Bellmore-Merrick Superintendent named Hall of Fame Inductee

John DeTommaso, superintendent of the Bellmore-Merrick Central High School District since 2013, was recognized for his myriad accomplishments outside the classroom and on the athletic field, at a recent Board of Education meeting.

DeTommaso was one of 13 inducted into the 2017 Nassau County Athletic Hall of Fame.

Those who know DeTommaso told the Herald in 2013, when DeTommaso joined the district, that he is modest about his athletic achievements, but he is considered among the top defense players in the history of college lacrosse. He played for Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, helped lead the university’s lacrosse team to two national championships, in 1984 and 1985, and received the Schmeisser Award, given to the nation’s top defenseman, in 1985.

DeTommaso played on four U.S. lacrosse teams that won world championships –– in 1986, 1990, 1994 and 1998 –– and was elected to the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2001.

At Mepham, he served as the head lacrosse coach and was named the Nassau County Coach of the Year in 1992. He later coached the Long Island Lizards to the inaugural Major League Lacrosse Championship in 2001. He was the first-ever Major League Lacrosse Coach of the Year.

“He was All-American in lacrosse four times, won two national

championships while attending Johns Hopkins University and participated in the World Games,” said Board President Janet Goller as she presented him with a certificate of achievement at the June 7 meeting. “He was also an All-State athlete for football in high school.”

There will be a formal induction ceremony in September.

DeTommaso was nominated by Deputy Superintendent Dr. Mara Bollettieri and Craig Papach, the athletic director at John F. Kennedy High School.