BY JAMIE KEMPTON
The Rockland County Sports Hall of Fame will honor seven individuals during its 46th annual induction banquet on Saturday, April 13 at the Pearl River Elks Club in Nanuet. Reception is at 6 p.m. followed by the induction program at 7 p.m.
This yearโs roster of inductees includes Phil Bogle, Spring Valley class of 1998; Todd Sinclair, North Rockland class of 1980; Sherry Murphy-McGill, Spring Valley class of 1988; Kristen McGarvey Miedreich, Pearl River class of 1991; Tommy Rowe, Spring Valley class of 1975; George Coates, Tappan Zee class of 1963; and Bob Veltidi, Nanuet class of 1965, the Joseph Holland Lifetime Achievement Award recipient.
โThe composition of each year’s induction class is different but all have one common denominator: the attainment of excellence in their chosen fields of athletics,โ said Pete Scheibner, Hall of Fame Chairman. โThis year we are proud to enshrine a former pro football player, a minor-league baseball player, two all-around athletes, a pair of track & field stars, and a longtime contributor to the Rockland sports community. Rockland County is small geographically but looms large in the athletic arena.โ
Bogle starred as a football lineman for Spring Valley and the University of New Haven before embarking on a nine-year pro career as an offensive guard and offensive tackle. He broke in with the San Diego Chargers and later had stints with the Cleveland Browns and Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League, the Hamburg Sun Devils of NFL Europe, Philadelphia Soul and Dallas Vigilantes of the Arena Football League, and the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League. He currently serves as director of game operations for the NFL.
Rowe spent 11 years in minor-league baseball as a successful right-handed pitcher, first with the Baltimore Orioles organization and later with the Seattle Mariners, Cleveland Indians and New York Mets franchises. He made the All-Star teams at every minor league level, Class A, AA and AAA. In 1981 he pitched in the longest game in professional baseball history, a 33-inning marathon between his team, the Rochester Red Wings (the Orioles’ Triple-A affiliate) and the Pawtucket Red Sox. He played with and against such stars as Cal Ripken Jr., Don Mattingly, Wade Boggs. Darryl Strawberry and Chris Chambliss.
Sinclair enjoyed one of the finest running careers of any Rocklander. At North Rockland, he won the 1,600-meter run at the 1980 New York State championships in 4:09.74, third all-time among Rockland schoolboys. He earned All-County and All-State honors in track and cross country 10 times collectively. At the University of Florida, he clocked a 1,500-meter time of 3:41.4, which equates to a sub-4-minute mile and is the fastest 1,500 ever run by a Rocklander. His personal best of 8:41.1 in the 3,000-meter steeplechase is also tops among Rockland County runners. He recently retired as athletic director at Teaneck (N.J.) High School.
Murphy-McGill was Rockland’s premier female sprinter for three years. At the spring County championships, she won the 100-meter dash four straight years, captured the 200 three times in a row, won the 400 once and ran on the winning 4×100 relay twice. As a senior she finished second in the 300 meters at both the Pathmark National Scholastic Indoor Classic and the New York State meet. Her time of 35.30 in the 300 yards at the Eastern States meet ranked as third-fastest ever by a New York State schoolgirl. She later starred at Temple University.
McGarvey Miedreich excelled in basketball, track and soccer. On the basketball court, she was a two-time All-County and All-Section player who scored a record 63 points in one game and finished with 1,159 career points, ranking No. 8 all-time in Rockland up to that time (1991). In track, she was Section 1 Class B champion in the 100-meter hurdles, Rockland County titleholder in the high jump, and first-team All-County in the pentathlon. In soccer, she was the Lady Pirates’ leading scorer three straight years. At St. Thomas Aquinas College, she helped lead the Lady Spartans basketball team to a 26-3 record, tops in school history, and a berth in the NAIA Div. II national championship tournament.
Coates was also a versatile athlete, earning 12 varsity letters in five sports: football, baseball, basketball, cross country and track. In football, he was an All-County quarterback who threw for a league-leading 18 touchdown passes to pace the Dutchies to a share of the RCPSAL title. In basketball, Coates was a two-time All-County player who helped lead the Dutchmen to an RCPSAL co-championship. In baseball, he was also a two-time All-County performer who batter .495 in his junior year and held a career batting average of .385. He later starred at Tusculum College in Tennessee and taught and coached at Valley Central High School for 32 years.
Veltidi was a three-year, two-way starter for the Nanuet football team and a two-time All-County selection. He was also a valued pillar of the wrestling and baseball teams and thrived as a shot-putter in track. He spent 33 years as a phys ed teacher, coach and administrator at Suffern High, the last five as assistant athletic director. He was Suffernโs varsity football head coach from 1985 to 1996, leading the Mounties to six bowl appearances. He has held numerous leadership roles in the local sports community
Tickets for the gala are $60 per person and $30 for children 12 and younger. Ticket deadline is April 8. For further information, contact Pete Castellano at 201-390-3245 or riverviewmall@aol.com, or use the ticket form on the Hall of Fameโs website, www.RCSHF.org.
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