Murphy in the Pole Vault (1977) and Andy Kohlbrenner in the 1600 Meter Run (1980.)

In 1973, Tom took over the reins of the spring track program. What started out as a team of 20 boys, under Tom’s guidance grew to a dynasty. His 1976 and 1977 both went 10-0 and were the Rockland County Champions. The Pirates also captured Section Nine Class B crowns in 1977 and 1978. From 1976-1978, Pearl River had a dual meet record of 29-1.

It was in 1978 that Tom took over the cross country team at Pearl River and they skyrocketed to the top. During the four years that Tom coached the cross country team they were ranked in the state every year. He won two Rockland County Championships and three Section Nine Class B championships.

In 1978 the Pearl River Cross Country team was the New York State Class B and New York State Federation Champions. That year, 1978, the team ran the fastest 5-man average at Bear Mountain State Park during the Sectionals. That record time still stands to this day. They were named as one of the best teams in the United States by a major cross country organization. In 1980, the Pirates repeated as the New York State Class B Champions, and were named honorable mention All-American.

In 1982 Tom took on a bigger job at Pearl River, that of Athletic Director. For over ten years with Tom at the helm, Pearl River became a leader and innovator in Rockland County athletics. Through Tom’s efforts Pearl River now has an athletic trainer, an equipment manager, an allweather track and field facility, and a game field with a sprinkler system. New teams were added to the high school program during Tom’s tenure as Athletic Director. He started the boys ice hockey program and the girls lacrosse program, and added to existing programs by instituting tournaments or invitationals in field hockey, boys and girls soccer, boys and girls tennis, golf, baseball, softball, winter track, girls basketball, and modified cross country.

Success in athletics was important to Tom, but success in life for the Pearl River students came first. From 1982-1992 Pearl River was a pioneer school in the Varsity Athletics Against Substance Abuse

Program. Pearl River High School was an early participant and winner in the NYSPHAA Scholar Team award program, and the Pearl River High School Athletes dominated the selections in the Journal News Scholar Athlete of the Week program. Tom never confined his activities to just Pearl River. Through his hard work all of Rockland County and Section One benefited. Tom worked very hard to achieve parity with realignment by school size in Rockland County and Section One. Tom scheduled and coordinated the required BOCES coaching certification courses and the First Aid and C.P.R. programs in Rockland County. Tom was the long time co-meet director of the boys and girls Rockland County cross country, winter track and spring track meets. Tom was a former member of the Rockland County Sports Hall of Fame Committee. Tom was also one of the founding fathers of the Rockland County Coaches Association.

In 2002 Tom was selected to the Pearl River High School Sports Hall of Fame. Tom retired from the Pearl River School System in 2003 and lives in Park Ridge, New Jersey with his wife Katie. They have four children – Brigid, Meghan, Nora, and Brendan. He has become the announcer for the Army mens and womens winter and spring track teams at West Point. He can occasionally be found at Pearl River and County athletic events cheering on the athletes from Pearl River and always greeting you and saying good-bye with his trademark, “GO PIRATES!”


Ethel Doller
Elected in 1991 ... 1945 Nyack H.S. graduate ... major force in the development of bowling in Rockland ... during her 22-year tenure as president of the Rockland County Women’s Bowling Association (1962-84), membership peaked at between 5,000 and 6,000; the Rockland County Junior Bowlers Association (RCJBA) was formed, with Doller as organizer and longtime president; the Bowlers Victory Legion (BVL) flourished with her as chairperson ... the BVL was a branch of a national organization that raised funds for hospitalized Rockland servicemen and their families ... she was a charter member and organizer of the Rockland County 600 Club ... certified coach instructor and junior bowling coach ... she began bowling as a schoolgirl in the Nyack YMCA, then joined a league at the old Nyack Bowling Center ... she developed a love of the game at places like the Nyack lanes, the old Mapleways lanes in Nanuet and the former Brunswick establishment in New City ... she’s been on four RCWBA tournament championship teams; been a member of the winning tandem in the King and Queen and the Golden Pins Mixed Doubles tournaments; and posted a high average of 171, a high game of 276 and a high series of 658 ... she’s been recipient of the John Koster Memorial Award, 1979; the Harriet Reiff Sportsmanship Award, 1983; The Journal-News Woman Bowler of the Year Award, 1985; and the Dorothy Manson Senior Award, 1988 ... Doller has held a variety of positions in the RCWBA, served as a delegate to more than 25 New York State women’s bowling conventions, and to more than 20 Women’s International Bowling Congress tournaments and conventions.

