Sachem’s legacy was on full display Friday night during the 25th Annual induction of the Suffolk County Sports Hall of Fame.
Alums Tom Sabatelle and Doug Shanahan, along with former district interim administrator Nick Schroeder, entered the hall as inductees during a ceremony at the Upsky Hotel in Hauppauge, N.Y. Hall of Famer and legendary Sachem basketball coach Risa Zander also spoke on behalf of a special recognition award bestowed upon the work and history pertaining to Title IX.
For Sabatelle, a teacher, coach and athletic director in Sachem for 34 years, the night was a perfect ode to athletic directors as he was inducted alongside colleagues and friends Ed Cinelli (former AD at Patchogue and Executive Director of Section XI) and Schroeder (former AD of Smithtown).
Sabatelle graduated from Sachem in 1960, just five years after his family moved from Brooklyn to Lake Ronkonkoma.
“We actually had a gymnasium and fields with grass,” he recalled.
It was on those fields and courts that he became a three-sport athlete in soccer, basketball and track and excelled enough to earn a scholarship to Ithaca College. He was back in Lake Ronkonkoma a few years later as one of the first Sachem alums to be hired by the district as an educator where he was hired by fellow Hall of Famer and former longtime Sachem athletic director Dave Rothenberg as a physical education teacher.
Sabatelle saw Sachem rise from a regular-sized mid-Island school district into the powerhouse it is today. He juggled expansion, split sessions, and building a staff of coaches to lead an athletic program that garnered national recognition and hasn’t stopped winning.
“It was a busy and challenging world,” he said. “There was a secret to how we all succeeded and it was fairly simple, it was hard work.”
He also credited Sachem’s coaches as a guiding light to the legendary success the district had under his tenure as an administrator. Many of those coaches are also in the Suffolk Hall of Fame, including Fred Fusaro, Jack Mahoney, Bill Batewell and Zander.
“The Sachem District motto is Sans Egal, which means second to none,” said Sabatelle. “That’s how I always felt about our coaching staff. Most of them spent many years improving their skills and their programs.”
Shanahan could not attend the ceremony because he was coaching lacrosse in Fort Lauderdale. The St. Thomas Aquinas boy’s lacrosse team, for which Shanahan is an associate head coach, was playing Friday night in the Florida state semifinals.
His brother, Sachem alum Dave Shanahan, who is the head football coach at John Glenn High School, spoke on his behalf.
Shanahan credited his family and coaches with his rise to success in the athletic world, which consisted of historic careers at Sachem and Hofstra University in both football and lacrosse.
“I would like to thank my coaches and teammates who supported, guided and challenged my efforts in a positive direction,” Shanahan said in a letter read aloud by his brother. “Coaches such as Fred Fusaro, Rick Mercurio, Tony Petillo, Dave Falco, John Danowski, Joe Gardi and Raheem Morris all allowed me to reach historic heights in athletics. I accept this award with great humility and honor.”
Shanahan’s No. 26 is retired in lacrosse at both Sachem and Hofstra. He is also a member of the Hofstra Athletics Hall of Fame, as well as the Long Island Lacrosse Hall of Fame. He recently signed a contract to play for the Florida Launch of Major League Lacrosse, a league he’s been a part of since 2002. Shanahan is the inaugural winner of the Tewaaraton Award presented to the top lacrosse player in the nation. He was also a quarterback on the football team at Sachem, an All-American defensive back at Hofstra and tried out with the New York Jets, narrowly missing a roster spot.
The Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame recognized Title IX with its annual Special Recognition Award. Zander was on-hand to speak on behalf of the honor.
She shared stories about the early part of her career at Sachem and dealing with adversity in the work place, the practice fields and the world of sports in comparison to male athletics.
“Title IX was groundbreaking,” she said. “It opened the door for women. All of us now have a responsibility to make sure we continue to strive for equality for all people so that everyone has an equal opportunity. It is my hope that women today also realize the hard work and sacrifices that were made so that they can now reap the rewards.”
2014 Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame Inductees
- Steve Borbet, track and field coach, Bay Shore High School
- Fred Cambria, former Major League Baseball player
- Ed Cinelli, Executive Director, Section XI, Suffolk Athletics
- Scott Craig, head boys lacrosse coach, West Islip High School
- Bill Edwards, head softball coach, Hofstra University
- James Metzger, philanthropist and former lacrosse player at Half Hollow Hills and Hofstra
- Tom Sabatelle, former athletic director, Sachem High School
- Nick Schroeder, former athletic director, coach and administrator
- Doug Shanahan, former lacrosse player at Sachem, Hofstra, MLL and Team USA
Suffolk County Sports Hall of Fame Inductees from Sachem
- John “Jumbo” Elliott (football player), 1993
- Joe Cipp Jr. (football coach), 1996
- David S. Rothenberg (administrator), 1996
- Neal Heaton (baseball player), 1997
- Diane Nelson (equestrian), 2000
- Fred Fusaro (football coach), 2003
- Jack Mahoney (wrestling coach), 2004
- Bill Batewell (baseball coach), 2010
- Risa Zander (basketball coach), 2013
- Jeff Ruland (basketball player), 2013
- Nicole Kaczmarski (basketball player), 2013
- Tom Sabatelle (administrator/athlete), 2014
- Doug Shanahan (lacrosse player), 2014
- Nick Schroeder (interim administrator), 2014
-Words by Chris R. Vaccaro