Nassau high school Hall of Fame created

Section VIII, the governing body of all public school interscholastic sports in Nassau County, has approved the creation of a High School Athletics Hall of Fame that potentially could be housed in the renovated Nassau Coliseum.
The Hall of Fame would be open to athletes, coaches, contest officials, administrators and contributors whose accomplishments merit countywide recognition, and “whose achievements or contributions were relative to Nassau County high school athletic programs,” Section VIII officials said.
“Nassau County has a deep, strong tradition of excellence in athletics and we want to recognize that excellence,” said Nina Van Erk, the executive director of Section VIII.
Van Erk, along with Pat Pizzarelli, the athletic director for the Lawrence School District, sports journalist Carl Reuter, and two contest officials Tom O’Connor and lawyer Joe Cairo served on the planning committee.
National and state halls of fame exist to honor high school athletic history and Suffolk County has a sports Hall of Fame, Pizzarelli said. In contrast to Suffolk’s, only high school accomplishments will be considered for induction, he said. “We feel that Nassau County should honor people who were extraordinary in high school athletics, whether it be as an athlete, coach, official, administrator or contributor,” Pizzarelli said.

Preliminary meetings about placing the Hall of Fame in the coliseum with both the county and developer Bruce Ratner, his Nassau Events Center LLC will be renovating the Uniondale complex, have taken place, Pizzarelli said.
“My administration supports the creation of a Nassau County High School Athletics Hall of Fame,” County Executive Ed Mangano said. “I recently spoke to Bruce Ratner and he was receptive to locating the Hall of Fame in the Hub.”
The hall would include a plaque with a picture of the inductee, along with text describing his or her accomplishments. The annual nomination deadline is Dec. 1. Nominations can be submitted through Section VIII’s website at http://www.nassauboces.org/cms/lib5/NY18000988/Centricity/Domain/48/Hall%20of%20Fame/HOF_NOMINATION_PACKET.pdf.

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Criteria for Hall of Fame induction

 

Nominees shall be at least 35 prior to Nov. 15 of nominating year.

 

Nominees must exemplify the highest standards of sportsmanship, ethical conduct and moral character.

 

Nominees shall be considered on the merits of contributions and achievements in regards to high school sports. However, later success cannot be discounted entirely.

 

Nominees shall have significant and/or long-term contributions to interscholastic sports. Longevity without significant accomplishments does not constitute appropriate credentials for Hall of Fame consideration.   

 

Source: Nassau County Section VIII