The Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame is an American sports

hall of fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...

based in Suffolk County on

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...

, New York. The

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

was established during 1990 to honor outstanding people, living or deceased, who have gained prominence and made substantial contributions on behalf of themselves and Suffolk County in professional and amateur

sport Sport pertains to any form of Competition, competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and Skill, skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to specta ...

History

During its early existence, The Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame maintained a museum and education center that was located on South Ocean Avenue in Patchogue, New York. The facility closed during 2013. Soon after, traveling and permanent satellite exhibits began to appeare throughout Suffolk County. Permanent exhibits are featured at

Long Island MacArthur Airport Long Island MacArthur Airport (formerly known as Islip Airport) is a public airport in Ronkonkoma, New York, on Long Island. The Town of Islip owns and operates the airport, which serves about two million airline passengers a year, as well as g ...

, Bethpage Ballpark, home of the Long Island Ducks, and Huntington Town Hall. Since 1990, more than 315 inductees have entered the Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame underwent a significant transformation during 2017-2018 under the guidance of Executive Director Chris R. Vaccaro. He implemented a rebranding initiative for the organization that included new logo, the development of a website and the creation of social media channels. Vaccaro also addressed portions of the annual induction ceremony and golf outing that provided greater recognition for the organization among supporters, inductees and the public. In August 2019, the Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame debuted its historic marker program that honors locations of sporting significance within the county. The first marker commemorated Bethpage Ballpark, the home of the Long Island Ducks. This location is the site of the longest operated professional sports franchise and ballpark in Suffolk County history.

Executive directors

* Gaetano “Butch” Dellecave, 1990-2000 * Edward J. Morris, 2000-2017 * Chris R. Vaccaro, 2017–Present

Categories of induction

The Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame honors inductees in 33 categories. * Athletic Directors * Auto Racing * Badminton * Baseball * Basketball * Boating & Nautical * Bowling * Boxing * Coaches * Community Sports * Field Hockey * Football * Golf * Gymnastics * Handball * Hockey * HOF Committee Member / Founder * Horse Racing * Journalism & Media * Lacrosse * Martial Arts * Officials * Olympics * Professional Sports * Soccer * Softball * Special Olympics * Sports Medicine * Swimming & Diving * Tennis * Track & Field * Volleyball * Wrestling

Special categories

*Historic Recognition for individuals and teams. Inductees: New York Cuban Giants, Belmont Family, Harry Chadwick (writer),

Marion Hollins Marion B. Hollins (December 3, 1892 – August 27, 1944) was an American amateur golfer. She is known as an athlete and as a golf course developer, one of the only known female golf course developers in history. She won the 1921 U.S. Women's Ama ...

and

John Montgomery Ward John Montgomery Ward (March 3, 1860 – March 4, 1925), known as Monte Ward, was an American Major League Baseball pitcher, shortstop, second baseman, third baseman, manager, executive, union organizer, owner and author. Ward, of English descent ...

, and Charlie Bunger. *Special Recognition for individuals and athletic programs. Inductees: Louis J. Acompora, Dr. H. Jean Berger, Matthew DiStefano, Aaron Feis, Ruth Gracey, Annamae McKeever-Kress, Jeannette Rogers, Ward Melville Boys Lacrosse and

Ralph Macchio Ralph George Macchio Jr. ( ; born November 4, 1961) is an American actor. He is best known for playing Daniel LaRusso in three ''Karate Kid'' films and in ''Cobra Kai'', a sequel television series. He also played Johnny Cade in '' The Outsiders' ...

. *Edward J. Morris Lifetime Achievement Award: named for the 2000-2017 executive director of the Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame, the award honors an individual who has committed a lifetime to generate a positive impact in Suffolk County Sports.The first recipient was Edward J. Morris. *Golf Tournament Honorees: each year, The Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame honors an individual at the annual golf outing. *Special Recognition Award: presented to an organization or group that supports a community through sports and athletics.

Inductees

Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame inductees appear below.

References