Bill Drescher
Enshrined in 1975 ... Congers H.S., 1939 ... Major League Baseball player with the New York Yankees ... was a superior athlete at Congers, competing in baseball, basketball, soccer, volleyball and track ... He was awarded a baseball scholarship to Villanova University, but turned it down ... he played semipro ball with the Congers Liberties, then signed with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1940 ... his career in professional baseball spanned 1941 to 1952... he played with the Yankees as a catcher, appearing in 57 games in 1944, 1945 and 1946 ... his lifetime major league average was .266 ... was a good enough basketball player to play with the New York Knicks in 1940 ... he died in 1968 at age 46.

Don Driscoll
Elected in 1993 ... He is without peer as a competitive swimming coach in Rockland County ... raised in Plainview, L.I., came to Rockland in 1970 and proceeded to establish a boys’ swimming dynasty at Tappan Zee High School ... Driscoll was a 23-year-old physical education teacher and former swimmer when he convinced the South Orangetown School District to start a swim program in ‘70 ... after one year as a club program, the team gained varsity status and Driscoll guided them to unparalleled heights ... by the time he retired from coaching in 1995, his TZ swim teams had amassed a dual-meet record of 313 wins and only 10 losses for a .969 winning percentage ... The Dutchies compiled a 212-meet home winning streak, at South Orangetown Middle School pool ... under Driscoll they won 24 straight Rockland County championships, and 19 Sectional titles ... Driscoll led them to a top 10 ranking in New York State 12 years, and the team earned a ranking of No. 2 in the United States in 1990, based on a comparison of times ... Driscoll was chosen Rockland Coach of the Year nine times ... he had the unusual distinction of gaining entry into the Hall of Fame while still active in his sport ... he is now athletic director at Tappan Zee.

Steve Drummond
Inducted in 1991 ... 1961 Clarkstown H.S. alumnus ... honored for his accomplishments as a multi-sport athlete, writer and umpire ... there were few sports he didn’t excel in ... at Clarkstown, he earned All-County notice in football, basketball and baseball ... in baseball, his best sport, he batted.364 as a sophomore on the Rams’ county championship squad ... he was an All-County pitcher, who also played shortstop, his junior and senior seasons ... in football he was a three-year starter and set a then-county record his senior year with 12 interceptions in eight games ... he started on Clarkstown’s county-title basketball team his junior year and was Rockland’s eighth leading scorer (12.6 ppg) his senior year ... at C.W. Post College, he compiled a two-year pitching mark of 15-3 and was team MVP both seasons ... he still holds six school pitching records. including strikeouts in a game (17), strikeouts in a season (96), season earned run average (0.50) and career shutouts (4) ... named small-college All-America his senior year ... in Connie Mack Baseball, pitched West Haverstraw Masonics to the state title in 1962 struck out 19 batters in one seven-inning game, 21 in a nine-inning game ... in bowling, Drummond was 1967 Rockland men’s singles champion ... was a highly regarded baseball and softball umpire from 1964 to 1978 who worked three championship games of the Deer Head Softball Tournament ... from 1967 to 1993 , he entertained readers of The (Rockland) Journal-News with colorful, well-written game accounts, columns and features in the sports section ... was the newspaper’s main high school football writer for more than 20 years.
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